China- travelling

My China travel summary:

Visited: August 2025

Duration of visit: 3 days

Capital city: Gaborone

Population: 2.5 million (2025)

China travel blog reading time: 13 minutes

• Walking the Great Wall with a group of Chinese tourists.
• Beijing with its landmarks: Tiananmen Square, Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Forbidden City and Lama Buddhist Temple.
• Awaiting the sunrise on the top of sacred mountain Emei Shan.
• Spinning sacred wheels around Labrang Monastery in Xiahe.
• Fresh vegetarian options in the most rundown restaurants.
• A three-day horseback trip into the countryside above Songpan.
• Impressive Big Buddhas statues in Datong and Leshan.

My China travel adventure was part of the Asian Big Tour from Australia, through Southeast Asia to India. During this 15-months long trip I visited most of the countries in the region and spent two months travelling around China.

In this article I describe my travelling experience in China: tradition and modernity in Beijing, The Great Wall of China, giant panda, The Holy Mountains, Big Buddhas statues in Datong and Leshan, Xiahe – the most authentic Tibetan place outside of Tibet.

More articles about my China travel adventures are available here:

China stood out with diverse landscapes, modern cities, and travel innovations. I was amazed by the food but struggled with communication, sometimes going over a week without English contact. The honest, friendly people made the trip unforgettable.

The capital of China, Beijing, is a modern metropolis with tall skyscrapers, wide roads, the central Tiananmen Square, many parks and temples. Beijing does not reflect the reality of all China, but it shows the country’s direction of development.

Beijing reminded me on a combination of New York’s skyscrapers, Los Angeles’ highways and Tokyo’s neon lights.

It is an example of a strong national potential that has just beginning to show the limitless possibilities of development and growth at the end of the second millennium.

I stayed near the city center in a hotel mostly used by locals. They also offered two rooms that were selling as dormitory for much lower price. It was a bargain considering the fact that there were never other guests and I could use all the facilities by myself. I traveled by public transport, ate in simple street eateries, tried traditional Chinese medicine, and bargained in informal markets.

The Tiananmen Square is still marked by Mausoleum of Mao Zedong and his paintings. The scene of the October 1^st parades, when China celebrates the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, is a huge concrete platform without a single bench, surrounded by important buildings: The National Museum of China to the east, Great Hall of the People (the Parliament) to the west, the Forbidden City to the north and McDonald’s restaurant to the south.

From morning flag raising to evening dragon displays, it was fascinating to see Chinese visitors photographing Mao Zedong’s portrait.

After long days of sightseeing in Beijing, I often ended my evenings at food markets, trying unusual dishes like roasted grasshoppers, snakes, and vegetarian food.

I also watched Chinese acrobats, known for their skill and flexibility, and attended a traditional opera with colorful costumes and heavy makeup.

Among many temples, palaces, and monuments, the Forbidden City and the Lama Temple stand out the most. They are my favorite places to visit in Beijing.

In the past, ordinary people could only dream of entering the Forbidden City. This huge palace was home to Ming and Qing emperors, who lived there away from the public in luxury.

About one million workers built the Forbidden City, creating a large place with almost 1,000 buildings and over 8,700 rooms.

A masterpiece of Chinese architecture is notable for two features. No birds sit on the roofs, which are specially designed so they cannot land. The roofs are so steep that the ridge is wider than a bird’s feet, preventing them from settling. Another unusual feature is the layout: the Inner Court has trees, while the Outer Court has none.

Although the current buildings date from the 18^th century, the Forbidden City remains important in Chinese history because of its remarkable past.

The Lama Temple is by far the best-preserved temple in Beijing, remaining intact even during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

A dozen monasteries with painted ceilings, three large Buddha statues, and fine carvings make it one of the most beautiful Buddhist complexes outside Tibet. The main artwork is an 18-meter Buddha statue carved from a single piece of wood, the world’s largest of its kind.

The Great Wall and the panda are the most famous symbols of China. They promote preservation of cultural sites and endangered species and attract tourists.

Despite all the myths, legends and history of the Great Wall of China, its survival can be partially attributed to the recent local tourist boom. With the exception of a few kilometers of the restored area north of Beijing, where tourists flock daily, only a pile of rubble remains of the Great Wall.

Out of many tour options, I chose a bus with Chinese tourists. It was cheaper than English tours and left immediately. Neither the guide nor the other travelers spoke English. We still managed basic communication.

At the Great Wall, my new Chinese friends asked me to pose like a celebrity and took many photos. I felt like a model all day.

