China

In October 2007, I spent four weeks in China. Starting in Hong Kong, I headed west accross the south of China. The westmost point was the city of Shigatse in Tibet. From Tibet, I headed east again, finishing up in Shanghai. Here are the photos I took as I did over 2,500 miles of overland travel, reaching up to 5,600m of altitude.

These photos are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

Hong Kong

Spread over a few islands and a chunk of the mainland, Hong Kong is a special Administrative Region of China. It's official languages, unlike the rest of China, are Cantonese and English. It makes for a gentle introduction to Asia, with its western and Chinese influences. The night skyline is impressive, and the city remains beautiful by day. I took the peak tram to get some good views over it. I also visited a couple of temples, one of them being fairly central and serving three different religions (Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism) and the other being Buddhist (in fact, the temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the main temple of which features 12,600 small carved statues).

Looking up Nathan Road	Looking towards Hong Kong Island	Looking towards Hong Kong Island
The old station clock	Me in Hong Kong	Lit up sculpture
Looking towards Hong Kong Island	The Light Show	The Light Show
The Light Show	The Light Show	A huge water feature in the cultural center
A shopping mall	Skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island	A Christian church
The Peak Tram	View from the peak	View from the peak
View from the peak	View from the peak	View from the peak
View from the peak	View from the peak	View from the peak
Escalators to/from the viewing platform on the top	The building with the viewing platform	Hong Kong Island through an arch
Skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island	Buildings, older and newer, on Hong Kong Island	Skyscraper on Hong Kong Island
Looking towards Kowloon	The Ever Blooming Buddha	The Ever Blooming Buddha
The Ever Blooming Buddha with Chinese flags	Chinese flags	The Ever Blooming Buddha with Chinese flags
Buildings on Hong Kong Island	A main road on Hong Kong Island	Wong Tai Sin Temple
Wong Tai Sin Temple	Wong Tai Sin Temple	Wong Tai Sin Temple
Wong Tai Sin Temple	Wong Tai Sin Temple	Wong Tai Sin Temple
The old station clock tower	Sunset over Hong Kong Island	Sunset over Hong Kong Island
Sunset over Hong Kong Island	Sunset over Hong Kong Island	Sunset over Hong Kong Island
Sunset over Hong Kong Island	Sunset over Hong Kong Island	Sunset over Hong Kong Island
Sunset over Hong Kong Island	On the world's longest esculator	On the world's longest esculator
On the world's longest esculator	On the world's longest esculator	On the world's longest esculator
On the world's longest esculator	Top of the world's longest esculator	Temple Street Night Market
Temple Street Night Market	Temple Street Night Market	Temple Street Night Market
Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas
Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas
Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas
Pagoda at the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pavilion at the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pagoda at the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas
Looking to the main temple building	Pagoda at the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pagoda at the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas
Incense burner	Colourful Buddhas on a path above the temple	Colourful Buddhas on a path above the temple
The main pavilion from a distance	Buddhas	Another chapel
Buddhas	A Buddha	The main pavilion
A Buddha	Incense sticks	Pavilion and pagoda
Inside the temple	Inside the temple	Inside the temple
Inside the temple	Inside the temple	Inside the temple
Inside the temple	Inside the temple	The temple from outside
Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Pathway leading to Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas	Swedish meatballs have even made it here
Snack shop at a train station	A KCR East Rail train	Pink building

Guangzhou

This was the first city I visited in mainland China. It is situated in the south east, under two hours train journey direct from Hong Kong. Previously known as Canton, the town has been an important trading place since the west showed up in China. Featuring a shiny new and modern underground railway, the skyscapers and busy-ness of the town are punctuated by leafy green parks. Best of all, the people were wonderfully friendly and helpful.

