The Terracotta Army. CHINA - Where Nomads Go Experience the underground music scene, staggering scenery and explore beyond
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worldnomads.com
Welcome
& Culture
History
Eating
Experience the underground
Journeys
music scene, staggering
scenery and explore beyond
CHINA
the Terracotta Army.
Adventure
& Nature
to Know
Need
Where Nomads Go
Travel Safety
in China
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Contents World Nomads’ purpose is to challenge
you to harness your curiosity, be brave
Langmusi
WELCOME
enough to find your own journey, and to
WELCOME 3
gain a richer understanding of yourself, Get off the beaten path and experience China, the World Nomads
Essential China 4 others, and the world. way. Our travel writers take you to the depths of Panjiakou Reserve to
HISTORY & CULTURE
5 Ancient Chinese Villages
6
8
worldnomads.com see a submerged section of the Great Wall, experience surf culture
in Houhai Bay, taste authentic Chinese food across the country, and
Yin and Yang in Southern China 12 discover extraordinary landscapes you’d never think were in China.
Welcome
We can’t possibly cover all of China in a handful of pages, and we
Ancient Crafts in Suzhou 14
aren’t going to try. Instead, this guide offers a series of windows into
China’s Underground Music Scene 18 China – with a focus on the undiscovered and less-visited areas of the
Xi'an: Beyond the Terracotta Army 24 country, we want to inspire you to explore parts of China you never
EATING 26 knew existed.
& Culture
History
China - Where Nomads Go also includes a useful Travel Safety
5 Chinese Food Experiences 28
Guide to help you navigate the world safely and bravely. Off you go.
Tracing the Delectable Journey
of Soup Dumplings 32
JOURNEYS 38
Eating
Traveling the Ancient
Tea Horse Route 40
Guizhou’s Alien-searching
Radar Dish 46
Fuyun
The Backroads of
Journeys
Gansu and Sichuan 48
Exploring the Yungang Grottoes
and Hanging Monastery 52
ADVENTURE & NATURE 54 Datong BEIJING
Adventure
Jiuzhaigou National Park 56
& Nature
Scuba Diving the Great Wall of China 60 TRAVEL SAFETY 78
An Undiscovered Alternative Visas & Registration 79
to Yangshuo 62 10 Travel Safety Tips 80
Langmusi Xi’an
Wuxi
A Secret Surf Mecca on Hainan 66 Tourist Cons to Avoid 83 Jiuzhaigou National Park Changzhou Shanghai
to Know
Hangzhou
China’s Ode to Siberia 68
Need
Yarchen Gar Chengdu
Health & Hygiene 84 Litang CHONGQING
Shangri-La
NEED TO KNOW 72 Law & Crime 86 Lijiang
Shaxi
Guiyang
Handy Tips for First-timers 73 Banned Activities 87 Dongchuan Chengyang
Dali Wanfenglin Yangshuo
Travel Safety
Getting Around 74 Essential Insurance Tips 88 Getty Images / Guenterguni
in China
Guangzhou
Learn Some of the Local Lingo 75 Our Other Guides 89
Jinghong Yangmei Ancient Town
Climate & Weather 76 Our Contributors 90
Houhai Bay
Staying Connected 77 Get a Quote 91
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SEEK EXPERIENCES
ESSENTIAL
CHINA
Welcome
Don’t miss out on these unexpected Chinese
destinations, experiences, and adventures.
& Culture
History
Try soup
dumplings
everywhere
you go
Discover the quiet
Eating
village of Xitang
near Shanghai
See tiny olive pits carved
Sharon McDonnell
into intricate ornaments in Learn to surf at
Enrique A Sanabria / Flickr
Suzhou Houhai Bay
Getty Images / Stephanie Foden
Journeys
Cycle around the
Getty Images / Andre Vogelaere
karst formations
at Wanfenglin
Scenic Area
Adventure
& Nature
Scuba dive a
Tatiana Dyuvbanova
Listen out for submerged section of
Giulia Marchi
extraterrestrial the Great Wall
life in Guizhou
Explore
Jiuzhaigou
to Know
National Park
Need
Getty Images / Tuul & Bruno Morandi
Getty Images / Visual Chona Group
Travel Safety
Getty Images / Eastimages
in China
Getty Images / BIHAIBO
Wonder at the rainbow
Tess Humphrys
Travel the Ancient landscapes of Zhangye
Tea Horse Route Danxia Geopark
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Getty Images / Martin Puddy
Welcome
& Culture
History
Eating
Journeys
HISTORY
Adventure
& Nature
China’s history and culture is as
diverse and fascinating as its
landscape, with millennia-old
monuments and ancient villages
& CULTURE
existing alongside the glass
to Know
Need
and metal of its megacities.
But there is room for the old
and new worlds in this cultural
mash-up, with traditional crafts
Travel Safety
and festivals, historical villages
in China
preserving and practicing the old
Guilin, Yangshou, Guangxi
ways even as emerging artists in
the underground music scene.
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Chenyang
Ronan OConnell
SEEK EXPERIENCES
5 ANCIENT
CHINESE
Welcome
VILLAGES
& Culture
History
China is renowned for its cutting-edge megacities, yet it is also one
of the oldest civilizations on the planet, and in its ancient hamlets
Eating
Ronan O’Connell finds traditional life continues.
Yangmei graceful pavilions, time-worn stone
Needing respite from the noise of Nanning, bridges, charming merchant houses, and
Journeys
the biggest city in Guangxi Province, peaceful riverside setting, Yangmei village
I hop on a local bus to Yangmei, 25mi is something of a time capsule.
