Thorn Tree travel forum

1

In 2 weeks you should count on going to no more than 6 destinations, or it would be too rushed.
Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai are the usual "big 3". Some of the destinations that would be easy to fit into this route would be Pingyao, Huangshan, Luoyang, Hangzhou, and also the water villages around Shanghai.
Chengdu is also a possibility.
Cheers!

2

If you have been all over S.A. you can compare China to maybe Argentina. What I am trying to say is: it is hard to get anywhere fast by train or by bus in China, just like in Arg. China is big, real big.

Take the plane if at all possible. The only exception is perhaps between Shanghai and Beijing where you can get on the overnight train and get to your dest. rested.

B.t.w., I find China to be really safe. Except for pickpockets and hustlers you should not have any problems on your own. I rode mountain bikes all over watertowns, Xi'an, Guilin etc. No violent crime so far as I know.

No comparison to S.A.

La vida es sueno
y los suenos suenos .on.

3

ellyse has named the big three for shopping, big sights, and great variety of foods. Since China is new for you I'd suggest keeping away from all the foreign food places and search out the "common" dishes not often available in Western Chinese restaurants. While in Beijing go out walking around the shopping areas, but look around for the smaller shops and vendors who have large crowds of locals eating. Normally this means good food, cheap and a local favorite. On the way to the wall if you are in a taxi have them stop along the way at one of the many street vendors selling "Beijing Pancakes" a crepe with a fried egg, green onion and spices, you'll see the small food wagons with several people around it.

In Xi'an you need to get out to the night food vendors on the street for muslim treats as well as very early in the morning cruising the alleys for a great breakfast soup with local "bing" round flat bread. Also find a place that serves yang rou po mo, a lamb soup, for lunch or dinner. Get some of the pickled garlic to eat with it.

Getting to a "small" town or village is harder as everything looks big. You just have to check your maps and get out into locations around your selected big cities. Also you can find smaller places on your way out and back to the warriors in Xi'an. Rent a bike in Xi'an and tour the city wall and some of the smaller villages around the outside, maybe near the goose pagotas. If going to Hanzhou you can also rent a bike and ride around the lake which will go through more countryside areas.

Some great places to try interesting dishes in Shanghai and Hangzhou would be to find a local favorite for fish. Usually these places have lots of fish tanks and all sorts of live creatures swimming about. You might even find some back areas that serve dog in the winter, if you are heading over there now.

Enjoy and have a good trip.

john

4

Ah, #3 brought up a good point. "Smaller" place in China might still feel very "big" to you, depending on where you're coming from.
Cheers!

5

In 2 weeks you can only really skim the surface and sample a few places.

Yes, Shanghai (squeeze in Hangzhou, and either Tong Li or Zhouzhang water towns), Beijing, Xian (squeeze in a few days in Pingyao from there) but you really need longer to take in the gems like Lijiang, Dali, and Yangshuo. You don't say when, because the Harbin Ice Festial, though somewhat out on a limb is so worthwhile if you're travelling in January.

6

One of the top places to keep away from would be Zhouzhuang, if you're looking to avoid tourist circuses.
Cheers!

7

There is an ice festival in Beijing as well.

"Hang your chemistry and electricity! If you want to make a pile of money, invent something that will enable those Europeans to cut each other's throats with greater facility."

8

OP - you should PM a poster called sarah55. She did a trip a few months ago that fits pretty much all the criteria you're asking for

www.travbuddy.com/jimcowdrill/blogs

9

Great advice from jim there!

My two week trip took in eight days in Yunnan - a really beautiful area, with interesting ethnic minority cultures. I visited Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge (a must) and Zhongdian/ShangriLa - including a homestay with a Tibetan family.
Then I went to Chengdu - (mainly to see the pandas, but there are other attractions nearby), then to Beijing for three or four days. Enough to see the main sites and have a days hike to an unspoiled and untouristy bit of the Great Wall.

By all means PM me for more information and hostel/trip recommendations , if my itinerary sounds as if it would fit your criteria.

Kashgar lies where the maps in people's minds dissolve.

10

Wow, thanks to everyone for all your suggestions! In the past, I've picked a country or two and just sort of moved around in some logical order. However, China is so BIG, it's hard to figure out where to start.
Thanks again, everyone!