My hotel room	Martyr Memorial Park	Martyr Memorial Park
Martyr Memorial Park	Martyr Memorial Park	Martyr Memorial Park
Martyr Memorial Park	Martyr Memorial Park	Martyr Memorial Park
Martyr Memorial Park	Martyr Memorial Park	Martyr Memorial Park
Martyr Memorial Park	Crossing the road	Looking along the river
Way too much delicious food	Ming. whom I chatted with, stood outside the restaurant	The riverside by night
The riverside by night	The riverside by night	The riverside by night
Beijing Lu	At a park in the center	At a park in the center
At a park in the center	The park's Korean Friendship Garden	The park's Korean Friendship Garden
The park's Korean Friendship Garden	The park's Korean Friendship Garden	Sundial
At a park in the center	At a park in the center	At a park in the center
At a park in the center	At a park in the center	Tea Making Man
Me with Tea Making Man	Me with Li Po Hwah, who worked at the shop	The Five Rams statue
The Five Rams statue	Stone of writing	The Zhentai building
The gates of the park	Junk food lunch	Seriously, no balloon, OK?
Guangzhou train station

Yangshou

Situated amongst beautiful limestone rocks, Yangshou is a busy tourist town. Popular with the Chinese as a holiday destination, there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy. I took a hot air balloon ride as well as a trip down the river Li on a bamboo raft.

Dinner on the train	Mr Wu and family, who I met on the train	Near the bus stop
The main street	A park in the center	Typical Chinese architecture
The river running by the town	The river running by the town	The river running by the town
The river running by the town	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
Inside the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
Me in the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon	A view from the hot air balloon
The balloon after we landed	The balloon	The balloon
The balloon	Man with bird-catching fish	On the river
On the river	On the river	On the river
On the river	On the river	On the river
On the river	On the river	On the river
On the river	On the river	On the river
On the river	On the river	On the river
On the river	On the river	On the river
On the river	On the river	On the river
On the river	Boats we had been on	Looking along the river
Street	Friends from my hostel

Chengdu

Chengdu is situated in the province of Sichuan, where the food is hot and spicy. The traffic is pretty crazy, with pedlos and motor scooters wheeling their way around the cars. It features a large statue of Mao and, on the outskirts, perhaps the world's leading Giant Panda breeding program. It also has its share of parks and temples.

View from the train window	View from the train window	View from the train window
Three Chinese friends in my compartment	Me with Lio I	Me with Clear Alcohol Woman from the next compartment
My room, with curiously located shower	The crazy Chengdu traffic	Bright buildings
The football stadium	Flowers near the center	The main square
Mao statue overlooks the square	The main square	The main square
The main square	The main square	Delicious spicy Chengdu food
Riding a pedlo	Traffic jam	Giant Panda cubs eating bamboo
Giant Panda cubs eating bamboo	Giant Panda cubs eating bamboo	Giant Panda cubs eating bamboo
Giant Panda cubs eating bamboo	Giant Panda cub eating bamboo	Giant Panda cub eating bamboo
Giant Panda cubs eating bamboo	Giant Panda cubs eating bamboo	Sub-adult panda
Two adult pandas playing	Two adult pandas playing	Two adult pandas playing
The panda kindergaten	The panda kindergaten	The panda kindergaten
Panda sculpture	Sculpture outside the sanctuary	Outside the Wenshu temple
One of the Wenshu Temple's guidance kings	In the Wenshu temple	In the Wenshu temple
In the Wenshu temple	In the Wenshu temple	In the Wenshu temple
In the Wenshu temple	Assembly room of the Wenshu temple	Assembly room of the Wenshu temple
In the Wenshu temple	In the Wenshu temple	In the Wenshu temple
In the Wenshu temple	Government building	Art in the Chengdu Art Museum
Art in the Chengdu Art Museum	Art in the Chengdu Art Museum	Art in the Chengdu Art Museum
The artist with his book	Myself with the artist of the previously shown paintings	Art in the Chengdu Art Museum
Art in the Chengdu Art Museum	Art in the Chengdu Art Museum	Art in the Chengdu Art Museum
Art in the Chengdu Art Museum	The Railway Protection Workers monument	The Railway Protection Workers monument
Giant cock in a park	In the people's park	In the people's park
In the people's park	In the people's park	Enjoying a fondu
The nice Foundu restaurant

Flight Chengdu - Lhasa Airport

The one and only break from overland travel in the entire trip, I took a flight from Chengdu to Lhasa airport. It was cloudy over Chengdu and for the first half of the journey but then it cleared up, giving stunning views down over the mountains and hills of Tibet.

