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China in November

Ask this member a question. grannyof14 I am a librarian who has taught English, speech, drama, and has read most of Pearl Buck's books about China. I always said that if I had the opportunity to go to China, I would go.
Dec 28, 2007
4.0 of 5 stars based on 9 votes
I visited 3 cities in China: Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghi in November. We visited The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, and The Great Wall in Beijing, as well as a tea house, a Cloisonne' factory, and a pearl shop.
In Xi'an, we visited the Wild Goose Pagoda, the Xi'an City Wall, the ancient town of Bampo, and of course, the Terra Cotta Warriors.
In Shanghai, we loved the cruise down the Wampoo River, the downtown and the old city shopping, and the Yu Yuan Gardens. We also visited with a family in an apartment in Shanghai, and visited a school. An unplanned ride to the airport in the new high speed train driven by magnets was great.
  • Explore locations featured in this goList: Beijing, Xi'an
  • Category: Recent trip
  • Traveler type: Culture, Sightseeing, Never been before
  • Appeals to: Couples/romantics, Large groups, Students, Tourists
  • Seasons: Fall
  • Tags: Forbidden City, Cloisonne' factory, Pearls, Kung Fu Show, Feng Shui, Xi'an City Wall, Magnetic-levitation train, Shanghai Acrobats
1. He Ping Li Hotel, Beijing, China
This is a nice hotel, clean and looks refurbished for the Olympics? It lists as a 4 star hotel. They provide a beautiful breakfast which will satisfy an international clientel.
2. Kung Fu Show, Beijing, China
This was a great show! I think it is shown only in Beijing. I bought the DVD and it works back home. The tee shirts I bought for family seem to be good quality. This is one of my favorite memories.
3. Forbidden City (Imperial Palace)
Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), Beijing, China
I loved being there because I had read Pearl Buck's book, Imperial Woman. It is under restoration because of the Olympics, and visitors cannot get into the buildings, but the wonderful colors of the enamel painting, the wood and stone carving of lions and dragons, and the sense of history make it a must-see.
4. Cloisonne' Factory
This tour of the factory was fascinating. I know I had seen these products before, but had no idea of the intensive work needed to make these beautiful vases, jewelry, etc. the sales people were aggressive, but not annoying. They were helpful.
5. Pearls
There are several places to learn about and shop for fresh water pearls. The pearls we found were grown in the lake at the Summer Palace. There were several colors: white, pink, green, and gray. Beautiful! They offered a nice presentation about how they grow the pearls.
6. Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an, China
This was a serene, beautiful place. As I understand it, the man who started Buddhism in China had visited and learned about Buddha in India. When he returned to China, he had this Pagoda built with a school to teach others.
7. Xi'an City Wall (Chengqiang)
Xi'an City Wall (Chengqiang), Xi'an, Shaanxi
According to our guide, this is the best maintained city wall in the world. It provides an excellent, wide walkway and the view of the old city and the new city is amazing. On one side, we saw the run-down, unsafe buildings with trash and people who looked homeless while on the other side, we saw a beautiful modern city with skyscrapers and parks. There was also a building with a man who explained Feng Shui and showed how it is used in the business architecture and in homes.
8. Terra-Cotta Warriors and Soldiers Museum
Terra-Cotta Warriors and Soldiers Museum, Xi'an, Shaanxi
This is a must-see destination. The emperor had hundreds, maybe thousands of warrior statues made for his burial place. A farmer found part of one in his field, and now many have been pieced together. The museum was built over the field. The statues show different expressions, different uniforms of officers and cavalry. The horses, also, are spectacular.
I did buy from the museum and also from the persistent vendors outside the museum. The boxes of warriors from the vendors are no different from the ones at the factory, and are less expensive if you bargain with them.
9. Ancient city of Bampoo, China
http://www.stonepages.com/news/archives/001831.html
This 5,000 year-old city was found in 1985. Archeologists have found the world's earliest stone drill bits which reflect a knowledge of rotary power and centrifugal force. Also found at the site were refined jade, stoneware and pottery. A well -developed museum explains the housing, life style, and burial practices.
10. Wampoo River Cruise, Shanghai, China
This was beautiful at night. All the beautifully shaped skyscrapers were lit with many colors. I loved seeing it, but also thought about the coal fired power plants contributing to the terrible pollution of the countryside.
11. Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe
http://www.destination360.com/asia/china/shanghai-acrobatics-troupe.ph...
This was a spectacular ending to our trip. The theater was very large, but seating was excellent. It was a great performance.
12. Magnetic-levitation train
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2115909,00.html
We took this railway from Shanghai to Pudong Airport. We traveled 30 km in 8 minutes without wheels or rails. This is a new system built on a German model. There are only 3 in the world, I think.
Explore locations featured in this goList: Beijing, Xi'an  

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