Shanghai is a large Chinese city with many Western features. When you are travelling in China, if you just yearn for New York or Paris, then Shanghai is the place to go. Otherwise you don’t want to spend more than two days there.
The one must-see attraction in Shanghai is the Shanghai Museum. There is nothing in China, or perhaps the world, that compares to the collection of ancient Chinese artifacts found inside. Located in People’s Park, it’s a great place to spend an afternoon or a day. After browsing the collection, you can stroll around the park or walk over to Nanjing Lu.
Another great place to see is the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. It’s filled with hands-on exhibits as well as an IMAX theater. From People’s Park, you can ride the subway to this museum.
At night, be sure to walk around the Bund and take the ferry across the river. You can then go to the top of the Grand Hyatt or the Oriental Pearl Tower for a better view.
There are lots of souvenirs being sold in the Yu Garden, but they are not as cheap as in Suzhou, unless you are a savvy bargainer. This area is still worth a visit if you spend more than a day in Shanghai.

Sanya is the beautiful southern city of Hainan island. It’s sand is nearly white and it stays warm year round. Last winter when I went it was warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt, but swimming was not popular due to the chilly water. There is a long row of new luxury resorts, many still under construction. In the winter it was not crowded and we easily found a hotel without a reservation. You can get to Hainan by air or train from Guangzhou. Wait…ride a train onto an island, you say? Yes, it is indeed true that there is an overnight train departing from Guangzhou and arriving in Hainan…by ferry. The train is split into sections and loaded on an enormous ferry that then crosses the strait.

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The best way to see the Three Gorges Dam is by riverboat. There are tours departing from both Wuhan and Chongqing going up and downstream. You can also take luxury cruises leaving from Shanghai. The dam is a part of any Three Gorges tour. It is the largest hydropower station and dam in the world. A mile and a half long, it’s designed to take ocean-going ships 1,500 miles inland to Chongqing. It was also originally slated to provide 10% of China’s electricity. China has grown and, as our guide told us, it may only provide 3% or 4% of China’s current power demand. Due to the rising of the Changjiang river many towns and villages were forced to move to higher ground. This summer we were still able to see the ruins of abandoned cities, but the guide said they would be under water by September.

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The atmosphere in Chengdu is so different than most of China–people are relaxed, there are many parks, few high-rises, and the city is much cleaner. Foreigners are a much more common sight here as it is a hub of backpackers who travel across Sichuan. When I visited this summer there were many English-speaking youths waiting at the train station touting international hostels. I had read many positive things about Sim’s Cozy Guesthouse in some forums, and sure enough, it was a great place to stay. The staff was very friendly and the owner, Sim and his wife often talked with us, offering assistance for anything we needed. There were a number of foreign guests staying there from Europe, the US, Japan, and Taiwan.

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Huanglong Nature Reserve, about five hours north of Chengdu, sees only one bus a day. The bus’ main stop is the nearest city, Chuanzhusi. At the Nature Reserve there is nowhere to stay, so the bus waits for you while you visit. Huanglong is much smaller than Jiuzhaigou, about four kilometers long, but certainly equally attractive. Some people even prefer Huanglong because it can easily be done in four or five hours and has fewer tourists. Huanglong is also a valley, but higher up than Jiuzhaigou. Thoughout the valley are many fascinating rock formations formed by the water that constantly flows from the melting snow of the surrounding mountains. One peak that approaches 6,000 meters tall is always clearly visible at the top of the slanting valley. In the summer there was no snow visible in Jiuzhaigou, but in Huanglong there were several snow-capped peaks. The temperature difference could also easily be felt, but with a bright sun out the coolness of the air was very refreshing.

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According to many guides Sichuan province has enough travel destinations to last months. But most of them point to Jiuzhaigou as the number one must-see. Isolated by a ten hour bus ride from Chengdu and with the most expensive ticket price in China, Jiuzhaigou is a place frequented by many dedicated travelers. There is a small airport about two hours away from the park, but it was closed when we went this summer. The bus ride was mainly uphill and very curvy. As we ascended the sky got bluer and the temperature dropped. Light jackets were necessary at night. We stayed at a cheap hotel next to the Sheraton, which is not cheap. There are barbeque restaurants outside selling whole roasted lambs and yak meat. Half a kilo of mutton was 30 yuan (about $4).

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