Mountains poke through the clouds	Mountains poke through the clouds	Mountains poke through the clouds
Mountains poke through the clouds	Mountains poke through the clouds	Looking down on a barren landscape
Mountains, cloud and sky	Barren Tibetan landscape seen through the clouds	Barren Tibetan landscape seen through the clouds
Barren Tibetan landscape seen through the clouds	A plane at Lhasa airport

Lhasa Airport - Lhasa

Lhasa Airport is actually a 65km drive from Lhasa itself (it used to be a 100km drive until a few years ago, when a new tunnel was opened). The journey was beautiful, crossing two rivers along the way.

Crossing the Yellow River	Crossing the Yellow River	Crossing the Yellow River
A recently built tunnel through the mountains	Crossing the Lhasa River	By the Lhasa River
By the Lhasa River	By the Lhasa River	By the Lhasa River
By the Lhasa River

Around Lhasa

Lhasa is a city like no other I've ever been to. Despite increasing numbers of Chinese moving in, it has managed to retain a distinctly Tibetan feel. The smell of incense lingers in the air, monks wander around in their maroon robes, people fall to the floor in prayer and the markets bustle with activity. A short walk from the city center, a path leads you along the side of the Lhasa river, making you feel miles away from city life even though it's going on less than fifty meters behind you. There's no words for it really - you just have to go there.

The guesthosue I stayed at	Large pot at the guesthouse	My room
The street my guesthouse was on	The square in front of Johkang Temple	The square in front of Johkang Temple
Lhasa by night	Lhasa by night	Lhasa by night
A bustling market street	Smoke from an incense burner	A bustling market street
Prayer flags along the shopping street	By the river Lhasa	By the river Lhasa
By the river Lhasa	By the river Lhasa	By the river Lhasa
By the river Lhasa	Me by the river Lhasa	By the river Lhasa
By the river Lhasa	By the river Lhasa	By the river Lhasa
By the river Lhasa	By the river Lhasa	By the river Lhasa
A Chinese monument	A Chinese monument	Park
Signs of modern life	By the river Lhasa	Prayer flags around a tree
Children heading home from school

Johkang Temple (Lhasa)

This temple, located in the center of Lhasa, was founded in the 7th Century by King Songtsan Gampo. It is an important site of pilgrimage for Buddhists around the globe, and people had flocked there from many nations when I visited.

In one of the courtyards	In one of the courtyards	Gold-plated carvings on the wall
In one of the courtyards	Bronze carving	In one of the courtyards
In one of the courtyards	In one of the courtyards	In one of the courtyards
In one of the courtyards	In one of the courtyards	In one of the courtyards
View from the roof	View from the roof	View from the roof
On the roof	On the roof	View over Lhasa
View over the square in front of the temple	On the roof	On the roof
View over the square in front of the temple	View over the square in front of the temple

Sera Monastery (Lhasa)

Situated on the edge of Lhasa, this monastery was once home to thousands of monks, but since the Cultural Revolution home to just hundreds. Hanging out of reach in the main temple are weapons, which were put there after the Dalai Lama stated that Buddhists should fight with knowledge, not violence.

The main temple	The monastery grounds	The monastery grounds
The monastery grounds	Living area	The main temple
Outbuildings

Portola Palace (Lhasa)

The past home of the Dalai Lamas - up to the point where the current one was sent into exile by the Communist Party of China - the Portola Palace is situated on a mountain overlooking Lhasa. It has over a thousand rooms and the tombs of the Dalai Lamas from the fifth onwards.

