My Dream Destinations in China

With 40 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, China offers visitors cultural diversity and scenic variety. Planning a trip to China can be quite a daunting task. Beijing and her neighboring areas in Hebei Province lie in the heart of the whole Chinese civilization. Anyone visiting China should not miss what the ancient capital has to offer: the prehistoric Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (42 km southwest of Beijing); Yin Xu (about 500 km south of Beijing) and the Great Wall of the ancient period; the Beihai Park of the Liao Dynasty; the Xiangshan Park of the Jin Dynasty; the hutong (narrow streets or alleys) and siheyuan (courtyards) of the Yuan Dynasty; the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Imperial Garden, the Imperial Palaces (the Forbidden City), the Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples of Chengde and the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. For me, there are five other dream destinations in China: Tibet, the Silk Road, Jiagnan Region, Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province.

With her unique culture, terrains, climate, fauna and flora, Tibet remains a mystery despite my visit in 2010. Altitude sickness does not deter people from visiting Tibet. Tickets for the Qinghai-Tibet Train are always in great demand. The world’s highest rail track in fact heightens the interests in Lhasa, Linzhi, Yarlung Valley, Tsangpo, Yomdrok Lake, Tsedang, Shigatse, Namsto and the Tibetan Plateau.

I hope to realize my dream trip on the Silk Road in 2011. The ancient trade route passes through many famous cities, historic places, Buddhist monuments and ancient ruins like Xian, Lanzhou, Xiahe, Kashgar, Hami City, Lop Nor, Turpan and Dunhuang among others. I certainly will not miss the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Xian and Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.

Jiagnan Region attracted imperial visits for thousands of years. “Jiagnan” (literally means “south of the Yangtze River”) refers to the provinces in the middle and lower stream south of the longest river in China. Including the famous cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing, Jiagnan Region has always been the paradise for vacationers. The scenic gardens, water villages and picturesque mountains have been portrayed in thousands of Chinese poems and paintings. I am yet to visit all the historic attractions in this romantic region. The classical Gardens of Suzhou, Mount Huangshan, Lushan, Mount Sanqingshan, Moganshan, the Ancient Villages of Xidi and Hongcun as well as the West Lake in Hangzhou are only few of the most well-known examples.

Sichuan always appeals to me simply because she is the home of the lovely giant panda. Jiuzhaigou Valley and Huanglong are sufficient to make Sichuan the most beautiful provinces in China. The ancient land is also full of mystery. Archeological sites at Sanxingdui and Jinsha, monuments like the Leshan Giant Buddha, the Dazu Rock Carvings and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System keep me wonder how ancient people achieved the seemingly impossible feats.

The colorful cultures of the minority groups, the karst terrain and the Ancient Tea Road arouse my interests in Yunnan. The old town of Lijiang, the neighboring Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the Laojunshan and the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas highlight her unique landscape. The Ancient Tea Road, also known as the Southern Silk Road, challenges travelers in search of the most beautiful and yet dangerous gorges, cliffs and mountainous trails in Yunnan.

Billions of people living across China for hundreds of thousands of years have created, nurtured and discovered the gems on the UNESCO World Heritage List. But the journeys across China certainly go beyond that list.

Valeria Teo is a contracted writer for the Chinese dictionary.