(40km) away. But, despite a modest travel More than 1,000 years old, Yangmei
time of 90 minutes, on arrival it feels as was a key commercial port during China’s
if I have arrived in a different era. With its Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912)
Adventure
cobblestone alleys, historical temples, Dynasties. Today, it’s a sleepy town of
& Nature
fewer than 5,000 people, many of whom
Yangmei
are elderly. The 18th-century shophouses
surrounding the village square sell spices,
tea, herbal medicine, and comfort foods Chengyang Dong tribe, one of the 55 ethnic minority
such as delicious Laoyou rice noodle soup, There are no cars in Chengyang, a village groups of China. Chengyang has been
a bargain at US $2 a bowl. It’s so good I find in a remote valley in the southern Chinese home to the Dong people for more than
The
to Know
Chengyang
Need
room for a second. province of Guangxi, which borders 1,000 years. Locals live in stilted wooden
Yangmei bulges with history. What Vietnam. That’s because the main entrance homes, and feed their families by growing Wind and
fascinates me most are its winding lanes. to this Dong-minority village is accessed rice, sweet potatoes and wheat, and still Rain Bridge
Along one, I find 200-year-old homes via a narrow, wooden bridge that spans the practice ancient Dong customs. was built in
constructed from a quirky mix of powdered Linxi River. The Chengyang Wind and Rain Traditional dances dedicated to the
1912 with only
Travel Safety
limestone and sticky rice soup. Another Bridge is a 260-foot-long (79m) structure, Goddess Sama are performed in the
pedestrians
in China
lane boasts the modest brick and wood built in 1912 with only pedestrians in mind. village square most days at 10am. After
in mind
Ronan OConnell
building that was once home to two of the Walking across this bridge today, I pass being lucky enough to catch one rousing
leaders in China’s pivotal 1911 Revolution, several middle-age women selling scarves performance, I am invited into a local’s
which ended the Qing Dynasty. and handicrafts. They are members of the home to enjoy a classic Dong meal – sticky
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Anren
Getty Images / gionnixxx
Getty Images / plej92
Ronan OConnell
I couldn’t find any direct buses to Anren
from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan
Province, and my taxi driver hasn’t a clue
how to get there. Luckily, my phone’s GPS
knows the way and, a US $30 fare later,
we’ve traveled 40mi (64km) to Anren, an
hour from downtown Chengdu.
Welcome
More than 1,400 years old, Anren is
renowned for its 27 mansions, constructed
in the early 1900s, when Anren was
controlled by Liu Wenhui, a local warlord.
The mansions are a unique blend of
intricate European-style stonework and
& Culture
History
the decorative arches and courtyards
associated with traditional Chinese
architecture.
While perusing a museum set up inside
one of his former homes, I read the story
of how Liu Wenhui had dozens of local
Eating
farmers killed so he could build the
mansions on their land. It’s a grim tale, but
the mansions are spectacular. So, too,
are the three old streets alongside them.
About 100 ancient wooden buildings
are scattered along Yumin, Shuren and
Journeys
Hongxing streets. Locals live on the upper Ciqikou
Anren
floors and, from their ground-floor shops,
they sell clothes, handicrafts, and Sichuan
souvenirs including brocade silk. Others
rice with pickled vegetables, followed by a difficulty of reaching it via public transport run family restaurants serving some of undoubtedly visited more than the other
Adventure
spicy hot pot. from Shanghai, and that the 50mi (80km), the spiciest food in Asia – the Kung Pao villages on this list – most of its historical
& Nature
To get here, catch a 35-minute train from US $40 one-way taxi fare, is enough to chicken left my tongue numb for what felt shophouses now cater to the tourism
Guilin (the tourist hub of Guangxi Province, discourage most travelers. like hours. industry – it is still very interesting.
60mi (96km) from Chengyang) to Sanjiang Xitang is picture perfect. Row boats Ciqikou’s architecture is authentic, More than
South bullet train station. From Sanjiang, glide along its canals, passing beneath Ciqikou with many Qing Dynasty-era structures 1,400 years
catch a taxi to Chengyang. majestic arched bridges flanked by stately Chongqing epitomizes the dizzying rise of remaining, notable for their multi-tiered
stone buildings with high-pitched roofs and modern China. One of the world’s fastest- rooves. Its layout is labyrinthine, with its
old, Anren
is renowned
to Know
Xitang
Need
decorative eaves. growing cities, in the past 20 years it has alleys looping and winding, ascending and
They are large and beautiful numbers; It’s very hot when I visit in April, so I exploded from a modestly sized urban then descending. I got lost several times. for its 27
122 stone laneways, 104 ancient bridges, stroll under the town’s langpengs – long, center to a monstrous metropolis of more In contrast to the flat, grid-structured town mansions,
nine canals, and 2,500 years of history. covered walkways that hug its canals. than 20 million people. Yet, somehow, planning we’re now used to in Western constructed
This is Xitang, one of eight renowned Find When the sun’s fury wanes, I fork out US amid this frenzied growth, Ciqikou, a cities, this chaos is delightful. in the early
Travel Safety
water villages, 50mi (80km) southeast inspiration $15 for a 30-minute rowboat ride along 1,700-year-old neighborhood, just 7mi To get here, hail one of Chongqing’s
1900s, when
in China
of downtown Shanghai. I had previously for your next Xitang’s waterways. Then it’s time to savor (11km) from downtown Chongqing, has ubiquitous yellow taxis, and within 15 to
avoided Xitang assuming its proximity
adventure
a personal favorite – pork dumpling soup – survived. 20 minutes, you’ll be in Ciqikou – the only Anren was
with Explore
to Shanghai would mean it would be enjoyed in an old restaurant looking out at Ciqikou made its name as a porcelain- part of Chongquing city that doesn’t look controlled by
flooded with visitors. But then, I learn the one of the most charming places in China. producing village in the 1400s. While it is like the future. a local warlord
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Yin and Yang
in Southern China
Tai chi novice Sarah Duff discovers that these simple
poses are challenging to mind and body.
Welcome
M
editating isn’t easy for me at the which flow seamlessly from one to the next, simple room just off the training courtyard.
best of times, but throw in 93°F he’s mesmerizing to watch: graceful and Afternoon training is another three hours,
(33°C) heat, high humidity, holding fluid, with startlingly quick snatches followed by communal dinner, and then an
an exhausting standing pose for 20 of power. early night’s sleep.