The Portola Palace from within the palace grounds	The Portola Palace from within the palace grounds	View climbing the front
View climbing the front	Entering the palace	Entering the palace
View at the back of the palace	The back of the palace	Back of the palace with view over Lhasa
The back of the palace	Back of the palace with view over Lhasa	View over Lhasa
Back of the palace	View over Lhasa	The pack of the palace
Stupa outside the palace (holds ash, scriptures, etc)	Portola Palace from the park opposite it	Monument in the park opposite the palace
Portola Palace from the park opposite it	Portola Palace from the park opposite it	Portola Palace from the park opposite it
Portola Palace from the park opposite it	Portola Palace from the park opposite it

Lhasa - Gyantse

This road trip started out by the Lhasa river, went up the Jabala pass, then headed alongside the Yellow river for a while. Later we left the tarmacced roads for a track accross desert terrain, a dusty, bumpy and exhilerating experience. I'll leave the photos to tell the rest.

Pelkor Choede Monestary (Gyantse)

The monastery is the main sight in Gyantse, the forth largest city in Tibet (as you might gather from the photo overlooking it from the top of the kumbum, it's not that big a place). Kumbum means Thousands Of Buddhas, and it is the tall structure that gets narrower at each level. At the top is the Cosmic Buddha, and for Buddhists ascending this tower and visiting the chapels on each floor is a kind of spiritual journey.

View of the monastery	Prayer wheels	Buildings of the monastery
Buildings of the monastery	Buildings of the monastery	One level of the kumbum
Buildings of the monastery	Buildings of the monastery	View from the kumbum
Door on the top floor of the kumbum	View from the top of the kumbum	View from the top of the kumbum
View from the top of the kumbum	View from the top of the kumbum	The kumbum

Gyantse - Shigatse

The first part of the journey was a somewhat white experience, thanks to the snow that had fallen overnight. A couple of hours into the journey, though, and it was all gone. We stopped at a small village in the middle of nowhere and visited its monastery; this is the only one that allowed photos to be taken inside.

River by Gyantse	Along the road	Snow covered fields
Snow covered hills	Snow covered fields	Passing through a village
Snow covered fields	Snow covered fields	Snow covered fields
Along the road	The snow ends	Reflective pool of water
Still partly frozen ground	Snowy mountains in the distance	Passing a village
Desert terrain	Desert terrain	Desert terrain
The road	Desert terrain	In the grounds of a village monastery
In the grounds of a village monastery	Inside a chapel	Holy scriptures
Buddhas	Buddhas	Offerrings
Holy scriptures	Buddhas and offerings	Buddhas
Holy scriptures	IIn the grounds of a village monastery	In the grounds of a village monastery
In the grounds of a village monastery	In the grounds of a village monastery	Village in the desert
Village in the desert	Village in the desert	Village in the desert
Desert terrain	Desert terrain	Desert terrain
Desert terrain	Desert terrain	Fields
Fields

Ta Shi Luhn Po Monastery (Shigatse)

This monastery is the home of the Branchan Lama, although the Chinese imprisoned the one that the Tibetans recognize and installed a puppet one. It's a large complex situated at the heart of the city.

The entrance	In the main square	Looking towards a temple
Temple entrance	Living areas	Living areas
The main temple	The main temple	The main temple
The main temple	Beautiful paintings and calligraphy	Me in front of the temple
A pole of prayer flags	Living areas	Living areas
Yet another hall	Back in the main square again	Outside the monastery
The park opposite the monastery

Shigatse - Lhasa

This amazing drive started before sunrise and took a different route than we had taken on the way. The rising sun cast stunning shadows over the desert, creating areas of bright orange and dark black. Later we came upon a large snow-covered mountain, before climbing to the highest point of my trip on a pass that reached 5,600m. Then it was all the way down and back to Lhasa, by rivers, vast plains, mountains and yaks with their herders. The pictures fill in the gaps in the story.

