Four Capitals and a Thousand Warriors in Two Weeks (Voyages Jules Verne Treasures of China Tour)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Voyages Jules Verne Treasures of China Tour
Date:	04/03/08 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sights you will remember forever

Disadvantages: A LOT of travelling; still so much we didn't see

My wife had been insisting for a number of years that she wanted to visit China. It always seemed a long way to go to me to visit a third world country. OK, there's the Great Wall and also the Terracotta Army but what else to justify an outlay of a lot of money? I remained to be convinced.

A small booklet in a Sunday newspaper suggested that maybe there was a way to satisfy the curiosity without breaking the bank. The booklet was from Voyages Jules Verne and featured their unique blend of historical interest and pure sightseeing in famous locations all around the World. The particular tour that attracted our attention was the Treasures of China tour. This 14 day adventure covered just about everything we wanted to see and do, with the exception of a visit to Hong Kong and Shanghai.


Voyages Jules Verne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The booking process was quite straight-forward. We initially entered our booking request via the website (www.vjv.co.uk) although, from that point onwards all subsequent communications were either by post or by phone. I have written a separate review of this travel company that goes into greater detail about my experiences with them.


Air China
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our flight to and from China was booked for us as a part of the trip by VJV. There was a choice to upgrade to business class but we decided not to bother taking advantage of that as the flights were normal scheduled ones rather than charter flights and so should normally be considered to be less cramped than might otherwise be the case. Once again, I have written a separate review of our experiences with Air China.


Arrival in China
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our point of arrival was Beijing Airport. Our group of fellow travellers numbered about a dozen. Unfortunately this number was just insufficient for VJV to allocate us a dedicated guide for the entire tour. We would be meeting up with different ones along the way. The other issue, as a direct result of this (though I'm still not quite sure why) is that our initial contact at Beijing was not allowed to proceed through Immigration to meet us "airside", unlike other tour parties who flew in at the same time.

The consequence was that we had to try to find all of the other members of our party and, most especially, those holding our Group Visa. The first was fairly easy; we did that on the plane as we had been reserved seats in the same part of the plane, all except for our visa holders. It turned out that they had paid to upgrade to Business Class, so we didn't know who they were. In the end they were almost the last off of the plane but only really because one of them walked with the aid of a stick and so was not exactly the fastest thing on two legs! We were wondering how she would cope with all the inevitable walking!

Once we were all together and lined up in the order of our names on the visa document we were finally able to enter China!


