China Expands Her Tourist Horizons

Following the brilliant success of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics China is now turning its attention to the next ‘blockbuster’ with the 2010 World Expo scheduled for Shanghai from 1 May to 31 October. The amazing developments on the site on the banks of the Hangpu River augur well for an equally impressive event.

China is also rapidly developing new tourist areas throughout the vast and diverse country to complement its existing major drawcards such as the Yangtze River, Xian and the terracotta warriors, Guangzhou and the famous Silk Road.

New developments in Yunnan province

One of the first regions of China outside the major cities to open up to international tourism was Yunnan province in the south west of the country. The successful World Horticultural Expo held in the capital city Kunming in 1999 attracted visitors from all round the world who then ventured to other attractions such as the towns like Lijiang and Dali and also the amazing Shilin Stone Forest.

In the last few years the tourist authorities have been improving the infrastructure of roads, hotels etc in other parts of the province to provide a better level of comfort and ease of movement for the influx of tourists seeking new experiences in this fascinating region of China.

As you might expect for a region that hosted the horticultural expo Yunnan is famous for many types of. Flowers and plants . The land of Yunnan ranges from mountains up to 6500m feet to tropical lands only 70m above sea level and there are numerous valleys with distinct climates. Many flowers now common around the world originated from Yunnan which is particularly famous for camellias, azaleas, magnolia, primrose, lilies and orchids The region is a major source for the cut flower trade in China.

The major cash crop of Yunnan is tobacco and it is very noticeable that the vast majority of men smoke heavily (very few women do). In the main streets of the city are rows of attractive large lanterns strung from poles and it was disheartening to find that these were used for tobacco advertising.

Kunming now has a population of over 6 million and is a pleasant, well laid out city with many gardens and lakes. China is taking to golf with enthusiasm and courses are being built in the city; the Lakeview Country Club course was designed by Nick Faldo. However the sport is very much for the burgeoning middle class.

Perhaps the most famous attraction in Yunnan is the Shilin Stone Forest about 80km to the east of Kunming. To get there the road leads through agricultural land with corn, chillies and peppers drying on racks, on roof tops and under eaves. Roast duck grilled in pine needles is a local specialty; at lunch ducks are hung outside cafes to tempt customers.

The limestone formations at Shilin are incredible, up to 40m high. Paths wander through the formations and groups from the local Sani tribe dressed in traditional costume dance and sing for the visitors.

Further on the town of Mile is famous for its hot springs. The grounds of the excellent Huquan Hotel in Mile contain large pools fed by the hot springs and a soak in the pools is most relaxing and therapeutic. Although wine has been produced in China for centuries, it is now becoming a flourishing industry and the Yunnan Red Wine facility outside Mile is producing a range of red wines from four different grape varieties including Pinot Noir and Syrah.

Another city that is rapidly developing as a major tourist centre is Jianshui. The history of the city dates back 1200 years but it is now transforming rapidly into a dynamic Chinese city. The Eastern Gate of the city is similar in design to the gateway at Tiananmen Square in Beijing but is 25 years older. The small park surrounding the gate and the top level of the gate were full of older citizens talking, playing mahjong and cards, singing or just relaxing – like a local senior citizen’s club!

A long pedestrian mall lined with trendy shops (the Chinese are really into designer labels) joins the Western Gate (with other ornate gates along the way) nearby which are some old wells containing fresh spring water. Women were ‘bucketing’ the water out into large water carriers that then sell the spring water to local residents.

Jianshui contains some lovely gardens including the Zhu Family Garden that dates from the 1890s. Established by two brothers it contains 42 courtyards, numerous archways, masses of bonsai and a huge pool full of koi. You can even stay in the ornate traditional rooms. Another good choice for accommodation is Linan Hotel.

Another garden contains the second oldest Confucian Temple in China as well as a huge pond full of lotus flowers, bridges statues, doors and carved panels. The workmanship on all these artefacts is incredibly detailed.

Ancient rice terraces at Yuanyang

Rice is the staple food of China and for centuries the Chinese have utilised any suitable land to grow the crop. For over a thousand years the farmers in southeast Yunnan province have developed huge terraced fields on the steep terrain that seems to literally climb up the sides of mountains.

One of the most famous areas is round the town of Yuanyang that perches on top of a large mountain reached by a very winding road 30km up from the valley floor. In the valley the temperature can reach 40 degrees Celsius in summer and the region produces many tropical fruits like bananas, pineapple and mangoes. However as you climb to Yuanyang the temperature falls, it is often misty and foggy – the town is referred to as ‘Paradise floating in the Sky’.

