Q&A: A Month in China

Earlier today, I received the following inquiry from another travel blogger via Twitter:

@chinaandbeyond have you got a ny recommendations for a months stay in china. leaving hk nxt week

This got me thinking. A month is long enough that you can really see a range of what China has to offer, but you still have to be selective (unless you want to spend every night on an overnight train). Based on the places I’ve traveled, I’d suggest an itinerary something like this one:

• Guangzhou (1-2 days) — This is one of the economic hubs of modern China, and makes a nice segue from Hong Kong to the mainland. The food is mostly the same, but the zeitgeist is much more “Chinese.”
• Shanghai (2-3 days) — Of course you’ll visit, it’s China’s financial capital. But you really don’t need that long to see the main attractions.
• Suzhou (1 day) — The gardens are beautiful, and it’s doable as a daytrip from Shanghai.
• Beijing (4-5 days) — The sites and the food are iconic. In 4-5 days, you can see almost everything, including a day visiting the Great Wall at one of the more remote locations like Mutianyu or Simitai.
• Xi’an (3 days) — The Terracotta Warriors are a must-see, but the other sites (especially the Han Yangling tomb) are well worth your time.
• Lanzhou (only as long as you need to be here) — There’s nothing much to see in Lanzhou, but it is a necessary transit stop.
• Dunhuang (2 days) — The Mogao Caves. Enough said.
• Xiahe (2 days) — Meet monks at the Labrang Monastery, one of the most important in Tibetan Buddhism, and explore the Ganjia Grasslands.
• Langmusi (2-3 days) — Trek into the grasslands and spend a night with a family of Tibetan nomads.
• Guilin (1 day) — Much like Lanzhou, this is a necessary stop for transit without too many exciting sites of its own.
• Yangshuo (2-3 days) — Take a break from the heavy sightseeing and enjoy Yangshuo’s natural wonders. Rent a bike, take a boat ride or simply walk around and enjoy the magnificent karst scenery.
• Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces (2 days) — Marvel at the fact that the terraces, which stretch as far as the eye can see, were carved long before the days of bulldozers. The hike from Dazhai to Ping’an will take you through a few different ethnic-minority villages.

But there are plenty of places I still haven’t been. You might want to replace the week in Gansu (Lanzhou, Xiahe and Langmusi) with a trip to Sichuan or Tibet — places I’m hoping to explore in the next few months. For hiking and a glimpse of China’s minority culture, Yunnan is a possible alternative to Guangxi (Guilin, Yangshuo, Rice Terraces).

If you can stay longer, you might add a stop to Hangzhou or Nanjing near Shanghai, or visit Jiayuguan on the way to Dunhuang. The Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge is near Yangshuo and the Rice Terraces in Guangxi. Really, the possibilities are practically endless.

Send more questions my way via Twitter (@chinaandbeyond) or e-mail (jessica –at– tochinaandbeyond.com)!

Related posts:

1. Yunnan: A Must-See in China?
2. How China Taught Me to Love Hiking
3. Added: Guides to Guilin and Yangshuo
4. Slideshow: Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces
5. Rice and Spiders in Guangxi: Trip Report (Part Two)

Tagged as: blogsherpa, China, Q&A