Beijing
~~~~~~~~~~
Our initial impression of Beijing was absolutely nothing like we had imagined. This is a vast ultra-modern city. Virtually all of the buildings are high-rise and built in recent times. The office skyscrapers carry the names of every major international corporation you can think of. The old, original low-rise housing (hutongs) has almost totally been demolished, with just a few example preserved, more as tourist attractions than anything else. Incentives to abandon their old homes and move into new state-provided high-rise apartments have been offered to help with the clearances but now people are simply being given money and told to find themselves somewhere else to live. With the price of property rocketing in a boom that would stagger most Westerners, people are finding it very difficult to do so ,with the consequent intense pressure on family.

The entire city is criss-crossed by roads which are little short of motorways. Massively wide multi-lane dual carriageway roads carve their way in every direction but the traffic is still as bad as you will find it in any city in the World with even less generous road systems. The number of vehicles is staggering, and mostly modern at that. BMWs and Mercs are almost run-of-the-mill. Bikes are still very much in evidence but I get the feeling that their numbers are decreasing substantially as China tries to move into the 21st century.

Buses are everywhere and appear now to be the "workers'" means of transport. Rail, however, is virtually non-existent. There is a mainline station but there is no metro system. This could be the salvation of Beijing and there is talk of building one.

One immediate and abiding impression of Beijing was the smog. A thick and unpleasant grey/blue haze hung over the city as far as the eye could see in all directions. As we were to learn, this smog is not just limited to Beijing but generally hangs over about a third of China. It's cause is not primarily the millions of road vehicles. It is mainly caused by China's rush to participate in all of the Western "benefits" of the industrialised society, which is utterly dependent upon electricity.

China has various sources of energy in abundance. As we would see later, the Three Gorges Dam is a huge contributor to China's electricity demands but this is only just starting to come on-stream. Still the major source of electricity is coal-fired generating plants. China has coal in abundance but unfortunately it is all of the type that is rich in sulphur. A new coal-fired plant is being brought on-line every three days and almost none of them have any sulphur suppressing filters, hence the smog. This problem is only going to get worse. It is now coming back to haunt the Chinese in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.

Sadly, the fault lies as much with the West as with China. China is, these days, the factory of the West. Western corporate pursuit of ever cheaper means of production has resulted in the export of our pollution.

One word of warning; we were informed that all public toilets in China are utterly disgusting and warned to avoid them at all costs. Wherever possible use those in restaurants, department stores and hotels. This is, apparently, a matter of major concern with the Olympics in mind and the millions of expected tourists.


Plaza Hotel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our hotel in Beijing was modern although not central to the city. As a base for a few days, however, we could not complain. Our room was very comfortable and well decorated. We were on the fifth floor and could see over some of the city, at least, as far as the smog permitted. Another hotel was going up next door but work there did not disturb.

The food in the restaurant was good and probably a little "westernised" in style. We found during the course of the trip that Chinese food here bears little relation to what you get in Chinese restaurants back home. The staff here and, indeed, throughout the hotel were unendingly helpful and friendly.


Tian An Men Square
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know what impression you get when Tiananmen Square is mentioned but probably, like me, it is of the popular revolt so brutally suppressed by the authorities back in the late eighties and especially of the one guy standing in front of the tank (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tianasquare.jp g). It's actually nothing like that. In fact, the guide told us that news of what was happening was so heavily censored in China that most Chinese only know of these events from tourists.

The square itself is vast; over 100 acres. That's about one third the size of Hyde Park. Various monuments and statues are spread around the square but it is dominated by the central mausoleum to Mao. You can visit. We didn't. On one side of the square is the huge Great Hall of the People, essentially government offices and congress conference auditoriums. This is also open to the public when not in use. We passed on that. At one end is the Forbidden City.

There are a number of severely disabled people who frequent the square and beg for money though not aggressively so. Nevertheless it is quite distressing. You mainly find them at the end of the square adjacent to the Forbidden City. They congregate there because this is where the tour groups have their group photos taken, with the Forbidden City walls in the background.

The visit to Tiananmen Square would have been great if only the smog hadn't ruined most of our attempts to take memorable photos.


