Fernweh

Beijing

We only spent a very brief time in Beijing, as we had both traveled there previously. We mostly walked around the central city and visited Peking University.

Shanghai

Generally considered to be the world’s biggest city with about 25m residents, Shanghai is located on the central eastern shore of mainland China. It is a city of contrasts, with enormous modern skyscrapers and an old city full of tiny shops and eateries.

Zhouzhuang / Jiangsu Province

We visited Zhouzhuang water town on a day trip from Shanghai. The old town is known for its canals; while there are short boat tours, it’s easy and pleasant to walk the bridges and sidewalks at your own pace, stopping in the various shops and food stalls, and visiting the temple and historic houses. One thing is for sure – you won’t go hungry there!

Nanjing

Shangri-La / Yunnan Province

Shangri-la (Gyalthang in Tibetan) is a small city in northwest Yunnan Province. It was renamed in 2001 after the fictional place in the novel Lost Horizon in order to promote tourism. We saw a beautiful pagoda, a small town center with shops, supposedly the largest prayer wheel in the world (> 20m tall!), and not too many tourists.