Time for a few words
We are currently in Shanghai, staying in cheap but spanking clean digs just off the Bund and soaking up a very different city to anything else we have so far seen (and are likely to see) in China: worldly, cosmopolitan, generally more expensive.
Our route has been from Beijing (where we ended up staying a week as there is so much to see and do there), to Datong, Yungang (50,000 Buddhas in a cave), Wutai Shan (one of the four holy Buddhist mountain areas in China), Pingyao (home of early Chinese banking and the best preserved Ming dynasty city), Xi'an (terracotta warriors) and then onto Shanghai.
We are beginning to appreciate the scale of China as we move between huge cities. Within 150km of Shanghai (population 15m), we will be going to see Suzhou (canals and cuisine... and population 5.6m), Hangzhou (pop 6m) and Ningbo (pop 4m). There are literally tens of cities with populations over 1m all around here. Fortunately the sea breeze seems to keep the pollution at bay which is more than can be said for Xi'an which was clouded in a dense pea-souper all the time we were there.
As with elsewhere in China, but more so in Shanghai, the construction boom is phenomenal and there are sky scrapers going up everywhere. Must be the lender in me, but the central government have a huge task on their hands to avoid a crash at some point in the future given the level of speculative building going on.
While the Chinese food has been excellent, we are enjoying a few days of being able to eat some different types of food and a lovely Ruby beckons tonight!
Our China least favourites list: ubiquitous spitting, eye-stinging pollution and crossing the road.
Bye for now!
Our route has been from Beijing (where we ended up staying a week as there is so much to see and do there), to Datong, Yungang (50,000 Buddhas in a cave), Wutai Shan (one of the four holy Buddhist mountain areas in China), Pingyao (home of early Chinese banking and the best preserved Ming dynasty city), Xi'an (terracotta warriors) and then onto Shanghai.
We are beginning to appreciate the scale of China as we move between huge cities. Within 150km of Shanghai (population 15m), we will be going to see Suzhou (canals and cuisine... and population 5.6m), Hangzhou (pop 6m) and Ningbo (pop 4m). There are literally tens of cities with populations over 1m all around here. Fortunately the sea breeze seems to keep the pollution at bay which is more than can be said for Xi'an which was clouded in a dense pea-souper all the time we were there.
As with elsewhere in China, but more so in Shanghai, the construction boom is phenomenal and there are sky scrapers going up everywhere. Must be the lender in me, but the central government have a huge task on their hands to avoid a crash at some point in the future given the level of speculative building going on.
While the Chinese food has been excellent, we are enjoying a few days of being able to eat some different types of food and a lovely Ruby beckons tonight!
Our China least favourites list: ubiquitous spitting, eye-stinging pollution and crossing the road.
Bye for now!
posted by Dan & Susy at 3:57 am
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