Western China, including the regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, is mountainous and includes vast plateaus. It is home to most minority ethnic groups. Since Western China covers a vast area of land, traveling from one big city to another often takes days.
Eastern China, on the other hand, is often considered China proper. Major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are all in Eastern China. The Han Chinese, a majority ethnic group that makes up 92% of the total Chinese population, live in Eastern China.
Since I have an appointment in Hong Kong toward the end of the trip, Eastern China I go.
The Great Wall of China, a series of fortifications over 2,000 years old and over 13,000 miles long.
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This is my second visit to the Great Wall. My first visit was back in 2008 when I did the 5-hour hike on the Great Wall from Jinshanling 金山岭 to Simatai 司馬台 – That stretch of the Great Wall was not renovated and looked slightly disrepair; this time I visited the stretch at Mutianyu 慕田峪, just north of Beijing – This portion of the wall has been extensively renovated, and has a slide rail that you can sit on to return to the base.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
The Great Wall of China, a series of fortifications over 2,000 years old and over 13,000 miles long.
//
This is my second visit to the Great Wall. My first visit was back in 2008 when I did the 5-hour hike on the Great Wall from Jinshanling 金山岭 to Simatai 司馬台 – That stretch of the Great Wall was not renovated and looked slightly disrepair; this time I visited the stretch at Mutianyu 慕田峪, just north of Beijing – This portion of the wall has been extensively renovated, and has a slide rail that you can sit on to return to the base.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
The Great Wall of China, a series of fortifications over 2,000 years old and over 13,000 miles long.
//
This is my second visit to the Great Wall. My first visit was back in 2008 when I did the 5-hour hike on the Great Wall from Jinshanling 金山岭 to Simatai 司馬台 – That stretch of the Great Wall was not renovated and looked slightly disrepair; this time I visited the stretch at Mutianyu 慕田峪, just north of Beijing – This portion of the wall has been extensively renovated, and has a slide rail that you can sit on to return to the base.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
The Great Wall of China, a series of fortifications over 2,000 years old and over 13,000 miles long.
//
This is my second visit to the Great Wall. My first visit was back in 2008 when I did the 5-hour hike on the Great Wall from Jinshanling 金山岭 to Simatai 司馬台 – That stretch of the Great Wall was not renovated and looked slightly disrepair; this time I visited the stretch at Mutianyu 慕田峪, just north of Beijing – This portion of the wall has been extensively renovated, and has a slide rail that you can sit on to return to the base.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
The Great Wall of China, a series of fortifications over 2,000 years old and over 13,000 miles long.
//
This is my second visit to the Great Wall. My first visit was back in 2008 when I did the 5-hour hike on the Great Wall from Jinshanling 金山岭 to Simatai 司馬台 – That stretch of the Great Wall was not renovated and looked slightly disrepair; this time I visited the stretch at Mutianyu 慕田峪, just north of Beijing – This portion of the wall has been extensively renovated, and has a slide rail that you can sit on to return to the base.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
The Great Wall of China, a series of fortifications over 2,000 years old and over 13,000 miles long.
//
This is my second visit to the Great Wall. My first visit was back in 2008 when I did the 5-hour hike on the Great Wall from Jinshanling 金山岭 to Simatai 司馬台 – That stretch of the Great Wall was not renovated and looked slightly disrepair; this time I visited the stretch at Mutianyu 慕田峪, just north of Beijing – This portion of the wall has been extensively renovated, and has a slide rail that you can sit on to return to the base.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
The Great Wall of China, a series of fortifications over 2,000 years old and over 13,000 miles long.
//
This is my second visit to the Great Wall. My first visit was back in 2008 when I did the 5-hour hike on the Great Wall from Jinshanling 金山岭 to Simatai 司馬台 – That stretch of the Great Wall was not renovated and looked slightly disrepair; this time I visited the stretch at Mutianyu 慕田峪, just north of Beijing – This portion of the wall has been extensively renovated, and has a slide rail that you can sit on to return to the base.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
Drawing the Great Wall at the Great Wall. Future architect for Great Wall 2.0.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
Obligatory photo.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
Obligatory photo.
