China, The Great Wall

Is this not the most adorable bear in the world?

 

Unfortunately the Giant Panda is on the endangered list and only about 2000 of these lovely creatures can still be found in the wild.
We visited the Panda House in Chongqin and I could not tear myself away from these delightful animals.  I was completely captivated watching their antics and could have stayed for hours.

 

But time did not permit us to stay as we had to catch our flight to Kunming and a visit to the Stone Forest.

 

These fantastically shaped pillars of rock are scattered over an area of 80hectares, the tallest of them reaches 30m.Some of the formations have very imposing names like “Moon Grazing Rhino”, Everlasting Fungus and Sword Pond.”
Whilst in Kunming we visited a silk factory and the embroideries being made there are exquisite. Some of the tapestries take months to complete.

 

Our next stop as per itinerary was Dali. This charming old city is situated on Lake Erhai at the foot of the magnificent Cangshan mountain Range.

 

The national costume of the local girls is simply gorgeous and must be the most colourful in the country.

 

Last but not least was a visit to the Great Wall.



 

The statistics for this construction are amazing.
Built to fortify the northern border, the wall is nearly 20.000km long and can be up to 9m in width.
Building started as early as the 7th century BC, but the main structure by Emperor Qin Shi Huang was done in 220 – 206 BC. Very little of this section of the Wall remains today.

Climbing up the steps is quite a feat as they differ in height. Coming down was even more difficult.  Our guide told us that running on the wall on the uneven steps was impossible.

 

I made it to level 7 and the view from above was really something.

 

A couple of treasures we found on our way.

This is the last post for China.
On to a different Country for my next adventure.

 

China, the Li River

One of the prettiest places I visited in China is Guilin. This beautiful city is situated on the west bank of the Li river and its name means “Forrest of Sweet Osmanthus”  due to the large number of these fragrant trees growing all over the City.

 

But I am getting ahead of myself.
Before we explored Guilin we set off for a 4 hour Cruise on the Li River. Unfortunately heavy rain clouds somewhat spoiled our view, but we could still see the magnificent scenery.

 

Life on board was fun with people joining us from all over the world. Food was supplied and we had a delicious fish lunch.

 

On the way we saw all kind of “strange” things. Cormorand fishermen followed us part of the way and showed off the skill of their trained  fishing birds.
 

 

Merchants on their little boats ‘stalked’ us all the way eager to make a sale.

 

The end of our journey was the quaint town of Yangshuo. 
By the time the boat docked it had started to rain which somehow dampened our spirits. We started to explore the town, but soon were soaked to the skin and we returned to the Hotel for a change of clothing.
We only had one night in Yangshuo  so time was scarces; we had to board the bus for our trip to the famous “Assembling Dragon Cave”. This is a limestone cave and the formation of stalagmites and stalactites are something to behold.   I was not too keen on the coloured lights, but then, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

The highlight of this day came at night when we saw the “Liu Sanjie” Show which was absolutely amazing.
More than 600 artists kept us enthralled for 90 minutes. This light show was performed on the Li River and it was simply wonderful.  Luckily the rain stopped for the duration of the show.

 

The next morning on our way back to Guilin we visited a working farm in the area. The farmer was a real character and kept us entertained for an hour showing us how to work his farm implements.

 

We arrived safely back in Guilin and were now able to see a bit more of town. The best view is had from a small hill called “Folded Brocade”. We had to climb 430 steps but the view from above over the town and river was worth the pain.

 

Whilst  in China we encountered a few very funny signposts. This is one of them.

More of my visit to China next week.

 

China, Xi'An

In March 1974 a local farmer from the small village of Yangeun in rural China went with 2 fellow labourers into the fields to sink a new well.
What they discovered is one of the most amazing finds of the twentieth century.
This is the terra cotta army of China’s first Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di who ruled from 221 to 210 BC.

When the news was heard around the world, archaeologists went wild.
Never has anything of this size been found and it is considered the most fabulous reserve  in the world.

Today around 2 million people visit this astonishing site every year.
It is estimated that there are 8000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses. Non military figures include acrobats and musicians.

The site truly boggles your mind. There are kneeling archers – my favourite – infantry men and generals.
All have different  facial features and hairstyles and are simply incredible.

It is ongoing work to restore all of the figures to their former glory, but the colours which were found on some of the soldiers will not be renewed, they are all now ‘terra cotta’ colour.

The Museum is only 30km from Xi’an a charming old city I immediately fell in love with. It has a strong wall which surrounds it and I had the pleasure of taking a leisurely walk on it.

The main tourist attractions are the Bell and the Drum Towers. Both were buildin the 14th Century.                               

Continuation of my China adventure next week.