Things to do in China
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FEATURED
Hike and Bike China
13 days (Beijing)
Discover a different side to fascinating China as we hike and bike our way across this vast country.
Not LP reviewed
from USD$3,190 - All things to do
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Flower & Bird Market
The Flower & Bird Market has long been one of the more enjoyable and relaxing strolls in the city. It's also known as lǎo jiē (old street) and comprises several downtown blocks surrounded by buildings of immense, gleaming modernity and bustle. Flowers and birds most certainly aren't the main draw here anymore, though on weekends the chirping, yawping and cawing can still be heard a block or more away.
Instead, strollers pack this surreal hawkers' ghetto and its mazy neighbourhood walk of stalls chock-full of flora and fauna (well, again, not so much of these anymore, endless curios, knick-knacks, and doo-dahs, the contents of someone's back hall on more than one…
reviewed
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Lǜyáng Húntundiàn
Founded in 1802, Lǜyáng moved here in 1999 and continues to satisfy ever-hungry local appetites with wonton dumplings ( 馄饨, húntun, Y8 to Y15), fried rice dishes ( 炒饭, chǎofàn, Y12 to Y15) and soups ( 汤, tāng, Y8 to Y12). No English menu, but try yínyú húntun ( 银鱼馄饨, whitebait wonton soup, Y15), gālí jīdīng chǎofàn ( 咖喱鸡丁炒饭, curry-flavoured chicken fried rice, Y15) or yāxuè fěnsī tāng ( 鸭血粉丝汤, duck’s blood soup, Y8). They also do delicious steamed dumplings ( 小笼包, xiǎolóngbāo, Y8 for four dumplings). Pay first at the counter, then hand your slip to a waitress.
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Jokhang Temple
The 1300-year-old Jokhang Temple is the spiritual heart of Tibet: the continuous waves of awestruck pilgrims prostrating themselves outside are testament to its timeless allure.
The Jokhang was originally built to house an image of Buddha brought to Tibet by King Songtsen Gampo's Nepalese wife. However, another image, the Jowa Sakyamuni, was later moved here by the king's other wife (the Chinese Princess Wencheng), and it is this image that gives the Jokhang both its name and spiritual potency: Jokhang means 'chapel of the Jowo' and the central golden Buddha here is the most revered in all of Tibet.
The two-storeyed Jokhang is best visited in the morning, though the…
reviewed
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Luóhàn Sì Arhat Temple
Just a 10-minute walk from Liberation Monument, the 1000-year-old Buddhist Luóhàn Sì Arhat temple stands in stark contrast to the concrete jungle outside its gates. Luóhàn is the Chinese expression of the Sanskrit arhat, which is a Buddhist term for those enlightened disciples who have overcome the bondages of greed, hate and ignorance.
The temple's most striking feature is a long corridor of Song dynasty rock carvings. Among these carvings are a large bronze Buddha and an Indian-style jataka mural of Prince Siddhartha cutting his hair to renounce the world. There are also over 500 terracotta arhats, which could not withstand fires, bombs and pollution, and so have…
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Húnán Provincial Museum
Not to be missed, this first-rate museum has fascinating exhibits from the 2100-year-old Western Han tombs of Mǎwángduī, some 5km east of the city.
The items on show allow you to get a rare handle on Western Han aesthetics – check out the astonishing expressions on the faces of some of the wooden figurines. Also excavated are more than 700 pieces of lacquerware, Han silk textiles and ancient manuscripts on silk and bamboo wooden slips, including one of the earlier versions of the Zhōuyì (Yìjīng, also called I Ching), written in formalised Han clerical script.
But the highlight is the body of the Marquess of Dai, extracted from her magnificent multilayered lacquered…
reviewed
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Guāngxiào Temple
The 'Bright Filial Piety Temple', about 400m west of the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, is the oldest temple in Guǎngzhōu, dating back to the 4th century. By the Tang dynasty it was well established as a centre of Buddhist learning in southern China. Bodhidarma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, once taught here.
Most of the current buildings date from the 19th century. The most impressive is the main hall, with its double eaves. Inside is a 10m-high statue of the Buddha. At the back of the hall sits an equally impressive statue of Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy. Take metro line 1 to Xīmén Kǒu station.
