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After a bringing in the New Year in Shaoxing, we moved on to one of several Ancient Capitals of China, Nanjing (南京), in Jiangsu Province. Nanjing (sometimes called Nanking in the West) was the capital of China on several occasions and its name literally translates to “Southern Capital.” BTW, Beijing literally translates to “Northern Capital” and the “Eastern Capital” (东京 in Chinese) is ….. yup, Tokyo.

This was my first time to Nanjing (Zoe had been here several times before) and top of my list of places to visit during our quick two-day trip was the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall (full name: Memorial for compatriots killed in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Forces of Aggression 侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆). Needless to say, I was prepared for a heavy hearted experience (similar in many respects to what I’ve felt when visiting the Holocaust museums). And indeed I found several parallels. This is an impressive memorial, and I would say that it is probably the best historical museum that I have visited in China.

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Another highlight in Nanjing was the Presidential Palace (总统府), which housed the Office of the President of the Republic of China before the republic fled to Taiwan in 1949. This is where Sun Yat-sen was sworn in as the provisional President of the Republic of China in 1911. Chiang Kai-shek also had his office in the palace. During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), Chiang Kai-shek’s government fled to Chongqing and the building was occupied by Wang Jingwei who collaborated with the Japanese. Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Government reoccupied the complex.

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Last but certainly not least I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful food we had in Nanjing. From duck blood soup (鸭血汤) to pork skin noodles (皮肚面), we ate well. Don’t let the names/descriptions fool (or scare) you, it was DELICIOUS!!!

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Zoe and I took a high-speed train (about 2 hours) down to Shaoxing (绍兴), Zhejiang Province, for a quick three-day retreat (followed by two days in Nanjing, which I will talk about in another post). Shaoxing is a poetic term meaning “continued prosperity” and this historic city is best know for its yellow rice wine (黄酒). Shaoxing rice wine is somewhat sweet and quite pleasant to drink, unlike China’s white distilled rice alcohol (白酒) which is much stronger and pretty nasty IMHO. Shaoxing is also famous for the residence of Lu Xun (鲁迅, one of the major Chinese writers of the 20th century), its East Lake scenic area, and the tomb of Yu the Great (大禹, a legendary ruler in China who introduced flood control around 4,200 years ago).

In Shaoxing we stayed at Dayu Kaiyuan (大禹开元), a quaint water village to the south of town that has been converted into a hotel. Guests stay in the little village homes that have been upgraded with all the latest immenities. Very charming! Here are some pics … scroll down for the engagement part ….

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After touring all the sites we wanted to see in Shaoxing, I asked Zoe if she would like to hike to the top of the mountain where we could see the giant statue of Yu the Great, and she accepted the challenge.

From our little village hotel we could see the statue of Yu the Great on top of the mountain.

However, about half way up the hiking trail Zoe was out of breath and not sure that she could make it to the top. As it was already about 4:15 and the park was supposed to close at 5pm, I encouraged her to keep going–”you can make it” I kept saying. Zoe jokingly replied, “OK, but if I make it to the top you have to marry me.” This was not the first time that she had made such a suggestion, but this time (unbeknownst to her) I was carrying a diamond ring. ;-)

Keep going ... you can make it.

Almost there ... feeing much better.

When we got to the top we were the only ones there. I got Zoe staring out at the view from the mountain peak while from behind her I reached into my camera bag to pull out the box with the ring. When she turned around I was down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She accepted! :-)

What just happened was just starting to set in ...

... and she was very happy ...

... and, of course, I was ecstatic as well!

The newly engaged couple with the only witness to my proposal.

That evening we celebrated New Year’s Eve with a wonderful local dinner at the hotel restaurant followed by Royce chocolates (one of our favorites) and champagne in our room. It doesn’t get any better!!!

Great local dishes washed down with 15 year old Shaoxing wine.

Bringing in the New Year with roses, candles, chocolates and champagne!

