December 4th, 2011 | by admin | published in featured, remembering..., things to do & see
How fantastic was this Tibetan nomad festival in Langmusi, China on International Children’s Day, 2002.
I was incredibly fortunate to experience this event with one of my groups and it was definitely worth arriving after 2am in the morning for. We had broken down on the grasslands in the middle of Sichuan the previous day and [...]
December 3rd, 2011 | by admin | published in featured, latest posts, remembering..., things to do & see
Jiuzhaigou is scenically one of the most spectacular landscapes I have ever seen, however I have realised I need to qualify this a little. I grew up in an area that was very flat and dry, so in a way I find mountains, snow and the whole alpine scenery thing to be all quite exotic.
Jiuzhaigou [...]
August 15th, 2011 | by admin | published in things to do & see
Branded a fool over his decision some 13 years ago to create a large scale art park amongst the ethereal landscape of Guilin, Rhy Chang Tsao’s pet project, affectionately named “Fools Paradise”, now boasts more than 200 magnificently sculptured artworks that dot manicured grounds like rare species of flowers.
Whilst it may be somewhat difficult to [...]
July 28th, 2011 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
Nanning is a vibrant, dynamic modern city with some 40% of its land mass dedicated to green spaces thus earning its reputation as China’s premier “green city”. Getting a genuine taste of this relaxed and friendly destination is simply a matter of venturing into one of the many parks or gardens.
Qingxiu Mountain is affectionately known [...]
July 15th, 2011 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
Imagine strolling through a verdant, well maintained garden and being wowed by the range of uses each plant has in traditional healing methods.
The meticulously maintained Guangxi Medicinal Herb Botanical Garden is the largest facility of its type in Asia and is the place to see around 4,000 varieties of plants. The garden is arranged [...]
June 30th, 2011 | by admin | published in things to do & see
Shrouded in mystery the ancient rock paintings of Huashan were created some 2,000 years ago by the Luoyue people, ancestors of the modern day Zhuang minority.
Accessible by boat, the journey along the Ming River is a scenic amble that allows you to take in the sights of rural life along the way. Locals glide [...]
June 28th, 2011 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
A lion appeared at the opposite end of the courtyard. Standing for a few moments then dramatically jumping up onto the first set of poles which looked to be around a metre high. Within moments he had bounded a further two or three times in perfect unison to the beating drum. This initial burst of [...]
June 5th, 2011 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
You don’t often find many “special” temples in the more populated cities of China anymore. Most are over-touristed and lack any authentic atmosphere. The Hualin temple in Guangzhou’s old Liwan district definitely managed to impress me. To be more accurate, the 500 Arhat Hall was the standout for this entire ancient complex.
Walking inside the hall [...]
May 23rd, 2011 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
Recently I was asked to share my favourite part of Guangzhou and without doubt it has to be the old Liwan area. The sheer diversity and extremes remind me of why I love to travel as well as really being in many ways a great glimpse into the old and new China.
As soon as you [...]
December 3rd, 2010 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
I have literally passed through Guangzhou dozens of times but have been yet to discover any real charm amongst its mammoth sized urban sprawl.
This all changed when I stumbled upon a few classic streets in the city’s old quarter which have thoroughly revived my interest. The stunning qilou that line the peaceful En Ning Street [...]
