chapter15-10 places to see in China

INFOCUS | INDIA-CHINA TOURISM | REPORT

10 places to see in China that aren’t the Great Wall

The Tibetan towers of Western Sichuan

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hese mysterious towers pepper the Tribal Corridor of Western Sichuan province.

Hundreds still stand—some 50 meters high with as many as 13 star-like points—and the oldest are thought to be 1,200 years old.

Nobody knows why they’re there or what they’re for, but some say they were defensive structures used for observing the lawless valleys that surround them. Others suggest they could have been used as status symbols, or storehouses, or both. Regardless, these secret towers of the Himalayas are one of China’s best kept secrets.

Glacier lakes, mountain forests, sandy beaches and more. Here’s a list of some dramatic destinations that you may not have yet considered for your trip to China: There’s a whole lot more to China than an expo, cheap food and a big wall. Book a train or some plane tickets and check out some of these other Chinese spectacles.

Karakul Lake, Xinjiang

China’s wild rivers

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hina is home to some of the mightiest rivers in Asia— the Yellow, the Yangtze, the Mekong—and for many, the country’s massive damming projects are a tragedy. But China is still home to some unspoiled waterways that can offer glimpses of the country rarely seen.

Last Descents River Expedition, run by a young American trying to protect China’s river heritage, can lead the way. The company organizes trips to rivers in Western China—including Tibet, Qinghai and Yunnan—that combine tourism with a social and environmental purpose.

Heaven Lake, home to China’s Nessie

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arakul, a glacier lake 3,600 meters above sea level tucked in the Pamir Mountains, feels like the edge of the Earth.

Along the Karakorum highway and a stone’s throw from the Tajikistan border, Karakul is home to camels, yaks, Kyrgyz herders and not much else. The walk around the lake (Karakul means “black lake” in Kyrgyz) takes about three hours and offers a spectacular view of the 7,500 meter high Muztagh Ata Mountain.

Many visitors spend the night in a yurt belonging to a local family. For about US$10 a night, you’ll be fed rice, vegetables and yak meat and sleep in a collective bed heated by a small fire pit. Dress warm.

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ince the beginning of last century the Heaven Lake Monster has made several alleged ‘appearances’. In 2003, a group of soldiers claimed to have spotted a black and green animal with scales on its back and horns on its head. In 2007, a TV cameraman supposedly caught video and stills of three pairs of finned, seal-like creatures that “could swim as fast as yachts.”

Monster or not, Heaven Lake is a marvel.

The volcanic lake in Jilin province was considered holy land during the Qing dynasty.

From the top, catch a rare glimpse of North Korea just across the border.

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INFOCUS | INDIA-CHINA TOURISM | REPORT

Gulangyu Island

Burma Road, Yunnan

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very visitor to China has a car story—or several (see Peter Hessler’s Country Driving)—and rarely are they positive. Gulangyu, an island off the coast of Xiamen, might be the only place of true calm left in today’s autoobsessed China.

Gulangyu, home to 16,000 people on one square kilometer of land, famously has no motorized vehicle (with a few exceptions). Not even bicycles. No honking, no traffic jams, no near-death experiences. Can this place even be called China? The hilly island is part Old Havana, part Hawaii – a pedestrian’s dream.

he Burma Road once ran from Mandalay to Kunming and was the scene of bloody battles during World War 2. On the Chinese side, start in Riuli, once known as a Golden Triangle hub, today home to several jade markets.

Pass by spectacular valleys and terraced rice plantations on the way to Tongsheng, which is home to the Museum of Yunnan-Burmese Anti-Japanese War. Before heading to Dali, spend a few days hiking through unspoiled villages along the southern portions of the Nu River. Once in Dali relax in one of the Old City’s myriad cafes before heading to Kunming, Yunnan’s capital and one of China’s coolest cities.

Guangzhou’s Little Africa

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ucked into the heart of Guangzhou’s Old City is one of the most fascinating corners of China you didn’t know existed: A community of some 20,000 traders hailing from Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and elsewhere in Africa.

Situated near Canaan Export Clothes Wholesale Trading Center, Little Africa, or “Chocolate City,” as some politically incorrect locals sometimes call it, arose in the 1990s as traders flocked to the southern Chinese province nicknamed ‘the world’s factory.’ Vibrant social and religious communities have developed and many traders will gladly talk with visitors about their lives—both the good and bad—in Guangzhou.

Cuandixia village, Beijing

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eijing is great, but sometimes you just need to escape.

It’s not hard. Just outside the city are some charming villages tucked in the lovely hills to the west, many in the shadow of the Great Wall.

Cuandixia village, about 90 kilometers from downtown Beijing, is more than 400 years old and is home to more than 70 preserved courtyard homes built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. It’s often a stand-in for ancient China in films and TV shows. The nearby hills are green and lush, a contrast to the dusty landscape that surrounds the capital.

Cuandixia makes for a good day trip and home stays can also be arranged.

Get Naked in the Moganshan Hills

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arly last century, wealthy foreigners living in Shanghai came to Moganshan to lounge away the summer in stone villas, play tennis and swim in the municipal pool. Today, Moganshan is making a comeback, thanks in part to Naked Retreats, a collection of restored farmhouses. (Don’t be fooled by the name – any nudity should probably be confined to your bungalow.)

Upon arrival, guests are taken on a ‘decompression walk’ and encouraged to spend a few minutes in awe of the scenery. Activities include cycling, bass fishing and mountain hikes. Visitors can wander through dewy tea plantations and bamboo forests, or swim in a reservoir to the buzz of cicadas. Accommodations are basic— the wooden floors creak and there’s no air-conditioning—but bungalows come with Western-style kitchens, flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet. |60| India-China Chronicle  April 2012

Surf in Hainan

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ainan Island, sometimes called, perhaps generously, “China’s Hawaii,” is a growing tourist destination off the country’s southern coast, just east of Vietnam.

It’s famous for hosting Chinese beauty pageants, but is also home to a small but growing community of surfers – both Chinese and foreign. Each November, Sanya, the island’s capital, hosts the second annual Surfing Hainan Open. Check out Hainan Adventures for surf lessons and travel packages.

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