@Mutianyu慕田峪
Located near the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square 天安門廣場 houses the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, founding father of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Tiananmen Square has great historical significance as it was the site of many important events.
@Beijing北京
Located near the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square 天安門廣場 houses the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, founding father of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Tiananmen Square has great historical significance as it was the site of many important events.
@Beijing北京
Located near the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square 天安門廣場 houses the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, founding father of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Tiananmen Square has great historical significance as it was the site of many important events.
@Beijing北京
Located near the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square 天安門廣場 houses the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, founding father of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Tiananmen Square has great historical significance as it was the site of many important events.
@Beijing北京
Located near the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square 天安門廣場 houses the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, founding father of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Tiananmen Square has great historical significance as it was the site of many important events.
@Beijing北京
Located near the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square 天安門廣場 houses the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, founding father of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Tiananmen Square has great historical significance as it was the site of many important events.
@Beijing北京
The Forbidden City 紫禁城 was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It serves as a residence for a total of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China (POC), the Forbidden City’s history as a feudal imperial palace came to an end and was converted into the Palace Museum.
@Beijing北京
The Forbidden City 紫禁城 was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It serves as a residence for a total of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China (POC), the Forbidden City’s history as a feudal imperial palace came to an end and was converted into the Palace Museum.
@Beijing北京
The Forbidden City 紫禁城 was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It serves as a residence for a total of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China (POC), the Forbidden City’s history as a feudal imperial palace came to an end and was converted into the Palace Museum.
@Beijing北京
The Forbidden City 紫禁城 was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It serves as a residence for a total of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China (POC), the Forbidden City’s history as a feudal imperial palace came to an end and was converted into the Palace Museum.
@Beijing北京
The Forbidden City 紫禁城 was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It serves as a residence for a total of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China (POC), the Forbidden City’s history as a feudal imperial palace came to an end and was converted into the Palace Museum.
@Beijing北京
The Forbidden City 紫禁城 was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It serves as a residence for a total of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China (POC), the Forbidden City’s history as a feudal imperial palace came to an end and was converted into the Palace Museum.
@Beijing北京
The Forbidden City 紫禁城 was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It serves as a residence for a total of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China (POC), the Forbidden City’s history as a feudal imperial palace came to an end and was converted into the Palace Museum.
@Beijing北京
The Forbidden City 紫禁城 was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It serves as a residence for a total of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China (POC), the Forbidden City’s history as a feudal imperial palace came to an end and was converted into the Palace Museum.
@Beijing北京
The Forbidden City 紫禁城 was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It serves as a residence for a total of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the Republic of China (POC), the Forbidden City’s history as a feudal imperial palace came to an end and was converted into the Palace Museum.
@Beijing北京
The Temple of Heaven 天壇, built in 1420, used to be a place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped Heaven and offered sacrifices to pray for good harvests. The most well-known temple in the imperial complex is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests 祈年殿.
@Beijing北京
The Temple of Heaven 天壇, built in 1420, used to be a place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped Heaven and offered sacrifices to pray for good harvests. The most well-known temple in the imperial complex is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests 祈年殿.
@Beijing北京
The Temple of Heaven 天壇, built in 1420, used to be a place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped Heaven and offered sacrifices to pray for good harvests. The most well-known temple in the imperial complex is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests 祈年殿.
@Beijing北京
The Temple of Heaven 天壇, built in 1420, used to be a place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped Heaven and offered sacrifices to pray for good harvests. The most well-known temple in the imperial complex is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests 祈年殿.
@Beijing北京
The Temple of Heaven 天壇, built in 1420, used to be a place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped Heaven and offered sacrifices to pray for good harvests. The most well-known temple in the imperial complex is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests 祈年殿.