The Great Wall of China is 21,196 kilometers long, making it the longest structure ever built by human engineering.

The walls are 6 to 7 meters high on average, up to 14 meters, and about 6.5 meters wide.

This landmark was used for defense, border control, taxes, and trade regulation along the Silk Road. It also served as a transport route. Watchtowers, barracks, and signal stations improved its defense.

Over centuries, more than one million workers built it, and today over 50 million visitors see the Great Wall each year.

About 1,500 pandas were living in the world in 1999, split into 30 isolated groups in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi.

The strict ban on hunting endangered species and cutting down the forests they inhabit, has helped to stabilize their population from shrinking.

In the natural environment, it is practically impossible to experience close encounters with them, so the best solution is offered by zoos. The next stop on my China travel adventure was the biggest panda shelter – The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. It was founded in 1987 with only six rescued giant pandas. During my visit, 12 years later, the population had grown to almost 70.

Pandas eat only bamboo and are mostly inactive for up to 16 hours a day due to lack of energy. They are good swimmers and excellent tree climbers. Their bold black and white coat and curvaceous body are their trademark.

Panda conservation efforts, habitat protection, and zoo breeding are increasing their numbers. The panda remains a strong symbol of China, and its population is expected to grow each year.

The Holy Mountains were once pilgrimage routes, where difficult ascents inspired travelers with nature and spiritual energy. Today they are tourist attractions, crowded with cable car visitors who watch sunrise, buy souvenirs, and return to the valley within hours.

China recognizes nine sacred mountains, five Taoist and four Buddhist. The most important are Mount Tai (Tai Shan) for Taoists and Mount Emei (Emei Shan) for Buddhists.

Climbing Emei Shan up to 3,000 meters on stone stairs is demanding, even for experienced hikers. I took a bus most of the way and walked the final steep section to the summit.

I spent the night on the mountain to enjoy its peaceful atmosphere after the crowds had gone.

At 4:00am, in the cold and dark, I climbed to the summit of Emei Shan. Hundreds of Chinese tourists were already waiting for sunrise. I almost gave up in the freezing cold, unprepared for the temperature, when the sun finally rose through the fog. Cameras clicked as people posed at the edge, holding the sun on their palms.

All the effort was rewarded immediately as we shared a quiet sigh watching the glowing sun rise beyond the hills.

I walked back to my guesthouse where the monks, my hosts, had prepared breakfast. Warm beans, rice, tofu, and eggs were served in silence. The food was simple, fresh, and tasty. A small bow was met with a gentle smile.

A long descent awaited me. The stone stairs made walking steady, but my knees were under heavy pressure. Many unfit climbers could not continue, while some were carried up in simple bamboo stretchers.

It took almost a full day to reach the valley, with breaks at small refreshment stops along the way. I enjoyed the scenery, and watching determined people climbing the sacred mountain.

The Yungang Grottoes are ancient Chinese Buddhist temple grottoes near the city of Datong in the province of Shanxi. They are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture from 5^th and 6^th century and one of the three most famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China.

The long drive there was tiring, but I enjoyed a comfortable night train. I managed to buy train tickets, which was rare in China. What a luxury!

Finding a hotel was difficult. The cheapest option was through CITS, a state tourism company. A dorm bed was the most expensive on my trip. My room, on a higher floor, felt like a hospital ward, but I had it to myself all night.

The grottoes are a masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art, blending Buddhist symbolism from South and Central Asia with Chinese traditions.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site includes about 20 major cave temples and over 200 smaller ones. The grotto art blends Chinese styles with Greek and Indian influences. It is one of the key landmarks, and a memorable place to visit during my China travel adventure.

The most impressive statue for me was in Cave 6, with about 1,000 square meters of carved and painted interior. The 14-meter pagoda pillar looks even more majestic because of its position inside the cave.

The carved statue in front of Cave 20 is the most iconic Buddha and a symbol of Yungang. It is 13.7 meters tall, seated on a stone platform, with a straight nose, deep eyes, and a thin mustache.

The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71-meter-high, stone-carved statue of a seated Buddha carved into a cliff. Construction began in 713 and took about 90 years to complete.

It has huge features, including 7-meter ears and 8.5-meter feet, with toenails up to 1.5 meters long.

The Leshan Giant Buddha is carved from red sandstone and is the largest stone Buddha in the world. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

Datong and Leshan are far apart, but they mark the extremes of my journey from Chengdu to Beijing, passing through Songpan, Xiahe, Labrang, Lanzhou, and several small villages.