The Forbidden City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No words of mine could possibly adequately describe this stunning place. As you walk through the gates, across the road from Tiananmen Square, it's like walking back a thousand years, or would be but for the thousands of tourists and the continuous sound of cameras taking pictures. Even so, the place is so vast that the tourists very soon fade in to obscurity against the grandeur of the buildings and squares. It truly is a city within a city.

We spent a few hour here and only covered a fraction of what there was. Nevertheless we got to see all of the most famous buildings and to spend some time just exploring alone, before moving on to the next wonder. Not all the buildings are open. Some are undergoing extensive renovation and are revealed only by a technique I have also seen used in Venice, that of covering the enclosing scaffolding with a real-size printed picture of the building beneath.

The Forbidden City lived up to all my expectations, and more. I just wished we could have spent more time there.


The Summer Palace
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Our afternoon consisted of a visit to the Summer Palace, located outside of the city. This utterly delightful location is built around a two square kilometer man-made lake. All around the shores and on the overlooking hills are splendid buildings that were used by the noble and mighty to "chill out". Nowadays it's the favourite destination of the city folk for the same reason.

One of the most famous monuments in the park is a "boat" entirely made of marble. Obviously it doesn't float or even go anywhere but it is designed to look pretty much like the Chinese idea of a Mississippi river boat and the views from it over the lake are superb.

From this location you can get a ferry across the lake to the small island that is separated from the shore by a beautiful bridge with seventeen arches. We did. A better way of getting back to our starting point I cannot imagine.


The Peking Opera
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't take the word Opera too literally. It's really a revue show in traditional Chinese dress and telling popular stories. The actors (all male) decorate their faces in a prescribed manner and a real plus is that they do it in the lobby and so you can get to watch them all putting their faces on.

I found this show hugely entertaining. It only lasts about an hour and a half and its not a bit boring. Obviously all the dialogue is in Mandarin but video screens on both sides of the stage display the storyline in Chinese and English, so you know what's going on although mostly it's obvious.

You may find it strange that the dialogue is also shown in Chinese but this is because not everyone in China speaks Mandarin, the official dialect. Although written Chinese is the same throughout China, the way it's spoken is different depending upon where you are. There are around 57 different dialects of Chinese and most can't understand other dialects although Mandarin and English are becoming commonplace. Indeed, English is mandatory for anyone involved in the tourist trade.

Of all the sketches the one about the young maiden asking for help from a passing boatman to pursue her boyfriend to a clandestine assignation downstream is brilliant. Bear in mind that there are no props at all. Nevertheless, the impression of trying to board a boat from the shore across a plank and punting off down the river was riveting. Some of the action just makes you howl with laughter.


The Great Wall
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing, not even pictures and TV programmes, prepares you for the scale of the Great Wall, and you only get to see a couple of kilometres of it! The bit to which they take you is located overlooking Beijing up in the hills at Badaling. This has been developed into a real tourist trap, with dozens of shops, tea rooms and restaurant.

You climb up onto the wall at its lowest point here and are offered the hard route to the left or the easier route to the right. We went right. If that was easy I dread to think what the hard part was like! Others of our party did and said it wasn't so bad and had the benefit of far fewer tourists. They probably made the right choice.

The Wall follows the contours of the highest parts of the ridges from one high point to the next. In some places the climb is not far from vertical and the steps are so close together and so high between steps that the climb is really difficult. Lord only knows how the soldiers who patrolled it in ancient times managed.

This part of the Wall has been extensively restored in the manner in which it was originally built and so the impression you get is genuine. We made it as far as we could go in the time allotted, which is to the highest point, where you can get your official photo and certificate of achievement. You then have to go all the way back again which, although mostly downhill, still isn't as easy as it sounds.

We ate here in a good local restaurant before moving on to...


The Ming Tombs
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You are dropped from the coach at the end of a truly impressive promenade lined with an "honour guard" of dozens of beautiful marble statues. The setting is stunning but you only get to see a small part of the entire complex.

You are picked up at the other end where there are loads of tourist stalls. You are warned that some of the stallholders are crooks that use sleight of hand tricks to make out that you have given them the wrong money. Be warned, if you decide to buy something.


Shopping
~~~~~~~~~~~
The guide, out to make a bit of money on the side I'm sure, offered to take us out I the evening to visit Beijing's equivalent of Oxford Street. Included in the trip was a visit to the world-famous street food market where you can buy to eat just about anything that grows on this Earth of ours.

