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1. Beijing: capital of the People’s Republic and a paradise of Chinese culture. Here you can visit the Forbidden City (old Imperial Palace) and Tiananmen Square, as well as numerous palaces, temples, parks and gardens, not to mention the installations of the 2008 Olympics.

2. The Great Wall of China: at the height of the Ming Dynasty, it stretched 20,000 km from the border with Korea to the Gobi Desert, and was guarded by more than one million warriors. Today only 9,000 km of the wall remain, and it is truly one of the great wonders of the world! Try and visit less touristic sections of the wall, for the fewer the people the more spectacular it is.

La Gran Muralla China

3. Shanghai: economic centre of China and the most European city in the country. Mix of modernity and tradition, it moves at a frenetic pace more reminiscent of a Western capital than the “Pearl of the Orient”, as it was once called.

4. Xi’an Warriors: famous terracotta army. Why it was sculpted we’ll never know.

Guerreros de Terracota Xian China

5. Guilin and Yangshuo: spectacular landscapes formed by the gullies of the Li and Yulong Rivers and by the Longii rice paddies. Amazing place to experience rural China and learn about some of its ethnic minorities.

6. Ancient City of Lijiang: perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in the world and also one of the least known. Full of canals and red Chinese lanterns, it looks like something out of fairy tale. From it you can visit Jade Dragon Glacier and Tiger Leaping Gorge.

7. Chengdu: if you travel to China you have to visit Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Centre. Seeing the pandas play and eat is an experience you’ll never forget.

Osos Panda Chengdu, China

8. Datong: from here you can see the Buddhist Caves at Yungang, known as the Chinese Petra.

9. The Ancient City of Pingyao: Reminiscent of a movie set, it’s not hard to imagine what ancient Chinese life was like in this small, walled city during the Qing and Ming dynasties.

10. Bicycle through Beijing: when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Beijing is enormous but very flat, so it’s ideal for getting around by bike. Rent one and go from one end of the city to the other. You’ll fit right in!

Way Away interviews Becky Ances, a writer, traveller and tea drinker living in China. Enjoy this interview about travelling around China and follow all her travels, advices and stories around China at her blog.

Becky Ances at the Stone Forest

In Yunnan province at the famous Stone Forest. The ‘forest’ is actually karst peaks jutting out from everywhere. In Yunnan they say that if you haven’t seen the stone forest, you haven’t really seen Yunnan.

–    What is the most impressing place in China you have ever been? What advice would you give to someone who wishes to travel there?

One of my favorite things to do in China is climbing mountains. Most mountains in China have spiritual and historical meaning in addition to being a beautiful natural place. You don’t just climb a mountain through the woods, but usually follow a stone path (with lots and lots of steps!) and you pass by temples, small villages, ancient stonework and more. It feels more like an adventure through time than just climbing.

The most important mountains (like Yellow Mountain and Mount Tai) are located outside of the cities, so you’ll need to travel to get there. But being as they are so famous there are plenty of buses and ways to get there. Sometimes it might feel daunting to get out of the big cities in China, but it is absolutely worth it.

– What do you hate to forget in your suitcase when travelling?

Deodorant! It is not commonly used in China so finding it if you forget it, or run out, is really difficult. I stock up when I go to America and ask my parents to send me some to make sure I never run out. And I also never go anywhere without a packet of tissues in my pocket, as toilet paper is not commonplace in China.

Becky Ances climbing TaiShan

Becky almost near the top of Tai Shan, one of the most famous mountains that the first emperor climbed almost 2,000 years ago and declared China one united country. Other famous climbers include Confucius, Chairman Mao and now me! I’m about to walk through the ‘Gate of Immortality.’

– What would you say to those travellers who are afraid to travel on their own, and end up going to a travel agency even if they do not like taking part in organized tours?

I am not a fan of groups. I have done a few organized tours in China because it saved me money on doing it on my own, but never again! You spend one rushed hour at the amazing site, then two hours at some stupid silk or jade factory. It’s not worth the small savings.