minutes, and clearing my mind becomes Then it’s my turn to try. Simple-looking As the days pass in this intensive routine,
& Culture
History
impossible. Sweat drops roll down my back, postures – with names like 'White crane I make slow progress, getting the hang
Sarah Duff
my legs are shaking like elastic bands in a spreads its wings' – reveal themselves to be of each posture before moving on to the
breeze, and my arms – held up in a semi- extremely challenging. I thought my mind- next one. It takes all my concentration to
circle as if I’m hugging an imaginary tree body coordination and flexibility weren’t remember the sequence and transition
– feel like they’re about to fall off. too bad, considering all the years of yoga through the movements with the precise weekends, when we have time off training,
Instead of energy flowing through my I've done, but in this taiji class I’m clumsy alignments that Master Ping demonstrates. I explore the surrounding landscape, Instead of
Eating
body and my mind emptying, I’m doing and unmalleable. Instead of the feeling I am In these moments, I don’t have the mental renowned in China for its jewel-green rice
60-second countdowns in my head to help supposed to have of water coursing through space to think about anything else. My paddies and hundreds of karst mountains
the feeling I
the time pass – and to keep from collapsing my body, I feel like my limbs are made of hamster-wheel brain goes from multi-track covered in thick foliage. I rent a bicycle to am supposed
in a sweaty heap. dry, heavy clay. thoughts to directed attention in an intense ride through sleepy villages to the town of to have,
It’s the first morning of a three-week After three hours of practice, our class kind of mindfulness. Yangshuo, where I hike to the top of Green
of water
immersion in the martial art of taijiquan of eight breaks for lunch, sitting in a group I learn, as the course progresses, that taiji Lotus Mountain for a dramatic panorama
Journeys
(tai chi) at a school in a tiny village in the in the school’s kitchen around a wooden is a kind of meditation in motion. While the of the Li River winding its way through the coursing
province of Guangxi, southern China, and table laden with steaming white rice, tofu martial art is only a few hundred years old, finger-like pinnacles. through my
I’m not quite sure what I’ve signed up for. in chilli sauce, stir-fried egg and tomato, the Taoist philosophical principles it’s based It’s only in my last few days of classes that body, I feel
I’ve never practised taiji (tai chi) before and steamed greens. We have time to rest on date back 6,000 years. In Taoist belief, I experience a kind of breakthrough. Under
After each coming to China, but my partner, Joe, after lunch, during which I often lie down on the universe and everything in it derives Master Ping’s gentle guidance in these like my limbs
are made of
Adventure
has been a long-time practitioner of the my wooden plank bed in my monastically from the interplay of the opposing forces hours and hours of practice, I’ve developed
morning’s
& Nature
gruelling,
martial art. For years, he’s tried convincing of yin and yang. Taiji explores this dualism a muscle memory for the movements and dry, heavy
me to do what many consider one of in the body by trying to find a balance the form, which means I’m now able to
20-minute the best exercises for longevity and mind- between tensing and relaxing muscles, concentrate more on trying to cultivate a
clay
standing body health. in line with exact body mechanics. This is sense of relaxation in my limbs. My feelings
China – the birthplace of taiji – seems like what’s thought to give taiji its numerous of frustration have passed, and, in their
qigong the perfect place for me to start. mind and body benefits, which range from place, there’s quiet focus.
to Know
meditation,
Need
The first thing I learn is that taiji is a lot improved strength and agility and reduced I’ve completed my goal of learning 18
we move on to harder than it looks. After each morning’s inflammation to decreased levels of anxiety of the 74 postures of the form, and while I
gruelling, 20-minute standing qigong and stress. still haven’t even begun to feel the yin and
learning the
meditation, we move on to learning the As much as I enjoy the challenges of taiji, yang forces in my body, or the flow of qi (the
Chen-style Chen-style taiji form, a sequence of 74 I also love my time in this beautiful rural Chinese concept of energy), I do feel more
Travel Safety
taiji form, a moving postures in the Chen family style. area. In between morning and afternoon connected to my body, more grounded, Feel more
in China
Our teacher and co-founder of the school, sessions, I wander around the tiny village and just that bit calmer in my mind – even when you
sequence of travel, with
the soft-spoken Master Ping, is in his early of Jima, comprising just a few houses and when I’m not practicing. I couldn’t ask for a
Sarah Duff
74 moving 30s and has practiced for more than 20 small shops, and practice my few words of better introduction to the deep and complex
Stories
postures years. When he demonstrates the postures, Chinese with the friendly, elderly locals. On world of taiji.
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Calakmul
LEARN SOMETHING NEW in Southern
Campeche
ANCIENT
CRAFTS IN
Welcome
SUZHOU
& Culture
History
In Suzhou, near Shanghai, Sharon McDonnell learns about the
extraordinary detail that goes into the unique Chinese crafts of
Eating
olive pit carving, fan making and silk embroidery.
S
uzhou, a 2,500-year-old city, 70mi Olive pit carving
(112km) west of Shanghai, is famous This craft uses the olive pit (or stone)
Journeys
for traditional crafts, from silk as a tiny canvas for highly intricate and
embroidery to wood carving, jade, and detailed carvings to create a miniature
olive pit carving – a local practice that has 3D work of art. The best-known olive pit
been going on here for centuries (along carving was created in 1737 and depicts The Humble
with the carving of walnut shells, lotus a boat with eight people, furnishings and Administrator's
Garden in Suzhou
Adventure
seeds, and fruit pits). 300 characters from a Chinese poem.
& Nature
That masterpiece can be seen in Taiwan’s
National Palace Museum. As I’m in Suzhou,
I want to see this tiny precision craft for I ponder the finished pits, which show Administrator’s Garden, one of Suzhou’s
myself, having thoughtlessly tossed out faces, deities and flowers, and recall an UNESCO-designated gardens. Here, I
olive pits for years. award-winning masterwork, with a dragon see 'paintings' of flowers and landscapes,
I head to Zhoushan, a village of olive and clouds on one side, and Buddha on the that upon closer inspection turn out to
to Know
Need
pit carvers near Taihu Lake in Suzhou’s other, which sold for US $16,000 in 2014. A be embroidery. The next time, it’s in
western suburbs. Here, 10,000 people saleswoman tells me the artisans use gan the gallery of Yao Jianping, a woman
make a living from this craft, including This craft uses lan olives from southern China. embroidery master, where I see the
3,000 artisans in more than 100 workshops the olive pit astonishingly realistic portraits of animals,
(the rest are in sales and packaging). (or stone) as a Silk embroidery humans, landscapes and birds.
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I watch in disbelief as an artisan, working Renowned for exquisite craftsmanship, At the Suzhou Embroidery Research
tiny canvas for
in China
with a tiny chisel and magnifying glass, vivid glowing colors and delicate designs, Institute, I watch the women at work, often
SSharon McvDonnell
meticulously cuts, whittles and sculpts highly intricate silk embroidery is one of China’s four major copying a photograph. One silk thread can
designs into a pit, like it’s jade or wood; I and detailed embroidery styles. I see this artwork for be split into 48 strands, barely visible to
Carved Olive Pits
feel as though I’m observing eye surgery. carvings the first time in an exhibit at the Humble the naked eye, and 1,000 different types of
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Getty Images / Diana Mayfield
Welcome
& Culture
History
Eating
UNFORGETTABLE
Qurban Festival,
Xinjiang
Journeys
Sharon McDonnell
Embroidery The musty smell of livestock fills the city
Research Institute
Fan making in Suzhou air long before I watch a large herd of
sheep cross the busy intersection like a
traffic jam of cars. Every spare parking
lot and city park is turned into an animal
enclosure as the locals prepare for this
Fan making
Adventure
threads, and more than 40 types of stitches
& Nature
bloody yet joyful 'festival of sacrifice'
are used. Sandalwood folding fans, ornately carved TRIP NOTES
known as Qurban.