My Driver And Guide

The two wonderful people who looked after me and made my time in Tibet amazing and enjoyable - my driver (whose name I tried and fail to pronounce, then forgot - he spoke no English) and my guide (Nyima, who spoke good English and was really lovely).

The driver and I

The guide (Nyima) and I

Lhasa - Xi'an Train

I took all of these through the windows of the train, except the first one which I took on the platform. Instead of coming up with titles for each of these, I'll just leave the images to do the talking.

Xi'an

Xi'an has been the center of power of many dynasties over time, and has a lot of history around it - not least the famous Terracotta Army. It also has its city walls still in place, though in a rather modern looking and rennovated form. You can walk all around the city on them - a 14km walk. Rumour has it that Xi'an hasn't seen a clear blue sky in over 20 years thanks to pollution; the city itself is a bit of a grey place in general. There are some brighter areas though, such as the bustling Muslim Quarter.

The city wall by night	The city wall by day	Erm, taxi anyone?
On the wall	On the wall	Guard tower
The train station	One of the main streets of Xi'an	On the wall
On the wall	On the wall	On the wall
On the wall	Why there hasn't been a clear sky here for 20 years	On the wall
On the wall	On the wall	Not so picturesque bit of Xi'an
Bell at the East Gate	The Esat Gate	The East Gate
Inside a building at the East Gate	Cannons by the East Gate	The East Gate
The East Gate	On the wall	View from the wall
On the wall	On the wall	Quaint buildings
By the South Gate	The South Gate	The South Gate
The South Gate	The South Gate	The Bello Tower
The Drum Tower	The Drum Tower	The Drum Tower
I've no idea what it is, but it's pretty	In the Muslim Quarter	In the Muslim Quarter
In the Muslim Quarter	In the Muslim Quarter	In the Muslim Quarter
The grounds of the Great Mosque	The grounds of the Great Mosque	Entrance to the prayer hall
Decoration on the prayer hall	The prayer hall	The grounds of the Great Mosque
The grounds of the Great Mosque	The grounds of the Great Mosque	The grounds of the Great Mosque
The only bit of Russian I remember seeing in China	On the wall	On the wall
The west gate	The north gate	The wall by night

Terracotta Warriors

The First Qin Emporrer wanted to make sure that his tomb was well gaurded, so he had an army made to gaurd it - out of Terracotta. It was sufficiently secret that it never made dynastic records - the story goes that those that worked on it were murdered so as to keep its location secret too. Discovered only a few decades ago, by a farmer digging a well (talk about getting more than you bargined for), they are still excavating some areas. The main pit has hundreds of individually carved warriors, every one unique, in good shape, though.

In the first pit	In the first pit	In the first pit
In the first pit	In the first pit	In the first pit
In the first pit	In the first pit	In the first pit
In the first pit	In the first pit	In the first pit
In the first pit	In the first pit	In the first pit
In the first pit	In the third pit	In the third pit
In the third pit	In the second pit	A warrior in a display cabinet
A warrior in a display cabinet	A warrior in a display cabinet	Warriror with a horse in a display cabinet
Horse in a display cabinet	In the second pit	In the second pit
Outside, the rain falls	The exhibition center	Bronze horses and chariot
Bronze horses and chariot	Bronze horses and chariot	Bronze horses and chariot

Hua Shan

Hua Shan, which translates as Kingdom or Nation Mountain, is one of the holy mountains of China. The first four kilometers of the ascent are pretty gentle sloping paths. The final three are an exhausting climb up thousands of steps, many of them very narrow. The views make the pain worthwhile, though.