The thing to remember is that popular tourists sights want to get you to visit them, so there are always buses and ways to get there, and resources for English speakers. It takes a little bit of courage, it seems nerve-wracking at first, but it is ultimately much more rewarding to do it by yourself.

Also, if you feel really nervous about taking public buses to tourist sites, in the major cities you can always hire a car often with an English speaking driver. It’s more expensive (but cheap compared to western prices) and you have a car and driver at your disposal so you can take all the time you need at attractions and not worry about someone else’s schedule. Even in smaller cities I have rented taxi driver for the day to take me around.

– What kind of food have you tried on your travels around China and you found it delicious/surprising? Can you recommend us any place where to try it out?

The happiest surprise regarding food is street food. You can find incredibly delicious and cheap food just about on any street corner. Things like baked sweet potatoes (so delicious on a cold winters night), steamed baozi, barbecue chickens legs and sugar covered strawberries. I’ve eaten a lot of street food and never gotten sick as a result of it.

Each region has its own special dishes so if you happen to travel to Beijing you can go to the famous night market next to Wangfujie and try crazy things like grilled starfish or scorpion. But for normal street food in Beijing, head to the historical hutong areas. As you wander the maze of traditional homes you will pass by many vendors selling all different styles of food.

In Shanghai the specialty is spring onion pancakes and dumplings called xiao long bao. I’ve found the area near the Shanghai Library in the French Concession is a great place to wander and snack.

Becky Ances loves street food

Some famous grilled tofu in Kunming. As long as the food stand looks relatively clean, and many people go there, it’s probably safe to eat.

– Finally, tell us something that happened to you travelling and that you will never forget!

My best friend is a Chinese guy and one winter break he invited me to his hometown. His family lives in a very small village and I got to meet his parents, grandparents, cousins and more. I’ve never been in a more comfortable or hospitable environment despite me not being able to communicate very well with them.

One day my friend and I took a hike in a totally secluded gorge. There was not another soul in sight except some chickens. They followed us as we walked, and made soft clucking and cooing sounds. They also walked on tiles broken on the ground which made a very melodic tinkling sound. At one point a pair of herons flew by and landed on the jade green water below. The place was so peaceful and quiet I could hear their wings flap as they took off and flew away. It was the most peaceful moment I have had in China, a place not known for it’s quiet!

Becky Ances with her best friends grandparents in China

Becky with her best friends grandparents in their home in a small village in southern China. While we couldn’t communicate directly (my friend had to translate) me and his grandparents got along very well, and I felt really comfortable in their cozy house.

Thank you Becky for your time! Do you want to know a little bit more about the Becky? Here you have a little biography: Becky Ances is an American writer, traveller and tea drinker who has lived in China for more than three years. During the school year you can find her in Southern China teaching English to university students, but during holidays she is wandering and exploring. You can read about her adventures at www.beckyances.net.

Are you planning on travelling to China? See our suggested itinerary around China

Sailing the River Yangtze through the Three Gorges, in a 3rd class cabin, China.

Three Gorges Dam, China

Heraclites said that nobody can swim twice in the same river because, in life, everything flow non stop. The river will never be the same, and neither will you. We are sailing the river Yangtze, the biggest Chinese river, famous for his gigantic dam, but also for having the Three Gorges, three steep gorges that look like the gates of a new different world.
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Chengdu, China, the biggest reserve of panda bears in the world.

Panda Bears, Chengdu, China

The astute and fast readers have probable noticed that among all the bears in the title of this article, there are two that are, unless some scientist proves me wrong, pure invention, and any similarity with reality is a coincidence. Today we want to talk about coincidences that are not such a thing. Think about a panda bear. It looks like a teddy bear, its tender look, and the colour of their fur. Isn’t it too much of a coincidence that Mother Nature has created such a perfect animal? Its ears: both ears have the same black colour. Just like the two white spots around their eyes. The rest of the face, cotton white. Not even the damn Walt Disney would have drawn it better! It is perfect. So perfect that it’s hard to believe that is real.
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Hong Kong, free port returned to China after 99 years.

