About 45 minutes down the road southwest from Jianchuan, along the busy Lijiang-Dali road is a town where most travelers fail to stop. No one pays too much attention to Shaxi these days. Its heyday is long gone.

Once it stood on the busy Tea Horse Road—a less famous trading route than the Silk Road, it still played an essential role sharing not only goods, but philosophies and ideas between Tibet and Yunnan Province. The Tibetans sent their strong horses down into China, and China sent bricks of Pu ‘er tea up into the high elevations of the Tibetan Plateau. There, the Tibetans enjoyed the black tea though the long, cold winters and the Chinese, in the lowlands, put the much needed horses to use.

Today all is quiet on Shaxi’s main square, or cobbled Sifang. A few infrequently visited cafés line the fringes. Guesthouses are tucked away into historic homes, featuring beautiful courtyards. The tourists and travelers are noticeable, but few and far between. The historic center, filled with mud-brick houses and cobbled lanes seem like a ghost town.

It’s best to visit on a Friday, when seemingly the entire surrounding village population is in Shaxi buying and selling goods and produce. You’ll see Yi and Bai people in traditional dress, live animals for sale, and may even catch a brief glace at some sidewalk dentistry.

As far as sights, you’ll want to check out the Xingjiao Temple, founded in 1415, located in the main square. From there, you’ll see the theater located directly across the square. Down on the east side of town, an old stone bridge arches gracefully over the river and farms stretch to the mountains. It’s a quiet town, save for Fridays, and a walk through the centuries old streets will give you the essence of Shaxi.

There is plenty of accommodation in the old town, but I stayed at Horse Pen 46, which is a hostel affiliated with Hostelling International, and located right on the main square. Like many of the other accommodation options, Horse Pen 46 is located inside an authentic Bai minority courtyard. The hostel has maintained the traditional look and feel of the local architecture and it’s a great experience staying there.

Stephen Bugno spent three months traveling through China in 2012. He edits the GoMad Nomad Travel Mag and blogs at BohemianTraveler.com

By Stephen Bugno

For some this is the quintessential China experience. I must admit, after countless bus rides, hotel check-ins, and big city headaches, this river’s foggy stillness came as a relief. It may be extremely popular and touristy, but there is no denying the beauty that this river and the Three Gorges possess.

Choose your Cruise

There are a variety of ways to cruise the Yangtze—hydrofoil, passenger ships (ferry), tourist boats, and luxury cruises. Usually GoMad Nomad would be advocating the most inexpensive and local experience, but in this case, an explanation is needed.

The passenger ships sail continuously and pass through some of the most dramatic scenery during the night. Hydrofoils might be a good option, but they travel quickly and offer no outside seating for the gorge views. Additionally they only run from Wanzhou to Yichang (although bus connects you from Chongqing). Tourist boats will probably be the best for low-budget travelers. They are marketed mostly towards Chinese tourists, may speak little English, but usually stop at sights along the way. Luxury Cruises are aboard international-standard ships, include visits ashore, and include English-speaking guides.

Chongqing to Yichang

Chongqing to Yichang is the route I took, but you could also do the reverse, going upstream. There are endless options including trips from 3 to 12 days, even going as far as Shanghai. Your standard tourist or luxury cruise is going to last four days and hit the most scenic part, the Three Gorges, in between Yichang and Chongqing. As far as I know, Chongqing is the furthest upstream you’re likely to go.

A Little Background

The Yangtze has changed immensely in the past decade due to one event: the building of the Three Gorges Dam. Completed in 2006, the dam has tamed the third longest river in the world. It’s the largest dam in the world by length (2.3 km) and will soon become the largest hydro-electric producer in the world. In addition to generating electricity, the dam was intended to increase the Yangtze River’s shipping capacity by subduing the once rough sections as well as reducing the potential for floods downstream by providing flood storage space. The Chinese government regards the project as a historic engineering, social and economic success. However, it has drowned several important archeological sites, displaced 1.3 million people, increased the occurrence of landslides, and been the topic of international debate. It cost US $26 billion to build.

What you’ll See

You will see the dam. Although, I’ll warn you, it isn’t much of a spectacle—the astonishing feat is one evident in the numbers only. I think it’s hard to appreciate the engineering marvel with a view from the far edge of the dam. It’s located in the Xiling Gorge, west of Yichang, and costs about $18 US to visit, although some cruises will include your entry fee.

