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Your holiday - Your way

COUNTRY GUIDE

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BEST TIME TO GO - Spring and Autumn - April to May and Sept to Oct.
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Summer - June to August can be very busy but is good for the mountains.
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Winter is the only time the weather could be a problem - Nov to early March.
POPULATION - 1,439,323,776
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CAPITAL - Beijing (Northern Capital)
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ETHNICITY - Han 92% and 55 other minorities
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LANGUAGE - Mandarin
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NATIONAL DRINK - Baijiu, distilled grain
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NATIONAL DISH - Peking Duck
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GOVERNMENT - Communist
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AGE - 3600
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BIG MAC IN $US - $3.12
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LITERACY - 96.36%
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RELIGION - Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam
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MINIMUM WAGE ANNUAL IN $US - $4312
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CURRENCY - Chinese Yuan Renmimbi CNY 1 CNY = 14c
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LIFE EXPECTANCY - 77
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TOURISTS PER YEAR - 57 million
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NO.1 TOURIST SITE - The Great Wall of China
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CHEERS - Gan Bei (dry cup)




HIGHLIGHTS - GOOGLE image these towns & you'll be packing your bags
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Jinghong 3N to Shanghai 3N via Kunming 2N - Dali 3N - Lijiang 2N - Shangri La (Diqing) 3N - Chengdu 2N - Yanjin 3N Fenghuang 3N - Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Area 5N - Huangshan Mountains Area 9N and Nanjing 4N
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Tibet - Shangri-La
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Dali the #1 attraction in Yunnan
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Shilin Stone Forest - Kunming
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Dine in the Duck Capital of China
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Thailand in China - Xishuangbanna
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Stay in most beautiful town in China
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Chengdu - home of the Giant Pandas
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Yunnan Golf Courses in the Stone Forest
- See the world's first Groundscraper Hotel
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Tiger Leaping Gorge - deepest in the world
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Discover the 2nd unknown Great Wall of China
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Shake hands with the most famous tree in China
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Ride the infamous Bund sightseeing Tunnel Train
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Follow the Tea Horse Trail - Ancient Caravan Route
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Admire the view from the world's longest cableway
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Walk the longest and highest glass bridge in the world
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Lijiang Ancient Town - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Start the trip in Jinghong / Xishuangbanna. You can either fly in via Kunming, come from northern Thailand via Laos or possibly even take a boat from Thailand. There is also a high speed train from Vientiane the capital of Laos which has stops in Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. This town is more like Thailand than China as it was once a Tai Kingdom which had a close relationship with the Lanna Kingdom of which Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai were the capitals. This town straddles the Mekong which is now called the Lancang River. Many of the attractions are focused on the Dai culture. The food is a treat and also the night market. This town has expanded a lot in recent years so their is a lot of choice but it still retains its laid back atmosphere.
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Lijiang with the Himalayas as the backdrop looks like the China in your imagination. It is quite stunning and populated by numerous colourful minorities. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a must see. It will feel like you are staying in a living museum. Head up to Tiger Leaping Gorge for a day trip if you like or go for a bike ride around the outskirts or walk the Canal Path. Try salty cheese or stone grilled fish then have an impromptu pub crawl in the many local bars.
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Lakeside Dali was one of the original backpackers hangouts in China. These days you're more likely to see Chinese hippies. It is a very scenic spot with the lake, mountains and the Old Town where you will be staying. There are some nice bike rides around here. It might pay to get a bit of exercise because soon you'll be in the mountains.
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Shangrila - can trek the Tea Horse Trail
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Fly to Chengdu $183
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Yanjin is the narrowest city in the world. This is because it is spectacularly wedged in between the two walls of a river gorge.
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You'll mainly be using trains (both old and new, daytime and overnight) to get around China and you'll be using a couple to get to the next town. This place is a real treat and it's amazing not many people have heard of it. You will have a room with a balcony looking out onto the river. There are a few attractions worth seeing around the town but most of the time you won't want to leave. Great restaurants and nightlife just outside your door in a unique setting.
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The next stop was the inspiration for the spectacular"Floating Gardens" in the movie Avatar. You will stay in three different places to make the most of your time in this amazing area. There are some hot springs and decent bar areas to soothe away the pain in your aching muscles.
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While you're in fitness mode it's off to China's most famous mountain area. But first you'll get a rest in some very special ancient towns that are so pretty people just go there to paint them. You even have to pay an entry fee to get into the town. Try out the local specialties while you're here.
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"You don't need to see any more mountains after seeing 'the Five Mountains', and you don't need to see the other four mountains after seeing Huangshan" - Xu Xiake, a noted Chinese geologist in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
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The scenery in the Huangshan (Yellow) Mountain region is famous throughout China and you may recognise it in Chinese paintings. There is a lot to see here and there is accommodation on the mountain. Or you might like to take it easy and soak in the views and the hot springs. You will stay in four different towns while in this area.
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Time to head back to civilization and Nanjing. Beijing means northern capital and Nanjing means southern capital. As it has been the capital in different periods of China's history there are some major attractions here which are must sees. It is also the "Most Duck-Obsessed City in China". So you'll have your work cut out getting around to everything.
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The last stop is one of the worlds great cities. Shanghai has seen a lot over the years and its transformation lately is hardly believable. You will need to plan your time carefully here as well to get maximum value. If you would like to spend more time in this exciting place have a look at Shanghai in Cities. Don't forget to try the Hairy Crab
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Could fly to Xian and do the other trip or Qingdao for the beer festival if the season matches up
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Photo by Sokoudom Ung on Unsplash

