Being located out in the Taklamakan Desert below sea level it is hard to imagine anything growing in the barren, rocky landscape however Turfan is known for its grapes, melons and the nearby flaming mountains, as well as having the notoriety of being the hottest place in China.

Built some 2,000 years ago the ancient Karez irrigation system not only brings miraculous life to the dusty plains making Turfan a productive fertile pocket of land but it also cemented the town as a key stopping point on the Silk Road for caravans and traders in years gone by.

The totally awesome ruins of Jiaohe are a fantastic place to wander and conjure up visions of what times past might have been like in its heyday.

Home to the stunning Emin Minaret, a building that well and truly caught my eye for its simple yet intricate beauty, this is one of the first stops when travelling west that you will really get a taste of Uyghur culture.

But the morning I spent exploring the local animal market was an unexpected highlight of my time in this desert oasis.  Wandering among the action was a great introduction to local life and about as far away from the tourist trail as you get.

We did get lots of inquiring looks of bewilderment, with many not quite actually able to work out what could possibly be interesting about watching herders and towns-people buying and selling sheep, goats and cows.

Everyone was incredibly friendly and curious, though a little camera shy at the beginning.  The Uyghur food is absolutely delicious, particularly if you are a meat lover and the atmosphere in the old parts of town is magic as donkeys “clip clop” their way along the streets.

Turfan has lots to offer and is an excellent place to spend a few days getting caught up in the fabulous legends of the Silk Road.

To see a gallery of images from the Turfan Animal Market, click here.

A damp coolness lingers in the air as a sea of vibrant saffron seemingly floats along a deserted narrow road in the faint early morning light. Framed by lush greenery and traditional wooden architecture a smattering of locals patiently sit with their bamboo baskets filled with sticky rice as they wait to give alms.   Witnessing this serene, special event was a highlight of my stay, however not every scene plays out with such reverence.

I couldn’t even bring myself to raise my camera at the alms giving that took place just outside my hotel in Luang Prabang, there were no other onlookers and I imagine this same event would have been repeated thousands of times in exactly the same manner.

Unfortunately, this was not the case in the centre of the Luang Prabang where I can only describe the Tak Bat here as a circus which features these ridiculous camera-toting tourists jumping in, out and around the monks who were silently attempting to carry out this Buddhist tradition.   Despite the rules of conduct being well publicised around town, the behaviour of many left me incredibly conflicted about taking my own photos and the impact of tourism on this age-old ritual.

I was a little horrified to find it has almost become a “tourism experience” with visitors being given the opportunity to take part in the tradition and give alms.   The desire to give can only be commended but I question taking part in sacred religious rituals where there is no real association – in some ways I think it makes a mockery of the situation.     Poor quality food is a further complication where some monks have become sick from rice given by some unsuspecting tourists, as this is purely a money making opportunity for some.

I had to move away from the main street and to my relief I found a much quieter place where I could sit at a distance and take photos – I am thankful for my zoom lens.

To see a collection of images from Tak Bat in Luang Prabang, click here.

Although Chengde was always at the end of a long tour its gorgeous temples and wonderful Imperial Resort were a great reward for making the 3-4 hour journey north from Beijing.

Back in the Qing dynasty Chengde was developed as a summer getaway for the emperors, with a key part of the landscape the temples in the Tibetan, Han and Mongolian styles that sit on a ridge on the outskirts of town.

The Putao Zongchengzhi was built as a mini Potala Palace and is not only the biggest but also the most impressive.  While the building may have been styled to mimic a legendary landmark I find the two to be extremely different in both look and feel – although you can certainly see the architectural similarities.

The Puning temple sits adjacent to Putao Zongchengzhi and contains a massive wooden statue of Guanyin.

Chengde is much more than temples though, the Imperial Summer Resort is a great place to explore in the early hours of the morning.    The dawn lazily arrives revealing a spectacular landscape of pagodas, lakes and palace buildings, while dainty bridges emerge as ribbons of fog slowly lift.   Parks in China are a fantastic place to be in the mornings and give you a real glimpse into the everyday lives of the locals.

To see more images of the gorgeous Chenge temples, click here.

With a name that translates to literally mean “five plateau mountain” Wutaishan is one of the 4 sacred Buddhist peaks in China.   Home to more than 50 temples and monasteries, Wutaishan was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.