It had been at least seven years since the last time I had gone snowboarding, so I was very excited when Zoe and I headed North to Sun Mountain in Yabuli (which is commonly regarded the best ski mountain in China).  Well, having kept my expectations somewhat in check, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.  Sun Mountain is decent sized (albeit a fraction of the size of the larger resorts I used to enjoy in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, California and the likes) and the hard-packed snow was pretty dry and light.  The Gondola whisks one quickly to the top (or the mid-mountain for beginners) and there were several slopes from which to choose.  Best of all, despite the fact that we were there in peak season, we didn’t have to fight any crowds and almost never had to wait for the lift … I’m sure that this will change in years to come as skiing becomes more popular in China.


To get to Yabuli, we flew into Harbin (哈尔滨), capital of HeiLongJiang (黑龙江) Province, up in the Northeast of China.  Being near the Russian (Siberian) border, we were able to enjoy Russian food (and vodka) one night.  We were also thoroughly impressed by all of the ice sculptures, many of them with lights inside, that constructed everywhere throughout the city as well as in parks.  China’s tenth largest city (about 10 million people), Harbin was considered China’s fashion capital in the early 20th century as new designs from Paris and Russia reached there first before arriving in Shanghai.  Harbin is also a potential candidate for the 2020 Winter Olympics … I hope they get it!



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On a recent day trip to Hangzhou–a new high-speed train that gets up to 350km/hr took us from Shanghai to Hangzhou in 45 minutes–we visited Xixi National Wetland Park (西溪国家湿地公园). Located on the Western outskirts of Hangzhou, it is the first and only national park of its kind in China. The park, covering over 10 square kilometers, is densely crisscrossed with six main watercourses, as well as several ponds, lakes and swamps. We enjoyed a lovely fall/winter afternoon taking a boat ride down the streams, walking along forested paths and trying some of the local snacks. The last picture is of Zoe trying her hand at grinding a rice and green vegetable mixture used to make local pancakes (similar to green tortillas) … the hat was added to her wardrobe by the local chef. ;-)



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While I did not create this blog to review/plug hotels and resorts around China, I will make an exception from time to time when I find a place that absolutely blows me away.  The Fuchun Resort (富春山居), located about 50 minutes from downtown Hangzhou in the mountains along the Fuchun river, is such a place.  A member of the Leading Hotels of the World and recipient of several awards, this was the first resort I have found in China that is truly “world class.”  Not only are the facilities magnificent, but we found the service (which is usually the shortcoming in China) to be impeccable.  We loved our room, thoroughly enjoyed the spa (which is staffed with masseuses from Bali), and had some great meals.  Of course, it’s not cheap (e.g., the rates are on par with similar resorts outside of China), but I have yet to find another resort in its class in China at any price.  What a romantic weekend escape from Shanghai!


Here are a few pics.  If interested, here is a link to their website as well.



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One of the places on my “must see in China list” for quite a while was Xi’an, most particularly for the Terracotta Army (兵马俑) which has been called the eighth wonder of the world.  Of course, sometimes it takes an outside to get one to act, and I thank Lou and Laura for giving me that little push.  After spending a great week with me in Shanghai, we flew to Xi’an together before they flew on to Beijing.


Well, the Terracotta Army is indeed incredible.  To think of the effort that went into these sculptures–depicting the armies of Qin Shihuang (秦始皇), the first Emperor of China, over 2,200 years ago–so that the Emperor could continue to rule in the afterlife.  It is estimated that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army (the fourth discovered pit was empty) there are over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, each having its own intricate and unique details.  The majority of of these are still buried in the pits as scientists are working on technologies to uncover them without allowing their original colored paint to quickly oxidize and fade away.