The craft’s highest form, double-sided from the fragrant wood and decorated GETTING THERE:
The bullet train takes 30 Along with much of the Arab world,
embroidery, displays a different design with paintings and calligraphy, are another
minutes from Shanghai
on each side. Suzhou was a silk capital of ancient Suzhou craft, produced in more Muslims throughout western China, such
as where I am in Xinjiang, look forward to
China for centuries, and its high-quality silk than 16,000 different styles. At the Fan
this day as their biggest holiday and holiest
was used for royal clothing and bedding. Museum, China’s biggest fan is on display
to Know
celebration. I wake early to watch the men
Need
At Suzhou Silk Museum, I get to see – it’s 32 inches wide (82cm) – and depicts a gather at the local mosque for prayers, and
masterpieces depicting dragons, flowers variety of Buddhist scenes on both sides. meander through neighborhoods enjoying
and clouds on royal robes, and read about At the Sheng Feng factory, patterns the jovial atmosphere of a community united
the history of the Silk Road and how silk are drawn, burned into the wood with an in the remembrance of Abraham’s sacrifice
Getty Images / Kevin Frayer / Stringer
is made. At Suzhou No. 1 Silk Factory, electric iron, and then the pre-punched of a lamb instead of his son. Josh Summers
Travel Safety
there’s a film about the short, but intensely holes are sewn into shapes depicting Dates: It’s surprisingly hard to determine the exact
in China
productive life of the silkworm, whose landscapes, gardens and people. Before, day of Qurban. Since the holiday is based not only
cocoons are boiled, their silk filaments fans were familiar to me only in cheap on the Islamic calendar but also on the day a new
moon is sighted the month prior, even my neighbors
unspooled by machines, and then woven paper versions – I now see a traditional weren’t sure what day we were going to celebrate
on looms. carved wood fan is a thing of beauty. until just a couple of weeks earlier.
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The Metaphor
LEARN SOMETHING NEW performing at the
Mao Livehouse music
venue in Beijing
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ROCK:
CHINA’S
UNDERGROUND
Welcome
MUSIC SCENE
& Culture
History
Marco Ferrarese discovers that from the 1970s onwards,
Chinese youth have embraced musical influences from
Eating
overseas to create a unique sound all their own.
Getty Images / Ed Jones
I
t’s 2008, just a few months shy of Beijing’s the country had never seen before.
first triumphant Olympics. Wang’s tiny From Jimi Hendrix to the Beatles, the Pet
Journeys
apartment is dimly lit, slightly bigger Shop Boys to punk rock: a tsunami of 50
than a car’s backseat, and tastes of spent years of foreign popular music history in
cigarettes and dirty rock and roll. “Drink,” the form of pirated tapes – coupled with
he says in Chinglish, passing a bottle of the first influx of language teachers, foreign song became the unofficial anthem of they sound angry and exotic, harsh and
Tsing Tao beer across the floor between us. students, and tourists – washed over the Tiananmen Square’s student protests incredibly attractive. My teenage students,
Adventure
Wang has improbable blond hair, dyed Chinese capital all at once, creating yao in 1989. of course, don't know anything about them.
& Nature
and spiked with hand soap, and sings in a gun, or 'Chinese rock'. Walking in many The second is He Yong, whose 1994 When I ask my block's caretaker if he has
Beijing Oi! band, a sub-genre of punk born of Beijing's street markets, I can see pivotal album Garbage Dump, filled with ever heard of Tang Dynasty, he answers
from working-class, anti-racist skinheads these rock tapes on sale next to smiling nihilistic social commentary, paved the way that they ruled over China for three
in late 1970s England. I’m the 'foreign jade buddhas, Confucius statues and to the birth of Chinese punk. centuries until year 907 DC.
expert', aka a teacher of languages, who tacky fake-brass dragons, looking like In the late 1980s, China also spawned
landed in a second-tier Chinese university, improbable crumbs of globalization that its first heavy metal band with Socialist Beijing’s burning: the rise and fall
I can see
to Know
of Chinese punk rock
Need
186mi (300km) east of Beijing – one of spilled between the cracks of China's characteristics, Tang Dynasty, who
the world’s busiest cities. With a poor these rock ancient civilization. released a debut album, A Dream Return From 1995, the seeds of yao gun
common language, Wang and I connect by tapes on sale Two artists are considered the genre's to Tang Dynasty, in 1992. Combining blossomed into two very antithetic punk
referencing the shared global codes of the next to smiling initiators: Cui Jian, a trained classical progressive rock with heavy riffs, Chinese bands: Underbaby, which used punk’s
punk rock music we both love. jade buddhas, musician who fell for the smuggled sounds folk styles and Beijing opera techniques, it stereotypical three raw chords, safety pins,
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of the Beatles, The Rolling Stones and went on to sell more than two million copies and mohawks, and Catcher in the Rye with
Confucius
in China
The birth of Chinese popular music Talking Heads. He shot to stardom in in Asia and abroad. I find all these tapes on its melodic pop-punk songs. In a couple
As China opened up to the world in the late statues and 1986, with the song Nothing to My Name, Beijing's laneways, buy them for a few yuan of years, Beijing’s first punk underground
1970s, it also started forming an acquired tacky fake- which mixed elements of classical Chinese each, and bring them back to my room at makes a permanent base at the Scream
taste for Western music and ideas people in brass dragons music with Western electric guitars. The the university. To my Western-trained ears, Club, where some of China’s pioneer punk
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and savvy Chinese bands that hint at ‘70s the genre also fused with rap and even
Getty Images / Stringer
Getty Images / Langevin
New York’s No Wave art movement. This Mongolian folk — think of successful bands
is when I arrived in China to teach Italian in like Hanggai, Nine Treasures and Tengger
Chinese
the coastal town of Qinhuangdao, not far Cavalry. metal music
from Beijing. Even if it's busy and polluted, continued
it becomes my weekend escape to sweat Chinese rock music today to evolve,
off my small-town work frustrations by The rebelliousness of Chinese yao gun and the first
checking out the No Beijing music scene. punk tames with the rise of the Midi Music
Welcome
American
The epicenter is the small D-22 bar in the Festival. Started in 1999 by the Beijing
student district of Wudaokou, the main live Midi School of Music, the first jazz and rock
and
venue for groups like Joyside, Hedgehog, school in China, the Midi grows to become European Scream Club
Carsick Cars, Snapline and the Gar. the biggest music festival in the Republic, metal bands Beijing
They mix post-punk, noise and indie changing the face of underground Chinese started
Where to See Live
influences, helping widen the appeal of rock forever. This success kickstarts coming
& Culture
History
Chinese rock. many other events, including the popular Rock Music Across China
to play in
When I see Joyside for the first time, the Strawberry Music Festival, launched by Every major Chinese city has a bunch of music
D-22 is packed to the gills with a swarm of label Modern Sky, one of China's biggest, China clubs you can visit to check the pulse of the local
scene. Marco Ferrarese shares his tips on some
Tang Dynasty
band teenagers and students in tight jeans and and home to 100-odd bands. of the most established venues:
striped t-shirts. As the band rocks into the When I stop again in Beijing in April
BEIJING
first song, the crowd surges to the stage, 2016, I can't help but notice the big Yugong Yishan
Eating
melting into a human monster of twirling changes in Chinese rock from that sweat- 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu, Miyun County
bands like Brain Failure, 69, Reflector, and limbs, becoming one with the musicians. thronged, first burning D-22 performance I Beijing’s fully-fledged rock club hosts many
international acts and yet always keeps an eye on the
Anarchy Boys emerged. Their music is Sweat and beer condenses with breath, we experienced almost a decade before. The
collected in a compilation album released We all become all feel the punk rocking us down through Strawberry Music Festival will take place
best from the local underground.
