September 3rd, 2011 | by admin | published in remembering...
An ancient town with a history of some 2000 years sitting at the entrance of the stunning Qutang Gorge on the northern banks of the Yangzte River, China, Fengjie was one of the first to be destroyed to make way for the Three Gorges Dam project.
This series of images was taken in July 2002 mere [...]
August 5th, 2010 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
How times change! A few years ago you would not have been able to drag me near this place. For me traveling was about chasing the so-called truly authentic experience where these types of tourism sights just don’t feature.
Nowadays though it is a different story. I haven’t totally lost my traveling roots and I still [...]
December 6th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, places, things to do & see
Beijing has developed into such a cosmopolitan city over the past 12 years, so much so it is barely recognizable.
One of the latest developments I am really enjoying is The Village in Sanlitun. So often these types of developments remain half filled or are full of useless shops that I would never go near but [...]
November 6th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, other stuff
jiuxian – Images by Jillian Mitchell
Beams of timber that have been shaped and shaven for the past few weeks seem to lay in a disorderly fashion about the site. I am assured that this is an uninformed view and that the carpenters know exactly which piece is which and where they should go, slotting together [...]
June 15th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, places, things to do & see
Despite Basha’s close proximity to Congjiang (south eastern Guizhou) it remains an excellent place to experience a taste of the Miao ethnic minority culture.
Said to be descendants of the 4,000 year old Chiyou army this village certainly seems to have retained many of its traditions including a gun salute that was performed at weddings. [...]
June 13th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, places, things to do & see
The weather, heavy traffic and re-construction on highway 321 between Sanjiang (Guangxi) and Congjiang (Guizhou) has left the road in a bit of a mess. A great diversion to escape part of this nightmare drive is a small mountain road which winds it way up from Sanjiang to come out about halfway to Congjiang.
Despite [...]
June 5th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, things to do & see
Located near Hezhou the ancient city of Linhe dates back to the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD).
So, considering this ancient well may be a couple of thousand years old it is easy to see why there are so many deeply worn grooves in the stone. Perhaps several million buckets of water have [...]
June 1st, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, places
By the time I had finished tour leading I found I was a pretty hard audience to impress. Having seen so many amazing sights on a regular basis the extraordinary became the ordinary. I wondered if the excitement and amazement of seeing something new would ever return. But I now know its back.
Visiting a [...]
May 20th, 2009 | by admin | published in latest posts, places, things to do & see
This small piece of classic China featured in the 2005 movie The Painted Veil, starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts.
Stepping through the archway into the old town it is just like stepping back in time.
The village oozes charm and tranquility with well preserved Ming and Qing dynasty houses, faded just enough to remind you [...]
