This can only be a snapshot of the twelve incredible days I spent in China in March this year. My husband and I travelled with a small tour group with an excellent Chinese guide. Our guide steered us through the major tourist attractions and helped us understand life in sophisticated, technologically advanced modern China.
With such a large population (25 million people in Shanghai alone) everything was so orderly and clean. To say we were gobsmacked at what we experienced is an understatement! All I can do is mention some personal highlights of the trip.
I had always wanted to visit China, not least because my father was born and grew up in Shanghai. It hasn’t always been possible for Australians to visit, so my husband and I jumped at the chance at a tour with a favourite tour company*.
China is a vast country, and we were able to visit the Forbidden City in Beijing, climb the Great Wall of China, marvel at the terracotta warriors, ooh and aah at the pandas, explore the beautiful city of Xian, cruise the Yangtze \ and so much more thanks to the amazing network of bullet trains.
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| I climbed half way up the Great Wall of China—amazing! |
Buildings
The Forbidden City was so beautiful and made even more interesting by the young visitors who dressed in traditional historic costume for their visit. Not just in Beijing but elsewhere, like Xian and Chengdu (loved both those cities) these lovely young people brought history to life.
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| Lovely visitors in historic dress at The Forbidden City (I asked permission to photograph them) |
Another highlight was Shanghai with the historic colonial buildings (where my father worked many, many years ago) of the Bundt on one side of the river and ultra modern skyscrapers on the other.
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| The historic Bundt in Shanghai |
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| Shopping mall YuYuan style! |
I was constantly exclaiming at skyscrapers disappearing into the clouds. The Shanghai Tower is an incredible 128 stories high.
Celebration
Year of the Horse meant awesome displays featuring horses for Chinese New Year. I was born in the year of the horse so felt quite a personal connection!
Food
I love Chinese food and enjoyed eating it every day—even for breakfast!
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| Noodles came served like this at a Beijing restaurant! |
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| I expected Szechuan food to be hot—but this! |
Art
Beautiful sculptures and artwork everywhere.
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| Traditional bridge in Chengdu |
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| No graffiti in Chengdu walls, rather street art |
Flowers
March was early spring and there were flowers everywhere, blossom trees, roadside plantings of tulips, masses of spring annuals. So beautiful!
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| Spring flowers everywhere—poppies |
Must-see attractions
The Terracotta Warriors were a highlight of the tour—truly awe-inspiring. I’m so glad I saw them.
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| Not just terracotta warriors but also their horses and oxen |
We visited the giant pandas on a sunny day where all (including adorable babies) were in large, lush enclosures that mimic their mountain environment, even to the point of water sprays to keep the air humid. I could have watched these beautiful animals for even longer than we did.
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| Loved those pandas! |
We came back reeling from everything we saw in China and already wanting to return.
Is there a country you’d love to visit?
*We travelled to China with Australian company Luxury Escapes
Kandy Shepherd is a best-selling, award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her heartfelt, passionate stories are set in exciting locations around the world and are published in multiple languages. Kandy believes in love-at-first-sight and real-life romance—she and her husband of many years decided to spend their lives together after three days! She loves it when readers tell her that her books make them laugh and make them cry. Kandy lives near Sydney, Australia with her husband and numerous four-legged friends.
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