on Jing Wen Records in 1997, the first as one with our solar plexuses, and soon enough a week later over the May Day weekend,
School Live Bar
53 Wudaoying Hutong, Chaoyang
official Chinese punk record. that throbbing, my glasses fog, my ribcage feels foreign with events in both Beijing and Shanghai.
Journeys
The capital’s spot for punk, metal and rock is this little
By 1998, Beijing was considered the liberating elbows and knees, and we all become Bands no longer play in a packed rickety scruffy bar packed to the gills with alternatives who
always want to have a good, loud time.
center of cultural and musical freedom, soundwave as one with that throbbing, liberating student bar, but perform on the megastage
SHANGHAI
attracting musicians, fans and students soundwave. of the Shanghai World Expo Park in front Yuyintang
from all over China. of thousands of people. These massive 851 Kaixuan Lu
But soon enough the bars overflowed Chinese heavy metal music and its commercial operations increasingly For the past decade, this club has brought the best of
rock, folk, metal and more to this vibrant metropolis.
international recognition
Adventure
with too many competing bands, pushing switched focus from rock to other genres:
& Nature
some of Beijing’s early punks to move to Meanwhile, even Chinese metal rose to in 2017 alone, China hosted a staggering MAO Livehouse
308 Chongqing Nan Lu
the musically untouched southwestern fame: from Tang Dynasty’s early prog in 269 music festivals, 20% were dedicated to Good sized downtown venue catering to international
province of Yunnan, thus 'exporting' punk the 1990s, which I unfortunately never had electronic dance music. and local acts, from electronica to disco, metal and
rock to the tourist towns of Dali and Lijiang. a chance to see live, the genre expanded Rock bands still take to the stages of rock.
Something started changing by the early to thrash and death metal with bands like China’s major cities, but contrary to yao WUHAN
Vox Livehouse
2000s, when new foreign trends like nu- Tomahawk and Overload. By the end of the gun, modern rock in China has turned from
to Know
118 Lumo Road, Guang Gu Shang Quan,
Need
metal contributed to making Beijing's music decade, Yaksa, the first Chinese nu-metal flash-in-the-pan revolution to middle-class Hongshan Qu Wuhan Shi
scene more commercial. On top of that, band, and thrash death band, Suffocated, entertainment. Often times populated and The home to Wuhan’s alternative music and punk,
its prime spot as China’s 'music city' was also started making noise. Their crowning maneuvered by expat foreigners, rock this landmark venue sees Chinese and international
bands performing here almost every night.
overshadowed by the rise of new talented achievement was participating in music still doesn’t bode well with an ever-
DALI
musicians, clubs, and music styles in other Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival in conservative Chinese societal mindset. Learn how
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Bad Monkey Bar
cities including Shanghai, Wuhan, Qingdao, 2012, bringing Chinese metal to one of the However, almost 40 years of Chinese yao to Travel 59 Renmin Lu, Dali Old Town
in China
Nanjing and Tianjin. world’s most important heavy metal stages. gun have certainly left a mark on China’s Responsibly Owned by two Englishmen, this Yunnanese live
on your music bar has been rocking hard since 2003. Also
Back in the capital, the years in the Chinese metal music continued to evolve, popular culture, but that primeval Beijing next trip check out its quirky sibling, Bad Monkey Steampunk
run-up to the 2008 Olympics saw the birth the first American and European metal underground fire, I’m afraid, has already Bar, with music every night, paired with Napoli-style
of No Beijing, a new wave of influential bands started coming to play in China, and turned to embers. pizzas and burgers.
20 21worldnomads.com
UNFORGETTABLE
Litang’s Horse
Festival, Sichuan
We are on a grassy meadow somewhere
outside Litang Town, at 13,170ft-high
(4,014m), one of the world’s highest
communities, lost in the far-flung Eastern
Tibetan region of Kham. The precise location
is kept secret to non-Tibetans, and passed
Welcome
around as a hushed insider secret only a
couple of days before the event. It’s in this
remote corner of China that, once a year, the
nomadic Khampa herders regroup to race for
honor and prestige, establish their nomadic
socio-economic hierarchies and search for
beautiful wives.
& Culture
History
I get closer to the people waiting on the side
of an open patch of grassland. It serves as the
main racing ground for the different types of
challenges that Khampa horsemen will brave
on horseback. Right now, each rider competes
to show his acrobatic skills.
Eating
When I least expect it, the horse and rider
forge ahead, gaining speed as chunks of black
earth afly in their wake. And as the horse bites
on its bridle, the rider lets himself fall to the
side of his mount, I gulp in awe. With his legs
clinging to the body of his running horse, the
Journeys
man floats and swings, hesitates, and then
grabs a rock perched on the top of a mound
that sits in the middle of the racetrack.
He then lifts himself back up amidst the
screams and applause, for he’s a winner.
Hundreds of round leather cowboy hats swing
Adventure
& Nature
madly in the air as the next rider takes the
position at the beginning of the racetrack,
getting set up for another ride. The wild
Khampas all around cheer again, thrilled
to continue celebrating their sacred day of
acrobatic races.
to Know
Dates: After the Tibetan riots in 2008, to avoid
Need
retaliation from the Chinese authorities, no
outsider knows the precise date and location
of Litang’s Horse Festival, which falls in the first
half of August.
Be in Litang at the start of August to ask around
Travel Safety
town.
Getty Images / alantobey
in China
How to get there: Catch a bus from Chengdu
to Litang, with an overnight stop in Kangding.
