Three Weeks in China…An Unforgettable Experience
How to encapsulate a continuous journey…here's my effort to share my impressions and activities. Perhaps this will prompt questions from you, which I'm glad to address, or inspire you to visit as well. I traveled with Overseas Adventure Travel (OATTRAVEL.COM), my first experience with them but certainly not my last, as it was a well-organized and smoothly executed adventure. Our group consisted of twelve people: three couples (including one of Chinese descent) and six women, two of whom were cousins traveling together while the other four were solo travelers. We got along well, were punctual, and shared plenty of laughter.
Our trip leader, 37-year-old Cao Jingtao, who goes by Johnny, had a decade of experience and orchestrated a flawless journey for us. He was knowledgeable, warm, humorous, and consistently went above and beyond to provide additional adventures almost every day. In each city, we had local guides who worked as independent contractors; they were all delightful and very knowledgeable. I felt I received just the right amount of information without being overwhelmed, and they were all open to questions. Johnny was especially open and addressed the drawbacks of the government system with care.
China has a population of 1.4 billion, making it second to India, with 56% of its population belonging to various ethnic groups and 92% being Han Chinese. It is one of the world's oldest civilizations, approximately 5,000 years old, and was a feudal society from 221 BC until the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, marking the start of Communism. Although China started to open up in 1978, private development and ownership were not permitted until the late 1980s. During Mao's era in 1958, work focused solely on steel production, neglecting agriculture and food production, which led to the Great Famine of 1966 and resulted in over 30 million deaths. Throughout China’s history, power struggles, control, and the elimination of perceived enemies (whether through direct threat or perceived insult) have been prevalent. Despite the failures of many of Mao's initiatives, he is still revered by some.
My travels included activities in and around Shanghai, Guilin, Chengdu, Xi’an, and Beijing. I had no clear picture of what to expect from these cities and was surprised to find a landscape dominated by high-rise buildings for both living and working. The scale was overwhelming at times; it felt as though it would be impossible to build anything small! Each city was bustling with traffic, featuring wide streets that sometimes had six lanes on either side. While vehicles followed traffic signals, cyclists and the ever-present delivery personnel on scooters or motorcycles often did not, requiring constant vigilance. Despite the chaos, there was a sense of organized rhythm familiar to locals. The streets were consistently clean, with trash collection and street cleaning happening early in the morning. Over 50% of vehicles are electric, and all scooters are electric too. Each city has a bike-sharing program and smart cars that locals use, scanning their ID cards for payments. Many electric vehicles are produced in China at reasonable prices, and you won’t find old, rundown cars on the streets due to government rules mandating that any car older than 15 years must be assessed for modern emission standards. If it fails, there is a subsidy for purchasing a new vehicle! Charging stations are accessible for electric vehicle drivers, even in remote areas we visited with the Dong people.
People in China seem to enjoy being out and about, day and night, and generally did not pay us any mind; it was refreshing not to feel like a novelty. Their clothing is often plain but tidy, except during special occasions. There are no visible individuals asking for handouts, nor do people sleep on the streets. Crime seems minimal, and I felt entirely safe. When communicating with non-Chinese, there was always immediate use of translation apps on smartphones, which made interactions smooth, albeit limited in their scope. Watching movies is very popular, with Titanic considered a must-see. The TV sitcom Friends is also well-liked. There is government oversight and censorship of content, and access to Netflix and other American platforms is blocked.
The infrastructure includes high-speed bullet trains connecting cities with a population of at least 500,000, and there is a robust subway and bus system in major urban areas, along with DiDi, their local equivalent of Uber. The population relies heavily on electronic payments through Alipay or WeChat; I added my credit card details beforehand, and it was seamless. There are countless restaurants, convenience stores, and businesses, including many high-end retailers. I was amazed at how easy it was to navigate Shanghai on my first day, despite being jet-lagged, using five DiDi rides for sightseeing.
All this efficiency exists within a Communist-controlled environment. Access to outside websites and news
We were tired and went to bed shortly after arriving back in our room, but due to the twelve-hour difference between our home and China, I found myself wide awake at midnight. I managed to get a bit more sleep, but not very much. Adjusting would take a while.
We were tired and went to bed shortly after coming back to our room, but due to the twelve-hour time difference between home and China, I found myself wide awake at midnight. I got a bit more sleep, but not by much. It would take some time to acclimate.
Three Weeks in China…An Unforgettable Experience Here’s my attempt to convey my nonstop time and the impressions I gathered along with the activities I engaged in. I hope it prompts questions from you, which I would be glad to answer, or inspires you to visit China yourself. My journey was arranged through Overseas Adventure Travel (OATTRAVEL.COM); it was my first experience with them, but certainly not my last, as it was a well-organized and smoothly executed adventure. Our group consisted of twelve people: three couples (including one couple of Chinese descent) and six women, with two cousins traveling together and the other four traveling solo. We all got along very well, were punctual, and shared plenty of laughs.
Three Weeks in China…An Unforgettable Experience. Here’s my attempt to convey a continuous flow of time through my impressions and activities. I hope it prompts questions from you, which I would be glad to answer, or inspires you to visit yourself. My journey was organized by Overseas Adventure Travel (OATTRAVEL.COM). This was my first experience with them, but it certainly won’t be my last, as the trip was smooth, well-planned, and successfully executed. Our group consisted of twelve people: three couples, one of which was of Chinese descent, and six women—two cousins traveling together and four others who journeyed alone. We got along wonderfully, always punctual and sharing plenty of laughs.