This book consists of my personal recollections of 40+ visits to China between 2001 and 2013 when, in common with most visitors from the West, I entered the country through Beijing or Shanghai airports.
I am an overt Sinophile. When I am in the UK, I cannot wait to get back to China. There is no other country on Earth which has so much of interest to see, and has a fascinating collection of natural phenomena and longstanding cultural features. Every province has its own world-class sights to see.
I begin with my observations on the capital city, Beijing, and then add my impressions of places I have visited, starting with the area around the Bohai Sea (Tianjin,Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning, then the north east (Dongbei – Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces), followed by places in the centre and south, including Shanxi, Yunnan, Chongqing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Shenzhen. I have provided essential background information on each place, not just the major cities, covering accessability, climate, history and geography and have attempted to convey the flavour and atmosphere of each of the places, many of which may not be familiar to foreign tourists. I aim to encourage the more adventurous visitor to ‘boldly go’ beyond the usual guided tour locations and see the ‘real’ China, experiencing its diversity.
The second part of the book is a series of reflections or essays on life and culture in China, based on my personal observations, which may be of interest to anyone planning a visit. I have tried to demistify cultural features from a western perspective, whilst providing an insight which should be useful to the western visitor.
I am an overt Sinophile. When I am in the UK, I cannot wait to get back to China. There is no other country on Earth which has so much of interest to see, and has a fascinating collection of natural phenomena and longstanding cultural features. Every province has its own world-class sights to see.
I begin with my observations on the capital city, Beijing, and then add my impressions of places I have visited, starting with the area around the Bohai Sea (Tianjin,Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning, then the north east (Dongbei – Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces), followed by places in the centre and south, including Shanxi, Yunnan, Chongqing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Shenzhen. I have provided essential background information on each place, not just the major cities, covering accessability, climate, history and geography and have attempted to convey the flavour and atmosphere of each of the places, many of which may not be familiar to foreign tourists. I aim to encourage the more adventurous visitor to ‘boldly go’ beyond the usual guided tour locations and see the ‘real’ China, experiencing its diversity.
The second part of the book is a series of reflections or essays on life and culture in China, based on my personal observations, which may be of interest to anyone planning a visit. I have tried to demistify cultural features from a western perspective, whilst providing an insight which should be useful to the western visitor.
