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CHINA
Historical events in China are dated based on dynasties that ruled during the time. The first historically recognized dynasty was Xia, 2200 - 1700BC. Next was Zhou (1100 - 221BC) that was marked by significant development of various philosophical teachings. The three major ones are Taoism (founder Laozi, about 5th century BC), Confucianism (founder Konfugzi, 6th-5th century BC) and Legalism (Han Fei, 3rd century BC). Unification of China happened only during the Qin dynasty (221 - 207 BC). The first Chinese emperor, Qin Shihuangdiho not only created a large emporium, but also introduced unified currency, standardized writing script and build an infrastructure of roads and water channels. He also connected previously isolated pieces of defense walls against Mongolians into a single Great Wall. The time of rule of the dynasty Tang (618 - 907AD) is called the golden age of the Chinese history (due to the large advancements in literature). During the Song dynasty (960 - 1279) there was tremendous progress in archeology, mathematics, astronomy and medicine. The Ming dynasty ruled 1368 - 1644 and the last dynasty was Qinq, 1644 - 1911, after which China became republic. China was not very open to the outside world. It is well characterized by an event from 1793. When a British ambassador was attempting to improve trade relations with China, the emperor Qianlong expressed that China does not lack any goods and has no need for import. In the middle of the 19th century the positive trade balance of China started to turn due to the opium trade. Opium addiction became serious social problem and the Chinese government attempted to eradicate it. However, confiscation of opium stores and ban on opium trade was an excuse for the British to attack China militarily and demand free trade. Moving Hong Kong and Macau under British rule also happened as a result of this war. In 1931 Japan invaded China. The brutality of the Japanese occupants and human experiments were a dark capitol in the relations of these two countries. A civil war started in 1946 and lasted for 3 years. At the end the communist army under the leadership of Mao Zedong won and on October 1, 1949 The People's Republic of China was founded. The infamous Culture Revolution lasted from 1966 to 1970. Since the 1980s China started to open itself to the world and steps were made towards the support of free market economy and foreign investments.
Kunming (September 20 - 23) Kunming We reach the Vietnam-China border by bus on September 19 in the afternoon and cross it without any problems. We realize that communication will be somewhat difficult in China as soon as we visit our first Chinese restaurant. They present us with a menu only in Chinese and none of the waiters is able to say more than "Hello!". (Fortunately, Chinese are patient and really try to understand tourist's gestures to their best. Also, many times during our three week stay in China, somebody in the crowd around us can speak some English and comes to our rescue.) Right at the border, we are already being expected by Mike. We are expecting him, too, since other travelers had already told us about this "entrepreneur" . He appears very polite and helps us exchange money and find a bus station. However, we reject his invitation to "his restaurant". When we tell him that his reputation reaches beyond the Chinese border, he is surprised and chooses to quietly disappear. We take a night "sleeper bus" to Kunming. This kind of transportation is something we have not seen in any other country. The bus has no seats, only beds - in 3 rows and 2 levels. Marek finds a way to wedge himself between safety rails on both sides of the bad and remain fairly stable despite the erratic driving, but Jitka does not get much sleep. We reach Kunming in the morning. The biggest change we notice compared to the previous countries is that the roads are full of cars - not motorcycles. It is fairly cold and drizzles for the next three days. (We are in 1900m.) We spent most of the time finishing our Vietnam web diary and doing preliminary search regarding possible ways how to travel to Tibet. On September 9, despite the still gloomy weather, we decide to visit Bamboo Temple. It is the first temple we visit in China. There are three major philosophical/religious movements in China: Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism (not mentioning sizable Muslim community). We found it interesting that basic layouts of temples are very similar for all religions. Temple compounds consist of several courtyards. In the back of every courtyard stands an important building, such as a temple or school. Both sides of the courtyards are flanked with secondary buildings, such as libraries, small chapels or monks' living quarters.
In the afternoon, we get our introduction to Taoism in the Western Hills. Several temple buildings, pavilions and shrines are found here. Some were cut into steep cliffs above a large lake by a Taoists monk in the 18th century. The pantheon of Taoist gods and protectors is very rich and quite new to us. There is a lot to learn... On September 23, we leave Kunming. 33-hour train trip takes us to Xi'an. Xi'an (September 25 - 27) Xi'an We arrive in Xi'an on September 25 in the morning and visit the Museum of History as well as the Great Goose Pagoda. The pagoda was built in 648 as a library to house important Buddhist scriptures brought to Xi'an from India by a local monk Xuang Zang. His journey became a legend in China. The next day is reserved for a
visit of the major attraction in Xi'an - the Army of Terracotta
Warriors. It is located about 40km outside the city and is part
of an enormous mausoleum of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shihuangdiho.
The mausoleum has not been fully uncovered yet. Historical documents
talk about enormous splendor and richness of its underground chambers.
