March 28, 2003 - Capitals of China & the Yangtze River

Elderhostel is a non-profit organization providing education and travel programs for U.S. senior citizens. I have never been to China, so registering for an Elderhostel program seemed to be a good opportunity to have that experience.

I tried to fit the desired trip into my 2002 calendar but I could not find a three week window to allocate for the adventure, so I planned ahead and made the trip in March/April of 2003.

The map below shows the locations I visited and I can explain some others:

• The first major city was Beijing, in the upper right of the map. Beijing is the capital and one of the largest industrialized cities in China. While there I visited the Great Wall of China which is nearby.
• Xi'an is in the center of the map, and is noted for the Qin tomb containing 6000 life-sized terra-cotta figures.
• Kunming is in the lower left of the map, and is noted for Chinese music and medicine, plus a rare geological phenomemnon, the Stone Forest.
• Dali is just west of Kunming, but not shown on this map. Dali is nestled among high mountains and is one of the most unspoiled natural beauties of China.
• The Yangtze river flows in the center of the map, for instance between Chongquing and Wuhan. I cruised the river on a 287' ship as well as traveling by sampan to see the Lesser Gorges.
• Guilan is located in the south center of this map, but not shown. Guilan is a center for Chinese art and music.
• I also visited Shanghai, a city which is modernizing very quickly, and Suzhou, which is north of Shanghai.