@Beijing北京
Wangfujing Street 王府井街, a famous shopping street that serves exotic foods like deep fried scorpion, seahorse, and starfish.
@Beijing北京
Wangfujing Street 王府井街, a famous shopping street that serves exotic foods like deep fried scorpion, seahorse, and starfish.
@Beijing北京
Wangfujing Street 王府井街, a famous shopping street that serves exotic foods like deep fried scorpion, seahorse, and starfish.
@Beijing北京
Wangfujing Street 王府井街, a famous shopping street that serves exotic foods like deep fried scorpion, seahorse, and starfish.
@Beijing北京
Wangfujing Street 王府井街, a famous shopping street that serves exotic foods like deep fried scorpion, seahorse, and starfish.
@Beijing北京
Dashilan 大柵欄, with a variety of food options.
@Beijing北京
Noodles with bean sauce paste and diced pork. 8-treasure yogurt is heavenly.
@Beijing北京
There is no Uber in Beijing, but there is Didi.
@Beijing北京
秦始皇陵 Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. Constructed over 2000 years ago, the Terracotta Army 兵馬俑 is a burial troop of clay warriors who guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, after he conquered six warring states to create the first unified nation of China. Archaeologists have been excavating the site for the past 40 years, and have so far uncovered about 2000 of the estimated 8000 clay soldiers. Scientists have yet to touch the central tomb, which holds a coffin containing the body of Qin Shi Huang.
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Each of these terracotta warriors have unique facial structure and expression, and you can tell their ranks by looking at their headgears: High-ranking officers wear a crown. Horse-drawn-vehicle-riding soldiers have a cone bun on the right side. Horse-riding soldiers have a flat bun at the back.
@Xian西安
秦始皇陵 Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. Constructed over 2000 years ago, the Terracotta Army 兵馬俑 is a burial troop of clay warriors who guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, after he conquered six warring states to create the first unified nation of China. Archaeologists have been excavating the site for the past 40 years, and have so far uncovered about 2000 of the estimated 8000 clay soldiers. Scientists have yet to touch the central tomb, which holds a coffin containing the body of Qin Shi Huang.
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Each of these terracotta warriors have unique facial structure and expression, and you can tell their ranks by looking at their headgears: High-ranking officers wear a crown. Horse-drawn-vehicle-riding soldiers have a cone bun on the right side. Horse-riding soldiers have a flat bun at the back.
@Xian西安
秦始皇陵 Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. Constructed over 2000 years ago, the Terracotta Army 兵馬俑 is a burial troop of clay warriors who guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, after he conquered six warring states to create the first unified nation of China. Archaeologists have been excavating the site for the past 40 years, and have so far uncovered about 2000 of the estimated 8000 clay soldiers. Scientists have yet to touch the central tomb, which holds a coffin containing the body of Qin Shi Huang.
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Each of these terracotta warriors have unique facial structure and expression, and you can tell their ranks by looking at their headgears: High-ranking officers wear a crown. Horse-drawn-vehicle-riding soldiers have a cone bun on the right side. Horse-riding soldiers have a flat bun at the back.
@Xian西安
秦始皇陵 Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. Constructed over 2000 years ago, the Terracotta Army 兵馬俑 is a burial troop of clay warriors who guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, after he conquered six warring states to create the first unified nation of China. Archaeologists have been excavating the site for the past 40 years, and have so far uncovered about 2000 of the estimated 8000 clay soldiers. Scientists have yet to touch the central tomb, which holds a coffin containing the body of Qin Shi Huang.
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Each of these terracotta warriors have unique facial structure and expression, and you can tell their ranks by looking at their headgears: High-ranking officers wear a crown. Horse-drawn-vehicle-riding soldiers have a cone bun on the right side. Horse-riding soldiers have a flat bun at the back.
