China is huge!!...as you travel through the land you will have to rethink your definition of words like emense and giant etc. because China starts with giant and expands from there.

This blog post includes Beijing, Luojang and Xi´an.  For Shanghai, Guilin and Hongkong switch to „China the south“

The great wall

The great wall was the first place I went when I arrived in China and definitely a great way to start your trip, although there are "only" around 500 km left - most parts around Beijing. The Chinese built it against the raids and invasions of the nomadic folks who are now selling souvenirs on top :)

There are four spots around Beijing which are touristically developed like "Badaling" which is completely restored, "Mutianyu",  "Juyongguan" and "Simatai".

In "Simatai" you have the possibility to go up with a cable railway and like many times in my life I yelled "yes" before I thought it trough and then, when I was sitting in that rusty little waggon, I doubted my decision. ...be wiser than me and look at things closely before you get on (actually this applies to hotel rooms in the same way).

A friend told me that for every Chinese the „head of the snake“ is a must see in his life which means that he or she needs to travel to where the great wall arises from the water. So if you feel Chinese or you are Chinese or you are me you probably should go 300 km east to "Shanhaiguan" and do what you must do.

The Forbidden City & the Tiananmen Square

In the heart of Beijing lies the "Tiananmen Square" and the entrance to the "Forbidden City". Once home to the emperor and forbidden to the public today it fills itself with thousands and thousands of people every day. Get lost for hours in this city within the city with its golden rooftops shining like gold. Afterwards walk up the "Coal Hill“ or "Jingshan Hill", as it´s also called, where you can get a lovely panoramic shot of the golden city.

The Hutongs

Don´t miss to visit the "Hutongs" around the city centre, traditional old Chinese buildings from former days. Due to new concepts of the city they are getting less and less every day. Make it fun and rent a rickshaw to explore the district.

The Dong Hua Men Night Market

One of my favourites. Although it´s a food market don´t come hungry at least if you are not open to new culinary experiences. How about 5 scorpions on a stick freshly fried, crispy spiders or sheep penis!! You can find everything your adventurous heart and stomach can possibly desire :)

The Olympic District

My last night in Beijing I spent visiting the Olympic green with the Bird´s nest (stadium) and the water cube which are located in the north but easy accessible by metro. They are beautifully led at night time.

Chinese Opera

If you like to see the Chinese opera you do good with the tourist version of it. This version takes only one hour instead of 4 hours and this yet can get really hard for European ears.

The temple of heaven

The temple is a huge district in the south of Beijing with impressive buildings and a popular destination for wedding photos as well.

The 798 Art District

Visit the 798 art district in the borough "Chaoyang" where world famous artist "Ai Wei Wei" was living back in 2011. This former military buildings have become Beijing´s biggest art district since 1995. I wish I could have stayed more than just an afternoon to explore all the ateliers and have a cup of coffee in one of the many bars.

What to see:

The "Longmen Grottoes" really impressed me. I totally loved all the little and giant Buddhas carved into the stone along the river. I recommend getting there in the morning for a better light to take pictures and to escape the crowds.

Whatelse:

Not very far from Luoyang up in the mountains you will find the Shaolin Temple also named "The Number One Temple under Heaven" and the cradle of Shaolin martial arts which can be visited throughout the year. This centre of Chinese Buddhism really captivated me in a special way with its quiet and wide terrain full of students practicing Kung Fu in perfect synchronisation surrounded by a humid and foggy climate.

Just in case: they are taking in students from other countries, as well :)

Next to it you can visit "The Pagoda Forest" basically a giant graveyard with more than 200 pagodas.

When I think of Xi´an two things pop in to my mind: the terracotta army and the fooooood....arh. Both are awsome!!

What to see:

Around 36 km from Xi´an you can visit the world famous terracotta army at the "Mausoleum Qin Shihuangdis", one of the biggest graveyards on earth. Accidently found in the 70´s, scientists are working until now to excavate the tomb and all the grave goods of the first emperor of China.

What else:

Go and eat "Baozi" in one of the many restaurants in Xi´an and wash down the tasty pieces with a terracotta army schnapps like me :)

To go on with this journey switch to China the south!