When planning to travel in the Shanghai area, I was sure I wasn’t interested in spending too much time in Shanghai itself, as I am not that interested in modern cities with numerous skyscrapers, as much as the historical cities. While Shanghai does have historical areas (due to becoming a…
Before visiting Shanghai, I definitely knew, I wanted to go up one of the Shanghai towers, but it was a tough call to choose, which one. All of them have their charm and reasons, why you would want to go up. So here is the breakdown of the major options,…
The Summer Palace was, unexpectedly, one of the highlights of our visit to China. Compared to other world-renowned sites in and around Beijing, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is less talked about, although thousands of tourists swarm it every day. I certainly had heard of it and seen some photos,…
Did you know that the Great Wall is spread out across 21 thousand km and you would need about 353 days to complete it without taking into account stops or any complications (obviously this is trivializing it, as some parts are not walkable at all). Building of the parts of…
The Temple of Heaven is prominent because of several things. The Temple was constructed during the 15th century and was the place for holding royal prayer ceremonies during Ming and Qing dynasties. The Temple area is larger than the Forbidden City, as the Emperor wasn't allowed to construct his residence…
Beijing, a city of 22 million people and the most touristy city in China is often the entry point for tourists. Its beautiful architecture, historical monuments, gorgeous parks, arts and crafts, atmosphere, food and many other characteristics make it one of the distinct cities and, understandably, very attractive for tourists.…
I guess hardly anyone hasn't heard of the famous Forbidden city. Built at the beginning of the 15th century this palace complex served, as the main Imperial city of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The city was forbidden for the commoners to enter, that’s how it got its name. Anyone…
Have you heard much of Pingyao? If you know about its existence, you know far more than I did before I started planning my trip to China. Of course, we always hear a lot about the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors, but I had no clue, how amazing some…
When planning to travel in the Shanghai area, I was sure I wasn’t too interested in spending too much time in Shanghai itself, while its neighbouring Suzhou and Hangzhou fascinated me far more with their history, lovely waterside spots, laid back lifestyle. Suzhou has a history of over 2500 years.…
Xi’An – the capital of China throughout 13 dynasties and 10 centuries, a city with a history of over 5 millenniums, definitely doesn’t need advertising. The city was the Easternmost point of the silk road. The caravans departed from here. This is where it got the Islamic influence. As a…