With some of the temples dating back to the Yuan dynasty and a few of the wooden buildings said to have been built in the Tang dynasty, it makes a great place to visit for a few days.

The layout of Wutaishan makes it a little different to China’s other sacred mountains, many of which require a trek up a mountain-side to get to the temples.   A variety of accommodation is available in the town centre which also houses some of the main temples, making a visit to the key attractions much more accessible without transport.

It was also the first place I was introduced to the creative skills of fashioning wheat gluten, soy protein and other vegetarian base products into “mock-meat” – reproduced to look amazingly like its non-vegetarian model, with attempts also made to mimic the texture too.   A very surreal experience to be eating king prawns that look just like the real thing but are not.  This makes the food here different but it also very good, and sheer delight for vegetarians.

The decorative elements at some of the temples here were one of the standouts for me – fabulous brasswork and exterior paintings/murals both symbolic and intricate.  The surrounding countryside and mountains make a beautiful backdrop, while sunset from the east peak is quite stunning.

To see more Wutaishan images click here to be taken to my photography website – imagesbyjillian.com

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 had an 8 hour or so wait while the parts for the mini-vans were driven in.   I was tour leading at the time and my group handled the whole experience fantastically, especially since it was at my urging that we continued on into the night across the grassland as I had heard that the festival may be a possibility.  The road was terrible and it was a long slow trip but without a doubt it was all worth it in the end!

The festival was a full day of events.  First, we rushed off out into the grassland to see the horse races.  I must say I was a little in awe of the youngster who won.  Of course, they were riding bareback and most of the riders were under 10 years of age – absolutely put my horse riding skills to shame.   Then the crowd jumped into the backs of a couple of big blue trucks and onto horses or motorbikes and took off to the next venue.

Sitting up by the road was a great perch to watch the yak-riding race taking place 50 metres or so down in the valley.  It also seemed like a safe distance as I thought that yaks were fairly skittish and strange animals, so to see them being ridden along the grassland was going to be interesting.  Once the riders were on board, the small crowd around the animals quickly scattered as they exploded off in all directions. They really are skittish and difficult to control, and were pretty much running all over the place while throwing their riders off.  Eventually one guy got a bit of a straight run happening in the right direction and crossed the finish line.

After lunch, down by the stream the rock throwing, singing and dancing was happening, where different groups were almost having a dance off!  So much colour and enjoyment both from the performers and the crowd, it truly was an amazing experience.

This was the first time the festival had been held and I actually could not tell you if it has been held since then – in all a very random event that I had heard about through a contact, and even then it was always a maybe.  For me this is what made it so special!

To see more images from the Tibetan Nomad Festival in Langmusi, click here to go to my photography website – Imagesbyjillian.com

I have spent the past few days delving back into my huge archive of film images, many of which have been locked away for the past 9 or 10 years.   Of course this has set off a chain reaction of great memories from places I visited either before or during my tour leading days.

So, while these visits may have happened many years ago I think the nature of the place is likely to have remained.   I just could not help myself and decided to do a bit of a walk down memory lane by writing about some of these amazing places and experiences.

Each blog post is accompanied by just one image, the rest of the images I am posting over at my photography site – www.imagesbyjillian.com

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Yan’an in China’s northwest gains its fame for being near to the end point for Mao Zedong’s Long March, with the town serving as the Communist capital in the revolution.

For me it was definitely one of the more interesting stops on the tours I led in China, resulting in what was generally a very bizarre and, dare I say, unique experience for most who visited.

In Yan’an foreigners were very few back in 2001, so we attracted quite a lot of attention.  Most in my groups found the curious looks and stares quite intimidating especially since it was generally unrelenting – stop on the street and you would be quickly surrounded by a crowd of up to 50 people, a lunch stop would see the masses gather around the window of the restaurant.  While unnerving for most it was also absolutely harmless and something I was quite used to after living in Wuhan for a year in 1997.

The cave dwellings in the area are distinctly different to those around Luoyang in Henan province, while the harsh landscape is barren and brown.   The summer heat is brutal but perhaps the winter cold is even more so, this part of China is raw and tough but really does add another layer of diversity to a nation of contrasts.