Some of it looks quite revolting to Western eyes but fascinating nevertheless. There were the inevitable young Japanese guys egging each other on to eat ever more gross "delicacies", all be captured for posterity on video camera! Halfway through it started to rain and as quick as a shot there were street traders there selling collapsible umbrella. We bought one to keep us dry for the princely sum of 65p.

A memorable evening.


Longmen Caves
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Big Buddhas, little Buddhas, Buddhas on ledges, Buddhas in caves, walls covered in Buddhas as small as your thumb. For anyone into Buddhas, this is pretty much Buddha Central. Mind you, once you've seen one Buddha...

The walk along beside the river was very pleasant, or would have been if it hadn't been so hot. Otherwise something of a Ho Hum experience.


The Cave People
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First of all was a visit to local museum at Luoyang, giving a history of the area but what we had really come to do was meet the cave people.

Now, "cave people" gives the wrong impression. They don't really live in a cave; they live in a hole in the ground! A big hole. About 25 feet deep and about 50 feet long by 25 feet wide. You enter it down a ramp. The central courtyard has rooms dug out into the walls all around and this is where the people actually live, hence "cave people".

People here in this part of China have lived like this for centuries. It has the advantage of being warm in winter and cool in summer. There was even a tree growing in the middle of the courtyard, for shade.

The property belonged to an old lady who is one of the few surviving who was forced as a child to undergo the practice of foot-binding. She and her family are some of the very few who still live this way although the property is being encroached on all sides by modern surface built houses. They survive purely because of the tourist trade.

We loved this visit and our ability to meet with real Chinese people, even if their circumstances were so unusual.


Xian
~~~~~~~
Xian is China's second capital (there are four; we visited all of them). Our journey here from Luoyang was by train, taking six hours. The coach was a double decker but unfortunately we were on the lower deck. Even so, the scenery over the length of the journey was fascinating and during it you got a real impression of the vast extent of China's coal mining activities. The journey passed quicker than I had imagined.

Xian is a staggeringly beautiful city. Enclosed on all sides by 17 kilometres of walls, it did to all intents, have its own private Great Walls. The tops of the walls are so wide that two lorries could easily pass on the roadway there. For tourists wanting to see more of the walls and from them the city, there are large electric "golf" buggies to save you having to walk. The wide streets that bisect the city are lined with pomegranate trees, which were in full bloom whilst we were there.

But, the real reason why we were here was to see...


The Terracotta Army
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing prepares you for the shear impact of the Terracotta Army site, not even the many TV programmes that have featured its history and recent excavation. The first hall you enter is "Pit No. 1". This is the one you have probably seen by way of photos. The hall is huge. A single span roof bridges the pit and a gallery all around the outside enables you to see the excavation from all angles.

Contrary to what you may have understood, none of the terracotta statues of soldiers and animals has survived intact. The statues that you will have seen are all the painstaking work of dedicated restorers, piecing together the shattered fragments unearthed from the ground. This is a work of dedication and probably a lifetime for most employed on the job.

The restoration work on each statue can be seen progressing at the far end of the hall on a platform of earth over where trenches are yet to be excavated. It's amazing to see them in partial restoration, full of holes.

There are three other pits all in a less extensive state of excavation but in some of these it's possible to get an even better idea of the task ahead. They haven't even started on the main site though, a huge hill enclosing the tomb of the Emperor Qin (pronounced Chin, hence China) himself. This will be unlikely to start for at least 50 years. Already though, they know a lot about it from ground radar surveys and chemical soil analysis. Rumours of rivers of mercury seem to be borne out by the results.

The visitor centre has on display in glass cabinets examples of the very finest of the models unearthed from their graves. The model of the bronze chariot is exquisite.

Basically the story is that four farmers were digging a well and unearthed a head. Fear of authority overcame superstition and they reported their find. What they had found was the long lost tomb of the Emperor Qin, effectively the founder of the China as we know it today. In unifying China under one rule he had made a lot of enemies. To protect him in the afterlife he created an army in clay, surrounding his tomb and hidden in buried tunnels.

It did him no good. Once he was gone the peasants revolted, dug out the entrances to the tunnels, stole all the weapons there with the statues and set light to the wooden ceiling joists, so bringing the whole lot collapsing down. This is why all the statues are smashed.

Only one of the farmers remains and he is forced to work in the tourist centre every day, signing copies of the book about the site. The poor guy looked utterly fed up with this unending toil, from which only death will probably release him.


The Great Mosque
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Through a maze of back streets and little covered alleyways we made our way to the Great Mosque. You would be unlikely to find this sanctuary of calm in the middle of a bustling city, by chance. The grounds and building surrounding its central garden are delightful. A fascinating visit and one I'm glad we didn't miss.


Tang Dynasty Theatre
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The evening's meal was taken in the form of a supper show. This was a proper stage production though more glamorous and dynamic than the Peking Opera. Once again telling traditional stories, it does so more by way of spectacular that would not be out-of-place in the West. Think Chicago or Cirque du Soliel and you will get something of an idea.

Thoroughly enjoyable and we got great food and drink at the same time!


The Wild Goose Pagoda
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This huge building was effectively a library designed to protect the works of the Buddhist monks. It has survived almost undamaged for over a thousand years. Otherwise, somewhat unremarkable!


Wuhan
~~~~~~~~
An internal flight brought us to Wuhan and an overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Riverside Hotel. The stroll along the banks of the river were delightful. The hotel was fine.

