So to China again - the world's most populated country!! Now, when you think of World Heritage Sites in China you must mean The Great Wall, The Forbidden Palace, The Terracotta Warriors, etc...?? No, sorry, not today and not for this travelling Northern Irishman. China was the first Asian country I ever visited and my flirting love affair with it's land of endless possibilities continues...so here I bring you 3 very unknown and unusual UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China which I have visited recently.
1. Fujian Tulou Buildings in Fujian Province, China - situated is deep countryside with valleys and mountains all around, this is a splendid set of old style buildings known as Tulou. There are hundreds of them and they were built to house full families and Chinese clans back in the day. You can go inside most of them and they are not too busy or touristic, especially for those non-Chinese. This makes your visit seem so special and amazing. A great heritage site! []
Quick Guide - Get to the city of Yongding in Fujian Province. Once you're there you will realise that there are many bus tours out to these buildings and numerous drivers offering them. If you're a foreign tourist, they will probably come to you. However be aware of rip offs and drivers cutting special buildings off your trip.
2. Danxia Mountains in Guangdong Province, CHINA: These are hidden in a very no-obvious part of the north Guangdong Province. A splendid range of hills and rock formations in Chinese wilderness. It's not a place to get a guided tour but head there yourself and do the awesome hikes - one for sunset and one for sunrise - the views are spectacular!
Quick Guide - Get to the city of Shaoguan and find the main bus station (which is also next to Shaoguan train station (the older one). From there get a bus out to a mountain resort by the name of Jin Jiang village, also known as Yao Tang village. From there get an entrance pass and walk through the various hikes and climbs at your own pace. BUT don't miss sunset and sunrise. It's amazing. Oh and Penis rock: The Climb to Penis Rock!
3. Kaiping Dialou, Guangdong Province, CHINA: It's amazing that in a country so vast as China, that a scattered array of almost 2,000 impressive tower style buildings almost goes un-noticed! Well it's easy to get lost in China, luckily these buildings have outlasted their builders and as recently as 2007 they were declared a World Heritage Site, and deservedly so! This was actually my MOST recent venture into China, just a couple of weeks ago, so you'll hear a lot more about it. []
Easy Guide - Arrive firstly into the city of Kaiping and stay in one of the hotels in the city centre - try the Milan Hotel as they organise trips out to the Dialou. There should be some leaflets and brochures on the Dialou. You can also hire a local driver to take you out there!
That's it - 3 amazingly good but surprisingly unknown World Heritage Sites in China!
1. Fujian Tulou Buildings in Fujian Province, China - situated is deep countryside with valleys and mountains all around, this is a splendid set of old style buildings known as Tulou. There are hundreds of them and they were built to house full families and Chinese clans back in the day. You can go inside most of them and they are not too busy or touristic, especially for those non-Chinese. This makes your visit seem so special and amazing. A great heritage site! []
Quick Guide - Get to the city of Yongding in Fujian Province. Once you're there you will realise that there are many bus tours out to these buildings and numerous drivers offering them. If you're a foreign tourist, they will probably come to you. However be aware of rip offs and drivers cutting special buildings off your trip.
2. Danxia Mountains in Guangdong Province, CHINA: These are hidden in a very no-obvious part of the north Guangdong Province. A splendid range of hills and rock formations in Chinese wilderness. It's not a place to get a guided tour but head there yourself and do the awesome hikes - one for sunset and one for sunrise - the views are spectacular!
Quick Guide - Get to the city of Shaoguan and find the main bus station (which is also next to Shaoguan train station (the older one). From there get a bus out to a mountain resort by the name of Jin Jiang village, also known as Yao Tang village. From there get an entrance pass and walk through the various hikes and climbs at your own pace. BUT don't miss sunset and sunrise. It's amazing. Oh and Penis rock: The Climb to Penis Rock!
3. Kaiping Dialou, Guangdong Province, CHINA: It's amazing that in a country so vast as China, that a scattered array of almost 2,000 impressive tower style buildings almost goes un-noticed! Well it's easy to get lost in China, luckily these buildings have outlasted their builders and as recently as 2007 they were declared a World Heritage Site, and deservedly so! This was actually my MOST recent venture into China, just a couple of weeks ago, so you'll hear a lot more about it. []
Easy Guide - Arrive firstly into the city of Kaiping and stay in one of the hotels in the city centre - try the Milan Hotel as they organise trips out to the Dialou. There should be some leaflets and brochures on the Dialou. You can also hire a local driver to take you out there!
That's it - 3 amazingly good but surprisingly unknown World Heritage Sites in China!
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