Leeanne and Nigel had dreamed of experiencing some of China’s iconic landmarks and attractions, and so embarked on a twelve-day journey that included a 4-day SNA Yangzte River cruise, through an ancient land with some awe-inspiring manmade and natural wonders.
Flying into the ancient Chinese city of X’ian, the capital of Shaanxi Province in Central China, Nigel and Leeanne weren’t sure what to expect of this great land with cities more populous than all of Australia’s cities combined. “We were pleasantly surprised in that we managed to see everything on our itinerary without having to battle big crowds. The Chinese are reserved people, but people, even in Beijing, would say hello to us in English, and I felt completely safe walking around the city by myself,” says Leeanne. “And we didn’t see any smog, the entire time we were in China. We were so impressed by the amount of gardens everywhere, even on median strips and on the side of roads.”
The couple visited one of the most famous archeological sites in the world, The Qin Tomb Terracotta Warriors and Horses (otherwise known as the Terracotta Army) to see the thousands of life-size hand-molded figures depicting the army of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
The couple also visited Tiananmen Square, where the well-documented student-led protests of 1989 began. The students were standing up for their right to democracy, and hundreds, if not thousands of civilians were massacred in the massive 109-acre square. “It was a spine-tingling experience for us, knowing what happened there,” says Leeanne. ‘And the guards and police don’t like having photos taken of themselves, and it’s all very solemn. There are untold armed police, and just a warning to others, they are not friendly. They have a very serious job.”
The highlight of the trip for Leeanne and Nigel was experiencing The Great Wall of China, some parts of which were created as early as the 7th Century. “We found a quiet spot to sit in the shade after walking great lengths of it and walking up many stairs, that are all uneven. It’s incredible how it has been maintained,” says Leeanne. “It’s a magical thing being there, and we were lucky be there when there were few coaches and we had some time alone, to sit and reflect. We had wonderful views of the countryside and the wall meandering off into the hills, with dams and forts and temples all around.”
Historians have documented the fact that people were killed while making the wall, and if someone died, they buried them in the wall. “That was a strange feeling, knowing that there were people’s remains from ancient times, below us,” says Leeanne.
The cruise element of the couple’s journey was on an SNA cruise down the Yangtze River, which departed from Yichang, a bustling port town of a few million people. The couple experienced the Four Gorge System, where the doors of the dam close and open at particular intervals so that the water rises or falls, taking vessels up or down to other parts of the gorge.
“It’s incredible to witness that lock dam system,” says Leeanne. “They flooded hundreds of towns to build the dam system, relocating millions of people to other cities. We could see the doors opening or closing right in front of us.” Cruising down the Yangtze was amazing – passing by monasteries in the cliffs and seeing people working in the fields and fishing.”
Leeanne and Nigel also fell in love with The Musuem of Royal Gardens at Summer Palace, northwest of Beijing. The stunning 742-acres of landscaped gardens is the most well preserved royal park in China, and its construction began in 1750 so that Chinese royalty had a beautiful outdoor haven in which to entertain, walk, have meetings and relax.
“It was a misty day with light rain when we were there,” says Leeanne. “So it was incredibly romantic, walking amongst the beautiful willow trees in the mist and seeing so much artwork (the gardens are home to over 3,000 man-made ancient structures), and the little boats sailing on the lakes. It was like stepping back in time, and it was one of my favourite places in China.”
Leeanne’s advice, if you are on a tour, is to go with the flow, as if the itinerary changes, there’s usually a good reason. “Get on the swings, and go with the merry go round!” she says. “So many people sit around complaining if something changes, but its likely that its to do with the weather, or that you’ll see something better on another day. And take up the optional extras, as they’re usually inexpensive and you get a chance to see something really different that you might not have expected, such as the Kung Fu Legend tour. I’ll never see anything like that again – a mixture of Kung Fu and ballet. We sat in old school movie theatre seats and took our own beers in. It was absolutely stunning.”