Or, fly directly to Kanding from Chengdu to
shorten the lengthy road trip. Marco Ferrarese
22 23Stone pagoda at
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SEEK EXPERIENCES the holy mountain
Huashan
Xi'an: Beyond the
Terracotta Army
Stacey McKenna discovers Xi'an's city walls, a sacred
Welcome
mountain and the Daming Palace Heritage Park.
A
lmost 700mi (1,126km) southwest
of Beijing, Xi’an is one of the oldest At the North
cities in China, but is perhaps best
& Culture
Peak, we spend
History
known for its proximity to the remarkable
second-century BC archaeological wonder, a half hour
the Terracotta Army, which depicts the taking in the
armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor
of China. But the ancient city is a gateway to
panorama
more than this UNESCO World Heritage site. before
Eating
descending by
Cycle the city walls gondola
My husband Mike and I arrive in Xi’an
around 7am, well-rested thanks to a private
sleeper car on the overnight train from
Getty Images / Yaorusheng
Beijing. We drop our bags at our hotel in
Journeys
the old city and take a short walk to the
South Gate of China’s most complete city
walls. After paying the entry fee, we climb
a staircase to the top of the 40ft (12m) walls
and rent a tandem bike to cycle around the
Adventure
city walls. As we pedal the 8.6mi (14km) five sacred mountains in Taoism. We work spend a half hour taking in the panorama
& Nature
perimeter above the city, I marvel at the out there are three ways to reach North before descending by gondola.
Xi'an City Walls juxtaposition of old and new. Traditional Peak, the first summit which is a 3.75mi
music blares from speakers mounted (6km) hike that climbs roughly 3,000ft Parks and gardens
on top of the Ming-era walls. From a (914m) to an elevation of 5,298ft (1,615m). On our last evening in the city, we head
single corner, both the flared gold roof The most popular route up Mount to Daming Palace Heritage Park, just
of Guangren Temple — the province’s Huashan follows a network of paved paths north of the walls. We’re too late to visit
to Know
Need
sole Tibetan Buddhist temple — and a and steep stairs that weave among pines the museums and restored Tang Dynasty
slew of modern skyscrapers are visible, and switch back up sheer granite cliffs. palaces within the gated area, so rent a
while teens pose for selfies in front of the After heading to the base of the mountain four-wheel, surrey-style 'Lover’s Bike.' TRIP NOTES
towers. to purchase entry tickets, we begin our As we explore the free section of the WHEN TO GO:
With mild days and
ascent. park — bouncing over cobbled paths that
Getty Images / Mariusz Kluzniak
Travel Safety
cool nights, shoulder
A sacred peak We set a leisurely pace, and between dart through groves of trees and arc over season – September
in China
The next morning, we catch an 8am bus breaking for snacks, ogling the undulating ponds and streams — we pass families to October and March
through May – offers
from the station outside the city’s North valleys, and chatting with a pair of Chinese who are also cycling, boating, strolling, and
the most pleasant
Gate to Huà Shān, a village two hours university students, we reach the top in sharing our love for the outdoors in this weather for outdoor
away, to hike Mount Huashan, one of the five or six hours. At the North Peak, we extraordinary city. activities.
24 25worldnomads.com
Famous
Chongqing
Getty Images / pengpeng
hot pot
Welcome
& Culture
History
Eating
Journeys
Adventure
& Nature
The Chinese food we
EATING
experience in the West often
to Know
Need
bears no resemblance to
the complex and fascinating
flavors, tastes and sensations
of authentic Chinese cooking.
Travel Safety
With great menu variations from
in China
region to region, Chinese food
is a series of unexpected and
pleasing surprises.
26 27worldnomads.com
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
5 CHINESE
FOOD
Welcome
EXPERIENCES
& Culture
History
To get a sense of China’s enormously varied menu,
Ronan O’Connell eats his way across the country.
Eating
Getty Images / Tuul & Bruno Morandi
F
orget about the westernized versions the day before and he quickly heats up
of Chinese food you might have eaten five lamb skewers and we do a deal. Unlike Chinese street food
at home. Real Chinese cooking is as the beef, which has a chewier texture, this
Journeys
diverse and surprising as the rest of China. lamb is beautifully tender. It has slightly
gamey taste that is all but overpowered by
All a skewer in Xi’An the mouth-burning chili and the nuttiness Eating hotpot is a very social activity, and double take when I see a street vendor
The aroma seduces me every time I leave of the cumin. I’m here after being invited by two staff selling baked biscuits near the iconic Chen
my hotel in downtown Xi’An, the capital of Paired with an ice-cold beer – these members at my hostel. We sit around a Clan Ancestral Hall temple in Guangzhou
Adventure
Shaanxi Province in northcentral China. kebabs make you thirsty – it’s a recipe for large, simmering, communal pot of broth, (formerly known as Canton) northwest of
& Nature
The tantalizing scent is of lamb and beef deep satisfaction. into which we have dropped a huge variety Hong Kong in Guangdong Province. The
kebabs, laced with cumin powder and chili, of raw ingredients, including chicken, bok elderly vendor tries to sell me a bag of 10
being flame-grilled on the street. The spice of Sichuan choy, tofu, shrimp and cheese balls. biscuits, but first, I want to try one.
Known as chuan (Chuar, yang rou chuan It’s a Friday night in a packed hotpot As is typical, this broth is heavy with I expect a sugary taste but instead get
or chuan’r), these popular snacks are sold As is typical, restaurant in downtown Chongqing, a cardamom, MSG, Sichuan chilies and a savory punch – this is a ji zai (chicken
for as little as US 45c a piece throughout massive city in central China’s Sichuan peppercorns, making it eye-wateringly biscuit). They don’t contain any white meat,
this broth is
to Know
Need
the city’s large Muslim Quarter. Alongside Province, and lots of my fellow diners are spicy. This heat soaks into every ingredient but are shaped like a chicken, with their
Xi’an’s iconic Bell Tower, this neighborhood heavy with laughing at me. The only foreigner eating that is boiled in the broth, ensuring my fillings typically a mixture of garlic, salt,
is home to more than 50,000 Hui Muslims. cardamom, here, I’ve just had a coughing fit after taking taste buds swiftly go numb. “That’s the sesame, bean curd, ground pepper, and
The recipe and preparation of these MSG, Sichuan my first mouthful of Sichuan hotpot. best part,” my new friend tells me of this five-spice powder. The outside is crispy,
basic snacks has barely changed since chilies and To say it’s spicy is to say China has a lot unfamiliar physical reaction. the inside is chewy, and the mixture of
Travel Safety
they were introduced to Xi’An more than of people: redundant. savory and sweet flavors is addictive.
peppercorns,
in China
400 years ago by the Hui people, who Chinese hotpot is believed to be more Biscuits in Guangzhou These biscuits have been popular in
came from the far northwest of China.
making it eye- than 1,500 years old and Chongqing is the Dumplings, soup, duck, noodles – there are Guangzhou since the mid-1800s, and there
The young street vendor smiles when he wateringly self-proclaimed hotpot capital of the world, many foods I associate with China. Biscuits are numerous styles, some of which feature
sees me approach. I ate his kebabs twice spicy with more than 10,000 hotpot restaurants. are not one of them. That’s why I do a pork, cabbage, melon or egg.