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Bookworm
A combination of a bar, cafe, restaurant and library, the Bookworm is a Běijīng institution. Perhaps it’s the 14,000-plus books you can browse while sipping your coffee, or working your way through the extensive wine list. The food maintains the bookish theme, with sandwiches (Y42) and dishes named after famous authors, even if it, and the alcohol, is overpriced. The Bookworm is much more than just an upmarket cafe, however. It’s one of the epicentres of Běijīng cultural life and hosts lectures, poetry readings, a Monday-night quiz and an annual book festival. Any author of note passing through town gives a talk here. The local listings mags will tell you what events are…
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South Cathedral
Běijīng’s South Cathedral was built on the site of the house of Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci, who brought Catholicism to China. Since being completed in 1703, the church has been destroyed three times, including being burnt down in 1775, and endured a trashing by anti-Christian forces during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. The church is today decorated with modern stained glass, fake marbling, red carpets, portraits of the Stations of the Cross and cream-coloured confessionals, while black bibles in Chinese lie stacked about and the occasional local nun makes an appearance. All manner of crucifixes can be bought from the religious artefacts shop, near the statue of St…
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Yuèxiù Park
You'll find gardens, shaded wood paths, historical monuments and museums in this vast urban park. On top of a hill in the centre of the park is the red-walled, five-storey Zhènhǎi Tower (Zhènhǎi Lóu), built in 1380. It was used as a watchtower to keep out the pirates who once pillaged China's coastal cities. In 1928 the tower was rebuilt to accommodate the Guǎngzhōu City Museum, which has an excellent collection of exhibits tracing the history of Guǎngzhōu from the Neolithic period. There are sweeping views of Guǎngzhōu from the top storey. On the east side of the tower is the Guǎngzhōu Art Gallery (Guǎngzhōu Měishùguǎn). In addition to Cantonese embroidery…
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Tángjiā Public Garden
On the outskirts of Zhūhǎi are some lesser-known sites that have nonetheless played vital parts in Guǎngdōng history. To the north is the labyrinth-like Tángjiāwān (唐家湾), where this private estate of the first premier of the Republic of China, Tong Shaoyi, was created in 1900. Now it's a garden preserving various old-growth and rare species from south China.
reviewed
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Maliandao Tea Market
South of Beijing West Train Station is Maliandao, the largest tea market in northern China. The four-storey building is home to if not all the tea in China, then an awful lot of it. There are brews from all over the country here, including pu’er and oolong. Although it’s mostly for wholesalers, the market is a great place to wander for anyone interested in tea and the vendors are normally happy to let you sample some. Maliandao Lu itself has hundreds of tea shops, where prices for tea and tea sets are lower than in the tea shops in tourist areas. To find the tea market, look for the statue of Lu Yu, the 8th-century sage who wrote the first book on growing, preparing and…
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Japanese Germ Warfare Experimental Base
There are museums highlighting Japanese wartime atrocities all over Dongbei, but this is one is actually set in the notorious Japanese Germ Warfare Experimental Base – 731 Division used to inflict some of those atrocities. Between 1939 and 1945, Chinese prisoners of war and civilians were frozen alive, subjected to vivisection or infected with bubonic plague, syphilis and other virulent diseases. Three to four thousand people died here in the most gruesome fashion, including Russians, Koreans, Mongolians and, it is believed, a few American airmen.
The main building of the base is now a museum complete with photos, sculptures and exhibits of the equipment used by the…
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Manchurian Special Flavour JiǎVozi Restaurant
With its singing waitresses in their colourful qípáo (traditional Chinese dress) and a menu that proclaims, ‘We all love you’, this friendly, noisy restaurant specialises in the cuisine of northeastern China, a region of icy winds and biting cold. That means lots of hearty meat dishes such as stewed chicken (Y28) and shredded pork with wild vegetables (Y25). But the real deal here are the delicious jiǎozi. There’s a whole range to pick from, but the green pepper and pork, Chinese cabbage and pork, and pumpkin and egg are particularly addictive. Try a few bottles of Hapi, Harbin’s very own beer (Y12), to make it the perfect Dōngběi experience. English menu.
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Grandma's Kitchen
Highly popular with locals, this chain restaurant cooks up classic Hángzhōu favourites; try the hóngshāo dōngpō ròu (红烧东坡肉; braised pork). There are several other branches in town.
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Alameda
Consistently high-class fusion cuisine with a Brazilian twist in a light and spacious environment makes this Běijīng’s finest Western restaurant. The Brazilian chef changes the menu daily, but regular dishes include filet mignon in a rosemary and red wine sauce with roasted potatoes and pan-fried whole tiger prawns. There is an à là carté menu but the two-course set lunch and dinner menus will satisfy most people’s appetites. Dessert costs extra though, while the extensive wine list is not cheap (from Y200 a bottle). Sophisticated without being snobbish, it’s a place to splash out. It’s essential to book.
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Orchid Garden
Across from Yuèxiù Park off Jiefang Beilu is this charming garden famous for its blossoming orchids. With its winding paths, arched stone bridges and willow-fringed ponds, you may forget you're even in Guǎngzhōu. An old Muslim cemetery sits on the western edge of the park, supposedly the burial site of Abu Waqas, the uncle of the Prophet, who is credited with bringing Islam to China. The cemetery is closed to non-Muslims.