@Xian西安
秦始皇陵 Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. Constructed over 2000 years ago, the Terracotta Army 兵馬俑 is a burial troop of clay warriors who guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, after he conquered six warring states to create the first unified nation of China. Archaeologists have been excavating the site for the past 40 years, and have so far uncovered about 2000 of the estimated 8000 clay soldiers. Scientists have yet to touch the central tomb, which holds a coffin containing the body of Qin Shi Huang.
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Each of these terracotta warriors have unique facial structure and expression, and you can tell their ranks by looking at their headgears: High-ranking officers wear a crown. Horse-drawn-vehicle-riding soldiers have a cone bun on the right side. Horse-riding soldiers have a flat bun at the back.
@Xian西安
秦始皇陵 Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. Constructed over 2000 years ago, the Terracotta Army 兵馬俑 is a burial troop of clay warriors who guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, after he conquered six warring states to create the first unified nation of China. Archaeologists have been excavating the site for the past 40 years, and have so far uncovered about 2000 of the estimated 8000 clay soldiers. Scientists have yet to touch the central tomb, which holds a coffin containing the body of Qin Shi Huang.
//
Each of these terracotta warriors have unique facial structure and expression, and you can tell their ranks by looking at their headgears: High-ranking officers wear a crown. Horse-drawn-vehicle-riding soldiers have a cone bun on the right side. Horse-riding soldiers have a flat bun at the back.
@Xian西安
高鐵 High-speed rail, which travels at about 300km/h and connects all major cities in Eastern China and more.
@Xian西安
摩拜單車 Mobike. Shared bike companies like Mobike (headquartered in Beijing) has totally changed the way mainland Chinese travel. Its competitive pricing ($1 yuan for a 30-minute ride) and abundance of bikes in all major cities make shared bike an emerging method of transportation. I racked up 50+ Mobike rides during my few weeks in China.
@Xian西安
黃山 Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain, is considered one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in China, famous for its granite peaks and views of the clouds from above. On a good day, its scenery is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and hiked Huangshan on a rainy day. Due to low visibility, my photos do not quite do justice to Huangshan’s true beauty.
@Huangshan黃山
黃山 Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain, is considered one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in China, famous for its granite peaks and views of the clouds from above. On a good day, its scenery is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and hiked Huangshan on a rainy day. Due to low visibility, my photos do not quite do justice to Huangshan’s true beauty.
@Huangshan黃山
黃山 Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain, is considered one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in China, famous for its granite peaks and views of the clouds from above. On a good day, its scenery is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and hiked Huangshan on a rainy day. Due to low visibility, my photos do not quite do justice to Huangshan’s true beauty.
@Huangshan黃山
小籠包 Xiaolongbao.
@Huangshan黃山
黃山 Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain, is considered one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in China, famous for its granite peaks and views of the clouds from above. On a good day, its scenery is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and hiked Huangshan on a rainy day. Due to low visibility, my photos do not quite do justice to Huangshan’s true beauty.
@Huangshan黃山
大雁塔 Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The Buddhist pagoda was used to hold Buddhist scriptures, relics, and figures brought back to China from India by 唐僧 Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang. Xuanzang traveled on foot from China to India and back to obtain the Buddhist scriptures in order to spread Buddhism in China in the 7th century. He traveled on foot through modern-day Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The famous novel “Journey to the West 西遊記” was inspired by his journey.
@Xian西安
大雁塔 Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The Buddhist pagoda was used to hold Buddhist scriptures, relics, and figures brought back to China from India by 唐僧 Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang. Xuanzang traveled on foot from China to India and back to obtain the Buddhist scriptures in order to spread Buddhism in China in the 7th century. He traveled on foot through modern-day Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The famous novel “Journey to the West 西遊記” was inspired by his journey.
@Xian西安
A brush and a bucket of water are all needed to practice calligraphy.