28 29worldnomads.com
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Unsplash Alana Harris
Getty Images / Macduff Everton
Welcome
& Culture
History
Roasted duck for
Delicious food in sale at a market
Chengdu in Tibet
Eating
UNEXPECTED
Guangzhou is renowned for its spinach and a hearty dose of tsampa, a
Dragon Well Tea
Cantonese snacks, including Portuguese-
style egg tarts, fried shrimp dumplings and
barley flour that gives the soup a porridge-
like consistency. This thick, Festival, Longjing
steamed porn buns. But I’ll be back for the It’s been a Tibetan staple for centuries, salty soup “This is my kind of festival,” I tell my tour
Journeys
chicken biscuits. and you can find it throughout the Tibetan is Tibetan guide as we recline in armchairs, sipping
Longjing tea while looking out across
areas of China. comfort food, a terraced tea field. There are no loud
Yakking it up in Tibet with chunks performances or colorful parades at the
“This does not taste like beef,” I tell the Green and natural in Hangzhou
young waitress. “Not beef – yak,” she My labor in the fields has helped me work
of both yak Dragon Well Tea Festival. It is decidedly
understated, rather like the refined taste
meat and yak
Adventure
replies, contradicting what’s written on up a thirst. What better way to quench it of the tea here.
& Nature
the English language menu in her small than with the tea I’ve just picked myself cheese
Longjing village, in the eastern province
restaurant in Songpan Ancient Town, here in Longjing Tea Village. This cute
of Zhejiang, has long been one of China’s
Sichuan Province, on the Tibetan Plateau town, in the hills near Hangzhou in Zhejiang
premier tea-growing locations. Most of
to the north. I soon learn that up here, beef province, has been one of China’s most its plantations are closed to visitors, but
normally means yak rather than cow. renowned tea plantations for more than during this festival, held over four days
The Tibetan people love yaks because 1,000 years. It is here that the highly prized during April’s harvest season, many open
to Know
Need
of their ability to produce milk year-round Dragon Well tea originates. their doors and offer tea-tasting sessions.
in this rough, cold environment. While yaks For as little as US $10, during the harvest
Tea lovers come to do a more sophisticated
are similar in size to a cow, their meat is season between March and April, visitors version of a pub crawl, going from one
much leaner and tougher than beef. Even can go into Longjing’s majestic, terraced plantation to the next. I lose count of the
when slow cooked, like in the tsam-thuk tea fields and copy the actions of the local number of different teas I taste at the three
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Tibetan soup I’m eating, yak is not exactly tea pickers. Then, once I fill my small bag plantations I visit. But, what I can remember
in China
tender. with tea leaves, I head to a neighboring tea is the calm and quiet, unlike any other
Ronan OConnell
This thick, salty soup is Tibetan comfort house to roast them in an iron pan, as is festival I’ve attended. Ronan O’Connell
food, with chunks of both yak meat and yak traditional, before sampling the famously Dates: Held over four days during tea harvest
cheese complemented by radish, onion, delicate, green tea flavor of Dragon Well. season each April.
30 31worldnomads.com
Getty Images / Andre Vogelaere
SEEK EXPERIENCES
Tracing the
Delectable Journey
of Soup Dumplings
Welcome
Ubiquitous in Chinese cooking, Christina Ng goes
on the trail of these much-loved morsels in Shanghai,
Wuxi, Changzhou and Hangzhou.
& Culture
History
T
racking down the xiaolongbao – little weave in and out of the flourishing
balls of ground meat, exquisitely cityscape. Do not turn your nose up at
wrapped up in semi-translucent these stalls, for some harbor the dainty
dough skin, bobbing in savory broth – is xiaolongbao that your heart will ache for
Eating
a lip-smacking adventure. Known as soup as soon as you leave Shanghai. This city is,
dumplings in English, you can find every after all, where many think the xiaolongbao
version of these all over Asia – notably at was born.
Taiwanese chain restaurant Din Tai Fung. It all began with Huang Mingxian, the
Preparation of
However, their motherland is China. owner of Ri Hua Xuan restaurant in the tang bao
Nanxiang district of Shanghai. He was
Journeys
Shanghai said to have created these dumplings in
My dumpling-tasting journey starts in the 1870s by adding aspic (double boiled
coastal Shanghai, China’s biggest city, chicken soup cooked with pork skin and Customers flock to this restaurant, which a liking to them. The xiaolongbao of Wuxi
where traditional lilong residences made into a jelly) to his pork mince. This also has branches at the Chenghuang became famous throughout China. Improve
your writing,
(townhouses connected by a lane) and is why one bite into the dumpling fills your Temple and Guyi Garden. Tina Huang, a Changzhou native who photography,
Adventure
modern skyscrapers compete for space. mouth with a rush of sweet-salty broth. “Shanghai’s xiaolongbao are all good,” now lives in Wuxi, disputes this story of the and videos
& Nature
Michelin-star restaurants and shabby “What’s so delicious about Nanxiang’s says Madam Fu, but admits, “I still prefer origins of xiaolongbao. She says that it is with Create
stalls sit side by side in the alleyways that xiaolongbao is the clear broth and the Wuxi ones, which are sweeter and have Changzhou – the city adjacent to Wuxi –
gossamer skin,” says Madam Fu, a a hint of soy sauce in the taste.” where xiaolongbao originated, specifically
Shanghainese I spoke to. According in the Wanhua Teahouse, during the reign
Tangbao or
soup buns to her, even though Shanghai now has Wuxi and Changzhou of Emperor Daoguang (1821–1850) in
plenty of great dumpling places, Nanxiang Less than an hour west from Shanghai by the Qing Dynasty. Huang says when the
to Know
Need
(the modern name for the Ri Hua Xuan bullet train, Wuxi is quieter than its bustling osmanthus flowers bloom and their scents
restaurant) still manages to fend off its neighbor; here, a turn into an alley might fill the air, she knows it’s the season for
competitors. “Plus, the dumplings are so bring the surprising view of a canal, or the crabmeat xiaolongbao.
dainty,” she adds.