The terraces rise like giant steps following the contours of the hillsides; the sides of each water-filled terrace is beautifully ‘carved’ and the mud packed solid. From above the terraces form delightful patterns for the viewer. There is only one crop per year in Yunnan. Fish breed in the water of the terraces between crops.

I visited after the crop had been harvested and remedial work was being carried by the farmers wading waist deep in the water while water buffalo pulled the tilling equipment clearing the terraces of ‘weed’. The method would not have changed over the thousand years apart from metal cutting tools on the wooden plough. It looked hard and tiring work.

Yuanyang is a quaint town its narrow streets hiding a myriad of tiny shops. The locals dress in traditional costume and the women carry goods in panniers made from palm fibre on their backs. In a couple of places I saw women carrying loads of bricks in their panniers to construction sites; apparently being able to carry heavy loads gives added ‘status’ to a woman.

There are other traditional villages near Yuanyang. Meong Pin is a small village of 300 families noted for its embroidery I watched the schoolchildren skipping and playing in the school yard – it could have been any elementary school.

The lifestyle at the Hani people village of Qing Kou has hardly changed for centuries and there are moves for it to be World heritage listed as a means of preserving their unique architecture, dress and way of life.

Xiamen in Fujian province

In the 1980s US spy satellites circling the earth sent back images from a mountainous area of eastern China that showed photos of buildings that were interpreted as the possible location of Chinese missile launching bases.

Agents posing as tourists were sent to investigate and rather embarrassingly discovered that the buildings, large earth structures, both round and square, were the homes of the Hakka people. Some of these buildings date from over 700 years ago but many are of more recent construction.

In the past couple of years the Chinese authorities have completed the construction of a sealed road into the Hudong Mountains making it easier for tourists to see the buildings and the fascinating lifestyle of the tribespeople.

The life of the extended families is contained within the structures which have three to five storeys, up to 200 rooms, with dining and kitchen facilities on the ground floor, warehouses on the second and bedrooms and guest rooms on the higher floors, and an ancestral area in the center for holding ceremonies and celebrations.

The island port city of Xiamen (pronounced Charmen) is located on the south east coast of China opposite Taiwan across the Taiwan strait, and is one of the five original special economic zones of China. It is connected to mainland China by a number of bridges and an underwater tunnel is due for completion by 2010.

In the 16th century it was the first Chinese port used by Portuguese, Dutch and England traders and in 1842 it became a treaty port where foreigners could live and trade. In those days it was known as Amoy.

In the past decade or so the island has undergone incredible development and the population has swelled to over 2 ½ million, still a small city by Chinese standards. It is a pleasant city, well laid out, in many ways reminiscent of Singapore. One great ‘law’ is the banning of motor cycles so traffic, although heavy, moves swiftly and easily and noise is less.

Xiamen enjoys a sub-tropical, maritime climate and with the wealth of trees, shrubbery and gardens, island coastline and variety of attractions it is a popular holiday destination for many visitors from around China and increasingly from overseas. Numerous high-class hotels are available some like Mandarin, Best Western Premier, Crowne Plaza Harbourview, Ramada and JW Marriott reflect a continuing high level of foreign investment. I stayed at Millennium Harbourview, an excellent business and tourist hotel with great facilities.

The main tourist attraction is the small island (less than 2 sq km) of Gulang a 10 minute ferry ride from downtown Xiamen. There are no vehicles on the island apart from a few battery driven tourist movers and it is relaxing to wander the narrow streets absorbing the mix of Chinese and foreign architectural styles as many foreign embassies and consulates were located there during the early 20th century.

The buildings are grand and exhibit a variety of styles In the Sea and Sky Mansion (actually five villas) there are performances of traditional Chinese music (an acquired taste) and hand puppets that are great fun and the ‘performers’ show incredible skill and flexibility.

The lovely Shuzhuang Garden wanders along the southern coast of the island with a pathway leading up to the Hall of Roaring Tides which houses around 600 different pianos from antique to modern collected from all round the world by Hu Youyi, a native of the island but now residing in Australia. Some of the pianos are played by musicians during the day.

Close to downtown Xiamen is the lovely South Putou Temple with a history stretching back 1000 years. The temple complex contains a number of halls and shrines and I was surprised, in this Communist country, at the number of monks and also devotees of the Buddhist philosophies. Huge ponds full of lotus flowers (and also small turtles) add to the colour.

