Where was/is your favorite place in China?

[SirLancelot]

What is your most memorable place in China that you yearn to return to?

 

If there is one city I would love to move to in my life it would be Shenzhen.

 

It is in the Guangdong province next to Hong Kong.

 

All the modern parts of American life with the beauty of China.

 

 

David, it makes me wonder what places you've visited in China. Have you tried QingDao? DaLian? HangZhou?

 

Dennis, I've been to YangShou a few times. It is indeed very scenic and nice but it's not real. Or at least a big part of YangShou is not real. West Street is completely fake. It's basically a watering hole for European, Australian/New Zealander, and North American backpackers. It doesn't depict anything of real China. (I did appreciate getting to eat an Australian Shepperd's Pie there. I went to YangShou from Guilin whenever I needed some cheap Western food, as opposed to more expensive Western food offered in Guilin 4 star hotels.) I suppose it's no different than so many other tourist traps all over China which cater to the backpacking Western crowd.

 

I hear it's changing and being transformed into a more upscale place attracting a lot more local Chinese tourists.

 

LiJiang in Yunnan is being terraformed as well. More and more Chinese tourists have discovered that gem and are massively flocking to LiJiang. Anyone whose interested in going should go soon before it's terraformed even more into a tourist trap.

 

As for me personally, to pick one place in China would be difficult. It's like asking what's my favorite place in America. There are just too many and they each have different reasons as to why I like them. But I will name one place which I do like a lot, which have not been mentioned much--or at all--on CFL: XiaMen in Fujian province. Great little--at least by Chinese standards--coastal city right across Taiwan. The city is very clean and the standard of living is quite high--having been chosen as one of the original Special Economic Zones by Deng.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Xiamen.jpg

 

There is a small island, Gulangyu Island, which is part of Xiamen, that is a wonderful place to visit for the day. It's a little bit like Catalina Island in that no one can drive a gas vehicle. Only bikes and electric (golf cart) vehicles allowed on the island.

 

http://www.amoymagic.com/mainIsle.jpg

http://earth.esrin.esa.it/dragon/photos/hotel.jpg

 

I wouldn't mind living in XiaMen.

[Dennis143]

My OP wasn't meant for others to tear apart what someone's experience was in one part/place in China over some other place that they feel is superior. As, the place in time of ones visit to any particular place does not often coincide with what the tourist books or CFL travelers claim.

 

As for Yangshou being a tourist trap for western backpackers...cool. My visit was in January, so being an off-season I did not notice any. Nor did I notice any when we shared lunch together in a family's mountain home that was nestled among the ancient, extinct volcanic mountain landscape.

 

My interest more than anything was to gain an understanding of other's experiences via a little CFL travelog. For the most part, it's been very successful.

[SirLancelot]

My OP wasn't meant for others to tear apart what someone's experience was in one part/place in China over some other place that they feel is superior.

 

Sorry. Wasn't trying to tear apart your wonderful experience. I just wanted to say that YangShou (especially West St.) has been touted by so many (not just on CFL) and I feel it's very artificial. I don't believe people are getting a true sense of China by visiting YangShou, especially West St.

 

 

Nor did I notice any when we shared lunch together in a family's mountain home that was nestled among the ancient, extinct volcanic mountain

 

That's very cool. Sounds like a much more authentic experience than eating at Hard Rock Cafe on West St.

[tywy_99]

Nanjing Road in Shanghai was pretty cool. That's where I brought my Tang jacket!

[Don]

 

 

I will make a note on that one Don...It sounds great and on our next trip we are going to Chengdu...

 

 

Many sites near Chengdu.

 

I do not have a way to get my pictures up here, but i can tell you a few places to go. My future brother in law gave us a great trip all over that area.

 

The damns made by Li Bing are okay,Dujiang Weir, but not as nice as the temples. near the damn there is a temple Erwang, very expesive to go in. The locals will offer tour okay price, but better view of damns.

1. QingCheng Shan was a great place. Daoist Temples.

2. Also might want to go to Mt. Ewei (sp?) Good Buddist temples as you walk moutain.

3. LiuShan - big giant buddha. I like this trip it was very nice.

4. Zigong is a city that has a nightly lantern festival(young kids only), but is maybe more famous for their woman. They work all over asia in another ocupation. The men just sit around and play majong and brags about how much money his wife sent home. ??????? I saw it and my fiance translated some of the conversations going on at the tables around us. They have a nice downtown river park with many tables for drinking tea and playing cards or mahjong. It was new years so the woman where home and talking and the men still sat around played games and boasting of thier wife's money.

 

In Chengdu I really like mama kitchen for western food. Plus, near the green temple they had a street that had been rebuilt with a famous hot pot resturant, very good and nice. I need to ask my better half the name. The street was also had nice shops and buildings.

[SirLancelot]

Nanjing Road in Shanghai was pretty cool. That's where I brought my Tang jacket!

 

I've been on NanJing Road too many times.

 

Have you worn that Tang jacket since you've come back?

[tywy_99]

Nanjing Road in Shanghai was pretty cool. That's where I brought my Tang jacket!

 

I've been on NanJing Road too many times.

 

Have you worn that Tang jacket since you've come back?

