Friendly Planet Travel China Delight China OVERVIEW Introduction These days, it's quite jarring to walk around parts of old Beijing. Although old grannies can still be seen pushing cabbages in rickety wooden carts amidst huddles of men playing chess, it's not uncommon to see them all suddenly scurry to the side to make way for a brand-new BMW luxury sedan squeezing through the narrow hutong (a traditional Beijing alleyway). The same could be said of the longtang-style alleys of Sichuan or a bustling marketplace in Sichuan. Modern China is a land of paradox, and it's becoming increasingly so in this era of unprecedented socioeconomic change. Relentless change—seen so clearly in projects like the Yangtze River dam and the relocation of thousands of people—has been an elemental part of China's modern character. Violent revolutions in the 20th century, burgeoning population growth (China is now the world's most populous country by far) and economic prosperity (brought about by a recent openness to the outside world) have almost made that change inevitable. China's cities are being transformed—Beijing and Shanghai are probably the most dynamic cities in the world right now. And the country's political position in the world is rising: The 2008 Olympics were awarded to Beijing, despite widespread concern about how the government treats its people. China has always been one of the most attractive travel destinations in the world, partly because so much history exists alongside the new, partly because it is still so unknown to outsiders. The country and its people remain a mystery. The rice paddies may have sprouted cities and manufacturing centers, and the streets may be clogged with cars and pollution, but the people remain rooted in a rich cultural heritage. They still burn joss sticks for good luck in an enterprise— even as they iron out the details of that enterprise on a cell phone. History China is one of the oldest nations in the world. Its recorded history dates back 5,000 years. For most of that time, China was ruled by a succession of dynasties, and each left its mark on the country. For instance, the Qin began construction of the Great Wall, the Sui built the Grand Canal, and the Song period is known for its artistic achievements. 500 Old York Road * Ste. 200 * Jenkintown, PA 19046 Tel: 800-555-5765 or 215-572-9594 * Fax: 215-572-9803 Email: [email protected] Visit us online at www.friendlyplanet.com The first Europeans to reach China were the Portuguese, who began trading on the island of Macau in the 16th century. The British soon followed, but their efforts were largely unprofitable until they began pushing opium in the mid-1800s. The Opium Wars eventually led to British control of Hong Kong, a place that was not returned to China until 1997. (Macau was reintegrated into China in 1999.) The last dynasty officially ended in 1911. The ensuing years devolved into a struggle between the capitalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong's Chinese Communist Party. Chiang Kai-shek held control through the 1930s, but after World War II, Mao's guerrilla army began winning the battle. In 1949, the People's Republic of China was born and Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan. Led by Mao Zedong, the new government transformed China into a communist nation. Land was redistributed, industries were absorbed by the state and, most unfortunately, opposition was not tolerated. Tibet was brought under Beijing's control in the 1950s. Thousands of writers, artists, teachers and others were imprisoned or killed during the Cultural Revolution of 1966-70. In 1989, 13 years after Mao's death, the students demonstrating for democracy in Beijing's Tiananmen Square were overrun by soldiers and tanks. Although Mao's legacy of intellectual oppression remains intact, China's recent leaders have embraced free trade. The country was admitted to the World Trade Organization in 2001, which means the world's most-populous nation became officially open for global business. The first big venture is set to take place in Beijing in 2008, when the Olympic Games go to China for the first time. Geography China, the third-largest nation in the world, encompasses virtually every type of terrain imaginable, from the steamy lowlands of the southeast to the Himalayan peaks of Tibet to the Gobi Desert in the north. Most of the country's major rivers, including the Yellow and Yangtze, flow from west to east. China is bordered by 14 other countries. Snapshot China's main attractions are the Great Wall, the terra-cotta warriors, acrobats, shopping, Hong Kong, Tibet, pandas, ancient instrumental music and Chinese opera, food, the Forbidden City and a diverse landscape. China will appeal to open-minded travelers interested in visiting an important culture that is truly