Hong Kong, China

Welcome to Hong Kong, welcome to future. If there is any place in the planet where you can feel like Blade Runner, that is Hong Kong, a group of islands that the English conquered at the end of the Opium Wars and were returned, not too long ago, to the Chinese. Actually, the leasing agreement between the two countries included only the Kowloon Peninsula, but the main island, Hong Kong’s heart, was also included in the same package.
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Xian, China, where the Terracotta Warriors are.

Terracota Army, Xian, China

They probably work a lot, but they are not known by their artistic skills, at least when we talk about the great arts. They don’t have great painters, nor beautiful sculptures; their paintings look childish and their busts expressionless. Maybe the 8000 Terracotta Warriors found buried in Xian are an exception. Each of them has a different face, but they are not an artistic display. The archeologists say that the meaning of such work of art was an exhibition of power to decorate the Emperor grave, with no other hidden or esoteric intention. We prefer to think that the monarch, proud of his army after winning a battle, promised each of them a statue, reward saved only for gods at that time.
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Wuhan, the end of our trip around China

  1. They eat with sticks, and when the food is liquid, they slurp with no shame.
  2. They serve their dishes in the centre of the table to be shared, never individually. That’s communism taken to the table.
  3. They suck their mucus through their mouth and then spit on the floor constantly, or burp in the presence of others. Their society considers these things acceptable.
  4. Using only one hand, they can represent the numbers form 0 to 9, so with both hands they can represent up to 99. For example, the surfers’ greeting with both hands is 66.
  5. There is no alphabet. Each word is represented with a different character. These symbols are not arbitrary. They are composites of phonetic components and semantic radicals.
  6. Their economic system is a hybrid between communism and capitalism: they have only one political party, death penalty, and some type of democracy to look good.
  7. They believe in destiny and fortune and their main religious book is I- Ching. It is like an endless horoscope. They throw some type of dice, and according to the result, they must look up one page or another. Whatever is written there must be an inspiration to make a decision or to settle a doubt in their minds.
  8. They understand religion as something philosophical and philosophy as something religious.
  9. It is not that they don’t respect the queues; it is that they don’t exist for them. To get on a bus or enter the cinema, from the youngest to the oldest, they push each other, making their own way with their elbows and with no objection.
  10. There are no social barriers and it is no effort for them to create social relationships. They can start a conversation easily with people they don’t know, but as easily, they start arguing. This is something that happens more often than occidentals are used to see.
  11. Although they are known for copying everything, they were the “fathers” of the best invention in the world: pasta. Even though they don’t waste their time trying to claim their copyright, they should have kept the gunpowder for themselves…

Only in their territory the number of their population is over 1,300 millions of inhabitants. If you add to it the number of Chinese people living all around the world, it is easy to think that they will own the Planet one day. So we’d better get used to some of these things. So far, we tried the I-Ching before making up our minds about travelling around the world and, it worked! The page where the dice sent us advised us to start a great trip, and here we are. Is it a coincidence or thousands of years of wisdom?

Yichiang, the biggest dam in the World

Mao was a man, not god. This is the brilliant claim that the Communist Party, or its marketing department (yes, it has one and it is very good) utilize to try to improve the image of the regime. This way, they assume the mistakes of its leader and at the same time, they excuse him. In other words, they want us to believe that he was an extraordinary guy, almost godlike, but like every other person, made some mistakes. No kidding! Tell that story to the Tibetans, the Mongols, the political prisoners, the thousands of people sentenced to death, and who knows how many more. On the other side, we have Dalai Lama. For the Buddhists it’s a fact that he is god. They call him the living-god. According to their own words, he is the 13th reincarnation of a monk who lived in the XV century, an enlightened, another Buddha, “the one who has awakened to the truth”.

