water towns
Just inland from Shanghai are a number of historic water towns often missed by visitors. They include historic Suzhou on the 1,500-year-old Grand Canal, famed for its many beautiful gardens, and quaint towns such as Tongli – where a former primary school now houses a tasteful sex museum! – plus Wuxi and Hangzhou, regarded as the queen of them all.

In south-west China, the jagged limestone karst peak scenery around Guilin is a must-see. This area also has many caves with breathtaking rock formations, including Guilin’s famed Reed Flute Cave. The karsts are best viewed on a half-day cruise along the Li River to former hippy hang-out, Yangshuo.

Take a side trip from Guilin to visit the mountain-top Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces in Longsheng. You can stay overnight in guest houses operated by the local Zhuang people in mountain villages such as Ping’An after a climb or sedan chair ride up precipitous paths. The area is also home to the Red Yao women, who boast the longest hair in China.

China’s most famous ambassador, the giant panda, is best seen in Chengdu in Sichuan province, which has a breeding and research centre. The devastating 2008 earthquake decimated parts of Sichuan including the mountain preserve at Wolong, where I viewed 16 playful little cubs in their natural environment. The surviving pandas have been moved to other centres.

Chengdu is China’s snack food capital and has more teahouses than anywhere else in China. It is the home of the wonderfully-colourful Sichuan Opera, with its ornate costumes and mask-changers, and the bizarre trade of ear-cleaning. There are nearly 400 professional ear cleaners, who use a selection of instruments to dig out accumulated wax – even while you watch opera. Ticklish rather than unpleasant, it costs around £3.50.

Days out from Chengdu can take in the giant carved stone Buddha at Leshan, nearby holy Buddhist mountain Emeishan and the world’s first irrigation scheme at Dujiangyan.

In northern Sichuan, another panda reserve area encompasses Jiuzhaigou Valley, sometimes called Nine Villages Valley, for the traditional Tibetan villages which dot the exquisitely-beautiful World Heritage Site landscape. Vivid greens contrast azure-blue lakes and milky-white waterfalls.

elephants

Neighbouring Yunnan is a province of amazing natural and cultural contrasts, with 26 of China’s 55 minority groups and settings from elephants and tropical rainforest in the southern Xishuangbanna region to towering snow-capped mountains in the Tibetan-influenced north. The town of Zhongdian has been renamed Shangri-La and is claimed to be the setting for the fabled paradise in James Hilton’s book, Lost Horizons. Nearby is the imposing gold-roofed Songzanlin Monastery.

Locals dance in circles around a bonfire in Zhongdian’s main square, close to a giant bronze prayer wheel. Similar dances are performed by the matriarchal Mosuo minority people at Lugu Lake, which borders Sichuan and on which men and girls in traditional costume row visitors in dugout boats. It could almost be Peru.

It is a five-hour drive from Lijiang, where the Old Town is full of winding, cobbled alleyways lined by quaint wooden houses and streams. At night, lanterns reflect in the streams and candles float along the swiftly   flowing water. You can also listen to local music by the colourful Naxi orchestra and Dongba shamen.

The town of Dali has ancient city walls, soaring pagodas and a laid-back café society with backpacker bars. Kunming is another delight, with nearby Shilin Stone Forest a major attraction.

Tibet can be reached by train from Beijing now as well as by air. Although part of China, it has very different traditions and culture. Yaks – and foul-tasting yak butter – are ubiquitous while the majestic mountains, fascinating villages and glorious monasteries take your breath away. Literally, in the thin air. Lhasa’s Potala Palace is the most imposing and a must. However, also try to take in other wonders including: Lhasa’s unassuming Jokhang Temple; Tashilhunpo Monastery, in Tibet’s second city, Shigatse; Palkhor Monastery and the mountain- top Old Fort at Gyantse, where I hitched a lift on the back of a motorised tricycle; and the 8th century Samye Monastery, near Tsedang. You may encounter pilgrims on the road to or from there, on journeys that can take years.

China has many other places to visit, such as the tropical island of Hainan, Confucius’s home town of Qufu and China’s china town, Jingdezhen, where Ming porcelain was made and the tradition continues. There are also many villages and towns untouched by the country’s rapid growth, and as you travel around you will be met with smiles and waves. Or you can take a leisurely cruise on the Yangtze.

That should give you plenty of food for thought

china and tibet facts

when to go

Between spring and autumn is the best time to tour China, although winter can bring beautiful, clear but cold days to Beijing and the north.

getting there

Flights from the UK are operated directly to Beijing and Shanghai by British Airways (www.ba.com), Air China (www.airchina.co.uk), Virgin Atlantic Airlines (www.virgin-atlantic.com) and China Eastern Airlines (www.chinaeastern.co.uk).Other airlines offer service via onward points in Europe, the Gulf, Hong Kong and various Asian cities, to points around China.

getting around

In cities, taxis are the best option – but ensure you get your hotel to write down both your intended destination and the hotel address in Chinese characters, so that you can show the taxi drivers. Most do not speak English. For longer journeys, domestic flights are the most typical form of transport but trains are a great way to experience China.

accommodation

Most Western hotel chains have properties in China, usually in main cities. Chinese-owned companies with widespread hotels include Hong Kong-based luxury company Shangri-La Hotels (www.shangri-la.com) and Jin Jiang Hotels (www.jinjianghotels.com). China is also seeing an increasing number of luxury boutique hotels, while away from the big cities it is fun to stay in traditional courtyard hotels. Standards and service can vary, however.

tour operators

Specialists include Wendy Wu Tours (www.wendytours.co.uk), Tucan Travel (www.tucantravel.com), Kuoni (www.kuoni.co.uk), Complete India & Asia (www.complete-india-asia.com), CTS Horizons (www.ctshorizons.com), China Holidays (www.chinaholidays.co.uk), Regent Holidays (www.regentholidays.co.uk), Silverbird
(www.silverbird.com) and Travelsphere (www.travelsphere.co.uk).

tourist information

China National Tourist Office: www.cnto.org.uk; tel 020 7373 0888 or 09001 600 188 (brochure requests).