The following morning featured a visit to the local museum which, regrettably made such an impression that I can remember little about it!

We then transferred to...


MV Yangtse Paradise
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One of a number of river cruisers that would be our home for the next three days as we made our way to Chongqing, taking in along the way various sights but most especially the Three Gorges Dam. The ship was clearly not in its first flush of youth; the floor of the central corridor flexed alarmingly in places. However, it was clean, comfortable and the crew maintained the standard of friendliness and helpfulness we had come to expect in China.


Three Gorges Dam
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I mentioned, China is consuming electricity like there is no tomorrow. The power of the mighty Yangtse was clearly a target for "harvesting" although the Chinese authorities have justified their decision as an attempt to prevent the flooding that has from time to time blighted the riverside communities.

When complete the dam will generate 17% of all of China's electricity needs. From this you will guess that the dam is humongous. At the time of our tour it was still not complete. Vast amounts of the riverside banks had already been drowned; another 75 metres were still yet to be inundated.

In the process millions of people had been displaced. Most had their communities rebuilt by the authorities in brand new homes with modern amenities, above the final high-water mark. They weren't complaining! In some cases ancient monuments were left to drown, some removed and rebuilt above. However, hundreds of thousands of others were dispersed to other parts of China.

The dam is a truly impressive undertaking. We started below the dam and emerged above it up a "stairway" of five massive locks; the fifth had not then been brought into use, awaiting the final flooding. The whole exercise took about two hours before we were finally on the way. The boats pay no fee to travel up and down the locks. There is planned to be a quicker boat lift for which there will be a charge but as yet none of the Chinese engineers have figured out a design that will work for ships, which will weigh up to 3,000 tons, not including the water in the tank. They clearly haven't heard of the Falkirk Wheel, which I would have thought would have had no problem scaling up to the size required.


The Yangtse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This river is truly a highway. Vast amounts of cargo uses it, not the least of which is the coal mined close to its banks. The river is so influential that it enjoys its own micro-climate. Unfortunately this is generally damp!

The attraction of the river here are the three magnificent gorges that hem in the river and give the area its name. Despite hundreds of metres of the gorges having already disappeared beneath the rising waters the sights are still impressive.


Shennong Xi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Of course, the flooding of the Yangtse doesn't just affect the Yangtse; it affects its tributaries as well. At the Shennong Xi tributary we transferred to smaller ferries that took us up to a small fishing community that has also had to relocate up the banks to avoid the rising waters. Along the way our guide points out the mysterious "hanging coffins", coffins wedged in small caves high on the cliffs. No one knows how they were put in place but they have been there hundreds of years.

This small fishing community now has to travel miles further up the tributary for its fish. In order to compensate they have supplemented their livings by entertaining tourists. The tourists are taken further up the tributary in the traditional fishing canoes. The locals treat it as a race and as the water level gets lower they get out and start towing the boats with ropes up the rapids. Boats are not unknown to have a "coming together" but it's all in good but serious fun. The run back through the rapids is quite exhilarating. On the trip back to the village we were treated to a delightful singing performance by our young local guide.


White Emperor City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baidi (White Emperor City) is an optional additional shore excursion but is under no circumstances to be missed. This incredible town, built on a rocky outcrop high above the river is full of fascinating sights. The terrace overlooking the river provides amazing views, not the least of which is of the panorama that features as a scene printed on the Chinese currency notes. We compared one in our wallet with what was in front of us so as to confirm that the picture was taken from the very spot on which we stood.