Photo by Vicky T on Unsplash

HIGHLIGHTS - Food, landscapes & uighurs
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Xian 3N to Kashgar 3N via Zhangye 2N - Jiayuguan 1N - Dunhuang 3N - Urumqi 2N and Train 1N
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Eat a 4 metre noodle
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Eat the cake that started a riot
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Eat the worlds oldest hamburger
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Ride the largest city wall on earth
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Visit the site of the Xian incident
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Eat the worlds oldest hamburger
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Ride the largest city wall on earth
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See the end of the Great Wall of China
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Take the worlds most dangerous hike - Optional
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See the UNESCO World Heritage Site · Terracotta Army
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Discover the rediscovered tallest natural arch in the World
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Eat the noodle that takes 62 brush strokes to write its name
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Enjoy fresh seafood in the most inland major city in the world
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Make your way to Xian. It is well connected by fast trains or cheap flights. Get orientated in China's original capital and enjoy all that it has to offer. It has the best of the old and the new. Head down to Muslim street for a feed, cycle the wall at sunset then hit the nightlife at Fen Alley. This is one of Chinas' oldest cities so there's a lot to see and do as well as famous and unique things you can only get in this area.
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Following the Silk Road west to Zhangye is where to see the amazing Rainbow Mountains and spend the night amongst them in a traditional Yurt. Watch the sunset and the colours change.
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The next town will give you the opportunity to visit a little seen part of the Great Wall of China and a place that is said to be the most beautiful in China. You will also spend time in these small towns which are unique to this part of China.
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An oasis on the edge of a desert and your hotel is literally on that edge. It's quite flash and the views are out of this world. The sunrise over the dunes is well worth the early wake up. You can do a camel trek and spend the night in the desert taking in the glorious night sky. There is also the stunning oasis that is Crescent Lake.
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Off to the most inland major city in the world - Urumqi. Although it is on the same time zone as Beijing they run on their own system. The temperature here can go from 40 above to 30 below. You'll notice the food and the people are getting more central Asian. Head to the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar and try the delicious food from the 56 nationalities of China.
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Catch the overnight train to the exotic Silk Road city of Kashgar. Despite recent modernization by the government you'll still get the feeling you are travelling back in time. Marco Polo came through here in 1273 and supposedly took the laghman noodles back to Italy which became spaghetti. If you're here on a Sunday catch the local market which has been running for thousands of years where you can buy everything except chicken's milk and cow's eggs. Don't miss the bakeries, tea houses and night market while in Kashgar.
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