different from their own—they'll have the experience of a lifetime. China will not appeal to travelers who have respiratory problems (many of the cities are rather polluted), who demand impeccable service and accommodations at all times, or who don't like Chinese food. Outside of the major tourist areas, creature comforts can be few and far between. For many travelers, group travel will be the best way to go; in some parts of China—politically sensitive areas such as Tibet, for instance—group travel was once the only way to visit. However, as Tibet and other areas of the country increasingly open up to tourism, that is changing. It is certainly possible to travel individually, although the services of a local guide are still necessary and permits require visits to be as part of an organized tour, officially at least. Given that access to parts of the country can be denied to foreigners without advance warning, it's best to have a flexible schedule and to keep abreast of news developments. Potpourri The Kong Family Cemetery in Qufu is the world's largest clan cemetery. The great sage Confucius and more than 100,000 descendants spanning 76 generations are buried there. There are now 4 million Kong family members in China and overseas. A China-wide Kong family tree record is maintained in Qufu. The most recent update started in 1998 and took more than five years to complete. The last eunuch of the last emperor died in 1996, closing the chapter on one of the stranger aspects of imperial China. Aside from the emperor, eunuchs were the only men trusted to enter the inner courtyards of the royal palace where the emperor's concubines resided. 2 During most of its 5,000-year history, China has been one of the world's technological leaders—it's the birthplace of moveable type, astronomy, gunpowder and spaghetti. Although the country's minority groups make up only 8% of the population, their traditional homelands cover more than half of China. In addition to the majority Han Chinese, there are 55 minority groups, the largest of which is the Zhuang, numbering more than 15 million. Yunnan province is home to 26 minorities. The written Chinese language is expressed by a series of characters in which one character or a series of characters together express certain meanings or things. Although there are upward of 40,000 characters in the language, most people know only a few thousand. Those interested in Buddhism may want to visit shrines in the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism: Emei Mountain (Sichuan), Wutai Mountain (Shanxi Province), Jiuhua Mountain (Anhui) and Putuo Mountain (Zhejiang). Kaifeng (380 mi/610 km southwest of Beijing) still has a small Chinese Jewish community. Their ancestors fled to China after the Roman conquest of Israel. Martial-arts fans may want to make a pilgrimage to the Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou (465 mi/750 km south of Beijing), birthplace of kung fu. SEE AND DO Recreation Because China encompasses such a vast land area, recreational opportunites can seem nearly endless. Practically any sport or terrain you require can be found—but the time needed to get there can be daunting. Beaches Few visitors realize that China has beaches. In fact, a number of towns and cities around its lengthy east and south coastline have beaches popular with domestic tourists, but it is tropical Hainan Island—China's southernmost province—which has developed as an international beach destination. The best beaches are near Sanya, the town at the southernmost tip. Luxury resort hotels line Sanya Bay and nearby Yalong Bay, which are lapped by the warm South China Sea. Bicycling Beijing has 9 million bicycles, and throughout the country, many locals rely on the bicycle as their mode of transport. Visitors can rent cycles in many places, and most of China is open for those who want to travel around backcountry areas. However, some places remain off-limits and others require permits. Good areas for exploring by bicycle range from the Great Wall near Beijing and around Guilin and Yangshuo in Guangxi province to more demanding terrain in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangdong provinces. Tibet offers extremely challenging cycling. Bird Watching China is home to about 1,200 species of birds, including the red-crowned crane and brown-eared pheasant, which are found nowhere else in the world. Sichuan is among the best provinces for bird- watching, with nearly 600 species resident there, as well as popular areas such as Jiuzhaigou Valley and Mount Emei. Other top bird-watching sites are Caohai Lake in Guizhou, Qinghai Lake in Qinghai and Zhalong Nature Reserve in far northeast province Heilongjiang—China's largest reed swamp, where the endangered red-crowned crane is one of six crane species in residence.