The start of the walk	Walking at the base of the mountain	Walking at the base of the mountain
Walking at the base of the mountain	Walking at the base of the mountain	On the way up
On the way up	Padlocks with red (luck) ribbons	Padlocks with red (luck) ribbons
Padlocks with red (luck) ribbons	Flags	Views on the way up
Views on the way up	Semi-exhausted me	Inscription on a rock
Important warning sign	Views on the way up	Ruins
A temple	Temple entrance	Views on the way up
Views on the way up	The stairs	Views on the way up
More stairs	Even more stairs	Views on the way up
Chinese inscriptions on rock	Even more stairs	Views on the way up
Views on the way up	Views on the way up	Views on the way up
Views on the way up	Views on the way up	Views on the way up
The top	The top	Pointing Rock
Pointing Rock	Views climbing the East Peak	Views climbing the East Peak
Views climbing the East Peak	Views climbing the East Peak	Views climbing the East Peak
Me	Views climbing the East Peak	Views climbing the East Peak
Views climbing the East Peak	Views climbing the East Peak	Views climbing the East Peak
Views climbing the East Peak	Views climbing the East Peak	Views climbing the East Peak
Me at Hua Shan	The people I climbed the mountain with	Views at the top
Views at the top	Views at the top	Views at the top
On the cable car down	On the cable car down	On the cable car down
On the cable car down	On the cable car down	On the cable car down
On the cable car down	The bottom of the cable car

Around Beijing

Beijing, capital of China, is home to choking traffic and beautiful architecture that makes it more than worth putting up with.

A strangely quiet Beijing road	A lady I met who was celebrating her birthday	The friend celebrating with her. Then I crashed the party. :-)
Xi Hai lake, near my hostel	Xi Hai lake, near my hostel	Tianemen Square
Tianemen Square	Tianemen Square	Tianemen Square
Tianemen Square	Tianemen Square	Tianemen Square
Tianemen Square	Tianemen Square	Tianemen Square
Tianemen Square	Tianemen Square

The Great Wall

The mythical history of the Great Wall of China says that it is 10,000 Li (about 5,000km) in length, in one continuous stretch, and that it is thousands of years old. While it is true that the Chinese have been building walls for the (stated) purpose of defense (and the less stated purpose of expansion) for thousands of years, the current brick wall was built 500 or so years back by the Ming Dynasty. The section I walked was one of the restored ones; most of it lies in ruins. It's still an impressive work, nonetheless.

Looking up to the west section of the wall	Looking up to the east section of the wall	Bridge to the western section
On the western section of the wall	On the western section of the wall	On the western section of the wall
On the western section of the wall	On the western section of the wall	On the western section of the wall
Looking to the eastern section	On the western section of the wall	The wall amongst the autumn plants
The wall amongst the autumn plants	On the western section of the wall	On the western section of the wall
On the western section of the wall	Approaching the end of the restored western section	On the western section of the wall
On the western section of the wall	Me on the wall	On the western section of the wall
The end of the restored part of the western wall	Looking towards the eastern part	The western part
Train passing the mountain	Heading towards the eastern part	Heading towards the eastern part
The start of the climb up the eastern part	The climb up to the easten part	The climb up to the easten part
Looking back on the western part of the wall	The climb up to the easten part	The climb up to the easten part
In a tower	The climb up to the easten part	Nearly exhausted me on the wall
The climb up to the easten part	The climb up to the easten part	The climb up to the easten part
The climb up to the easten part	Looking up to the top tower	The easten part of the wall
The easten part of the wall	Sun, pollution and mountains	Sun, pollution and mountains
Me at the top tower of the eastern part of the wall	Sun, pollution and mountains	The top of the eastern part of the wall
The top of the eastern part of the wall	The top of the eastern part of the wall	On the eastern part of the wall
On the eastern part of the wall	On the eastern part of the wall	On the eastern part of the wall
On the eastern part of the wall	On the eastern part of the wall	On the eastern part of the wall
On the eastern part of the wall	An orange sun	On the eastern part of the wall
On the eastern part of the wall	On the eastern part of the wall	On the eastern part of the wall
On the eastern part of the wall	On the eastern part of the wall	Looking to a building in the distance
Looking back on the eastern part of the wall	Looking back on the eastern part of the wall	Looking back on the eastern part of the wall

The Forbidden City (Beijing)

Home to the leaders of China for roughly half a century, this complex is a reminder of the Chinese love for walled buildings: you pass beneath quite a few of them before reaching the throne room at the center. It's name comes from the fact that it was out of bounds to all ordinary people over the hundreds of years that rulers lived here. Now it is open to the thousands of tourists that visit it every year.