Not much in the way of transport infrastructure apart from buses – a long bus ride from Xian but the round-flat bread, stuffed with pork you can pick up on the side of the road on the way were some of the best I have ever had.

To see more images from Yan’an, click here to go to my photography website – ImagesbyJillian.com

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 is Chinese alpine scenery, a world heritage and world biosphere protected area in mountainous northern Sichuan peppered with brilliantly coloured lakes and waterfalls ensconced amongst dense forest.

It is also an absolute tourism hotspot – apparently visitor numbers are restricted each day during the high season (maximum 12,000 last I heard).

I was totally blown away by this place when I first visited in 1997.   It was early October and with the magnificence of fall turning the trees all shades of crimson, orange and yellow the contrast against the jewel coloured lakes was stunning.  There was little infrastructure in terms of park organisation, so the only way to get around was to walk with cheap rooms available at one of the Tibetan villages inside the park.

By the time I returned in 2002 there had been some major changes; boardwalks around the lakes almost formed a path which needed to be followed and small electric cars plied the roads as a park bus service getting the crowds from place to place.  The villages inside the park no longer formally allow tourists to stay overnight, with tickets being on a strictly “day only” basis.  We did still stay in the park at a small guesthouse attached to a monastery – if you want to do this it is best to be as inconspicuous as possible by just taking a small daypack and perhaps not asking at place when lots of people are around.   Facilities are limited in the evenings however the monastery also cooked up a great meal.

My biggest tip for negotiating the place if crowded, is simply to go the other way or lag way behind.  Most tourists seem to arrive in groups, with their guides all herding them in the same direction so it is not impossible to get around and have a few moments of peace among the beautiful surrounds.

Getting to and from Jiuzhaigou is much easier these days, there is even an airport.   There are public buses from Chengdu, although the road was once one of the most treacherous in China it has been improved dramatically.   If you don’t manage to stay inside the park there are plenty of places on the road in town and around the entrance.  This is a place that I would avoid at all costs during the major Chinese holidays – May 1st and October 1st; Chinese New Year is often too cold with perhaps much of the park inaccessible.

Straddling the Sichuan / Gansu border is the simply wonderful little village of Langmusi.

The first time I visited this remote outpost was back in 1997.   The location is simply stunning, located up on the sweeping grasslands of the Tibetan plateau.

There have been big changes since I first visited, apparently the roads in town have now been sealed – so no more of the muddy atmospheric images that feature here in this gallery.   There are more hotels available with hot water on demand and a selection of restaurants/cafes.  Back in 1997 there were no streetlights at night and just one small place to eat which by the way served the most amazing apple pies.     The yak burgers were pretty good too!

Altogether a totally wonderful find on a journey which was definitely a highlight for me way back then – tourism barely even raised a glint in the eye, however our presence certainly inspired more than the occasional glance.   As I recall sitting with a cup of “babao” or eight treasure tea by the fire in a restaurant in Xiahe, which used to be a full day’s journey along bumpy dirt roads, having a nomad woman examining very closely.  Actually, when I say ‘very closely’, it probably doesn’t give you the full picture – her face just a couple of inches from mine as she gave me a good inspection.

Langmusi has a fantastic monastery and was one of the few mainstream places where they still practiced the traditional Tibetan sky burial.

I love this place, which you will probably see from the number of posts and images that are yet to come!

To see the full gallery of images ‘On the Street of Langmusi’ click here to be taken over to my photography website “

The old city of Pingyao is simply enchanting – well it certainly was when I visited there during 2001 and 2002.

As with most towns and cities the best time to be out and about with a camera was from 6am onwards as this was the best time to catch a real glimpse of local life.

Bursting with charm this age-old enclave’s intact ancient city wall is quite possibly the best in China and offers fantastic views across the old town, which is great for the contrast between the well touristed and not-often-visited areas of town.

One of my memories from being on the wall in Pingyao, was a farmer walking a small herd of sheep into the back streets of the old town, a fantastic photographic moment but as yet I haven’t come across the images amongst the many thousands I am currently wading through.

The traditional architecture is fabulous, with Pingyao definitely worth a visit. I imagine that transportation links will have improved as it used to be a long bus ride from Xian or a slow train from Taiyuan.

To view a gallery of images from Pingyao in 2001 – click here to head over to my photography site – Images by Jillian.