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Dàpéng Fortress
East of Shenzen is Dapeng Fortress. This preserved walled town, still a lively village, was built 600 years ago and was a key battle site in the Opium Wars in the 19th century. To get here, board bus 360 at Yinhu bus station; the bus also stops near China Regency Hotel at Sungang Lu. The journey takes about 90 minutes. Alight at Dapeng bus station (Dàpéng zǒngzhàn; 大鹏总站 ) and change to bus 966. Faster and easier is the Sha Tau Kok Express ($60, 90 minutes, hourly departure between 7am and 6.30pm) at Suffolk Rd (MTR Kowloon Tong, exit C). At the Dapeng bus station change to minibus 966.
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Baishi Street
More off the beaten track is Baishi Street, literally 'white stone' street, on Qi'ao Island (Qíaòdǎo; 淇澳岛), where local villagers drove the British off the island on the eve of the First Opium War and used the proceeds of a British indemnity to pave a path with white stones.
Today the village preserves a 700-year-old shrine and an old fortress. To get there, board bus 10 on Yingbin Dadao at Gongbei and alight at Tángjiāshìcháng. The journey takes 45 minutes. Then change to minibus 85 to Qi'ao Island and get off at the terminus. This takes another 15 minutes.
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A-Ma Temple
Opposite the Maritime Museum, the A-Ma Temple was probably already standing when the Portuguese arrived, although the present one may only date from the 16th century. The temple is dedicated to A-Ma aka Tin Hau, the goddess of the sea, from which the name Macau is derived. Many believe that when the Portuguese asked the name of the place, they were told ‘A-Ma Gau’ (bay of A-Ma). In modern Cantonese, ‘Macau’ is Ou Mun, meaning ‘gateway of the bay’.
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Qingping Market
Just north of Shamian Island, what is bizarrely translated as 'Peaceful Market' has vast displays of medicinal herbs, dried mushrooms and other plants, live birds, and tubs of squirming turtles, fish and frogs. Much harder to stomach, though, are its cages of live animals, including kittens and puppies, and more exotic creatures such as bats, owls and monkeys - all put out for human consumption, and some in the most pitiful distress. It is one of the most notorious markets in China, and though it has cleaned up its act in the past several years it remains a disturbing place and is not recommended.
reviewed
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Qibao
Well within reach of the centre of town (8km southwest of Xujiahui), the ancient canal town of Qibao dates back to the Northern Song dynasty (AD 960–1127), reaching its apogee during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Qibao is littered with traditional historic architecture, threaded by small, busy alleyways and cut by a picturesque canal. Vestiges of village handicrafts survive, including traditional wooden-bucket makers, a traditional distillery and a remarkable miniature carving museum. If you can blot out the crowds, Qibao will bring you some of the flavours of old China.
reviewed
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Hike and Bike China
13 days (Beijing)
Discover a different side to fascinating China as we hike and bike our way across this vast country.
Not LP reviewed
from USD$3,190 -
P
1221
No one has a bad thing to say about this smart expat favourite and rightly so, as it has never let its standards dip over the years. Meat dishes start at Y42 for the beef and dough strips (yóutiáo), and the plentiful eel, shrimp and squid dishes are around twice that. Other tempting fare includes the roast duck (Y108) and braised pork (Y68). The pan-fried sticky rice and sweet bean paste (from the dim-sum menu) makes a good dessert. It’s also worth ordering the eight-fragrance tea just to watch it served spectacularly out of 60cm-long spouts. Reserve.
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Jiankou
For stupefying hikes along perhaps Běijīng’s most incomparable section of wall, head to the rear section of the Jiankou Great Wall, accessible from Huáiróu. It’s a 40-minute walk uphill from the drop off at Xizhazi Village ( 西栅子村; Xīzhàzi Cūn) to a fork in the path among the trees that leads you to either side of a collapsed section of wall, one heading off to the east, the other heading west. Tantalising panoramic views spread out in either direction as the brickwork meanders dramatically along a mountain ridge; the setting is truly sublime.
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Sha Tin 18
When done right, the Peking duck (whole $398, half $218, 24-hour advance booking required) here – with skin airy like a kiss – is excellent, but sometimes the birds aren’t rescued from the heat in time, and they taste burnt. However, that is a kink this just-opened restaurant may be able to iron out, given time. The pot-stickers ($68), mustard greens ($78) and Chinese-themed desserts are quite delicious. Take a ringside seat at the show kitchen and see if you agree with us. The Hyatt Regency is a five-minute walk from University MTR station.
reviewed