In Xiamen the intrepid shopper will be drawn to Zhongshan Road, a pedestrian-only street lined with shops ranging from high end brand names to market stalls. At 10pm the streets are packed with shoppers buying or just strolling possibly as a way to ‘escape’ from their high-rise apartment blocks.

Xiamen is in Fujian province and Fujian cuisine is one of the eight main cuisines of China. With its proximity to the sea it is not surprising that seafood is a specialty with lobster, abalone, shrimp and shellfish local delicacies. Vegetarian cuisine also has a long history.

Mount Wuyi, dazzling mountain scenery

Cruising down the Nine-Bend Stream on a traditional bamboo raft, safely ensconced in comfortable bamboo chairs while two polers steer the craft in the placidly flowing river is a perfect way to admire the wonderful mountain scenery prevalent in the Mount Wuyi Scenic Area in the northern part of Fujian.

The Chinese have a special reverence for mountains and you will find large numbers of locals visiting areas where mountain scenery is spectacular enjoying the fresh air and scenery and partaking of various activities. In fact the day I ‘rafted’ down the Nine-Bend Stream (the trip takes about 90 minutes) our boat was one of about 200 similar craft, the rest full of Chinese tourists who were all intrigued by the westerners on our boat and wanted to know where we were from.

The Mount Wuyi area was declared a world natural and heritage place by UNESCO in 1999 and the Chinese authorities have catered for the rapidly increasing number of visitors by building a ‘separate’ tourist town near the city of Wuyishan. The area is famous for its tea, grain and timber production and , in addition to numerous new hotels, the tourist village is dominated by shops offering tea tasting ceremonies (hopefully leading to purchase of ‘over-priced’ tea) and places containing enormous, and often grotesque, wood carvings.

The Yeohwa Resort and Spa Hotel is highly recommended, stylish, and well-run with excellent facilities including both Chinese and western restaurants. One of the noted peaks of the area, Dawang Peak provides a dramatic backdrop to the hotel.

The Mount Wuyi Scenic Area has many attractions for the visitor. The Nine-Bend Stream winds through some magnificent mountain area, odd shaped peaks appearing at every turn. Small temples and pagodas cling precariously to the edge of steep cliffs. At a couple of places you can spot where the unique hanging boat coffins used to be placed in long ago times in large crevices in the steep cliffs, a practice unique to this part of China.

For a different perspective of the scenery it is worthwhile tackling a couple of the walks to viewpoints high above the river. Steep steps lead to pagodas on such points as Heavenly Tour Peak from which the whole panorama of the region is exposed. The rafters in their red lifejackets provide a colourful focus against the green of the river and hills.

The Chinese often give very colourful and evocative names to scenic spots. Mount Wuyi area offers Eagle’s Beak Rock, Ever-Happy Temple, Nine-Dragon Nest, Peach Blossom Cave and Twin Breast Peaks (our guide called it Madonna) among others.

Tea is a major product of the area as it has been for hundreds of years. Wuyi Rock Tea is regarded as the first among the top ten famous teas in China. Popular with visitors is the pleasant stroll along a valley to a place called Dahongpao where six bushes over 350 years old are the ‘originals’ from which all tea bushes (producing oolong tea) in the region are descended.

Just south of Wuyishan is the small village of Xiamei where a small group of Shanxxi people continue to live a traditional lifestyle. Old ladies deftly sort out the tea leaves on large bamboo platters, others carefully rake the rice drying on concrete ‘pads’, animated groups playing cards or mahjong, women knit (on four needles) while chatting in doorways, old men sit contemplating life while nearby young men play pool. Tiny shops tucked away inside houses sell artefacts, knives, vases, pots, paintings etc, supposedly 200 years old. It is a colourful reminder of a lifestyle only now starting to change.

Roger Allnutt visited China as a guest of Helen Wongs Tours.

Helen Wongs Tours is Australia’s leading China tour specialist, Check the website www.helenwongstours.com

Fact file

The main entry points to China from New Zealand are through Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. Air New Zealand, Cathay and Thai fly direct to Hong Kong from Auckland. Air New Zealand code shared with Air China fly to Beijing. Qantas has flights to all three cities from Sydney. China Eastern flies from Sydney to Shanghai.

For more information on China contact the China National Tourist Office, Level 19, 44 Market St, Sydney or visit the CNTO online at www.cnto.org A visa is required for visitors with New Zealand passports.

Related posts:

1. YUNNAN PROVINCE EXPANDS ITS TOURIST DESTINATIONS
2. XIAMEN IS GREAT EXAMPLE OF BOOMING CHINA
3. MOUNT WUYI, DAZZLING MOUNTAIN SCENERY IN CHINA