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Off The Beaten Track |
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Karakoram Highway |
This yak-nibbled highway over
the Khunjerab Pass (4800m/15,740ft) is the gateway to Pakistan and
was used for centuries by caravans plodding down the Silk Road.
Khunjerab means 'valley of blood', a reference to local bandits who
took advantage of the terrain to plunder caravans and slaughter the
merchants. |
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Longgong Caves |
Guizhou province's awesome
Longgong caves form a network through some 20 mountains. The caverns
lie in Anshun county, at the Bouyi settlement of Shitou Zhai.
Another scenic cave in the vicinity is Zhijin Cave. Anshun is a
two-hour bus ride from Guiyang. |
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Nanjing |
In a country where provincial
capitals are rarely known for their beauty, Nanjing shines. The
construction work that's churning up the face of China seems to have
affected this city less than most and it remains a place of broad
boulevards and shady trees.
This is just as well considering the oppressive summer heat that
grips Nanjing, which is known as one of China's 'three furnaces'.
The city enjoyed its golden years under the Ming, and there are
numerous reminders of the period to be found. One of the most
impressive is the Ming city wall measuring over 33km (20.5mi) - the
longest city wall ever built in the world. About two-thirds of it
still stands. On the slopes just east of Nanjing is the Sun Yatsen
Mausoleum. Sun is recognised by the communists and the Kuomintang
alike as the father of China. Nanjing is asscessible by rail, bus
and air. It is roughly 1000km (620mi) from Beijing. |
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Qufu |
Qufu, near the sacred Taoist
mountain Tai Shan, is the birthplace of Confucius (551-479 BC). Its
massive Confucius Temple features a series of impressive gateways,
clusters of twisted pines and cypresses, inscribed steles and
tortoise tablets recording ancient events.
One of the pavilions dates from 1190, while one of the junipers is
said to have been planted by Confucius himself (though a Confucian
aphorism about gullibility may descend on you if you believe this).
The core of the complex is the yellow-tiled Dacheng Hall. |
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Turpan |
Turpan is 180km (112mi)
southeast of Ürümqi and lies in a basin 154m (505ft) below sea level
- the second-lowest depression in the world after Israel's Dead Sea.
It's also the hottest spot in China: the mercury hovers around an
egg-frying 50°C (122°F) in summer. Uighur culture is still thriving
here and it's one of the few quiet places in China. The living is
cheap, the food is good, the people are friendly, and there are
interesting sights to see. Within easy reach are the Gaochang Ruins,
once a major staging post on the Silk Road; and the Flaming
Mountains, which look like they're on fire in the midday sun. |
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