My Eleven Months - Travel Summary
Sadly, a combination of laziness and Great Firewall blockage from China diminished my chances of writing in blogger for the longest time. However, the abundance of digital and tangible reminders of my journey (ticket stubs, brochures, Webct posts, Microsoft Word documents, Facebook messages, chat transcripts, and pictures/videos - all 10+ DVDs of them), when pieced together like a puzzle, convey the extent of fun, hard work, and adventure within Hangzhou and other regions of China.
Where did I go during these 11 months? Not only did I live in Hangzhou, Zhejiang (杭州, 浙江省), known for West Lake and for being the capital of Southern Song Dynasty (BONUS: Visited the landscape on the current 1 Yuan bill!), but I also visited, in chronological order...*deep breath*...
- Shanghai (上海) - China's metropolis
- Shaoxing, Zhejiang (绍兴, 浙江省) - hometown of Cultural Revolution author Lu Xun (鲁迅）
- Chengdu, Sichuan (成都, 四川省) - known for its pandas pre-Sichuan quake
- Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan (九寨沟, 四川省) - a national park that corresponds with America's Yellowstone National Park
- Guilin, Guangxi (桂林, 广西) - famous for its parabolic (round) mountains and water landscape combination, as well as limestone caves lit in a rainbow of colors (BONUS: Visited the landscape on the current 20 Yuan bill!)
- Suzhou, Jiangsu (苏州, 江苏) - known for its beautiful garden landscapes
- Nanjing, Jiangsu (南京, 江苏) - capital of Jiangsu and site of the Nanjing Massacre
- Zhoushan, Zhejiang (舟山, 浙江省) - a city on the eastern side of Zhejiang, which encompasses the fishing ports of Shenjiamen/沈家门 and Dinghai/定海. The Shenjiamen area is near several famous islands, including Putuoshan/普陀山 (one of the four Buddhist mountains in China), Taohua Dao/桃花岛 (a smaller island with many beautiful rocky seascapes), and Zhujiajian/朱家尖 (an area known for its beaches and sand-sculpture competitions).
- Guangzhou, Guangdong (广州, 广东) - "Five Rams City" near the Pearl River
- Zhongshan, Guangdong (中山，广东) - site of artifacts from opium war, as well as the hometown of Sun Yat-sen
- Chongqing, Sichuan (重庆, 四川省) - home of Chongqing-styled spicy hotpot and take-off site of many Yangtse Three Gorges cruise ships
- Yangtse River (长江) - where China's great civilization thrived
- Yichang, Hubei (宜昌, 湖北省)- end of the Three Gorges tour, near the Xiling Gorge
- Wuhan, Hubei (武汉, 湖北省) - site of the Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼), an inspiration to ancient and modern poets; also, the Battle of Red Cliffs was fought here
- Huangshan, Anhui (黄山, 安徽省) - area with many beautiful mountain-and-pine landscapes and "cloud seas" (BONUS: Visited the landscape on the current 5 Yuan bill!)
- Hong Kong (香港) - international city with a history of British colonization
Of course, one might ask, "Why didn't you go to Beijing?!" I have gone on many a China tour in the past, so I have already visited many other cities in China once before (Beijing, Xi'an, Lijiang...etc.). I also visited Thailand and Malaysia whilst overseas.
Ah...If I could relive these eleven months, I would. The time in China was precious, not only because of the new discoveries I made about myself and my new environment, but it was also time well-spent in visiting relatives and family. Not only did I teach English to university students, but I also spent much of my time studying - reading textbooks and composing documents for my Master's. It was a productive eleven months, the best 11-months of my life!
Where did I go during these 11 months? Not only did I live in Hangzhou, Zhejiang (杭州, 浙江省), known for West Lake and for being the capital of Southern Song Dynasty (BONUS: Visited the landscape on the current 1 Yuan bill!), but I also visited, in chronological order...*deep breath*...
- Shanghai (上海) - China's metropolis
- Shaoxing, Zhejiang (绍兴, 浙江省) - hometown of Cultural Revolution author Lu Xun (鲁迅）
- Chengdu, Sichuan (成都, 四川省) - known for its pandas pre-Sichuan quake
- Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan (九寨沟, 四川省) - a national park that corresponds with America's Yellowstone National Park
- Guilin, Guangxi (桂林, 广西) - famous for its parabolic (round) mountains and water landscape combination, as well as limestone caves lit in a rainbow of colors (BONUS: Visited the landscape on the current 20 Yuan bill!)
- Suzhou, Jiangsu (苏州, 江苏) - known for its beautiful garden landscapes
- Nanjing, Jiangsu (南京, 江苏) - capital of Jiangsu and site of the Nanjing Massacre
- Zhoushan, Zhejiang (舟山, 浙江省) - a city on the eastern side of Zhejiang, which encompasses the fishing ports of Shenjiamen/沈家门 and Dinghai/定海. The Shenjiamen area is near several famous islands, including Putuoshan/普陀山 (one of the four Buddhist mountains in China), Taohua Dao/桃花岛 (a smaller island with many beautiful rocky seascapes), and Zhujiajian/朱家尖 (an area known for its beaches and sand-sculpture competitions).
- Guangzhou, Guangdong (广州, 广东) - "Five Rams City" near the Pearl River
- Zhongshan, Guangdong (中山，广东) - site of artifacts from opium war, as well as the hometown of Sun Yat-sen
- Chongqing, Sichuan (重庆, 四川省) - home of Chongqing-styled spicy hotpot and take-off site of many Yangtse Three Gorges cruise ships
- Yangtse River (长江) - where China's great civilization thrived
- Yichang, Hubei (宜昌, 湖北省)- end of the Three Gorges tour, near the Xiling Gorge
- Wuhan, Hubei (武汉, 湖北省) - site of the Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼), an inspiration to ancient and modern poets; also, the Battle of Red Cliffs was fought here
- Huangshan, Anhui (黄山, 安徽省) - area with many beautiful mountain-and-pine landscapes and "cloud seas" (BONUS: Visited the landscape on the current 5 Yuan bill!)
- Hong Kong (香港) - international city with a history of British colonization
Of course, one might ask, "Why didn't you go to Beijing?!" I have gone on many a China tour in the past, so I have already visited many other cities in China once before (Beijing, Xi'an, Lijiang...etc.). I also visited Thailand and Malaysia whilst overseas.
Ah...If I could relive these eleven months, I would. The time in China was precious, not only because of the new discoveries I made about myself and my new environment, but it was also time well-spent in visiting relatives and family. Not only did I teach English to university students, but I also spent much of my time studying - reading textbooks and composing documents for my Master's. It was a productive eleven months, the best 11-months of my life!
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