13. Sutra River
A
trip on Chang Jiang River
I felt very small when taking a downstream
trip on Asia’s longest river and I did be made smaller by lofty defiles and
stunning views. A trip on Chang Jiang River may be a slow one for many people.
That feeling grows when standing on the highest deck and the ship is drifting. Of
course, there are many spectacular views to enjoy. The greatness of nature and
human’s efforts in conquering it may evoke some thoughts about human’s crazy
ideas. However, the ship 3N/4D heading to the estuary from Chongquing
self-governing city in Middle China to Yichang is considered a unique
experience.
Insider’s
advice
You can, of course, get a cheap cruise
ship. But don’t do that. For this trip, you’d better not be miserly but choose
a high-class service. Practicing Tai Chi at dawn when the deck is being opened
and covered with breath-taking views or getting feet massaged by experts, you
would easily find the profoundly inner peace.
For more information, visit: www.centuryrivercruises.com
and www.yangtzeriver.org.
Sutra
River
14. Heaven
and Hangzhou
Calm Lake
During the Chines travel, Marco Polo is an
irregular chronicler ignoring the fact that Chinese uses chopsticks to eat. However,
with Hangzhou, he has interesting and vivid memories. He names it the “heaven
city”. A city situates at Zhejiang province and Hangzhou’s attractions surround
West Lake. You may spend hours watching the tide in front of Chinese temples on
the shore and the pagoda behind.
Insider’s
advice
Visit Lingyin temple, which has “Peak That
Flew From Afar”. A limestone cave, according to legend, flew from Vulture’s
Peak in Rajgir near Nalanda. To know a slice of history, visit Song Dynasty
village that shows a 1000-year history in festival’s atmosphere with a
significant on-stage performance.
Website: gotohangzhou.com
Heaven
and Hangzhou
15. Bike
in Beijing
Nights at the city
Well-off Chinese people have left bicycles
for modern cars but biking around Beijing at night still has its own
fascination. Bike Beijing arranges bicycle-tours to the city’s places of
interest. These travels are quite comfortable and friendly, for families, with
a speed of 9miles/h.
Website: www.bikebeijing.com/tours/night_beijing.html
Insider’s
advice
If it is still soon, Beijing provides a lot
of night entertainment – Sanlitun Bar used to have its heyday but Houhai Street
is classier – and more beautiful views (than a hole). Beijing’s karaoke bars are
most dissolute so you’d better stay away unless they are what you are looking
for.
Bike
in Beijing
Information
Chinese
translation
For Indian tourists, China may be both interesting
and dangerous. It is fun that there not many countries, like China, having such
a big traffic and facilities, and especially in remote area, there are many
hospitalities as well as curiosities for the Indian. This is often indicated by
the Chinese’s common questions when you take a picture with them: you will feel
like a rock star with huge fan-girls following.
This hospitability is partly from ancient
connection in civilization, based on monks travelling between the two
countries. Buddhism came to China from India although its belief has been decreased
by Communism’s 60-year domination and the Cultural Revolution. Chinese people
are, step by step, regaining their belief partly.
Recently, movies and songs of Raj Kapoor
time have special appeal with topics about proletarian struggles. If you live
in China long enough, you will certainly have “Awala Hu” (or “Awala Hoon”) told
by an inconsiderate taxi driver.
Language: Visiting China may have some challenges so learn some handy Chinese
words and a hospitable world will be opened – worth your effort.
Food:
Various according to areas and different cuisines. For a sophisticated Indian, Chinese’s
full-of-meat meals may not be good. The term “vegetarian” comes strange for some
kitchens: even vegetables are often cooked in pork fat or minced pork. If you
are very special, you have to have “bu fang rou” (no meat) in each meal.
Cheating: Like in many places around the world, innocent visitors are magnets
to masters of cheating and some are very superb in China. Two types of cheating
you may encounter are: drinking tea (you are invited to a tea party by an
interesting youngster until the very end you will get stuck with a huge amount
of bills) and art students (you are invited to a gallery and lured to pay a lot
of money for cheap pictures).
China
in books
Smoke and Mirrors, an Experience of
China, by Pallavi Aiyar: A journalist having
lived and worked in China for more than 6 years delivers a perspective of China
in Indian eyes.
From Heaven Lake, by Vikram Seth: Chronicle of Seth’s travel following roads from China to India in
the 1970s. This gives a lot of information though it is out of date
Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip,
by Peter Hessler: The last of a trilogy,
describing romantically Chinese’s feelings when walking into a modern era.
And
on screen
Lost in Beijing, directed by Li Yu: A modern respective movie showing the pressure of culture and class
in a Beijing which was exploding, concentrating on an immigrant couple.
Up the Yangtze, directed by Yung
Chang: An award-winning documentary that compares
a trip on Chang Jiang River with people being removed by a project of Three
Gorges Dam. The film told about a poor farming girl’s compression of the new
consumerism.
Not One Less, directed by Zhang Yimou: A touched story in a rural school
China
in…
5 days: Beijing – Xian – Hangzhou
10 days: Beijing – Xian – Guilin – Yangtze Cruise – Shanghai
15 days: Beijing – Xian – Lhasa – Guilin – Yangtze Cruise – Shanghai – Suzhou
– Hangzhou
20 days: Beijing – Shaolin temple – Xian – Dunhuang – Lhasa – Kashgar – Guilin
– Yangtze Cruise – Shanghai – Huang Shan – Hangzhou – Suzhou
