China

You can be interested in Nature, culture, or both, but in any case China is the most interesting country to explore. Its richness and diversity are stunning, its pace of development unparalleled, its people fascinating. I've been there twice, and I'll certainly try to spend more time there in the future.

Kids, Ningxia Autonomous Region.

Hui (Chinese Muslim) elder, Xinin.

A boy with a puppy, Lanzhou, Gansu.

In 1993, I spent 100 days there, visiting all provinces but one. It was my craziest trip ever: I was on a budget of US$300, had no visa, and almost got killed a few times. I was very young than... but I'd do it all over again. My travel diary is here.

Xixia (Tangut) statue, c. 1100, Ningxia Provincial Museum, Yincheng.

Tibetans, Western Sichuan.

To monk, Gansu.

Tibetans, Eastern Tibet.

Tibetans, Western Sichuan.

I could only afford to take two rolls of slide film on that trip, so I have very few pictures left. In 2006, I returned for six weeks armed with a digital camera. I visited some of the places I'd liked the most the first time, plus a few new ones. Photos and video frames here are from 2006, unless noted otherwise.

Old man with a boy, Lanzhou.

To monks installing a sacred marker on a mountain pass, Gansu/Qinghai border.

Little girl, Dege, Sichuan.

Of course, the country had changed a lot in those 13 years between my two visits. Horrible dirt roads were replaced by good highways (the last ones were being paved before my very eyes), nobody looked hungry anymore, village houses seemed fit to live in, and even the most remote places were being overrun by thousands upon thousands of Chinese tourists.

Little girl, Dege, Sichuan.

Salar family entertaining tourists, Qinghai.

A young couple on a train, Shaanxi.

Travel in China became much more safe and easy, and it is still very cheap. Trains and buses mostly run on time; hitchhiking is easy. But it's no picnic, especially if you are on a budget. Some train rides last for up to four days; if you are in a cheap overcrowded car, you might have to sit or even stand the entire time.

Drivers giving me a ride, Fujian.

Tibetan cowboys, Western Sichuan.

Long train ride, Shaanxi.

If you leave the handful of sites listed in Lonely Planet guidebooks, you might not see a foreigner for years. In some remote places people have never seen one at all.

Tibetan monks buying cell phones, Kanding, Sichuan.

Foreigners on a hot day, Suzhou. Foreigners are a nomadic tribe, usually seen in cities that are mentioned in their holy book, Lonely Planet's China. They face travel restrictions and other discrimination, but they are a prosperous and lively people.

Tibetans, Western Sichuan.

Some places are still officially closed to foreign visitors, but their numbers dwindle every year. Visiting Tibet still requires a permit. If you don't want to obtain one, it's relatively easy to sneak into Tibet (or any other restricted area, including military bases) without one.

Tibetan shepherd, Western Sichuan.

Kids, Western Sichuan.

Tibetans, Western Sichuan.

Note that in many parts of Sichuan, Tibetan culture is in better state of preservation than in Lhasa and other "touristic" cities of Tibet proper.

Tibetans, Western Sichuan.

Inside a Tibetan house, Western Sichuan.

Central square, Xinin, Qinghai.

If you don't speak the language, it helps to have a letter of introduction in Chinese, and a notebook for drawing pictures of things you might need.

Western road to Tibet, 1993.

Street market in Xinin.

Cham traders, Xinin. Cham is a parasitic fungus that grows on a certain species of Geometrid caterpillar, and is said to be a great medicine.

Below are pictures from some of my favorite places. Many wonders of China are rapidly disappearing; but new ones are springing up. It's always a good time to visit.

People in most of China live better now, but they did not get spoiled, and are very friendly. You have to be careful, but overall it's a safe country.

The Forbidden City, Beijing, 1993.

Temple of Heaven, Beijing, 1993.      In the following pages are photos from some of my favorite places in China.

The Forbidden City, Beijing, 1993.

A sign, Sichuan. Vestiges of communist system are still common in China, but they look increasingly funny and stupid.

Part 2: Sacred Mountains

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