The Three Gorges and other Sites

The highlight of any trip on Yangtze is sailing through the Three Gorges. Qutang and Wu Georges, which begin 450 km east of Chongqing, near Baidi Cheng, are the climaxes. Here, the waters narrow and the cliffs rise. Despite the new water levels with the creation of the reservoir, the gorges are still very impressive.

At Wu Gorge many ships dock for an excursion up the Daning River through the Three Little Gorges. From what I hear, this is an excellent side trip. My ship sailed right on through Wu Gorge, which stretches for 45 kilometers. Near the end of Wu Gorge we boarded a smaller vessel and tugged up the placid Shennong Stream. When this gorge became too narrow we transferred into another, even smaller boat which was rowed by four oarsman. At the end, they pulled us by rope from the shore, as was done in the old days here.

Other stops along the way include White King Town at the ancient town of Fengjie and the twelve-story wooden pagoda at Shibaozhai that can be climbed for closer inspection. It’s been built using no nails, grafted onto the side of a cliff.

When to Go

Keep in mind December—March is the low season which means lower rates and a more tranquil journey. April and May have the best weather, but the biggest crowds and price tag. In October and November the weather is cool, but the masses return.

Costs

Costs listed are approximate and dependent on the time of season, length of trip, and class. Off-season might save you some money for the top-end cruises and getting a berth in a multi-passenger cabin will save you money on the other ships. Prices listed are based on a trip between Yichang and Chongqing or visa versa. Hydrofoil: $65 US. Passenger ship and tourist boats: 2^nd class: $77; 4^th class $50. Luxury cruise: $350+ Top-end luxury cruise: $450+

More information

I wrote a series of 3 posts describing the day to day events of the cruise:

Cruising the Yangtze Day 1: Leaving Chongqing

Cruising the Yangtze Day 2: The Three Gorges

Cruising the Yangtze Day 3: The Three Gorges Dam

Yangtze River Cruise Photo Set on Flickr

Disclosure: GoMad Nomad partnered with ChinaTours.com for this Yangtze River Cruise. ChinaTours.com provides booking options for a variety of Yangtze River Cruises as well as other tours for traveling through China.

By Stephen Bugno

The Good

The sights—Where else can you see the Great Wall of China, panda bears close up in their hometown, or a gorge the likes of Tiger Leaping Gorge? Nowhere. That’s why you come to China, for these heavy hitters. I won’t deny that I’ve seen some cool sights here. Climbing Emei Shan sacred mountain and living temporarily in Dali Old City have been some other personal highlights.

China is still a challenge. Yes, that’s a good thing. It can be frustrating at times, but it’s reassuring to be reminded that you can’t just travel everywhere in this world and people will know English. There is a sense of accomplishment in China doing what in other places is just a simple task—booking a train ticket, checking into a hotel, ordering a meal. It will take a phase book, body language, and two willing partners to communicate if you don’t know Mandarin.

You are special—if you’re a westerner, one of European decent, you are special. Bonus points if you are tall and blond, although then you may get borderline unwanted attention. You will get practiced on (English), you will get photographed, you will get stared at, long and hard. You might expect all these factors should lead to unique cultural experiences, and in theory you’d be right. But many folks are just too shy to approach you, nor do they possess enough English skills.

Inexpensive—this mostly applies to the south and southwest. We’re talking about dorm rooms for the equivalent of $5 US, doubles for $12, a bowl of noodles for $1, a nice meal for $3, inexpensive trains and buses, 50 cent beers. I wrote a post on the expenses for travelers in Yunnan Province. Get here before prices go up (and they will).

The Bad

China can be an annoying place to travel most of the time. You need to adapt and be really good at ignoring things. The overwhelming rule of the road is “conduct yourself whatever way you want and be able to ignore everything around you”. The biggest annoyances are as follows:

Smoking—this is difficult to get used to for those of us who have been living in smoke-free environments for 10+ years. Worst of all, people even smoke in confined areas. What is so mystifying is that there is no concept of smoking is bad, even if you are next to a child in a confined space.

