Heading off on the railroad in a backpack with 8 other travel enthusiasts, the China trip was filled with highs and lows, peace and anxiety. Prior to this, planning the trip was no breeze with the consideration of many human and economic factors.

We conquered all odds eventually, and with even more determination, we were set to go. The 14 days brought us close to the treasures and displeasures in the Middle Kingdom.

Beijing, Hebei Province

How can a China trip be complete without a ride down to its capital? Beijing is an important city of politics and historical artifacts. It is at the same time a complex and disarrayed society, and surprisingly (then), less sophisticated than its rival, Shanghai.  The taste of the city's great dishes, with specialty: crisp-skin Peking Duck dipped in special soy sauce, still lingers.  The expanding subway system is still under manual operation.

Tiananmen Square- Surrounding this ancient fortress ground is Qianmen, the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, the National People's Congress, Museum of History and Tiananmen Gate. It is extremely spacious and serves as a good location for rest and kite-flying.

Forbidden City (Zi Jin Cheng)- Also appropriately known as the Palace Museum (Gu Gong). This is a real gem in China, with precious furnishings in the majestic halls to recall the magnificence of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Explanations to artifacts are overwhelming, but this home to the last emperor is worth the explore.

Summer Palace (Yi He Yuan)- A formal royal garden converted to a tourist's park. A more relaxed version of the Forbidden City.

Ming Tombs (Shi San Ling)- Divine grounds of the deceased kings. The grounds are too large for a short visit.

Great Wall (Chang Cheng)- We ascended the touristy Ba Da Ling. Imaginations ran wild at this war-torn site. Too bad we had to follow the proper tracks and not bash through the restricted zone.

Palace of Heaven (Tian Tan)- I felt the artifacts here were more comprehensive than any others I had read in previous Chinese museums or monuments. This is a related site to the Forbidden City and Summer Place.

Suzhou, Jiangsu Province

A stark contrast to the capital, this small city is instead filled with poetic gardens, peaceful temples and quiet rivers running around households. A boat ride and trishaw tour are essential to this Suzhou experience.

Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province

Weirdly similar to the previous city, Hangzhou also provides abundant foliage, wide waters, historical and religious monuments for romanticizing.

Shanghai, Jiangshu Province

The colonial remains in this bustling metropolis triggered off scenes and tunes from The Bund or its carbon-copies. The day's tempo remains unbeaten even by nightfall. The night extravagance of Shanghai is highly comparable to HK's.

Shenzhen, Guangdong Province

This place is no stranger to any HK dweller. It is yet another complex society in the making. The fashion, imitations, food, salons, massage (?) parlours and pirated AVs are catered to Asia's taste. Shenzhen is most notorious for its slow and corrupted customs, pickpockets, beggars and stalkers.

Side information

The Rides- The entire overland journey between the 5 cities was done mainly on coaches and trains, and at one time, by boat between Suzhou and Hangzhou. They are all moderately priced for good physical and sanitary comfort level. The rides had been memorably exciting across the Yellow River and during the starry nights.

The Riders- From my IA counterparts: Kwan Yee Ling, Kit Han, Yong, Roy, Weiming, Junn (only for BJ); From Singapore: Lisa and Gary

The References- My vivid memory and Lonely Planet: China