However, it is unknown, whether any of that is preserved till these days
or whether it was destroyed or stolen during the ages. Problems with
conservation of artifacts extracted from long-sealed underground
chambers prevent archeologists from opening the chambers (paint peels
off, human remains quickly disintegrate, etc.). Therefore, the mausoleum
is going to stay sealed until better technology becomes available. What
is interesting is that the Terracotta Army, despite of being such an enormous
piece of work, is not mentioned in any historical documents. So far,
three underground chambers have been uncovered and are open to tourists. There is sizable Muslim community in Xi'an and consequently there is a Muslim Quarter in the old city. We like its narrow streets and markets. The Great Mosque is one of the largest mosques in China, but it does not look as one would expect. Its architecture looks just like any other Chinese temple and does not resemble a typical Islamic mosque at all. It is only the details inside the main temple that are different, such as the full text of Koran engraved in the wooden panels on its walls. On our last day in Xi'an we visit the Temple of Eight Immortals - a Taoist temple. Then, in the afternoon we take a train to the city of Pingyao. The train ride is an experience. Since we bought our tickets late, there were only the most expensive and the cheapest class available. Because the ride was going to take only 7 hours, we did not want to waste money, so we ended up sitting in the cheapest class in a seriously over-crowded car. Despite the sign "No smoking. No spitting. No garbage.", there was lots of smoking, spitting and throwing garbage both out of the window and on the floor. Fortunately, we were approached by a young couple who wanted to practice their English and thus the trip passed in a pleasant conversation. (It is quite common in China that people who know at least some English approach tourists - either offering help or just wanting to practice the language.) We arrive to Pingyao around midnight and since we have no map of the city, we take a taxi and stay in the first hotel where the driver manages to wake up the owners. Píngyao (September 28 - October 1) The It is cold and cloudy and it drizzles during our entire stay in Pingyao. However, the gloomy weather just underlines the ancient atmosphere of the city with its gray houses and cobbled streets, contrasted only by red lamps hanging from the roofs. Our intention was to stay here only for a short time, but we like the place so much that we decide to stay several days. The old houses in the city have one or two floors and are built around one or more rectangular courtyards. The arrangement of a house has strict rules. Its major buildings are always built parallel to the street, secondary buildings are on the sides of its courtyards. The major buildings were also constructed at least several inches higher than the less important buildings. Inside The city is surrounded by a 6km long City Wall. It is possible to walk on it all around the city. Such walk offers very interesting views and insights into the daily life in Pingyao. There are many temples in the city. The Confucius Temple has been appropriately attached to a school and is undergoing large reconstruction. The Temple of The City God, a Taoist temple, offers its visitors an unexpected surprise. One of its secondary buildings houses a large representation of hell, including very cruel and explicit details. There is much more to see in this historical town. In the end, we do not feel like leaving Pingyao, but there are more places to be visited. We have been here long enough. Dátong (October 1 - 3) Dátong Our travel from Pingyao to Datong is influenced by the fact that today is the first day of 7 national holiday days, one of only two such long holidays that China observes. It means that most tickets are sold out and there are crowds traveling in all directions. Luckily, some good Chinese soul helps us to buy bus tickets and we can travel comfortably and easily in a modern bus - much better option that the old crowded local bus that we were trying to get into on our own. Once in Datong, we face another problem. Our guidebook suggests only three hotels that are licensed to accommodate foreigners. Only after the sunset we find out that the first one is closed (since the first appearance of SARS) and the second one is full. We become somewhat desperate when some "helpful" local people promise to take us to the last option, but bring us to the totally opposite end of the town to some strange restaurant instead and then want us to pay for the trip. In the end, we manage to make our way back and find a reasonable place to stay. The After seeing the caves, we decide to go for a walk in the countryside. We are near the border with Inner Mongolia and the Great Wall led through here. Today, only remains of the watch towers remain. When we walk through a small town on the way, we quickly become a big attraction for kids and adults alike. Beijing (October 3 - 8) Beijing, On October 3, we take a train from
Datong to Beijing (5.5 hours). We travel in the lowest class again, but
this time in a very modern and fast train, so the quality is much better
- the wagons are clean and seats are very comfortable. On October 4, we visit the Lama
Temple, the most famous Tibetan monastery located outside of
Tibet. It was established in 1744 and many Tibetan and Mongolian monks
still live here. There was an exhibition about Dalai Lamas in one of the
side buildings. Of course, we could not find even one word about the
current Dalai Lama, who is living in exile in India and protesting
against Chinese occupation of Tibet. (Note: The Chinese government has
even forbidden any photos of Dalai Lama in Tibet. When tourists visit
Tibet, many pilgrims desperately ask them for pictures of their
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.) We decide to visit the Great Wall