Loud talking—Loud talking I can ignore. But I can still get annoyed by it. Nowhere in the world have I heard people shout for an entire conversation on a cell phone than in China. It doesn’t matter if they are young or old, from the village or city, speak mandarin or an ethnic minority language, people in these parts blast their voice through the phone as if they are not sure if the other end of the line can hear them. It also doesn’t seem to matter if you are in a bus, a restaurant, or a museum—this phone conversation is all that matters and you must deal with it.

Beeping—China is not the worst country with beeping horns. That award may go India. But it is bad. It’s not necessarily the frequency of beeping, but one ear-piercing, brain-penetrating, intense type of bus horn. The screech from this type of horn gives one an immediate headache and if close enough, scares the hell out of you.

The ugly

Toilets—especially those in Yunnan Province have been some of the most revolting I’ve ever seen. But it’s not only the sight of these public toilets; it’s the nauseating smell that goes along with them. I won’t go into too much detail, but a lot of people have missed the targeted area with their warheads and even though there is usually a person on duty to collect a small fee from each user, the toilets are not being adequately cleaned.

I’m not exaggerating or speaking of isolated cases—nearly every public bathroom in Yunnan I visited was a roll-your-pantleg, hold-your-nose experience. It was almost like you didn’t know whether to laugh out loud at the extreme disgustingness of the situation or be angry that people could tolerate such severe unsanitary conditions.

Pollution—We’ve read about this in the papers and heard the conditions from the Olympics and I’m here to tell you it really is that bad. The air in Chinese cities is deplorably, disgustingly, filthy. It messes your eyes, it hurts your throat, it affects your lungs. The urban areas are horrendous and much of the time, the countryside is bad too—with mega-clouds of smog drifting over from industrial areas.

Stephen Bugno traveled around south and southwestern China for three months in 2012. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. He blogs at BohemianTraveler.com and edits the GoMad Nomad Travel Mag.

Dali is one of those places that I really hoped I wouldn’t dislike. Its description in the guidebooks made it sound so pleasant a town—except for one thing—the growing number Chinese tourists. Well, there were tons of tourists, but Chinese tourists seem to stick together in group tours and don’t drift very far from the main tourist drag. There is one long pedestrianized street in Dali where the masses appear to meander slowly, stopping and shopping as they go. This street has been architecturally prettied and is crammed with one souvenir shop after another. Turn off this main artery and the city becomes more interesting.

How Dali differs, from say, Lijiang, is that it is actually a city where local people live. In Lijiang, the entire old town population has been pushed out to who-knows-where in favor of tourist stalls, restaurants, and guesthouses.

Dali is a cool place to hang out for a while, and the only town in China that I could foresee myself living. It’s lively without being annoyingly noisy. There is a strong bohemian vibe which has attracted creative types from around China. You’ll find plenty of coffee shops, boutique clothe shops, art galleries, small cafes, live music, and plenty of artists.

Dali is set in an inspiring location. The spiky peaks of the Cang Shan and the stretching Er Hai lake make you want to get up in the morning and create beautiful things. Unlike most of China, the air is pure, the weather favorable, and the climate mild. It sits at about 2000 meters and hikes lead up into the mountains still higher. Inspiration abounds here.

In the surrounding areas on the west side of the lake are towns and villages holding weekly markets. This region is dominated by the Bai ethnic minority. There are great examples of Bai architecture in Xizhou and an interesting Monday market in Shaping.

Dear GoMad Nomad,

I am wondering if you can advise me on good places to visit in China, off the beaten path, where the prices are low, the people are friendly, the women are beautiful, and the scenery is breathtaking.

Sincerely,

Symour in Pasaic

Dear Symour,

Great timing on this one—I’m in the middle of three-month trip to China. On this trip I’ve stuck to Hong Kong/Macau, Guangxi Province (in the south), and Yunnan and Sichuan Province (in the Southwest) so my knowledge doesn’t go too far beyond that.

As a general rule, China is less expensive in the south and southwest and pricier in the north and east. So I’m going to steer you towards Guangxi, Yunnan and Sichuan.

There are very few foreigners traveling through China, so much of the time you’ll feel like you’re off-the-beaten-path. But watch out for the Chinese tourists—Lijiang, for example is inundated with masses from throughout China. My advice would be to spend as little time there as possible.

