China

China introduction

China's hosting of the 2008 Olympics provided China with the opportunity to show the world a nation of enormous historical and contemporary achievement, where ancient riches are complemented by modern marvels of architecture and engineering. The energy of the country is palpable as the world's most populated nation emerges from the shadows of the last two centuries and the turmoil of the twentieth century, and rushes headlong into a future a major global player. China is a must-see travel destination.

Chinese history

China's multi-millennial history has been a tumultuous one. The period from the overthrowial of the Qing dynasty in 1911 to the civil war to 1949 defined the China of today. When the defeated Nationalists fled to Taiwan, Mao's victorious Communists founded the People's Republic of China. Ideological struggle culminating in the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) effectively closed the country and constrained modernization. However, China has made up for lost time since the 1990s now boasting the world's fastest growing major economy and its main cities are emerging as cosmopolitan global centers.

Heritage culture and cuisine

China is a land of natural and cultural superlatives too, encompassing 37 UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing; Xian's Terracotta Army; traditional Suzhou gardens and the misty peaks of Huangshan; China’s art in all of its forms from painting to ceramics, lacquer work, cloisonné, to cite a few, exhibit unique beauty; Chinese food ranks among the world's great cuisines; and, its distinctive performing art forms, including acrobatics, martial arts and Chinese opera, add more flavor to the mix. The traveler has much to see and experience in all of these areas.

Changing China

From Beijing's medley of ancient and futuristic monuments to cosmopolitan Shanghai's skyscrapers and art-deco heritage; and from the heights of the spectacular Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region to the karst peaks and rivers of Guizhou, the experiences on offer in China are many and varied. Investment spurred on by hosting world events like the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou means urban and tourist infrastructure is constantly evolving. And while flexibility and patience are still required to travel around China, in return, the Middle Kingdom rewards visitors with a welcome and memories to treasure for a lifetime.

Geography

China is bordered to the north by Russia and Mongolia; to the east by Korea (Dem Rep), the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea; to the south by Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Bhutan and Nepal; and to the west by India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. China has a varied terrain ranging from high plateau in the west to flatlands in the east; mountains take up almost one-third of the land. The most notable high mountain ranges are the Himalayas, the Altai Mountains, the Tian Shan Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains. On the border with Nepal is the 8,848m Mount Everest. In the west is the Qinghai/Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of 4,000m, known as ‘the Roof of the World'. At the base of the Tian Shan Mountains is the Turpan Depression or Basin, China's lowest area, 154m below sea level at the lowest point. China has many great river systems, notably the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze River (Chang Jiang, also Yangtze Kiang). Only 10% of all China is suitable for agriculture.

China is a vast country, with long travel times between its many cultural, historical and natural wonders of the land, 23 of which have already been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Altogether there are 26 provinces, each with their own dialect and regional characteristics. The western provinces of Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan occupy an enormous area of land, and Sichuan alone is about the size of France. Independent travel is becoming both easier and more popular, a trend that has increased following China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001.

Vietnam & Cambodia

Vietnam and Cambodia were sleepy corners of the French Empire known as “Indochine” before their drive for independence, war and insurgency put them on the evening news. That was it for tourism for a very long time. The astounding archeological sites of the region – the fabled kingdoms of the Khmer, the Champa and Annam, became unreachable, unknowable, almost as if they were myths. No longer could foreign travelers delight in their striking landscapes – pagodas and palaces set in rolling countryside, the magical limestone islands of Ha Long Bay, the sweeping white sand beaches on the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, the bucolic river views along the Mekong and Red rivers, and the tide-reversing Tonlé Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia…

As happened in many other Communist countries, with peace and a desire to improve their people’s lives, walls crumbled and doors reopened. Today travelers come in peace to peaceful lands, discovering the rich heritage and distinct cultures of Vietnam and Cambodia. Again they find farmers in conical hats stooping over their fields, colorful hill tribes selling their produce and handicrafts in cluttered markets, roads full of bicycles and scooters, and women clad in beautiful ao dai and sarongs. But they also find something new – the opportunity to witness the emergence of long-repressed societies into the modern world. Vietnam is definitely ahead in the process of finding a new equilibrium, a precocious mix of heady commerce tempered by the tug of tradition. Cambodia, with the added burdens of the Pol Pot era, is more tentative, more in need of counsel, assistance and the passage of time. For the visitor, this is an unprecedented opportunity to travel comfortably in nations that are on the cusp of change and inexorably progressing.