At the end of the second millennium, China is modernizing quickly. New highways and railways are built, and skyscrapers replace old wooden houses. It is becoming harder to find quiet places with natural surroundings, away from crowds, karaoke noise, and traffic pollution.

The city of Songpan in northern Sichuan was my starting point for a three-day trip into the countryside, where modern development has not yet arrived.

The surrounding hills, about 3,000 meters above sea level, have lakes, waterfalls, and forests spread across pristine land. The thin air makes walking difficult and roads too narrow for buses, so horseback riding is the best option.

With no experience of horses, I was a bit afraid to ride a white horse named Yuan. However, its calm nature made me feel safe.

We rode horses above Songpan, seeing green forests, wide wheat fields, and snowy peaks over 5,000 meters high. Whole families were working in the fields during harvest. Women cut the crops with sickles, while men tied them into bundles and loaded them onto donkeys or horses to take home. Children called out simple English and Chinese greetings as they rode behind us.

We entered the Chaka Waterfall National Park and stopped at the forest edge. Tired of strenuous ride and sunshine, I took a break while the guides set up tents and prepared a simple lunch. Still before the sunset, I stretched my legs during a short walk to the shallow, but extremely long and clamorous waterfalls.

The cold night made us gather around the fire, the only light besides the stars. Dinner was even more delicious than lunch, with beer and baijiu, a strong drink that quickly warmed us up.

Baijiu is a clear strong alcohol made from fermented sorghum, containing up to 60% of alcohol. People sometimes drink it with beer to soften its strong, burning taste.

After several drinks, the guides became lively. An older American tourist underestimated the strong drink and lose the ground beneath his feet. We encouraged our guides to sing Chinese songs, and we learned to use bellows to keep the fire going.

The night in tents was cold, but my sleeping bag and wool coat kept me warm.

Back in Songpan, one of the guides invited us to his home for dinner. His wife cooked a simple meal, and baijiu was served. The conversation flowed easily, and I used all Chinese words I had learned over the past two months. We made a final toast to the horses, ready for new riders the next day.

Horseback riding, tasting baijiu, talking with the guides, and enjoying nature were among the most exciting parts of my trip to China travel adventure.

At 2,920 meters above sea level, Xiahe has a barren landscape, but nearby steppe offered me contact with nomadic life, close encounters with yaks, and a vivid blue sky that feels within reach.

Xiahe in Gansu is considered one of the most authentic Tibetan areas outside Tibet and a must-visit place.

The town is marked by Labrang Monastery, surrounded by a three-kilometer prayer wheel circuit, one of the longest pilgrimage routes in the world.

I joined many pilgrims from near and far and began spinning the first of more than 2,000 prayer wheels. Older women walked steadily, while younger ones passed me, likely on their way to work.

Some devoted Buddhists, usually monks, move in a strict rhythm. They stop every few steps to bow, touch the ground, and repeat the cycle. Many young monks come from Tibet and often do not speak Chinese.

I learned basic Tibetan, which is very different from Chinese, along with cultural values. Monks’ calmness, solidarity, modesty, and devotion stand out. Instead of Mao’s image, their notebooks often show the Dalai Lama and other spiritual leaders.

“Labrang Monastery has the largest number of monks outside the Tibet Autonomous Region,” one of the monks explained to me.

Labrang Monastery was built in 1709 under the supervision of E’angzongzha, the first living Buddha. At its peak, it housed nearly 4,000 monks, but their number fell sharply during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.

After a major fire in 1985, the monastery was restored in the 1990s with financial support from Beijing. Today, around 2,000 monks live there, and the monastery continues to grow again.

The most peaceful moment came in the late afternoon.

I sat on the hills outside the city, above a cliff, watching Buddhist monks gathering inside and around the temple. They read sacred texts, repeat mantras, and move the beads of their mala bracelets, which help them count recitations.

These sacred counts – 18, 27, 54, and 108 – are believed to help connect with the spiritual self.

The main highlight in Xiahe is the Monlam prayer festival, held a few days after the Tibetan New Year. A 30-meter Buddha image is displayed, and large processions take place.

The festival attracts monks and pilgrims from across the region. It would be a good moment to return and experience it.

The countryside remains largely untouched and undeveloped, preserving its original character.

Despite cultural differences and some unpleasant habits, Chinese people are generally very kind. Foreigners attract attention from both young people interested in the world and older generations who lived through the Mao era.

For me, China, with its top attractions, landmarks, exciting things to do, and incredible places to visit, is among the top three destinations in Asia.