The backpacker trail in Yunnan (Kunming, Dali, Shaxi, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-la) is popular, but for good reason—it is a fantastic place to travel. (But as I said earlier, there are few western tourists). Breathtaking scenery—check! Friendly people—check! And as far as the beauty of the people—I’ll let you decide that for yourself.

These aren’t majority Han Chinese in much of Yunnan—but many of China’s ethnic minorities. This makes travel here more culturally diverse and interesting due to the individual dress, food, and customs of each nationality.

As far as expenses, I just published What it costs: Traveling in Yunnan Province.

After Yunnan Province, I headed up to Sichuan Province mainly for three reasons—tea houses, Giant Pandas, and food. The costs of travel in Sichuan are nearly the same as in Yunnan. There is distinct Sichuanese cuisine, incredible landscapes, and the chance to witness Tibetan culture without the hassle and expense of going to Tibet. The western half of Sichuan is situated high in the Tibetan Plateau and many of the towns there are ethnically Tibetan.

There are plenty of historic towns in Sichuan as well and the most laid-back of China’s huge cities—Chengdu (home of the Pandas).

The following posts might inspire you:

• The astounding Tiger Leaping Gorge
• Yuanyang Rice Terraces of Yunnan Province
• The 17-Arched Twin Dragon Bridge of Jianshui (Yunnan Province)
• The scenery surrounding the Li River near Yangshuo (Guangxi Province)
• A great local market near Dali, Yunnan.
• Tasting Tea in Kunming video

Additionally I’ve tagged my China posts on GoMad Nomad #China and Bohemian Traveler #China

Happy Travels! Let us know when you make it to China!

Sincerely,

Stephen

It’s not easy to navigate the streets of Lijiang’s old town. Timeworn cobbled streets follow steams, bending over ancient stone bridges forming a centuries-old maze. Lijiang is the capital of the Naxi Kingdom, set beneath the spiky Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The Naxi are an ethnic group descended from the Tibetans, settling this region before the 10^th century. Their culture is defined by their shamanistic religion known as Dongba, as well as their strong matriarchal influences.

I had wanted to visit Lijiang for several years now and have to admit, I was quite disappointed. The town’s architecture and setting make it so stunningly beautiful, almost too pretty, that it’s fake. It’s no longer a living town, which was the point most disappointing. Residents have been driven out in favor of souvenir shops, guesthouses, and restaurants. The whole town has been reconstructed and beautified, almost giving us the impression that the place could have been constructed as a cultural theme park.

I’m not suggesting you should skip Lijiang, just be aware that it may be swamped with Chinese tourists when you visit. The crowds may detract from the magic you were expecting from Lijiang. So be warned, Lijiang is the ultimate tourist town. Also it’s bit more expensive than the rest of Yunnan Province. Read further to get an estimate of travel expenses in Yunnan Province.

If flying to China from London, perhaps you’ll find using Gatwick parking a convenient option. Airparks would also be a fine possibility if you have to drive your own vehicle to one of the London airports and need to park it for an extended period.

If you plan on visiting Tiger Leaping Gorge, you might as well stop in Lijiang for a couple days to check it out for yourself. Remember to explore the back streets and smaller alleyways—you may just find the few pleasant un-touristy streets of Lijiang.

Photos and text by Stephen Bugno

By Stephen Bugno

Some specialties of Guangxi Province

China is a foodie’s utopia—the regional diversity of offerings is outstanding. Although it can’t compete with the powerhouse food regions like Sichuan, Beijing, or Guangdong, Guangxi Province still had some interesting food culture to investigate.

Guangxi Province is located in southern China, west of Hong Kong and Macau. It’s most famous for the limestone mountains around Guilin and Yangshuo. After a long day of cycling around Yangshuo or rafting down the Li River, we explored the culinary scene of Guangxi.

Guilin rice noodles are a favorite for breakfast. In addition to the broth and meat, different condiments like soy beans, fermented green beans, chopped spring onions, cabbage, radish, and chili are piled on top.

Snails are another specialty. We ate them stuffed with a pork, ginger and other-herbs blend.

Beer fish and beer duck are two specialties of Yangshuo, both prepared with local ingredients. Watch a video of a local chef preparing beer fish.

Due to the favorable climate, fruits are also popular in Guangxi: mandarin oranges, kumquats, persimmons, and the Shatin grapefruit. We also saw Gingko seeds for sale.