Outside the Forbidden City	Outside the Forbidden City	Outside the Forbidden City
Outside the Forbidden City	The huge Mao portrait	Inside the first wall
Inside the first wall	Bridge over a moat	The moat
Buildings	The moat	Building
One of the main buildings, under scaffholding	Building	Building
Gate through one of the walls	Beautiful decoration	The more important buildings have even more walls
Looking down from the walls	Inside	Walls, walls and more walls
A reception hall	A reception hall	A reception hall
Building	A reception hall	Another gate
Gate	Building up close	Looking through one of the gates
	Huge bronze bowl
Bronze carving
Entrance to the gardens		Bronze burner
	One of the emporrer's rooms
One of the emporrer's rooms		In the Imperial Gardens
In the Imperial Gardens	In the Imperial Gardens	In the Imperial Gardens
In the Imperial Gardens	In the Imperial Gardens	In the Imperial Gardens
In the Imperial Gardens	In the Imperial Gardens	Outside the back of the Forbidden City

The Summer Palace (Beijing)

The Summer Palace is, as the name suggests, where the leaders went in the summer, to escape the heat of the Forbidden City. It's large and you could spend a couple of days exploring everything there is to see. Much of it is covered by Lake Kunming, which was extended (by hand) at some point in history. There is also a small island, reached by a beautiful 17-arch bridge.

Lake Kunming	Lake Kunming	Lake Kunming
The Tower of Buddhist Incense	Unknown building	The Tower of Buddhist Incense
Decoration on the roof of the walkway	The Tower of Buddhist Incense	From a birdge by the tower
Probably an incense burner	In the grounds of the tower	View over Lake Kunming and Beijing
Seen while ascending the tower	Seen while ascending the tower	View from the Tower Of Buddhist Incense
The tower	The tower	View from the Tower Of Buddhist Incense
View from the Tower Of Buddhist Incense	Inside the Tower Of Buddhist Incense	Inside the Tower Of Buddhist Incense
Decoration on the ceiling of a walkway	View from the Tower Of Buddhist Incense	View from the Tower Of Buddhist Incense
View from the Tower Of Buddhist Incense	A walkway leading up to the tower	A walkway leading up to the tower
Looking towards the Tower of Buddhist Incense	A large decorative boat	A canal-like offshoot of the river
The boat again	Bridge	Canal area again
Unknown building	Unknown building	Unknown buildings
Unknown building	A rough Lake Kunming	The 17-arch Bridge
The 17-arch Bridge	Pagoda by the bridge	The 17-arch Bridge
The 17-arch Bridge	The 17-arch Bridge	Lake Kunming
The 17-arch Bridge	The 17-arch Bridge	Carving on the bridge
The 17-arch Bridge	The 17-arch Bridge	Carving on the bridge
The 17-arch Bridge	Trees blowing in the strong wind	The 17-arch Bridge
The 17-arch Bridge	The 17-arch Bridge	The 17-arch Bridge

Shanghai

If you want to see the result of people embracing all-out capitalism, see Shanghai. It's not a pretty picture - you end up not being able to trust anyone as the majority of people you will encounter will be trying to sell you something or rip you off. The taxi drivers at the railway station are especially bad, trying to extort from foreigners over five times the price that a fare would come to if they used the meter. Don't worry, though - the maglev train to the airport allows you to make a 300km/h exit.