@Xian西安
大雁塔 Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The Buddhist pagoda was used to hold Buddhist scriptures, relics, and figures brought back to China from India by 唐僧 Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang. Xuanzang traveled on foot from China to India and back to obtain the Buddhist scriptures in order to spread Buddhism in China in the 7th century. He traveled on foot through modern-day Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The famous novel “Journey to the West 西遊記” was inspired by his journey.
@Xian西安
黃鶴樓 Yellow Crane Tower, made famous by Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai – 故人西辭黃鶴樓, 煙花三月下揚州. 孤帆遠影碧空盡, 唯見長江天際流.
@Wuhan武漢
華清宮 Huaqing Palace, the site where Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, Tang dynasty emperors built palace at. It is also the origin of the legendary love between the Tang emperor Xuanzong 唐明皇 and his favorite lady Yang Yuhuan 楊貴妃 in the 8th century.
@Xian西安
This snack (salty kumquats) is called “mice droppings” due to its look.
@Nanjing南京
中山陵 Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. The tomb of Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China, is buried underneath. The ROC lasted from 1912 (when the last imperial Qin dynasty was overthrown) to 1949 (when the Nationalist government was overthrown by the Communists to establish the People’s Republic of China).
@Nanjing南京
Reflecting pool.
@Hongcun宏村
南京大屠殺博物館 The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre. In the second half of the 19th century following the Meiji Restoration, Japan gradually embarked on a militarist road and began its foreign expansion, starting with the aggression against China. The Nanjing Massacre was an episode of mass murder and rape committed by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing, then the capital of China, during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. An estimated 300,000 Chinese were murdered. The event remains a controversial political issue and a stumbling block in China-Japan relations.
@Nanjing南京
南京大屠殺博物館 The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre. In the second half of the 19th century following the Meiji Restoration, Japan gradually embarked on a militarist road and began its foreign expansion, starting with the aggression against China. The Nanjing Massacre was an episode of mass murder and rape committed by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing, then the capital of China, during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. An estimated 300,000 Chinese were murdered. The event remains a controversial political issue and a stumbling block in China-Japan relations.
@Nanjing南京
辛亥革命博物館 The 1911 Revolution Museum. The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China’s last imperial Qin dynasty and established the Republic of China. Ever since the Opium War, the Qin dynasty had been on the decline and western powers started to crowd into China for partition. Many unequal treaties were signed, including the Treaty of Nanking that leased Hong Kong to Britain for 99 years. Realizing the national crisis, revolutionists represented by Sun Yat-sen 孫中山 turned to explore a revolutionary approach to restore the country, which resulted in the 1911 Revolution.
@Wuhan武漢
西安清真大寺 Great Mosque of Xian. Located in the Muslim residential area in Xian, the Great Mosque is a place of worship for Chinese Muslim. The complex is a blend of traditional Chinese and Islamic architecture. Comparing with the mosques in the Middle East, the Great Mosque of Xian looks very different.
@Xian西安
社會主義核心價值觀 Core Socialist Values. Everywhere in China, there are giant posters and banners listing the 12 Core Socialist Values of the Chinese Communist Party. It is a set of new official interpretations of “Chinese Socialism”, being promoted since 2012. The 12 Core Socialist Values are categorized into national (prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony), social (freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law), and individual (patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendship) values.
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China is ruled under a single-party system (i.e. the Chinese Communist Party) and it considers itself a socialist state. In comparison, North Korea also considers itself a socialist (Juche) state, although many would consider North Korea more of a communist country.
@Huangshan黃山
One thing that China is a little ahead of most countries is their widespread use of mobile payment: Almost everyone in China uses Alipay and WeChat Pay. To complete a transaction, all you need to do is to scan the vendor’s QR code. No one carries credit card anymore. Even street vendor I encountered in Huangshan asked me to WeChat Pay him for my $1.50 bowl of noodles! But if you are foreigners, you are out of luck because WeChat Pay requires having a bank account with a mainland Chinese bank (a Chinese bank account overseas won’t work).
