China Guide 2008

Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is an often-overlooked city that is irrigated by the mighty Yellow River amidst the arid landscape of China’s dry northwest.

The thin Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China’s stark northwest is surrounded by Gansu in the south and Inner Mongolia to the north. 20% of China’s Hui Muslim minority lives in this Region, giving Ningxia the nickname “the Muslim region.” The Hui minority originated from the Silk Road, which brought Central Asian traders to China during the Tang dynasty and succeeding waves of migration enriched and enlarged this population.

Recently Yinchuan has been divided into three quarters linked by a 25km road, though locals refer to the city as if it’s divided into two. The western section is the new city while the eastern quarter is the old city. The new city is where the train station is located, but the majority of sights and hotels are located in the old city in the east. Though most people use Yinchuan as a transit point for further adventures into Inner Mongolia, the city has enough personality and interesting sights to hold its own. (more…)

Situated on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and heavily populated by minority groups, Xining has earned a reputation as one of the more myserious and diverse cities in China.Situated on the edge of an inhospitable wilderness, Xining was a historic military garrison town. Those venturing beyond Xining into the frozen Qinghai-Tibet Plateau or the scorching deserts of Xinjiang were virtually guaranteed to never be seen or heard from again. This harsh remoteness made Xining and the surrounding areas perfectly suitable to serve as China’s Siberia. The result is a diverse, open, slightly adventurous local population of Han Chinese as well as a large minority of Muslims and Tibetans.

First impressions upon arrival in Xining will likely be of the stark valley landscape and colorful people. The 30-minute trip from the airport into town take visitors through a handful of small Muslim villages and one begins to realize that this is a part of China that has remained untouched by the mighty hand of commercial tourism. The village homes are made of mud-bricks and wood, and horse drawn carts carrying people or goods are more prevalent than cars. As you get closer to the city you begin to see more urban development and soon enough, you’ve entered Xining. At first glance it appears to be a fairly typical developing Chinese city but scratch the surface, and you’ll discover a thriving center of cultural diversity not found anywhere else in China. (more…)

Heritage: The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor & Terracotta Warriors

Xi’an is a museum city dotted with the historic relics of past dynasties, from the restored city walls to the majesty of the Terracotta Warriors. Xi’an will delight travelers today, as it did centuries ago as the starting point of the famed Silk Road.

Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, has over 3,000 years of recorded history, with human habitation present here as early as the Neolithic times, as discovered at the Banpo Village. Xi’an has been the capital of 12 dynasties, though it has been known as various names, most notably as Chang’an. It was also the starting point of the Silk Road, where camels were loaded for their long and perilous journey to Central Asia. Xi’an’s links to Central Asia goes beyond trade as Islam continues to have an influence on the local flavor through the Muslim Hui minority.

As dynasty after dynasty added their own mark to Xi’an, the relics of old palaces, temples and tombs abound throughout the city and surrounding countryside.The tyrannical Qin dynasty emperor Qin Shihuang, with his capital at Xianyang, close to present day Xi’an, left his indelible mark through the famed Terracotta Warriors. (more…)

An ancient Silk Road trading post, the Turpan oasis is surrounded by desert and mountains, ruined cities and Buddhist caves.

It’s often said that when hanging clothes out during the summer in Turpan, it’ll have dried before you’re finished. Enjoying numerous consecutive days over 40°C, the dry heat of Turpan’s summer days infuses the city with a languid torpor relegating daytime activities to consist mainly of drinking tea and sleeping.

Such is oasis life. Mountains to the north and west, and arid desert to the south, Turpan lies in the Turpan Depression, 154m below sea level at its lowest point, and is surrounded by the Gobi Desert. It was an important center of commerce and culture on the Silk Road and served as a key staging post on the north silk route. The momentous wash of religious influences over the past 2,000 years; Shamanist, Buddhist and Islam have given the people a sense of tolerance and hospitality that contrasts vibrantly with its harsh desert surroundings. With a population of about 70% Uyghur and the remaining 30% comprised of other ethnicities, Turpan maintains the Silk Road’s romantic identity as a cultural crossroads. (more…)

Stepping into Kashgar is like being transported into one of the thousand and one nights of The Arabian Tales.

This far-flung city in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is a must-see for its beautiful scenery and intoxicating culture. Miraculously, modern China peels away to reveal the arresting sights, sounds, fragrance and atmosphere of a 2,000-year-old Middle Eastern town. Open air markets hum with squawking livestock and the buzz of locals. Every so often, old mosques peep out from a labyrinth of well-worn, humble homes and rouse the neighborhood with calls to prayer.

Perched on the western rim of the world’s largest inland basin, the Tarim Basin, and nestled beside the desolate Taklamakan Desert, which ominously means: “those going in never return”, Kashgar is an oasis carved of sand and stone. (more…)

As the minibus ascends the winding road to Hua Shan, the jagged scenery unfolds like a captivating piece of Chinese calligraphic art.

Overhanging rock and distant precipices wink from above, and clumps of vegetation peek out from mysterious crevices. Hua Shan’s awe-inspiring peaks will take your breath away. Located some 120km from the ancient capital Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, Hua Shan is the result of dramatic tectonic movements millions of years ago, and is one of China’s most perilous mountains. Although covering an area of just 150km – Hua Shan is inundated with over 70 peaks and ridges.

The most outstanding peaks are the North, South, East, West and Central ones – they stand like petals of a lotus flower reaching for the heavens. These five imperious peaks gaze over the Wei and Yellow Rivers in the north and embrace the Qinling Mountains in the south. (more…)

Heritage: Mogao Caves

Set on the edge of the Gobi desert, Dunhuang may seem like an unlikely place to find an oasis of Buddhist art. With towering sand dunes in the background, the caves here reflect the power of divine inspiration.

One summer day in 1900, Wang Yuanlu, an unassuming Taoist priest who lived nearby stumbled into a cave that had been covered by a rockslide. His accidental discovery would lead to one of the most significant collection of Buddhist artifacts ever uncovered.

Inside the cave were artifacts dating from the 4th to 14th century, a complete collection spanning approximately a thousand years tracing the development of Buddhism from its initial arrival in China. A cornucopia of documents on subjects ranging from history, treatises on politics, the military and science, to Buddhist sutras and even personal documents such as tax receipts were discovered preserved within a dry dark cave. In fact, so much material has been found that the discovery has led to a new branch of academic study called Dunhuang Studies. (more…)