Nope, but I might just go get it out and look at it since we're talking about it! I'll be right back!...

[SirLancelot]

Nanjing Road in Shanghai was pretty cool. That's where I brought my Tang jacket!

 

I've been on NanJing Road too many times.

 

Have you worn that Tang jacket since you've come back?

Nope, but I might just go get it out and look at it since we're talking about it! I'll be right back!...

 

Halloween is approaching. Perhaps you can wear it then.

[sweattrl1]

I have only visited Shenzhen. being a small town guy as i am, i really enjoyed the big city, enjoyed the bus rides , and most of all the taxie rides made me feel at home , maybe like being in a nascar,sure i knew that there was many dangers hidden in this city, and with out my then SO i would have nevered ventured out into the night,but with her we did, i was hopping we could run into some of those bad men she always tell me about,but we never did , i talked her into walking from her house to the hotel with me at night , the streets was dark, and really looked like maybe a little action,but all was quite,but i really miss that city , and next trip maybe we will cross over into hong kong for some shopping, and Dennis i enjoyed what you wrote , it sounded real peacefull

[yaya44]

I have visited China ~10X times now, mostly for business until recently.

 

I typically frequent the Shenzhen area, which is a nice mini-Silicon Valley in the making with all the hi tech manufacturing surrounding the area. The night life is good, the women abundant, the shopping cheap, and the people hospitable as expected from the southern region. However, there are not a lot of landmark areas to really visit and its more of economic / industrial zone that attracts a lot of outsiders.

 

Beijing was a stark contrast to the slow easy style of Shenzhen with very a very rigid atmosphere (probably because its the capital). Northern women are just beautiful and also very intelligent (many spoke english readily). There was an amazing amount of things to see, especially for the history buffs. But the whole political atmosphere there just always made me feel a little nervous with the soldiers around and the govenmernt Audis everywhere. BTW> - The Peking (Beijing) Duck, especially at the renown place downtown is not to be missed!

 

Now for Shanghai, I was really caught offguard about this place. I've never known myself to be the big city type of person, so I had reservations when i first went. 5 trips there later, I think it's basically a New York / Vegas of the Far East: nonstop fun and action with anything / everything to do. There are many historical places to see, especially older town Puxi and the Pudong district is just bustling now. The people there are very accomodable and outgoing (and the women very attractive as typical of northerns again), especially to westerners (many can speak English readily) and actually try to mimic the styles / cultures. My outlook has changed so much that i recommended all my colleagues and friends to visit the place at least one time (preferably with a local guide) to experience it. There is only one thing about Shanghai that I do not like however, and that's the attitude of the affluent class there. Shanghai being the richest city in China has many ultra wealthy people, and they typically like to 1) flaunt their wealth 2) treat others with a lot of disrespect ie look down and 3) exercise their "powers" of wealth readily. It has left me with a really bad taste at times since i was accustomed to the southern hospitatlity of the guangzhou region. However that is just a small demographic there and people are generally very nice and accomodating.

[Guest Rob & Jin]

Nanjing Road in Shanghai was pretty cool. That's where I brought my Tang jacket!

 

I've been on NanJing Road too many times.

 

Have you worn that Tang jacket since you've come back?

 

Black dragon lake, Lijiang, Yunnan

http://i20.tinypic.com/a0uvlc.jpg

[rogerluli]

My OP wasn't meant for others to tear apart what someone's experience was in one part/place in China over some other place that they feel is superior.

 

Sorry. Wasn't trying to tear apart your wonderful experience. I just wanted to say that YangShou (especially West St.) has been touted by so many (not just on CFL) and I feel it's very artificial. I don't believe people are getting a true sense of China by visiting YangShou, especially West St.

 

 

Nor did I notice any when we shared lunch together in a family's mountain home that was nestled among the ancient, extinct volcanic mountain

 

That's very cool. Sounds like a much more authentic experience than eating at Hard Rock Cafe on West St.

 

Not trying to tear anything apart Dennis... but the landscape around Yangshuo is KARST not volcanic...

[SinoTexas]

The departure lounge at Beijing International Airport.

 

As aye,

 

Jim

[Don]

The departure lounge at Beijing International Airport.

 

As aye,

 

Jim

 

Do they have Shiner Bock? Or which resturant do you like?

[Guest knloregon]

I'm wondering if any of you other CFL members have experienced this:

 

EVERYWHERE (in the last 10 years, 20+ trips) I have been I remember!

 

Don't understand why that is, I sure can't say that for the US ~ But in soaking up the culture, it really doesn't matter----all the places have meaning... even on the business trips, for some reason.

 

Was in Lijiang this time last year, (also Dali, and then north to Zhongdian)--- Lijiang is a great place! Also like Dali---Zhongdian is basicly Tibet in every sense ----very devoted to the Dali Lama, overwhelmingly Buddist, and at an elevation that is almost identical to Lasa---very thin air. I took the bus from Kunming to Zhongdian non-stop, and then worked back down.... won't do that again, I was light headed in Zhoongdian for the first two days..

 

The other aspect of China is the feeling its changing faster than my memories----much of the old town (French influenced) in Guangzhou was torn down after my first visit in 1997---such a loss.

 

was on Nanjing road in 1999, but can't even imagine how much that has changed since then..