@Huangshan黃山
There is the Great Wall of China, then there is the Great Firewall of China: Under the country’s internet censorship policy, about 10,000 websites / apps are blocked, including everything Google (Gmail, Google Maps, Google Drive, Google Translate), everything Facebook (Instagram, Messenger), YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Dropbox. China’s internet censorship aims at encouraging domestic competitions and blocking international rivals (Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent are all beneficiaries). It also aims at suppressing movements that could potentially threaten the value and stability of the Chinese government; Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are not included in the censorship.
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If you carry your US phone to China and turn on international roaming, the “Great Firewall” won’t affect you – You will still be able to access all the sites and apps that you normally do back home. But if you want to take advantage of using a Chinese SIM card (so that you can use certain Chinese apps that require a Chinese phone number) or WiFi at your hotel, your internet use will be filtered by the “Great Firewall” and you won’t be able to access any of the sites above, although technically you can still get around it by hopping onto a VPN (I use Express VPN, with its closest VPN server located in Hong Kong, but essentially any of its other VPN servers would work); people in the mainland don’t generally see the censorship as an inconvenience, as everything that is blocked there are Chinese alternatives (Baidu instead of Google, WeChat instead of Facebook, etc.) – If you don’t use them, life is good as usual.
@Huangshan黃山
太空艙酒店 Spacecraft Hotel in Shenzhen. The beds are slightly bigger than those in the capsule hotel I experienced in Ikebukuro, Japan.
@Shenzhen深圳
鄧小平與戴卓爾夫人蠟像 On the 69th floor of Diwang Tower 地王大廈 (means “King of Land”, due to its record-breaking price in the history of land trading) in Shenzhen is the wax sculptures of Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher. After losing the Opium War, China leased Hong Kong to Britain for 99 years under the Treaty of Nanking. As the lease end year of 1997 was approaching, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher met with Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping numerous times to discuss the specifics of the handover. During the discussions, both acknowledged that as the lease ran out Hong Kong would retain its fundamental freedom and would govern itself for 50 years beyond 1997 (i.e. one country, two systems) until 2047, as Hong Kong adjusts to Chinese rule.
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However, in 2014, China proposed to reform Hong Kong’s electoral system – Many thought that this move aimed at pre-screening Hong Kong’s chief executive candidates in order to secure a pro-China candidate. This touched a nerve with many Hongkongers because this was their democratic process that China had promised to stay out of. Hongkongers immediately took the street to protest, hence the subsequent Umbrella Revolution, with over 100,000 protestors at any given time. Over the course of three months, the Umbrella Revolution evolved from fighting for genuine universal suffrage to civil disobedience and intrusion by foreign powers attempting to disrupt the Chinese Communist Party. It remains a controversial issue between Hong Kong and the Chinese government.
@Shenzhen深圳
深圳 View from the 69th floor of Diwang Tower, with Shenzhen River at the center, separating Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Shenzhen, a city right next to the border of Hong Kong, transformed itself from a farming village of just a few hundred thousand farmers to a super productive economic powerhouse of over 15 million people in just a few decades. Nowadays, Shenzhen has roughly the same GDP / economic size as Hong Kong and Singapore. The official native language in Shenzhen is Cantonese Chinese. But as Shenzhen becomes a major city with migrants from all over China, Mandarin Chinese has become the major language, and you can hear all sorts of other dialects and accents as well.
@Shenzhen深圳
深圳 View from the 69th floor of Diwang Tower, with Shenzhen River at the center, separating Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Shenzhen, a city right next to the border of Hong Kong, transformed itself from a farming village of just a few hundred thousand farmers to a super productive economic powerhouse of over 15 million people in just a few decades. Nowadays, Shenzhen has roughly the same GDP / economic size as Hong Kong and Singapore. The official native language in Shenzhen is Cantonese Chinese. But as Shenzhen becomes a major city with migrants from all over China, Mandarin Chinese has become the major language, and you can hear all sorts of other dialects and accents as well.