We also saw Yang Zhifa, the farmer (born in 1938) who originally discovered the terracotta figures in 1974.  I’m guessing that his life as a celebrity–signing books and meeting visiting dignitaries–sure beats toiling in the fields.  ;-)



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I visited Yangshuo in Guilin county, Guangxi Provence, with my parents last October.  It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited in China.  Surrounded by karst peaks, a bamboo raft ride down the Li River is a truly Zen experience.  BTW, the first picture below is of the Yangshuo Mountain Resort, where we really enjoyed our stay.

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Zhang Yimou (the famous Chinese film maker/director) produced a folk musical and light show, “Impression Liu Sanjie”, that is a top attraction in Yangshuo and is quite marvelous …

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After having it on my China travel list for a while, a friend and I went to check out the famed Three Gorges, or at least what’s left of them after the building of the Three Gorges Dam.  To catch the boat on which we would cruise down the Yangtze River through the gorges, we flew into Chongqing (known to some as Chungking) in Sichuan Provence.  What a great surprise!  I have been to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, and enjoyed it very much, but my expectations for Chongqing were not as high for some reason.  What I discovered was a “mountain city” (山城 in Chinese) that was quite different from any of the other cities I have visited in China.  The whole city is built on hills with the downtown essentially a peninsula flanked on both sides by the Jialing and Yangtze rivers respectively.  There are many bridges making for a beautiful scene at night.  BTW, Chongqing is often sited in publications (e.g., The Economist) as being the largest city in China at over 30 million inhabitants, but this is a fallacy.  In reality, the municipality of Chongqing does have a population of over 30 million; however, it is also about 2.5 times the size of the state of Maryland.  We cruised the Yangtze for more than 24 hours before leaving “Chongqing.”  The urban area of Chongqing proper has a population about 1/3 the size (still not small ;-)).

We only had one night in Chongqing, and we made sure to try the famous “hot pot” at one of the top local restaurants.  Amazing spicy goodness!  I definitely plan to go back and spend a bit more time.

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Late that evening we boarded our ship to start our cruise down the Yangtze and through the gorges.  The best part of the cruise was sitting on the deck at night while peacefully gliding down the river.  With daylight, we were able to see each of the Three Gorges, which, despite the river being as much as 100 meters higher after the completion of the dam, are still quite picturesque.  Unfortunately, however, the unsightly pollution (e.g., too many dead fish floating by) that also resulted from the dam detracted from the natural beauty.

Our cruise ended at the Three Gorges Dam, one of the largest in the world.  Taming the Yangtze was a massive engineering feat, but there was plenty of controversy as well—beyond the ecological damage, over 1.2 million people were displaced and many archeological and cultural sites destroyed.  Nevertheless, going through the ship locks (5 stages that dropped our ship about 30 meters) was a memorable experience.

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The Great Wall is easily accessible from Beijing.  What I learned from my friend Jean is that, beyond being one of China’s most famous sites, it is also great for hiking.  On this day we did a nice 10km hike.

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Beyond ancient attractions like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, Beijing is home to a terrific art, music and restaurant scene. The pics below are from one of my favorite spots called The Opposite House, a stylish boutique hotel with chic bars and restaurants.

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I’ve attended some wonderful destination weddings in Asia, but my friends Henry and Michelle took theme weddings to a new level when they hosted a full-fledged “Imperial Wedding” in Zhuhai, Guangdong Provence.  The event was at a park that houses a complete replica of the Summer Palace in Beijing.  There were hundreds in the cast (affordable labor in China helps) and all of the guests came in appropriate attire.  This wedding was a bit more elaborate than most.  ;-)

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Ningbo is a small (only 2M+ people ;-)) second tier city on the coast of Zhejiang Provence about 2 hours south of Shanghai by car. My parents and I enjoyed the local seafood and quite liked Tianyi Pavilion, the oldest private library in China. Built in 1561 and situated on about 6.5 acres of land, it has beautiful gardens and plenty of antique books and tablets.

The library has very beautiful Chinese gardens.

I really liked the stone tablets.

Dad joined some of the local scholars for a game of mahjong. :-)