China Experience: Yangzi & Beyond

Over the next several posts I will share my experiences, impressions and photos of my visit to China: Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Yangzi River Cruise and Xi’an. I was fortunate to attend a conference in Beijing and then take some leave afterwards. I spent nearly a week in Beijing and then travelled to Shanghai for a few days before joining a 2 week tour. The tour was Peregrine Adventures “Yangzi & Beyond” – a notch or so up in comfort level from my usual trips but it covered all of the the things that I think of when I think of China (Great Wall, Pandas, Three Gorges Dam, Terracotta Warriors…) so it seemed like the perfect choice. There were food and cultural experiences aplenty in this fabulous adventure.

Yangzi & Beyond

This trip weaves together China’s most famous icons. Shanghai’s bright lights, fevered trade and frenetic pace provide a glimpse into modern China and the dazzling global future. Zhouzhuang, the Venice of the East, is all canals, alleys and bridge arcs, where Marco Polo once wandered and wondered at the empire’s dynastic might. In Chengdu we observe the unique giant pandas in their struggle for survival. We relax on a Yangzi River cruise through the beautiful mountains above the Three Gorges dam, passing by picturesque rural villages still reliant on China’s most vibrant waterway. In Xian, the famous Terracotta Warriors fascinate for their evocative detail, while a walk of the wider city finds us deep in the rarely seen exotica of the Muslim Quarter. The narrow streets, colourful markets and quiet mosques are surviving remnants of Silk Road caravan days. A sleeper train away, we walk an original section of the great wall and revel in the big show of Beijing. A city within a city of incredible scale and detail awaits, as well as serenely set palaces of sublime beauty and construction, and the full panoply of China’s people.

Peregrine Trip Notes

 

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For this and other similar tours see:

Explore Asia with Intrepid Travel (a range of different travel styles – see my post ontravel styles)

Peregrine Adventures (Comfort tours)

Geckos Adventures (for 18 to 30s)

Note: After people telling me they had booked an Intrepid Tour on my recommendation, I now have affiliate links with the Intrepid Travel group of companies and may receive a commission if you book a tour online within a couple of months after clicking through to these sites.  So if you are enjoying my tips and stories and finding them useful in choosing your own travel, please click on these links and help me to bring you more ☺.

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