@Shenzhen深圳
深圳 View from the 69th floor of Diwang Tower, with Shenzhen River at the center, separating Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Shenzhen, a city right next to the border of Hong Kong, transformed itself from a farming village of just a few hundred thousand farmers to a super productive economic powerhouse of over 15 million people in just a few decades. Nowadays, Shenzhen has roughly the same GDP / economic size as Hong Kong and Singapore. The official native language in Shenzhen is Cantonese Chinese. But as Shenzhen becomes a major city with migrants from all over China, Mandarin Chinese has become the major language, and you can hear all sorts of other dialects and accents as well.
@Shenzhen深圳
中山紀念堂 Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall. Memorial Hall for Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China. The ROC lasted from 1912 (when the last imperial Qin dynasty was overthrown) to 1949 (when the Commumists overthrew the Nationalist government to establish the People’s Republic of China).
@廣州Guangzhou
毛澤東農民運動講習所 Mao Zedong Peasant Movement Institute, the site where Mao taught 800+ students about militarism and communism, and trained them to do revolutionary work on anti-imperialism and anti-feudal struggles.
@廣州Guangzhou
南越文王墓 Nanyue King Wen’s Mausoleum. The tomb of Emperor Wen, second ruler of the Nanyue Kingdom of the Western Han Dynasty. Emperor Wen was buried in a jade burial suit, pieced together with silk threads 絲縷玉衣 – That was believed to prevent the corpse from rotting away and to secure immortality for the tomb occupant. 15 human sacrificial victims were found in the mausoleum.
@廣州Guangzhou
懷聖寺 Huaisheng Mosque, the oldest mosque in China. Inside Huaisheng Mosque are copies of the Quran translated from Arabic to simplified Chinese. On the cover of the Quran is an image of the Kaaba, a cubic granite structure that is Islam’s most sacred site located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where Islamic prophet Muhammad was born. Outside Huaisheng Mosque is a map that shows how Islam spread from Saudi Arabia to China.
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Most people in Guangzhou speak Cantonese Chinese (Guangzhou was once called Canton City).
@廣州Guangzhou
先賢清真寺 Xianxian Mosque, largest mosque in Guangzhou, originally built in 629 during the Tang Dynasty. The site is also a cemetery where 40 famous Arabic Muslim missionaries were buried.
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Most people in Guangzhou speak Cantonese Chinese (Guangzhou was once called Canton City).
@廣州Guangzhou
八達通 Octopus Card.
@HongKong香港
香港歷史博物館 Hong Kong Museum of History. This huge exhibition takes visitors through the cession of Hong Kong to Britain after the Opium Wars, the dark age of the Japanese occupation for 3 years and 8 months during WWII, and concludes with the return of sovereignty to China in 1997. The exhibition also includes the reconstruction of many festive activities like the Cantonese opera and the bun mountains.
@HongKong香港
大館古蹟藝術館 Tai Kwun Center for Heritage and Arts. 關羽 Kwan Yu, a legendary historical figure in the Three Kingdoms period, is widely known as Kwan Kung in Chinese culture. As a symbol of 忠義仁勇 loyalty, righteousness, benevolence, and bravery, Kwan Yu has been the guardian of the Central Police Station compound.
@HongKong香港
文武廟 Man Mo Temple, a Taoist temple.
@HongKong香港
Thanks for showing me how to properly consume a hairy crab, feeding me tons of amazing food, and providing a bed for me to crash out on during my short stay in Hong Kong.
@HongKong香港
Thanks for showing me how to properly consume a hairy crab, feeding me tons of amazing food, and providing a bed for me to crash out on during my short stay in Hong Kong.
@HongKong香港
12-hour flight back to the other side of the globe.
Beijing 北京 – North Korea 北韓 – Xian 西安 – Wuhan 武漢 – Nanjing 南京 – Shanghai 上海 – Huangshan 黃山 – Shenzhen 深圳 – Guangzhou 廣州 – Hong Kong 香港