near the small town of Simatai (110km from Beijing) on October 5. This
section of the wall is supposed to be less commercialized than some
other touristy sections closer to Beijing. It is hard to get On October 6, we visit the old
residence of many Chinese emperors, the Forbidden City. On October 7, we visit the pleasant summer retreat of the royal court, the Summer Palace. It is located on the shore of a lake about 12km north of the Forbidden City. Along its shore stretches a 700m-long covered promenade, which is one of the longest structures of its kind in the world. There is an artificial hill behind the palaces that is covered with beautiful Chinese gardens full of old pine and cypress trees, artificial rocks, small pavilions and temples. On the side of the hill away from the lake is a small complex of artificial canals flanked with small shops and restaurants. Even though there were clouds and drizzle on the day of our visit, strolling through the wonderful gardens of the Summer Palace was a very relaxing experience. In the evening, we go to a theater to celebrate 3-month anniversary of the beginning of our trip. It is a performance of Sichuan opera, but it is not really an opera in classic terms. Besides singing the piece also includes a lot of acting, dancing and serious gymnastics. It is a very nice and interesting experience and a nice end of our visit in Beijing. We are heading to the west next - to Tibet. On October 8 we take an afternoon train to Chengdu in southern China. The trip takes 27 hours. We travel in the second sleeping class, which is fairly comfortable. On the way, we talk a lot with two nice Chinese people who work in the army. We talk about the already announced first Chinese space flight to the orbit. It happens only a few days later. Chengdu (October 9 -11) Chengdu is the capitol of the Sichuan province. There are many interesting sights to see around the city, but we mostly come here because Chengdu is the easiest place where one can organize independent travel to Tibet. We arrange things quickly and on October 11 fly to Lhasa, parting with mainland China and beginning our exploration of mysterious Tibet. Notes about China: China is a very interesting country and there are innumerable big and small differences in culture and habits. We mention just a few observations that we made here: We enjoy Chinese cuisine. But the best meals can be found - in our opinion - in Xi'an, where they use a lot of garlic (which we like). For example, we had beef with onions and garlic, sweet and sour pork with added garlic cloves and pineapple chunks, chicken kung-pao with peanuts, and a superb mutton goulash (of course all served with steamed white rice on the side). Yum! It is very nice that you can get free jasmine tea with your meals in most restaurants. Most hotels also provide tea cups, tea bags and thermos with hot water, which can be refilled any time. Hot water is also available in all trains. We were slightly surprised when we found out that wine is more popular than beer. We saw many people drink beer, not wine. But wine is traditional in China, whereas beer has been imported. Both road and railroad transportation is highly developed in China (at least where they are connecting main destinations). We were not impressed by today's architectural style. Sterile white tiles instead of stucco on the outside of many buildings, balconies secured with bars, ugly blue glass in the windows. It is well known that environmental protection is a large problem in China. Unfortunately, we experienced smog in most cities and overall the sky was gray and it was misty everywhere we went in China. We had a problem with some local customs. Many people smoke and spit. Even women are spitting often, also inside rooms and trains. People smoke even in Internet cafes - computer keyboards are often totally clogged. Chinese also do not seem to pay much attention to cleanliness when dining. Food scraps (such as bones) are being simply thrown under the dining tables in restaurants. People also like to crack nuts and different kinds of seeds and let the shells fall anywhere on the ground. They also regularly throw trash (such as plastic bags) out of the windows of cars, trains and buses. We were not surprised to hear western music in some restaurants and many upscale department stores. However, we were surprised to hear American Christmas songs over and over again in September. Well, most Chinese probably do not understand the words and they do not celebrate Christmas anyway, so why not when they like the melodies? We noticed that many men wear long nails. It seems that it is a sign of higher status - those who do not have to work with their hands can afford to keep long nails. Small children do not wear diapers. Instead, they wear pants with holes, so that their moms do not have to undress them whenever they have to go. Last but not least, Chinese are magnificent builders. They have proven themselves not only by building the Great Wall and other historical structures. Nowadays, one can admire many railroads that cut directly through high mountains and contain unbelievable amount of very long tunnels, huge dams, high-rises and quickly growing modern cities.
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China Population: 1 284 000 000 Population growth:
0,87 % Literacy rate: 98%
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China
is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and historically was a
dominant society of the east Asia strongly influencing development and
culture in other countries such as Japan, Korea or Vietnam. For
many centuries China was the most advanced civilization in the world
(some sources suggest 7th - 14th century). Many inventions come from
China, for example paper (1th AD), print (2nd AD), gun powder (10th
century), porcelain, silk or compass. 
is
the capital of the Yunnan province located in southwest China. It is a
quickly developing city with wide boulevards and modern high-rises.
