China diaries, by Christian Saunders

Mar 13 2008 by Christian Saunders, Western Mail

THE biggest public holiday in Asia is the Chinese New Year which, confusingly, commenced this year on February 7.

Equivalent to our Christmas and the US’s Thanksgiving, it is the one time of year when virtually everyone gets time off.

Unsurprisingly, in a country of more than 1.3 billion this leads to widespread chaos, and matters were not helped by the advent of China’s worst winter in 50 years.

As English teachers at Beihang University, Beijing, our travel opportunities had thus far been limited. But for Chinese New Year my colleagues and I were afforded a generous holiday and we set off en masse on a road trip.

Our first stop was Datong, a coal mining city seven hours west of Beijing. The main attractions there are the Yungang carved caves and the “hanging temple” of Xuankong Si, a 1,400-year-old structure literally built into a cliff face. It truly is an awesome sight. From there we caught a sleeper train, a uniquely Chinese experience, south to Taiyuan and then straight on to the ancient village of Pingyao, where we stayed a few days. Pingyao, in complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of Beijing, was a definite highlight and is highly recommended. Most of the numerous attractions in this Unesco World Heritage Site can be accessed with a single ticket at a cost of 120 RMB, around £8.30.

After bidding a fond farewell to Pingyao the next stage of our journey took us to Xi’an, one of the heartlands of ancient Chinese civilisation and home of the Terracotta Warriors, dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World. This vast life-size clay army is as impressive as you might imagine. The city, which seems to span the gap between traditional and modern China, also has some other sites.

Next on the agenda was Shanghai, the so-called Paris of the East, famous for its museums, shopping streets, nightlife and frankly awesome skyline. Travelling within China is relatively cheap and easy, the train ticket from Xi’an to Shanghai, a distance of more than 1,400km, cost 290 RMB (around £20) and included a semi-comfortable bunk bed. Unfortunately, in Shanghai the bad weather caught up with us and snowstorms left us stranded for nine days.

We eventually struggled out of Shanghai on a 22-hour train journey to Hong Kong, which is as vibrant and exciting as we thought it would be. The harbour, around which most of the skyscrapers are situated, really is a sight to behold. The only disadvantages are the inflated prices, which for most goods and services are on a par with London and way out of synch with mainland China. Also, as it is technically a different country we had to endure immigration procedures.

After three days in Hong Kong it was time to leave. Coincidentally our flight was with China Southern Airlines, the same company that recruits pilots from the Flying College where we all work.

Christian Saunders teaches English as a foreign language in Beijing