One bite into lush greenery of a garden. “Changzhou dumplings are less sweet
It’s their petite size that seems to have the dumpling It’s no wonder that Emperor Qianlong than those from Wuxi. In fact, from
Travel Safety
won the hearts of many. The dumplings fills your (1711 -1799) fell in love with xiaolongbao Changzhou to Shanghai to Wuxi, the
in China
Getty Images / xia yuan
started out bigger, and were called the here. Legend has it that the Chinese dumplings get sweeter and sweeter!”
mouth with a
Nanxiang da rou baozi, meaning large Emperor was given the local specialty she laughs.
meat-filled buns from Nanxiang. Huang rush of sweet- xiaolongbao to try when he was traveling “Wu Xi, formerly called Yi Qin Yuan, is
changed them into the size we know today. salty broth through the region, and immediately took my favorite haunt for xiaolongbao in Wuxi,”
32 33worldnomads.com
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Getty Images / Yang Liu
Getty Images / tang90246
Tang bao or
soup buns
UNEXPECTED
Welcome
The Color Palette
of the Gods
Dongchuan is about 84mi (135km) north
of Kunming. For most of the four-hour bus
& Culture
History
journey, the asphalt track runs through a
rural landscape that is picturesque, but
never exciting. When we passed the sleepy
hamlet of Huashitou, the magic begins.
Red, green, yellow, and white ribbons form
Hangzhou
an intricate rainbow that stretches to the
horizon on both sides. It takes me a while
Eating
to understand that the stunning patchwork
is actually strips of farmland where golden
she adds. “It’s a hole in the wall but food is are delicious. I share a communal table with buckwheat, emerald barley, pink potato
cheap and service is fast!” I make a mental an old couple, feeling a little inadequate flowers, and bright yellow canola delicately
note of that for next time. as they pick up their dumplings expertly, interweaves with the rich red soil to form
take a tiny bite and sip the broth. As for me, an incredible palette. According to Google
Journeys
Translator, Dongchuan means exactly that
Hangzhou I scorch my tongue as I take too big a bite,
– a palette.
In fact, all cities in the Jiangnan region and the ball of meat plops defiantly into
seem to have their own version of my bowl. I set myself up in the village of Huagou
xiaolongbao. Just over 100mi (176km) Hangzhou natives even have a chant to explore the Dongchuan county that
southwest of Shanghai and an hour on to go with eating xiaolongbao: “pick it stretches over 30mi (50km) of gentle
highlands.
Adventure
the bullet train, my dumpling adventure up gently, move it slowly, first open the
& Nature
continues in Hangzhou, a city built around ‘window’, then drink the soup”. It loosely Over the next few days, I discover the inner
the breathtaking West Lake, famed for the means that you should be careful with landscape of Dongchuan, where farming
tragic legend of Chinese scholar Xu Xian these dumplings, as the skin is delicate and is still done the ancient way, with bullocks
and Madam White Snake. breaks easily. It’s best to nibble off the top and horse-drawn carriages. We pass
Hangzhou dumplings are heavily first – open the “window” – then sip the through areas like Jinxiu Yuan (roughly
influenced by people from Kaifeng in soup inside. translated, means Embroidered Garden)
A tip from a
to Know
which resembles a giant, hand-knotted
Need
Henan province, 560mi (900km) northwest I pick up my dumpling again with a few
of Shanghai. They are not as widely known cab driver shreds of ginger, dip it into the slightly sour
quilt. While navigating the narrow, muddy
tracts and maneuvering through the herds
as those from Shanghai or Wuxi, yet, when brings me Chinkiang vinegar, put it on my spoon and of cattle often blocking our way, my guide
savoring them in the poetic surrounds of to Xin Feng attempt a nibble. The rich flavor of the filling Zhao explains how Dongchuan shaped
Hangzhou I feel like I am immersing myself Snacks, which – a medley of pork and prawn meat mixed itself into this stunning mix of designs and
Travel Safety
in a wuxia (Chinese martial heroes) movie. in with the creamy broth – bursts forth in colors.
he says is the
in China
A tip from a cab driver brings me to Xin my mouth and lingers. The elderley couple
best place
Sugato Mukherjee
While the iron oxide embedded in
Feng Snacks, which he says is the best at the table gives me a nod of approval, Dongchuan’s soil imparts its fiery red color,
place to try these dumplings. to try these and so does my tummy. it also makes it inhospitable for farming.
Its house special – prawn dumplings – dumplings May my dumpling adventure never end. The stony, mountainous terrain prevents
34 35worldnomads.com
croplands from retaining water. For centuries,
the local, agro-based community has planted
drought-resistant crops. The plots allotted to
each agricultural family are scattered across
the land – while one plants potatoes, another
cultivates wheat. This random allotment has
created geometric patterns and brilliant hues
in croplands that were once grazing pastures.
The farmers sustain this fragile ecosystem
through wind turbines that dot the undulating
landscape.
Welcome
We pass a couple of giant windmills and arrive
at Beihecun to witness the farming community
in their struggle to turn this infertile soil into a
polychromatic fairyland. The terraced fields
around the small village are filled with water,
and farmers wade knee-deep through the mud
to plant new crops. “In another three months,
& Culture
History
this village will turn into a valley of colors, much
like you have seen in Jinxiu Yuan,” Zhao tells
me with a smile.
Later that afternoon, we veer off towards
Louxiago, the fabled sunset point of
Dongchuan. As the mellow rays bounce off
elegant contours of the Louxiago valley (which
Eating
literally means a gully of fallen, rosy clouds), I
understand why it’s considered the high point
of the Dongchuan experience. I also remember
what Zhao told me this morning. “God knocked
over his palette and dropped his paint here –
Dongchuan is God’s own canvas.”
Journeys
Sugato Mukherjee
Adventure
& Nature
to Know
Need
Travel Safety
All photos: Sugato Mukherjee
in China
36 37worldnomads.com
Getty Images / Peerawat Kamklay
Welcome
& Culture
History
Eating
Journeys
China is a vast country, and
Adventure
& Nature
while many might prefer to
take to the skies to traverse it,
it’s best explored by road. Join
our Nomads as they explore
JOURNEYS
very different regions of the
to Know
Need
country: the remarkable Tea
Horse Route – an exciting
alternative to the Silk Road, the
journey to see Guizhou’s giant
Travel Safety
radio telescope, the mountains
in China
and deserts of Gansu and
Zhangye
National Park
Sichuan, and Yungang’s
magical grottoes.
38 39You can also read
