China is a country of contrasts, in many ways – and I have friends who told me how different even a city can be – from the glamorous touristy part to the poor suburbs. But China is also a country with a long history, a rich culture and there are definitely many reasons to visit it. Here are five of them, some that maybe will make you think of a vacation here.
The history
A civilization that is over 5,000 years old could be the single reason you might need to visit China. You can find the famous landmarks and make your own tour, or find some provided by others – the Silk Road, the Tea Horse Trail and so on.
The landmarks
If I mentioned the impressive history, then I have to include some of China’s landmarks, those places or monuments that mesmerize you when you see them in the pictures published online or in various magazines, and when you see them up-close. And yes, making the effort to see them is worth it! Also, there have been voices over the last years saying that these special monuments and the famous sites are degraded – let’s not forget the people who want to leave a message on the Great Wall, for instance, not thinking of the fact that we all have to preserve the places we visit, not to ruin them. So, you should go to China and see the landmarks before they are destroyed.
The Great Wall is, undoubtedly, a not to miss landmark. The trip isn’t easy, but you can take it as both an exercise and a great opportunity to see one of the few monuments visible from space.
The Terracota Warriors are also truly impressive. Discovered by chance by a local farmer while digging a well in 1974, these thousands of soldiers were buried in 210 BC with the first emperor of the Qin dynasty (some of them are exhibited in various museums across the world in temporary exhibitions.)
Photo by David Castor on Wikipedia
The Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum, is yet another landmark of China. Located in the center of Beijing, north of Tiananmen Square, this was the imperial seat from 1420 until 1912. The Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1987.
The traditional Chinese medicine
Famous worldwide, the traditional Chinese Medicine can offer an alternative for many. There are studies showing the benefits of this type of medicine (let’s not forget how old it is!) and you can find out more in this post about natural Chinese remedies and beauty treatments. Many people around the globe chose this approach for various reasons and don’t regret it even for a second.
The food
You might know some dishes from a local mall or a restaurant – but there is always something special about trying it all in the original country. Since there are many differences between the Chinese dishes and the other ones, they deserve to be discovered. Regardless of your preferences and curiosities (or sense of adventure when it comes to food) you can try to experience the different tastes of China – from the sweet one that is believed to characterize Shanghai to the spicy one believed to be the mark of Sichuan.
photo by ZiCheng Xu on Wikipedia
Have you been to China? What did you like the most?
Do you consider a visit in this country?
I have always wanted to see the terrocota warriors