Sharing a common border, Cambodia and Vietnam have many similarities. Both cultures absorbed influences from the advent of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, and both share the mighty Mekong. Both have seen strong dynasties rise and fall. Their people are on average very poor and have lived through great suffering, but are also resilient and inwardly strong. Many of the same ethnic minorities live in each other’s countries. They have had common enemies, ancient and modern – and they have fought each other in campaigns of aggression and defense for millennia. Both share remnants of French culture that have seeped indelibly into their food, architecture, tastes and language. Yet they are different too. The Vietnamese are fiercely independent, entrepreneurial and dynamic, not patient when it comes to change. The Cambodians are more sedate and take longer to seize opportunities. It is said that the Vietnamese plant the rice and the Cambodians watch it grow… But both peoples have set their sights on peace and prosperity, and look to tourism as a means of finding both. Accordingly both societies welcome tourists with warmth and respect.

In both Cambodia and Vietnam, the arts and crafts, the food, the music and the people will delight you. For travelers to Cambodia, the premier destination is the astonishing temple complex of Angkor, built by the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 15th centuries, and then lost to the jungle for hundreds of years. But there is much more here - the Silver Pagoda, palaces and museums of Phnom Penh, the stilted villages that dot the river/lake Tonlé Sap, and timeless scenes of agrarian life untouched by the outside world. Vietnam, with a population more than eight times that of Cambodia, offers a myriad of sights and fascinating cities – wonderfully hectic Ho Chi Minh City; Hanoi, perhaps the most lovely capital in Asia; Hué, the regal city of emperors; and Hoi An, the World Heritage port city with its wooden shops and narrow lanes. With an excellent range of tourist facilities, Vietnam and Cambodia are Southeast Asia’s gems, offering you authentic experiences that you will never forget.

Japan

The Land of the Rising Sun… Home to 127 million people who speak a tongue with fewer sounds than any other major language in the world – hence their frequent difficulty in pronouncing English. A country divided into 47 prefectures on four main islands – Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku – plus 3900 smaller islands. Japan spans the equivalent north/south distance of Montreal to Miami, with Tokyo at the latitude of Los Angeles - there is a lot to explore. If you ski, there’s soft powder over a deep base in Honshu’s Japanese Alps and in Hokkaido (Olympics at Nagano and Sapporo), and if you snorkel, there’s beautiful tropical beaches on the islands that arc southwest of Okinawa. If you come in the spring, you’re apt to see the streets awash in cherry blossoms; in fall, your long walks through alpine trails will be lit by sunlight filtering through autumn leaves. Japan is 80% mountainous, leaving scant flat, fertile land for so many people. Perhaps that is why the Japanese so adore their onsen, over 3000 natural hot springs that seem to bubble up in areas of stunning beauty. This is spectacular countryside, the embodiment of all the silk-trimmed scroll paintings. You half-expect a beautifully coiffed, white-faced geisha at every turning, and sometimes you’re not disappointed.

Visits to Japan are often life-changing because they make us see our own world in a new light. Here is a country where group identity is strongly valued and everyone is convinced that their culture is unequaled throughout the world. Their calm confidence in Japanese essence suffuses every aspect of their lives and is evident in their ultra-refined artistic pursuits. Here less is usually more, the aesthetic value of sabi, elegant simplicity. Pouring tea is a ceremony, flower arranging is a high art form, writing becomes glorious calligraphy, poetry comes in 17 syllables (haiku) and the dishes at your place setting are treasures even without the artistic and luscious food that graces them. Architecture tends toward simple, natural and harmonious spaces. Gardens may be precisely raked sand swirling around rocks, water and sculptural plantings, a portrait of Zen tranquility.

By decree, Japan has long isolated itself from the rest of the world. Never conquered or colonized by a foreign power until 1945 – an anomaly for Asia! – Japan lost World War II but would win at peace. With strong grounding in Buddhist, Confucian and Shinto beliefs, the energetic Japanese pressed forward to catch up industrially with their conquerors and then overtake them. The result was an economy that for a decade ruled the world. When in the early ‘90s real estate tanked and corporatism faltered, a more diverse and individualistic society arose, with the ultra hip young leading the way. One good result for the traveler – prices have barely risen in ten years, and Japan now offers good value for money – cheaper than much of North America and Western Europe.

So venture forth – the natives are friendly and we make it easy. Explore this unique country with the longest unbroken monarchic line in the world, with the grandeur of Mount Fuji, with the cutting edge of Japanese pop culture, with the spectacle of sumo wrestling. Explore the neon jungles of Tokyo and Osaka. Visit castles and temples from the days of shoguns, samurai and ninja. Soak away a day’s hike in the hot springs of a simple country ryokan (inn). Experience kabuki and no theater, try your luck in a pachinko arcade, hit the flea markets or make a wearable investment with a top designer like Issey Miyake or Yoji Yamamoto. No matter how long you spend here, it will not be long enough…