Locations to visit in China?

[paull]

Hi All,

My significant other is deadly keen on visiting China this year - I'm the same way myself (fortunately).

Has anyone been there recently and can recommend places to visit. On our plans currently are:
Guilin
Beijing (and the great wall)

Oh and I really enjoy landscape photography. So looking for those types of places.

Thanks

PL

[Onyx]

Umm.. that forbidden city place - that Catriona Roundtree visited on Getaway, and Yangzte River (sp)?!

I bet the rice farms all look the same, so once you seen one you've seen them all.

[Killakoala]

I have been to Beijing and Harbin through the north and into Russia about 7 years ago. I don't think it would have changed that much since then.

Bear in mind that they are getting ready for the Olympics in Beijing too.

Do NOT ever take photos of Police or Military people or military hardware.

Tianemin Square and the Forbidden city are definate 'must shoot' spots. (There is an Aussie Kebab shop at the bottom of the square if you get homesick).

The Peoples Museum of culture is also worth a visit, if you can be bothered queing up to get in.

Chairman Mao's tomb is expensive for westerners to enter (assuming you are western decent) and i don't think you can take photos anyway.

The great wall is, err great. Very photogenic but some good level of fitness is handy for that one.

ALWAYS watch out for pickpockets and hawkers trying to rip you off without notice. Make sure your bags are locked at all times, with good quality padlocks. Never put a bag down on the floor without making sure you have a grip of it somehow. (Stick your leg in the strap)

Tourists are easy targets to the small criminal element in the capital.

Look menacing and look like a 'seasoned traveller', then they should keep away and look for softer targets of opportunity.

ALSO take a phrase book written in English, Chinese English and Chinese Characters. Local Chinese can't read Chinese English. make sure you have a map of the area where you are staying and make sure you know exactly where your hotel is on the map. Taxi drivers only know one English word....Airport. So unless you are going home you will need to point your destination on the map. There are very few English speaking Chinese in China, even in the cities.

China is an incredible country with lots of amazing places to visit. I would suggest a Lonely Planet book for a read well before you go so you can plan things ahead.

A package tour is highly advisable if you just want to see all the sights and have no language problems.

I can't stress enough the importance of having a map and a phrase book.

Enjoy China, it's a great place to visit.

[Werewolf]

China is quite an experience, but VERY worthwhile. I was there about 8 years ago and can thoroughly recommend it.

Beijing is an awesome place with an abundance of interesting subjects to photograph, but to experience the real China get out of the big cities.

I took a long train ride out to Hohhot in inner Mongolia, from where I continued across the mountains by bus to an amazing Tibetan pilgrimage town called Xiahe. From there I made my way to Xining which was interesting for it's large Muslim population, and on to Xian to see the Terracotta Army.

I don't know if things have changed in 8 years but travelling China back then wasn't easy, lots of redtape to negotiate (Big Brother very much in evidence!) and the language barrier was quite 'intense'!

The food is nothing like you experience in Chinese restaurants in Oz, and can be quite a challenge!

Just go. Go before it becomes thoroughly Westernised. You'll love it.

[wile_E]

hiya paull

i was in china not too long ago. if you enjoy landscape photography, you will definitely love guilin. if you can spare the time - head off to yangshou, and see whether you can climb "moon hill". the views from the top are incredible. also a trip down the li river isn't a bad idea (although it is quite a sedate trip).

when going to the great wall try to get to the more isolated places (ie simatai and surrounding region). you'll definitely be rewarded with less touristy crowds - i had the luxury to spend around 5 hrs on the wall essentially in a group of 12 people. the summer palace and the temple of heaven are also worth while visits in beijing. finally wander around the hutongs (not at night though, as you may get lost) and try to catch the acrobats. they are absolutely incredible - and on more than one occassion i wondered aloud "is that legal?!?!".



i'd agree with the thoughts of werewolf. if you're interested in experiencing the culture of the place, you'd definitely have to get out to the country. try mt emei or the yellow mountain - fantastic places!

how long are you planning on going?

