Jin Jian's Secret China
20th August 2011
Leading Chinese tour guide Jin Jian lists the little-known places you need to visit
Favourite part of China?
Guizhou Province – the peculiar natural scenery, remarkable national customs, brilliant history and culture, and the pleasant climate all come together to form a unique, aboriginal, unsophisticated and mysterious landscape. Not many tourists know about it.
A unique place to stay
Soluxe Courtyard Hotel is a great place to experience life in old Beijing courtyard.
An unusual place to eat
Try the traditional local bites at Beijing Jiumen Snacks. Only for the adventurous!
A little-known trek
Surprisingly, the Great Wall! Bypass the reconstructed section of Jinshanling and instead trek eastward on 'The Wild Wall'. Enjoy a picnic lunch along the wa, and continue until you arrive at the Wall's Simatai section. Most hikers finish here but if you continue you'll reach the steep Simatai Great Wall. Here you'll have the chance to climb another 12 towers and camp overnight at the foot of the Great Wall.
Favourite National Park
Huangshan – Yellow Mountain – in Anhui Province. Its landscape features 'four wonders' of imposing peaks, spectacular rocks, odd-shaped pines and a sea of clouds. Mount Huangshan is misty and cloudy for more than 200 days of the year – the vapours turn into a sea of cloud that cloaks the mountain, giving it the look of a fairyland.
A sight that not many people know about
The 798 Art District in Beijing. Chinese people returning from overseas say that it gives people a real idea of the degree of the country's modernisation. You can still see slogans dating from the Cultural Revolution.
A must-see festival
The New Year Temple Fair held each year in February, after Chinese New Year. It's celebrated in temples right across the country.
Jin Jiang is a native of Shandong Province and is one of On The Go's most popular guides. Shandong people enjoy a very high reputation in China, not only because they are big in size, but also because they are honest, hospitable and warmhearted. Well, that's what Jin says!
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