Apparently the Chinese government is promoting tourism in the region and subsidising operators to get travellers there.
We were amongst the lucky ones to get return airfares, transport (high speed train travel),
up-market accommodation, meals, English-speaking tour guides and entry to major attractions as being all part of the deal.
As soon as I learnt "A walk along the Great Wall" was included, I jumped at the
chance to join them.
Apart from China obviously having a different culture, the trip was mainly an eye opener in many ways.
I noticed extensive mobile phone use, locals were polite, traffic was orderly and free-
flowing, modern and traditional living, construction happening on a massive scale, buildings and projects were huge, the countryside was neatly utilised and cultivated. (farms, paddy fields etc).
A distinctly different picture to the old fashioned notion of China and its peoples I previously held.
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| Some of the Cooloola Dragon Boat members standing on The Bund at Shanghai |
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| Our mob, this time standing in Tian An Men Square, Beijing |
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| Tired Dragons, sitting on steps outside the Terracotta Warriors Complex, Xi'an |
One of the highlights of the trip for me ...
The Terracotta Warriors
An amazing archaeological find of the 20th century, the Terracotta Warriors located in the city of Xi'an. We explored the excavation site (with hundreds of other local tourists) holding over 7000 soldiers individually created by one of China's emperors to guard him in the afterlife.
It was an awe-inspiring visit.
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| Being tourists in the TW workshop - Sandra, Jean and Linda |
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| Jean, imagining what it is to be a warrior ... |
Another highlight ...THE Great Wall of China
On the hills outside of Beijing, is the part of the wall of the Great Wall of China we visited. It was a thrill to not only see but also be on the wall, and an even greater feat to climb a small part of it.
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| At the start of the climb, I made it to the fortress at the top of the photo. Note the blue sky and greenery |
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| View looking downnnnnnn …. |
It's a great man-made structure, centuries old, and all in the name of border protection.
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Whilst on the trip, the major cities we visited were Xi'an, Beijing, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai.
We covered thousands of kilometres in relatively quick time due to the High Speed trains. We also had a short trip on the MagLev train in Shanghai - travelling at 430 kph, pretty fast-going!
While there, we had great weather and virtually no air pollution. I suspect this was the case as the many vehicles were either electric, hybrid, or gas.
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| Elaine, my roomie and I after a ride on the trishaw (bike was an electric one) |
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| A large artificial flower tree in amongst a park in Shanghai |
In my opinion this installation could typify the China of today - artificial, fake, oversized,
THE HIGH SPEED TRAIN
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| travelling at 331 kph, a glimpse at the landscape |
TEA PLANTATION
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| a tea plantation outside of Hangzhou |
A big part of the Chinese economy is the Tea Industry, in particular Green Tea. We visited and there was a big sell to convince us we'd live forever and pain-free if we bought bucket-loads of their green tea. I couldn't develop a taste for it but really enjoyed the Chrysanthenum flower drink.
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| Big teapot |
INTERESTING FOOD??????
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| Crickets are housed in the plastic containers before being cooked up! |
We had magnificent meals over there, feasted on banquets, dined in markets, ate insects (I tasted a scorpion, a silk worm and cricket, kebab style).
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| Trying some of the local insects … |
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| There were centipedes, sea horses etc. |
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| Portraits of Mao are seen in the older shops in the regional towns |
Central West Lake in Hangzhou
Lovely parkland and pagodas, everything is very green including the water (maybe a mineral thing?)
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| Jean imitating the facebook pose! |
MASTER OF THE NETS GARDEN (typical residential garden in Suzhou)
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| Jean posing AGAIN |
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| Linda, Sandra and Elaine standing amongst the bamboo and admiring the effortless cohesion of art, nature and architecture. |
SHANGHAI - "China's beating economical heart"
We only spent a day and a half and a night here, a fleeting look really. We walked along the Bund, or the banks of the Huangpu River. Also we toured the Shanghai old town, known as the China Town in China. It is a combination of gardens, temples, old architecture, civil culture, business, souvenirs and food. We also visited the French quarter which is the European town in China. It is a place where yesterday meets tomorrow, east meets west.
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| The 'Pearl of the Orient' is a very distinctive landmark on the Shanghai skyline. |
Paris-like architecture.
Shanghai is a a beautiful, vibrant and bustling city.
Surrounded by a a 52-metre-wide and a 10 metre high wall are more than 8700 rooms. The palace for the emperor on earth was called the Purple City. It was forbidden to enter without special permission of the emperor, hence it's name, "The Forbidden City".
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| The Forbidden City in Tiananmen Square |
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Random photos of different sights around ...
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| Suzhou's Grand Canal |
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| Outdoors market in the Muslim Quarter of Xi'an |
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| Overhead cabling in the smaller cities |
Look familiar?? If you are a sports fan, maybe you can recognise it … it's the Olympic stadium, The Birds Nest from the 2008 Olympic Games
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| The Birds Nest |
Typical end of day routine
Accommodation was mainly Holiday Inn style, all very comfortable and the odd night of luxury as well.
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| Some Dragon's relaxing after a 12 km day! |
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| A hotel room in the The Marriott in Shanghai |
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It was a wonderful trip and we had a great time. Thanks to the great company of the other dragons for making it so memorable.
