China
A travel destination with rich cultural heritage and transformed modern cities
Modern China is a land of paradox, and it's becoming increasingly so in this era of unprecedented socioeconomic change.
Travel to China these days and it's quite jarring to walk around parts of old Beijing. Although old grannies can still be seen pushing cabbages in rickety wooden carts amidst huddles of men playing chess, it's not uncommon to see them all suddenly scurry to the side to make way for a brand-new BMW luxury sedan squeezing through the narrow hutong (a traditional Beijing alleyway).
Relentless change, seen so clearly in projects like the Yangtze River dam, has been an elemental part of China's modern character. Violent revolutions in the 20th century, burgeoning population growth (China is now the world's most populous country by far) and economic prosperity (brought about by a recent openness to the outside world) have almost made that change inevitable. China's cities are being transformed—Travel to Beijing and Shanghai and one finds they are probably the most dynamic cities in the world right now.
China has always been one of the most attractive travel destinations in the world, partly because so much history exists alongside the new, partly because it is still so unknown to outsiders. The country and its people remain a mystery. The rice paddies may have sprouted cities and manufacturing centres, and the streets may be clogged with cars and pollution, but the people remain rooted in a rich cultural heritage.
Concierge Traveller has a range of China Travel itineraries, from a few days stopover in Beijing or Shanghai to a trip up the Yangtze River.
Beijing
Few cities on earth are changing as fast as Beijing, capital city of the People's Republic of China. New hotels, shopping malls, commercial plazas, sports stadiums and training facilities are appearing at a rapid rate.
Beijing’s high-speed physical makeover moves hand-in-hand with a firmly retained grip on China's rich cultural heritage and strict communist social order. Beijing's soaring modern architecture and vast international hotels are side by side with grandiose socialist municipal buildings and are connected by an often confusing system of broad boulevards and ring roads around the city.
Travel to Beijing offers an extensive choice of tourism attractions, including the fast-disappearing hutong, parks, architectural and cultural treasures and exquisite temples. Beijing serves as a base to visit the Great Wall of China.
A focal point of Beijing attractions is Tiananmen Square, where Mao Zedong declared the foundation of the People's Republic. The world’s largest public square is an impressive tourism centrepiece. To stand and see the imposing majesty of the Forbidden City to the north and the vast portrait of Mao Zedong on the Tiananmen Gate is to appreciate the undeniable centrality of the capital to all aspects of the Chinese psyche.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Beijing
Beijing travel is at its best in late spring and early autumn. The searing heat of summer and the biting winds in winter can be extreme. Summer is the peak season for visitors, so the city's main attractions are certain to be milling with tourists.
Shanghai
For the second city of the world’s oldest surviving ancient civilisation, Shanghai is surprisingly new, exhilarating and dynamic. Literally above the Sea, Shanghai is a port city on the Huangpu River, where the Yangtze River empties into the East China Sea.
Travel to Shanghai today, the Yu Gardens in Shanghais Old Town is all that remains of the city’s pre-colonial past. Colonialism is visible in the period architecture of the former French Concession, as well as the grand old buildings along the river-front Bund and dotted around Peoples Square. Across the river from the original settlement of Puxi is Shanghais future, the Pudong New Area, with its emblematic Orient Pearl Tower, soaring modern art-deco JinMao Tower and, topping the lot, finished in 2008, the 101-floor World Financial Centre, featuring a new Park Hyatt hotel.
Easily China’s richest city, Shanghai is now a blueprint for the country, a metropolis, one that developing cities across the country seek enviously to emulate - replete with hundreds of futuristic skyscrapers, European style city scapes, restaurants, bars, hotels and levels of urban affluence, brand awareness and shopping savvy that compete with rival Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Shanghai
While Shanghai is a year-round destination, summer is peak travel season, although temperatures can reach 90°F and humidity is high. Best time to travel is late spring or early autumn when the weather is warm and humidity is low.