It’s also not unusual to see live animals outside of restaurants in Guangxi Province: chickens, pheasants fish, turtles, clams, and many others.

Now watch the video:

A stroll around the Confucian Academy of Jianshui is a serene experience. I visited the day before the Chinese New Year, and the streets of the city were erupting in a constant state of exploding fire crackers. But at the Confucian academy, inside the giant walls that surround this 7.5 hectare complex, a state of serenity reined. I made my way around the large Xue Lake and lilly pond content being sheltered from the outside world.

It is here that worried parents bring their children to kowtow to the statue of Confucius before exams in the summer. The temple here was modeled after the one in Qufu, Confucius’ hometown. Finished in 1285, it’s the third-largest in all of China.

The temple has operated as a school for over 750 years and once held the imperial examinations.

***

Although located slightly off the tourist trail, Jianshui has some outstanding sights and proved to be one of my favorite destinations in all of China due to its plethora of traditional architecture and easy-going inhabitants.

Besides the happenings in and around the beautiful Chaoyang Gate, the Zhu Family Gardens is well worth a look. On the outskirts of town, the Twin Dragon Bridge—one of the ten oldest in China—waits to be explored.

Jianshui is a three-hour bus ride south of Kunming in China’s Yunnan Provice.

Admission to the Confucian Academy is 60 CNY ($9.50 US).

Commercialization has come to the rice terraces in Yunnan, China. There are now entrance charges to the platforms to view the terraces in places where they are most spectacular. One can imagine this will ultimately lead to the Chinese government paying farmers to simply manicure these rice paddies instead of farming them as they have in the past. This form of tourism caters to Chinese tourists from the cities with fancy cameras and tripods.

To avoid the entrance fees and have a more organic experience I decided to walk. I headed out of Chen’s Family Guesthouse with the name of the hamlet ‘Longshuba’ written on a piece of paper in Chinese. Folks along the road guided me down a car-wide track, sometimes dirt, sometimes improved with rough cobblestones. I was passed by locals walking, teenagers three to a motorbike, and rickshaws filed with passengers.

Four kilometers down the road I walked through Longshuba. Soon after, the terraces started to appear on each side of me. In the winter, they are flooded. It is said that this is the most beautiful time of year, when they reflect the sunlight. Farmers can control the water level in each terrace. Some years, a handful of terraces are left fallow.

I continued walking through another hamlet with houses bunched together. Hens and chicks scratched for bugs wherever there was dirt, meat dried on lines tied on rooftops over chili peppers and corn. Kids played on a swing that was built from bamboo, rope, and rubber tires. I wandered just past that where the track narrowed and I met a water buffalo with a bell around its neck. An old man passed me with a bundle of firewood tied to his back. Just beyond this point I found the longest most graceful terraces.

*

Back in Xinjie, I spent the night. The town is well enough equipped to handle the out of town visitors, with a few restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, but not many cheap holiday cottages that I saw.

The next morning I left town on the 7:30am bus. As it rolled along the twisting mountain road, a layer of clouds were visible below us. Along this route we passed many of the viewpoints that charge an entrance fee. Tourists and photographers were out catching the sunrise and morning light.

Sites like the Twin Dragon Bridge are become rarer every year. This is the type of place that you have to take the local mini-bus to get to and then show its name written in Chinese to the driver. When he stops to let you off, he needs to point you in the right direction to find it.

When you arrive, there’s no ticket gate or entrance fee, you’re just free to wander around as you please. There’re usually kids playing around the site and local people use it as they always have. Men carry loads of produce balanced over their shoulder. Rice paddies and fields surround it. Water buffalo rest near the river, eating grass when they’re hungry.

The Twin Dragon Bridge is among the 10 oldest in China and features 17 arches. It’s no minor attraction in my mind. But I’m admittedly bridge obsessed.  (See Singapore’s Henderson Waves Bridge)

If you’re in Yunnan Province, make it a point to visit Jianshui, about three hours south of Kunming. It’s a friendly little city of traditional architecture, with the beautiful Chaoyang Gate, the Zhu Family Gardens, and the huge Confucian Temple. The bridge is located 5 km west of Jianshui.

Photos and Text by Stephen Bugno

Stephen Bugno is currently on a three-month trip through China. He blogs at BohemianTraveler.com