But we are going to change the title to both of them right now. The first one turns into: “Mao: nor a man, nor god, but a big son of a b…”, although it was not his mother’s fault that he was such a cold and ruthless beast. His ideals of “sharing everything” and “the power is for the people” were very commendable, until the “everybody is the same”, turned into “everybody is the same as me and because I say so”. So similar that at the end it didn’t matter if there were some missing. Nevertheless, we must give him some credit for some of his ideas, like making a Revolution while being in power, it is unique in History. When his wife, he and three others realize that they were losing control of the country, they created the Red Guards, a type of political-party police that was very popular during the Cultural Revolution. Using the ending of corruption as an excuse, they destroyed any attempt of dissidence.

To the “god in Earth” we will give him another motto: “Dalai Lama less prizes and more b…” China is tearing his people into pieces (literally) and he is just watching it from the distance. Indeed, from India, where he’s been living in exile for the last 50 years. At least, doing that, he has demonstrated his divine nature, because an ordinary person would have fought nail and tooth. However, only a god can put out with everything like he did. His only answer to so many aggressions from China has been to ask his people to turn the other cheek and not to lose their faith in a future that will be better. Deep down, nothing change from that day when he, with premeditation and nocturnality, he left Lhasa while his people were surrounding his residence to defend him. The Chinese came to arrest him, but his people refused to turn him in, building a human shield to protect the Potala palace. It is said that it was priceless to see peoples’ faces next morning when they found out that they had been risking their lives for an empty building. Dalai Lama’s excuse was that with his flight he avoided a bloodbath. The reality is that, during his exile, the Chinese have killed at least 1.5 million of Tibetans. It is impossible to know, now, what would have happened if he hadn’t abandoned his people.

This is not a critique against him, and we don’t mean that a Peace man should have stayed and fight for his country. Not at all. We just believe that there are many ways to fight and the one that is expected from the only god-in-Earth that we have is more similar to the one that Gandhi chose, with his non-cooperation movement and his hunger strikes, instead of collecting prizes all over the World. The last one was the Congressional Gold Medal from the Bush administration. Imagine that that day, instead of accepting the medal, in front of President Bush and live, broadcasted for many countries and TV channels, Dalai Lama had rejected the prize alleging that the Western countries are very hypocritical when they give prizes to the Tibetan people with one hand, but with the other they have business with China. Or if he had gone even further, announcing that he was starting a hunger strike until the U.N. put together a table of dialogue to solve the Tibet occupation. Let’s be cynical. He wouldn’t have too much to lose, not even his life. At the most, the few months that he would have to wait for his next reincarnation. His argument to go along with the Western countries is that, this way, his voice has a pulpit from where he can denounce his people’s sufferings. In reality, what he achieved after all these years is to bring Buddhism and himself into fashion, but most of Americans and Europeans have no idea of what is happening in Tibet. What is more, many of them don’t know that Dalai Lamas’ country was invaded by the Chinese 50 years ago and is now one of the provinces of the Red Giant.

Some of you might be wondering why we are so tough on him if Mao was the one who decided to invade Tibet and exterminate half of its population. You don’t expect anything from the devil, but from Dalai Lama we expect everything. We expect absolutely everything except for the surprises that we found in his autobiography, that we keep to ourselves to avoid embarrassment. And we do it because we want to, not because a 300 years oracle is whispering in our ears while possessing the body of a monk. Do you get it?

PS: However, to be fair, he is just a pitiful poor man that one day woke up being god. And that will always be his biggest prison, bigger that his exile. That is the difference between growing big and being born big. For the former the world is small, and for the latter the crown (real or divine) is too big. Maybe because their heads are too small.

Datong, city near to the archaeological site known as “the Chinese Petra”

We have been travelling for two months and we already saw different temples of different colours and beliefs. We have been in places that are as sacred for Hindus, Buddhists, or Muslims as Rome is for Christians. During this religious tour, the most shocking part was not the vehemence of the Islamists, or the spiritual peace of the Tibetans, not even the so many times heard spirituality of India. The most impressive part of this journey was the show that they used to disguise the original teachings of each religion until they have drowned into some kind of obscurantism that sheds light on our skepticism.