Fengdu
~~~~~~~~
Fengdu - The City of Ghosts - is a fascinating riverside location dedicated to Death. The city built high above the river is safe from the effects of the dam but the occupants have greater fears. They fear ghosts. Traditionally a shopkeeper here will place the money offered to him in a bowl of water. If it floats then the customer is a ghost!

This fascinating city is reached from the river banks by a ski chair-lift and is so full of delights as to entertain any Stephen King enthusiast. Never has Death been so entertaining.


Dazu
~~~~~~
At Chongqing, our third Chinese capital, we reached the end of our cruise but Chongqing was not our actual destination. For that we had to make the two and half hour trip over deteriorating roads to Dazu to see yet more Buddhist caves! It does show that once you are away from the centre of real power, not much money gets spent on the local infrastructure.

Along the way the regular sight of grossly overloaded lorries was really alarming. The guide said that the authorities were trying to crack down on it but not by the evidence of my eyes. She said that one lorry driver had been arrested for having a load weighting 25 tons on a lorry designed to carry 5!

The caves at Dazu and the rock carvings were impressive but probably more so because of the delightful setting. Otherwise I have to admit that it was a trip I could have done without. We had to travel all the way back to Chongqing for the next leg of our journey as the only local airport is a military one!


Nanjing
~~~~~~~~~~
You probably know of Nanjing by virtue of the local motor manufacturer who bought the rights to make MG Rover cars after the dismal UK management drove the company to ruin by their incompetence. Nanjing is our fourth and final Chinese capital.


Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The reason why we are here. Sun Yat Sen, far more than Mao, is really the Father of the modern China. It was he who dragged China kicking and screaming into the 20th century.

His mausoleum and the grounds in which it is set are truly impressive. The man is still very much revered in China and it shows. The 392 steps up from the entrance match the mood of majesty and the views from the platform are staggering. I'm not much into tombs as such but I'm glad we didn't miss this one.

Followed by a trip to a local museum with some impressive ceramics and bronzes. I must admit I wandered over to the other wing, which was not officially on the tour, and found some really interesting displays about local history.


Temple of Heaven
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And so we return by air finally back to our starting point, Beijing. The morning was spent in the beautiful Temple of Heaven gardens, where, it seems, most of Beijing congregate on their day off to "do their own thing". This involves all sorts of activities such as acapella singing groups, musical groups and people simply playing cards and other games. I don't think this is done for the benefit of tourists; it just seems to be the way the locals chill out.


Conclusions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was truly a trip of a lifetime. The things I saw (well, most of them) I will never forget and if I do I still have the thousands of photos I took, to remind me. Yes, there were the odd few parts of the trip that didn't match up to the overall standard but in general the experience was outstanding. I could have done with less Buddhas!

In general we were hosted very well by the local guides although one or two of them were really not up to scratch. There was one guy who only seemed able to talk about football. OK, it is the International game but we were here to get away from it!

I believe that we enjoyed good value for money. The total outlay for the two of us probably came to around £4,000.

All the accommodation was good; even the cruise ship was acceptable despite its age.

The food experience was extraordinary. We think we know Chinese food but really we don't. We ate in some strange places en route. On one occasion we ate in a factory canteen! The food was good everywhere though but we just found the "sameness" to be ultimately wearing. Oh how we longed for a lovely plate of bangers and mash. The strangest was that all of the dishes arrived on the table in any old order. It seems the Chinese have no concept of Starter, Main dish and Dessert. You could get the soup last of all and frequently did.

Would I recommend the trip? Absolutely. If you can go, do go. You will not regret it. Oh, and do try and learn a few words of Mandarin, if only to make the locals laugh. Oh, and by the way, Chinese is the only language which has no words for Yes and No. Bet you didn't know that!

Summary: A tour that takes you to the places you have heard of but never really seen