We took many China tours in the past years and enjoyed every of them. When we came very first to China, we had been with a big group that was a well-known way of traveling then, but when we returned to China for a second trip, we decided to take a private tour that went on our way. We chose Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou as our preferable destinations that our friend in Shanghai recommended highly. We booked our trip with a China travel agent that turned out having arranged our tour capably and perfectly!
We got into Shanghai on 1 fine afternoon in the spring and met our first private guide, who waved hand to us and smiled. We greeted every other warmly and began our drive to the city. On the way she gave us a short welcome presentation and confirmed our schedule and then a general introduction to Shanghai. Our interests were raised speedily and arrived in our hotel without sensing of time passing! I guess we in fact spent at least 1 hour on the transfer.
Our hotel was located just near the Nanjing Road that enabled us to have the convenience to explore our free of charge days. Shanghai is busy and modernized. The guide suggested we invest our very first totally free day to the Nanjing Road and the Bund. Nanjing Road gave us an impression of a “shopping paradise”. Men and women were all busy at Nanjing Road with several strolling along the busy street looking for bargain sales. We desired to try our abilities that the guide taught us and indeed we got some luck. The bund was lined with different architectural styles from old China to modern influences in the buildings. It is a need to-see metropolitan destination if you are in Shanghai!
After one free of charge day we headed for Suzhou on the third day morning with our private guide and driver. The guide seemingly had too a lot excellent things to say about Suzhou that she explained all the way long (actually 1.5 hrs drive). We were impressed and excited to arrive. Suzhou is located in the south of Jiangsu province, some 80 miles west of Shanghai, along the old Grand Canal. The city has been famous for its fabulous Chinese classical gardens for several centuries. Chinese individuals are proud of this and have a proverb: “Above is Heaven; below is Suzhou”. Nevertheless, we both discovered Suzhou should also be noted for an additional thing: its lovely ladies! In the street, the restaurant and tourist site, we saw so several oriental beauties. The city itself is dotted with lakes and ponds connected by a spider’s web of canals. And all the canals are lined with whitewashed houses with gray-tiled roofs. We visited two famous gardens that we enjoyed very much and also pay a short go to to the silk factory to see how the silk was produced and dyed. It is remarkable!
Hangzhou was the counterpart of Suzhou. The West Lake with boating was genuinely a highlight of our visit in Hangzhou. It does not only have the moving legend but also the lovely scenery. The guide told us there had been Ten Featured Sceneries in the West Lake Region that formed throughout the Southern Song Dynasty. They are distributed around and within the lake, and serve to show the charms of the West Lake – via a use of varying locations, varying seasons, and varying times of day. Every scene is exclusive, and when taken together, are said to present the essence of West Lake scenery, and form the core of any West Lake tour. In the afternoon we went to the Dragon Well Tea House to taste the world famous green tea. Dragon Well Tea is loved by both local folks and foreigners due to the fact of its four unique wonders – emerald green color, aromatic flavor, sweet taste and lovely appearance. We purchased some tea for ourselves at a very very good price.
We ought to also mention the nightlife in Hangzhou. We stayed in a quite comfortable hotel just beside the West Lake. The night view of the lake was diverse from that in day. We loved our leisure walk around the lake quite a lot. It was also a happy experience to appreciate the culture performance in the city center. The guide arranged this for us flexibly since it was originally excluded in our schedule.
We ended our trip in Hangzhou with a memorable go to to the water town named Wuzhen. Wuzhen is about 80km from Hangzhou and is maybe the most famous one of this type of gorgeous towns where local people still rely on the river network. Wuzhen shows its two-thousand-year history with its several ancient stone bridges floating on crystal waters, stone pathways between the mottled walls and its delicate wood carvings. Also, setting it apart from other towns, it gives a distinctive experience through its profound cultural background. It is a birthplace of a galaxy of talents. In the year of 1991, Wuzhen was authorized as the Provincial Ancient Town of History and Culture, so ranking 1st among the six ancient towns in Southern China.
Finally we got back to Shanghai in the late afternoon after the Wuzhen water town! The following day we were taken to visit the must-sees in Shanghai: the Shanghai Museum on Renmin Square, the fabulous Yu Garden at the Old Quarter and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. We learnt a lot about Chinese history, Chinese culture and China’s modern development. We were amazed at China’s quick economy development and growth. It is just in its youth! In evening we had been suggested to have a night cruise in the Huangpu River which turned out a unique experience to see the night view of the Bund lined with lighted styles of buildings. It was spectacular!
We invest one much more free of charge day in Shanghai to buy some gifts for our friends and family prior to we left for our property. On the last day when our guide – no, our old friend – came to pick us up at the hotel, we had to say Goodbye to this fantastic country and our old friend. After we checked in at the airport, our old friend said “See you later” with hand waving and smile on her face, like the way she was greeting us at the airport the first day. Yes, we will definitely see each other later!