My first trip to China was in the year 2000. I flew to meet my partner in Beijing and we traveled across the country for seven weeks with stops in Pingyao, Shaolin, Xi'An, Hangzhou, Huangshan, Suzhou, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Yangshuo. I was so happily surprised by the beauty of China, I knew then and now that I want to come back here many times.
My second trip was in 2001, travelling through the north-west of the country. As soon as I entered China from Laos the memory of noise and smoke came back to me. That loudness and those cigarettes will not keep me away from China though, because there is so much to see beyond that.
This time we went to the following places: Jinghong, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian, Xiangcheng, Litang, Kanding, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Turpan, Kashi, Karakuli, Tashkurgan, KKH into Pakistan
China is a unified state of as many as 56 nationalities. The Han people take the largest number, of about 94 % of the total population, mainly living in the east part of the China. Each nationality has its own long history. The 56 nationalities are the Han, Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, Uygur, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Bouyei, Korean, Manchu, Dong, Yao, Bai Tujia, Hani, Kazak, Dai, Li, Lisu, Va, She, Gaoshan, Lahu, Shui, Dongxiang, Naxi, Jingpo, Kirgiz, Tu, Daur, Mulam, Qiang, Blang, Salar, Maonan, Gelo, Xibe, Achang, Pumi, Tajik, Nu, Ozbek, Russian, Ewenki, Benglong, Bonan, Yugur, Jing, Drung, Oroqen, Hezhen, Moinba, Lhoba and Gelo
- Pros:Culture, culture, culture, nature and a lot more
- Cons:Smoking locals in all the busses, and bad toilets
- In a nutshell:Every city (or nature site) is an adventure
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Cupping
Local Customs
(8)
Cupping refers to an ancient Chinese practice in which a cup is applied to the skin and the pressure in the cup is... more travel advice
Bring Your Own Paper
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Never forget to take toiletpaper along!!! Chinese toilets often don't provide toiletpaper, sometimes they do sell some... more travel advice
Family Members
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The Chinese people have the tradition of respecting the old and loving the young. Though many young couples do not live... more travel advice
Try Everything!
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There is an enormous variety of Chinese food that differs greatly from region to region. One thing you should do while... more travel advice
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Comments (26)
i too often think about the scenario of sitting too close to an open window..its really quite gross thinking about it! And the toilet you pictured is super clean for china!!!!Show me a real one!!!
Excellent tips on this vast country!! I am happy the window could not be opened then the only time I took a train in China!!
Really enjoyed the advice on travel in China. I loved the pictures, Can't wait to get there. more pictures please.
Wonderful presentation with very beautiful pictures [the most I love is picture about mountains range and padi field :)] Thanks for sharing!!!
Great tour through China!!! Beautiful photos and interesting narration!! Will come back later to read your other pages[always] under construction..;-)
Thanks for the chopstick lessons Aukje, that will come in really usefull down the local takeaway tonight hehehehehe.
Absolute helpful page about China!! Happy birthday!!!
Very helpful for those planning to visit China.
very interesting and special tips.. I love the tips about chop sticks.. but I can't find my own way there. Maybe lesson 4 (D)? Or perhaps I do it completely wrong. :-)
You're seem very much into Chinese culture...makes it a very interesting page... Huang Shan in the mist looks fabulous as well!! Hartstikke goed...!!
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