Skyscraper reaching up into the clouds	At People's Square	At People's Square
Me with a Chinese friend I made	Pottery in the Shanghai Museum	Pottery in the Shanghai Museum
Pottery in the Shanghai Museum	Pottery in the Shanghai Museum	Pottery in the Shanghai Museum
Pottery in the Shanghai Museum	Pottery in the Shanghai Museum	Pottery in the Shanghai Museum
A reconstruction of a pottery workshop in the Shanghai Museum	A reconstruction of a kiln in the Shanghai Museum	Calligraphy in the Shanghai Museum
Calligraphy in the Shanghai Museum	Calligraphy in the Shanghai Museum	Calligraphy in the Shanghai Museum
Art in the Shanghai Museum	Art in the Shanghai Museum	Art in the Shanghai Museum
Art in the Shanghai Museum	Art in the Shanghai Museum	Inside the Shanghai Museum
Ethnic rugs and tapestries in the Shanghai Museum	Ethnic bronze works in the Shanghai Museum	Ethnic fishing boat in the Shanghai Museum
In People's Square	The Shanghai Museum	In People's Square
The Shanghai Museum	In People's Square	A Christian church
Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road	Me on Nanjing Road
With with a Chinese lady on Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road	On The Bund
The river	A Communist Party Monument	A Communist Party Monument
Buildings by the river	Pudong	The Bund
Pudong and me	Pudong	Pudong
Pudong	The Bund	Pudong
Pudong	Pudong	Buildings by the river
Pudong	Pudong	Pudong
Pudong	On The Bund	On The Bund
On The Bund	On The Bund	On The Bund
On The Bund	In the Bund-Pudong Tourist Tunnel	In the Bund-Pudong Tourist Tunnel
In the Bund-Pudong Tourist Tunnel	In the Bund-Pudong Tourist Tunnel	In the Bund-Pudong Tourist Tunnel
In the Bund-Pudong Tourist Tunnel	The Pearl Tower	View from the Pearl Tower
View from the Pearl Tower	View from the Pearl Tower	View from the Pearl Tower
View from the Pearl Tower	View from the Pearl Tower	View from the Pearl Tower
View from the Pearl Tower	View from the Pearl Tower	The Pearl Tower
The Pearl Tower	Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road
Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road
Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road
Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road
Nanjing Road	Pudong	Pudong
Pudong	On The Bund	On The Bund
On The Bund	Nanjing Road	Nanjing Road
The French Concession	The French Concession	The French Concession
The French Concession	The French Concession	The French Concession
The French Concession	The French Concession	The Bund from Pudong
The Bund from Pudong	The Bund from Pudong	The Bund from Pudong
The Bund from Pudong	The Bund from Pudong	Jin Mao Building
Jin Mao Building	View from the Jin Mao Building	View from the Jin Mao Building
View from the Jin Mao Building	Inside the Jin Mao Building	Inside the Jin Mao Building
View from the Jin Mao Building	Outside the Jin Mao Building	The Maglev station
On the Maglev	On the Maglev	On the Maglev
The Maglev

Final Thoughts

I hope that looking through these photos has given you a sense of the diversity of China; this was one of the things that struck me most. Thinking that I have seen only a tiny fraction of what there is to see is as mind-numbing as the cheap Chinese beer. The densely populated skyscraper-rich Hong Kong contrasts with the unpopulated barren plains of Tibet extending for miles. The choking pollution in the cities contrasts with the fresh mountain air on the peaks of Hua Shan and the sweet smell of incense in every populated place in Tibet. The friendly, curious and helpful people of the south of China and the huge smiles of the random Tibetans who greet you with a smile and the few words of English they know contrast with the scammers of hyper-capitalist Shanghai. But no matter what photos I take and stories I tell, it's no substitute whatsoever for going there yourself. I can't promise it'll be an easy journey, but that's no reason for not making it. So grab a good phrasebook, listen to a few audio lessons (a little goes a long way), get your chopstick skills in working order and head for the Middle Kingdom.