[paull]

Thanks all for the tips. Picked up a Rough Guide to find out more about the places to visit and must admit - it is a pretty big country to see in about 3 weeks - even if I was focusing on a specific area.

Hearing Killa's warning about theft reminds me of a tip I heard a while ago about protecting your camera gear... although with the D70 I'm wondering how I can do this and not reduce the functionality of the camera. The tip in short is to disguise the camera by taping it up with very low tech brown tape/plumbing tape, making it seem as if it the camera was patched up and barely functional...

Thanks again and hope to share some great photos in the near future.

[Killakoala]

Good luck and enjoy your time over there. When are you planning on going?

[Link]

Very good choice for landscape photography, China can really be breathtaking!!!

The region around Guilin - Yangshuo has all those misty peaks, very photogenic but don't expect a bright blue sky as backdrop.

In Beijing, I recommand the Summer Palace - nice bridges, pagodas, etc - plus it's a very relaxing place.

If you can afford to go to Harbin during the Ice Lantern Festival, this is a must-see. It's basically an exhibition of huge ice sculptures depicting major Chinese and international monuments. The festival started around the 5th of Feb last year, you can check if it will be running when you're in China. From Beijing, it's an overnight train trip, and expect temperatures like -20 degrees but it's more than worth it!!!

One last word on a top spot for photographying rice terraces... It's a place called Yuanyang, in the south of Yunnan province. It's a bit out of the way but if the opportunity arises to go there, you won't regret it. Basic facilities and transports --- but the sights there are second to none!

I uploaded a couple of pics I took last year:



This is a giant ice mosque during the Harbin Ice Lantern Festival; it's all glowing at night because of neons lights set up inside the ice blocks!



And this is a photo of the rice terraces in Yuanyang from a nice vantage point!

Enjoy your trip to the "Middle Kingdom"!

Link.

[timbo]

Hey Link, I love that rice paddy shot!

Forgive my ignorance, but how far is Yuanyang from Beijing? My girl and I are heading there in May to visit her brother who lives there. I'd love to visit that spot...

[timbo]

Whoops, please disregard my last question. I see you've pointed out where it is already

[paull]

Link -that's an awesome shot of the rice paddies.

Trip planning just got harder!

[paull]

Hi All,

Thanks for the tips regarding the trip. Finally made it back intact last week after a trip lasting 24+ days. Went for the "soft" option, i.e. tour group option and can thoroughly recommend it - although the photographic time on the trip was somewhat limited (I tend to need some time to set up + take in the scenery etc.)

The trip covered just about all of the places mentioned above (must say I did miss the Aussie Kebab shop at the south end of Tiananmen square) and then some. Here is a link to the trip itinerary http://www.intrepidtravel.com/trip.php.

Ended up taking a lot of pictures - less than a handful of which have genuine aesthetic value (IMHO) while others have more of an emotional connection for those who were on the trip (or would be related to me - thanks Ma!). For those interested in the trip, here is the link to the gallery
http://www.pixspot.com/index.php?cat=10042

Must warn you - the China - Share Photos gallery with 80+ photos is a genuine cure for insomnia. The China - Favourites is marginally better - I hope (it is brief!).

If any one is headed that way and has any questions about the places I visited - feel free to lob them over this way - I'll try and do my best with them (definitely no-guarantees).

Paull

[kipper]

Go to Beidaihe, I'd go there if I was going to China. But that's only because I like bird photography

[shutterbug]

Hi Paul, love your picks, very nice

[Soulboy]

In the words of one 1970s footballer when asked about the Great Wall on national television when his team (West Bromich Albion) went to China for the first time: "Once you've seen one wall, you've seen them all."

[Yedrup]

I have been to China a few times and would recommend:

Xian - really spectacular scenery, stark and harsh.
Shentzen - again good scenery, particularly agricultural.
Qing Dao - beautiful coastal scenes, home of Qing Dao Beer, fairly modern city, but beautiful.
Beijing - great place for historical sights, Tienemin Square, the Summer Palace, of course a trip to the wall has to be in order.
Shanghai - the most stunning city, so modern, so old, just amazing.

Hope these give you some ideas.
If you want any other places of interest let me know.

Cheers,
Terry