Besides luxurious department stores, most buildings in the downtown
belong to Chinese banks (we counted at least 15). Fortunately, the
fast-paced modernization has not reached all corners of the city
yet. One can still find old houses, temples and local markets in the
side streets. The Yunnan province has the most diverse landscape in
China. There is jungle in the south where many hill tribes live (like in
nearby northern Vietnam). The northwestern portion of the province in
contrast reaches the high mountains of Tibet. Thanks to this and many
other contrasts, Yunnan is one of the most popular tourist destinations.
The
Bamboo Temple is a Buddhist temple and was built in the
13th century. The Buddhism recognized in China is Mahayana Buddhism.
Unlike in Theravada Buddhism (Thailand, Laos), the focus is not on
reaching nirvana for an individual, but for all the people. Bodhisattvas
(people who reached enlightenment, but decided not to escape the circle
of rebirth and delay entering nirvana in order to help other people) are
highly valued here. The Bamboo Temple houses a very interesting
collection of 500 statues of Arhats (= the noble ones). They were made
by sculptor Li Guangxiu in 1883 - 1891. They feature very
realistic facial expressions that make it easy to understand their
emotions and actions. Needles to say, this realism (sometimes almost
surrealism) was so unusual during his time that Li Guangxiu was not
praised for his work and was only recognized later after his death.
is
a historical city in the center of the Shaanxi province. This city was
the seat of the Zhou dynasty (11th - 3rd century BC) and the capitol of
the first Chinese empire during the Qin dynasty (3rd century BC). With
some brief interruption, Xi'an then continued to be the seat of Chinese
emperors until the 10th century AD. Its fame was renewed in the 1970s
when the famous Army of Terracotta Warriors was discovered near the
mausoleum of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shihuangdiho.
The
largest one contains 6000 soldiers and 40 horse carriages. However,
almost all the statues were found very damaged, so restoration
progresses very slowly. It is worthwhile noting that every figure has a
different, realistic expression. In addition to these terracotta
statues, several bronze carriages pulled by horses were found in one of
the smaller chambers. Those are said to be exact copies of real carriages
and show exquisitely detailed work. Even the work that went into the
recovery of just this one small piece of the huge mausoleum had to be enormous.
old
town of Pingyao is a charming city in the Shánxí province. It was
founded in the 9th century BC, but its current look comes from the time
of reconstructions during the Ming and Qing dynasties (15. - 19.
century). The old town is fully surrounded by a preserved city wall and
there are more than 400 protected historical houses (out of the total of
4000 houses) inside the walls. The uniqueness of this city was
recognized by UNESCO and added to its list of Historical and Cultural
Heritage Sites in 1997.
the
city, many old houses have been turned into museums recently. One of
them is Rishengchang. Originally, this was a store
with paints. However, it grew and had subsidiaries in several other
places. For its own needs, the owner started to issue checks and make
deposits to simplify financial transactions among the many branches.
Soon, he started to provide these and other financial services to his
customers. His paint shop became the largest bank in China, with 57
branches scattered around the entire country. 
is a rather uninteresting city in a coal mining area of the Shánxí
province. However, the nearby located Yungang Grottoes are a very
important point of interest. About 45 caves were carved into sandstone
cliffs here in the 5th century and they were decorated with more than 50
000 Buddhist statues.
next
day, we visit the Yungan Grottoes. Most of them were built
and decorated between 460 and 494 AD, but they had to be restored in the
11th century and then again during the Qing dynasty in 17th-19th
century. They are now protected by UNESCO.
the
capitol of the People's Republic of China, is a city with a population
of about 14 million. First settlements in this area appeared around
1000BC. It served as the capitol of the Chinese empire (with short
breaks) since the Jin dynasty (12th century AD)
there
though, because the information in our guidebook is outdated. The trip
used to be done by a bus first and then by a minibus. But the minibuses
do not run any more and we have to take an expensive taxi to cross the
second half of the distance. Furthermore, when we return to the parking
lot after visiting the wall, the taxi is gone. (Good we refused to pay
for the return trip ahead of time!) Fortunately, we are very lucky. A
small bus appears soon and takes us all the way back to Beijing for a
small portion of the taxi fee. The Great Wall is certainly
very impressive. It stretches as far as one can see, climbs up steep
mountains and descends into deep valleys. We first climb up a steep
2km-long renovated stretch of the wall on the right side of the valley
(full of tourists, mostly Chinese) and then return down, cross a river
and explore the quieter left side of the valley, where we soon reach a
run-down section of the wall and stop there for sunset.
It is called "forbidden" because public was not allowed to
enter it for over 500 years. It was first built by emperor Yongle in 1406-1420.
Its wooden structures have burnt down many times since, but were always
rebuilt. It is unexpectedly large. It took us 4 hours to walk the 1/3 of
the city that is open to visitors.