Things to Do in China

There was a time when this mountainous buffer between downtown Hong Kong and mainland China was populated solely by indigenous Hakka farmers and a scattering of old villages. That time wasn’t too long ago—just a mere number of decades. In the time that has lapsed since, however, the area known as the New Territories has exploded with growth and seen subsidized housing projects spring up as far as the eye can see. Although it’s now a sprawling suburb which houses 3.5 million people (half of Hong Kong’s population) there are still a number of worthwhile sights interspersed among the urban growth which transport visitors back to the New Territories of old.

Chief among the activities of most visitors is walking one of the historical trails such as Lung Yeuk Tau, a heritage trail which takes visitors past traditional walled villages constructed to guard against bandits and invaders. Pockmarked with rural parks—unlike the heavily urbanized areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon—the New Territories also feature legitimate treks and coastal walks where visitors can tackle trails such as the 1,400 foot (426.7 meter) Sharp Peak for a sweeping view of the city center.

For many the attraction of visiting the New Territories provides for a way to see how Hong Kong locals go about their daily life, yet attractions such as the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery still provide visitors the opportunity for some good old fashioned sightseeing. Those visiting the monastery will first have to climb a lengthy hill which is covered in plastic, golden arhats which peer out from bushes along the walkway. Once at the top, take in the 12,800 Buddha statues spread in all directions for a unique sight not to be found anywhere else in all of Hong Kong. Although this is just one example of the unique sights in the New Terrirories, the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery encourages visitors and locals alike to escape the city center for a spell and enjoy the slow pace of life found in the outer reaches of Hong Kong.

Shanghai’s Old French Concession, an area once leased to the French in the Luwan and Xuhui districts of the city, is a reminder of an older Shanghai. The visitor-friendly area is packed full of beautiful colonial mansions and hotels dating back to the first three decades of the twentieth century. The French took control of the area in 1849, but it wasn’t until the 1920s when the neighborhood reached its peak of popularity as one of Shanghai’s most elite neighborhoods.

When you walk through the heart of the area on the tree-lined streets between Julu Road and Huaihai Road, you’ll find a collection of nicer restaurants and boutique shops occupying the surviving historic structures alongside Shanghai locals going about their day to day life. The French Concession is a good place to grab some food as there are so many choices; you’ll find almost everything here from Indian to French, Spanish and Thai food.

A few of the French Concession’s historic buildings now house museums, including Sun Yat-sen’s Former Residence and Zhou Enlai’s Former Residence. Both are inexpensive and will give you a better understanding of the history of the neighborhood and the city.

In just a few years since Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic Games, the structures built within the Olympic Green (Olympic Park) have become just as representative of the Chinese capital as the Forbidden City or the Great Wall. While the Olympic Green houses half a dozen different venues, most visitors come to see the two most iconic, the Beijing National Stadium (more popularly known as the Bird’s Nest) and the Beijing National Aquatics Center (Water Cube).

Today, the Bird’s Nest is used mostly for concerts and other high-profile sporting events, while the Water Cube has been transformed into a recreational swimming facility open to the public. You can visit the interiors of either for an extra fee, but both are arguably more impressive from the outside, and it doesn’t cost anything to walk the grounds of the Olympic Green.

If you want to see the Olympic Green at its most beautiful, plan your visit for the evening hours with both the stadium and the Water Cube are lit up.

Nanlouguxiang, an alleyway in Beijing lined with traditional hutong courtyard houses, has a history spanning more than 800 years. One of Beijing’s oldest hutongs, Nanluoguxiang was built during the Yuan Dynasty and today houses a collection of bars, restaurants, boutiques and galleries.

Located near the Drum and Bell Tower, Nanluoguxiang makes a convenient shopping stop if you’re looking for a way to spend an afternoon. Many of the shops in the area cater to foreign visitors with postcards, Communist-era propaganda posters, T-shirts and kitschy souvenirs to take back home with you. You’ll also find several boutiques selling high-quality Chinese handicrafts. While the neighborhood gets crowded, it’s quieter than the hutong near the Back Lakes.

During a 1773 renovation of a northeastern section of the Forbidden City, a Nine Dragon Screen was added to provide privacy for Emperor Qianlong’s retirement villa. Such screens can be found throughout China in palaces and gardens, each depicting nine different Chinese dragons in their carved reliefs. It is thought that evil sprits must travel in straight lines, so the Nine Dragon Screen is believed to serve the additional purpose of denying entry to evil spirits.

Each of the nine dragons on the wall are depicted playing with a pearl in the ocean. If you look carefully at the white dragons, one of them has a piece of wood on its stomach. According to local legend, the artisan responsible for the wall added the wood to replace a piece of broken glazed tile to meet his deadline. The gold dragon in the center of the screen is meant to represent the emperor.