China is a massive country which I had the pleasure of visting
in 2009 for the longest
eclipse of the century. So far, I've only been to China
once - but hope to return. This is a small summary of what
I'd like to do again and what I hope to do in future.
Things to do again
Hangzhou -
Hangzhou is often billed as one of the Chinas most
beautiful cities. And it's difficult to disagree. Where
other Chinese cities seemed very built up, the green of
the parks and the openess of the West Lake were a welcome
relief from, what appeared to me as, sprawling urbanisation.
Chengdu -
Chengdu was the most pleasantly surprising of the cities
I've visted in China. Perhaps because it was our first
encounter with China or perhaps it was the lack of other
Westerners. One of my most abiding memories of Chengdu
is the afternoon we spent at the Wenshu
Temple with its very enjoyable vegetarian restaurant
and even better tea rooms.
Lhasa -
Lhasa was definately one of the highlights of our trip
through China and Tibet. In spite of the slight headaches
and affects of altitude, just getting into Tibet was
a fine achievement. With regulations toughened up and
a very visible security presence, visiting the Potala
Palace and the Jokhang
Temple - two of the most important buildings in Tibetan
Buddhism - was a privilege.
Grand
Buddha at Leshan - Its hard to describe the
monumental size of the Grand Buddha at Leshan but
standing at the statues feet, cricking your neckd
to see his face makes the trip down the narrow stairs
worth every minute. It really is, errr, monumental.
Take the boat ride as well - that really gives the
scale to compare the statue against people.
Things to do
There are several things I'd like to do in China. This
is a short list of the most important sites and places
I'd like to go experience.
Shanghai -
The Bund is famous for it's numerous colonial era buildings
which. Sadly, On our last trip
to China we didn't get to walk along The Bund in
Shanghai as the Bund had been closed off in preparation
for the 2010
Expo.
Great Wall of China - One of the most photographed
of the worlds iconic buildings. It's a bit like going
to Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower - probably has to
be done but it is a marvel of engineering.
Dazu
Rock Carvings - A series of Chinese religious
sculptures and carvings depicting and influenced
by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist belief systems,
some from as far back as 7th century A.D.
Beijing and the
Forbidden City - The Chinese capital and
the Forbidden City have been central to Chinese history
both in Ancient and Modern times and will be worth
to see.
China and Tibet - travel goals and achievements
China is a massive country which I had the pleasure of visting in 2009 for the longest eclipse of the century. So far, I've only been to China once - but hope to return. This is a small summary of what I'd like to do again and what I hope to do in future.
Things to do again
Things to do
There are several things I'd like to do in China. This is a short list of the most important sites and places I'd like to go experience.
X'ian - Home to the Terracotta Army - one of the worlds most amazing burial monuments - I've only glimpsed the Terracotta Army once at and exhibition at the British Museum. One wonders what it's like in real life.
Great Wall of China - One of the most photographed of the worlds iconic buildings. It's a bit like going to Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower - probably has to be done but it is a marvel of engineering.
Dazu Rock Carvings - A series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings depicting and influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist belief systems, some from as far back as 7th century A.D.
Beijing and the Forbidden City - The Chinese capital and the Forbidden City have been central to Chinese history both in Ancient and Modern times and will be worth to see.
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