At what point in time did we mistake form and essence, image and word, ritual and behaviour, messenger and message? How were we able to distort those pure and clear ideas left by exceptional personalities such as Jesus or Buddha? Because we cannot forget that it was others, and not them, the ones who built their “churches”. Although some of them never claimed their celestial nature, all of them were enthroned like gods. The same way many of their little gestures were turned into complicated rituals that lost their meaning hundreds of years ago. While they were trying to show us the way to become better people, we were staring at the finger that pointed at it. We did not want or could not look beyond because, among all the smoke and the offerings, cassocks and paintings, imagery and temples, our eyes had been blinded and our minds narrowed.

Yesterday we went to a Confucius temple, the greatest Chinese thinker and philosopher. The Machiavelli of the Middle East is now adored as a god. When he was alive no leader wanted to implement his methods, but once he was dead, he was lead to the altar. For 500 years, from the first Emperor to the last one, all of them offered up sacrifices to him.  If the teacher saw them he would fail all of them for not understanding any of his teachings. (Confucius was the one who came up with the exam system, used by the Empire bureaucracy to select their public officers. Mateo Ricci, Jesuit missionary, brought it to the West, unfortunately, for future generations of students.)

It is just an example, but all religions have the same flaws. Regarding Buddhism it is even funny, because it was Buda himself who warned them many times. The message from the Enlightened was crystal clear as holly water: each person can only be his own follower. That is, “don’t light any candle for me when my light is out because, once I’m dead, you should not adore me”. They didn’t listen a bit, because they did not follow his teachings but their own; the ones that once and again lead human beings to make gods out of anything that moves differently.  Nowadays, not only the Buddhist temples are full of his images, but we can also find his statuettes everywhere. From a restaurant lobby to collect tips or show the menu, to any toilet as an Ikea soap dish with its hand open.

If god exists, he must be pulling his hair out with frustration. Maybe he will even decide to send his son again, or any body with a little bit of sense to tidy this mess up. What do you think would happen if Jesus or Buddha were born again? Would they dedicate their lives to build churches and monasteries, or build schools and hospitals? Would their temples be cold and distant, or open and cozy?  Would they smell like incense and wax, or fresh air and flowers? Would they be dark and depressing, or oriented to think and reflect? Would they have an altar above the public, or a round table to talk and listen? Perhaps, before coming, they will think twice and prefer to stay there looking how we wake up, on our own, and fix this mess. Besides, they have a lot of time: all of eternity.

Or of suffocation, we are not sure. The only thing that is clear is that he died. Or he will die. And faster than we think. Asphyxiated by to the hordes of tourists that invade the last corner of every monument or bored dead after queuing for hours to enter any museum. There are either too many of us or not enough places to visit. Either way there is no easy solution for any.  

 Thigns to do in Beijing China

The other day, we went to the Chinese Emperor’s residence. Seven hundred years of monarchist history. Now, Mao’s picture is dominating the entrance. The king is dead, long life to the dictator! We are not going to lie, it is not that wonderful. Not for its architecture, not for the art that you can see inside. Its name attracts the public, the Forbidden City, even though some make fun of it (The Forbidden Shitty, read on the walls of the public toilets). And that’s it. Or that is what we thought until, tired of pushing hundreds of Chinese people apprentice tourists, we escape through one of the lateral pavilions. There, we sat on a bench longer than the Chinese Wall and a miracle happened. Just like the waters of the Red Sea divided in front of Moses, the crowd of amateur photographers disappeared and a dead calm invaded the garden where we had taken shelter. During those few seconds when the whole world forgot about us, we realized for the first time the majesty of the Forbidden City, the serenity that it transmits, the perpetuity that it radiates. At that moment their corny names were not corny anymore and we almost understood them: the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, or the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

 Things to do in Beijing China

This simple moment was worth all the hours waiting. Although just a few will be as lucky as we were.  It will take more or less time, it will be next year or the following, but we will get to the point where tourism will die of success; and it will be then when we will have to decide if we think that everybody has the right to enjoy these wonders and allow the crowd to destroy them, or rise the ticket price to protect them, so that only a few can visit them. What a dilemma! Just in case, we are going to see them this year. One after the other. The Seven Wonders of the World. And more to come.

Beijing, Olympic City