BBC: Wild China

[Outofin]

Did anyone watch BBC’s Wild China? It’s fantastic. Oh, I love HD quality!

This is such a beautiful country. And I’m even more impressed by its variety, geographically and biologically. I think this is really a good material for citizenship education. The beauty of the Earth inspires people to protect it and be friendly to environment. How can we not?!

[foodtarget]

Yea, this was a really great series. It really makes me want to go visit Yunnan! And just a tip for those of you in China, this is a great series to watch with Chinese friends (or girl/boyfriends). Something about a TV show that exalts the beauty of China really puts Chinese people in a good mood.

[renzhe]

I'm not in China, but it sounds like something I'd like to watch with my girlfriend.

We're brainstorming potential locations for our next China trip....

[imron]

Out of all the places I've travelled in China, Yunnan has been my favorite so far.

[Luobot]

I agree, with Lìjiāng being my absolute favorite (at least, so far).

[imron]

Xishuangbanna also comes pretty close in my opinion, it's great for hanging out in sub-tropical weather drinking freshly squeezed fruit juice, and it makes a nice escape during the Beijing winter.

Lijiang is good too, and the nearby tiger-leaping gorge is spectacular.

[renzhe]

Some good recommendations for my shortlist there!

We had Guilin, Shangri-la and Huang Shan as potential highlights already, but we'll have to look into these too.

[imron]

Guilin is just a big city. It's the areas around Guilin that are nice. Yangshuo is probably the most well known, but also the most touristy and is not to everyone's liking

Shangri-la doesn't exist, and in Yunnan, you'll find about 5 or 6 different places all claiming to be the real Shangri-la.

Huangshan is great if you go when there aren't too many people, but it's miles away from all the good things in Yunnan. If you were going to see a bunch of places in Yunnan, depending on your time constraints it might be worth saving Huangshan for a later time and instead make the most of what Yunnan has to offer. Huangshan isn't going away anytime soon, however there is repeated talk about damming (and therefore damning) Tiger-Leaping Gorge.

In my opinion, Lijiang, Tiger-Leaping Gorge and Xishuangbanna are must sees.

[liuzhou]

Actually, Guilin is quite a small city, but you're right. Any attraction is in the surrounding countryside. Yangshuo is a total tourist trap. There are many places in Guangxi equally beautiful and not in Lonely Planet, therefore much nicer.

I found Lijiang totally fake, too. The "old city" was built about ten years ago after an earthquake destroyed the real one.

A nice part of Yunnan is Dehong Prefecture, next to Xishuangbanna and similar but without the hordes of tourists. Ruili is barking mad.

[renzhe]

We were planning a trip around that area, not Guilin or Shangri-la per se. The whole time it was the nature and scenery that we were interested in, not the cities, as our last trip was city-heavy. Sounds like it's a good plan.

As for Huang Shan, we were both enchanted by Song Shan and Hua Shan, so we've decided we'd definitely visit Huang Shan sooner or later. It wouldn't really fit into a Yunnan trip, but it's close enough to Shanghai, so if we visit the parents, it's a doable trip.

[imron]

we were both enchanted by Song Shan and Hua Shan

Well then, tiger leaping gorge is a must. Huang Shuan is beautiful, but going up and down it's really all just steps (or cable-car). With tiger-leaping gorge it's actually decent hiking. Most people split the hike into two days, staying at one of the many guest houses in the small villages along the top of the gorge. Personally I wish I'd also spent another day or two at the top hiking and exploring.

[renzhe]

How long is the hike, and are 2 days enough? I've read something about 120 km, and that might be a bit much to cover in 2 days.

We are both fairly sporty and have no problem with long hikes. Staying in a small guesthouse is great too, as long as it's not too touristy. I don't mind tourists (especially backpackers who explore on their own and interact with the locals), but the spots attracting masses of tourists (especially the package-holiday, flag-waving megaphone guide type) make me aggressive.

Also: I've always regretted not seeing the Three Gorges before the lake started being filled, so I'm certainly interested in this gorge (before they start flooding that one too......)

[imron]

That's one of the best thing about the gorge hike! There are no steps, no cable cars and it's hard enough that it keeps the mega-phone hordes away. There are still tourists, but they're mostly all hikers and the trail isn't packed with them. This is no doubt helped by the fact that the hiking trail goes along the top of the gorge, whereas there is a separate tourist road going along the bottom for all the day trippers - which further serves to keep the hike free from non-hikers.

I think 2 days is the bare minimum required. When I did, we left from Lijiang in the morning, started the hike at around noon, arrived at a guesthouse at around 7 (there were others we could have stopped at earlier), continued hiking the next morning and got down to the bottom of the gorge around midday, then left back for Lijiang, arriving again in the evening. Like I said, it'd be good to actually spend a few more days up around the top of the gorge too, using the guesthouse as a base.

[renzhe]

Sounds perfect.

Thanks for all the advice! We were headed for the south anyway, but now an itinerary is slowly emerging...

All I need now is enough time to actually do it. It will likely be another year.

[renzhe]

I've just watched this, and it's magnificent.

BBC always makes great documentaries, and this is no exception.

A BIG recommendation to anyone interested in China, wildlife, or both.

[randall_flagg]

I wholeheartedly recommend the BBC documentary "Wild China - Heart of the Dragon" to you. Amazingly poetic and aesthetic shots give a glimpse of a China that most of us will never see. In HD (be sure to click on the HD button below!), you will be swept of your chair by some of the images of landscapes, animals and people the BBC has managed to capture in this 2008 documentary.

Enjoy!

BBC - Wild China - Heart of the Dragon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGGbR6E-XSk

[anonymoose]

Yes, quite impressive. It's true that, living in a big city, one often forgets that there's this other side to China. But nevertheless, travelling around, it possible to see some of these things. A trip to Yunnan, for example, reveals many of the scenes shown in the documentary.

[randall_flagg]

How could I miss this thread? I did a search but when I found nothing I thought nobody had watched this. Oh well....

But nevertheless, travelling around, it possible to see some of these things. A trip to Yunnan, for example, reveals many of the scenes shown in the documentary.

Yes, I've been to a few off-the-beaten-track places in China myself. Yet for some reason I always feel like the next best (and less touristy) thing is just around the corner. I never feel as free traveling through China as I would in other (western) countries. The sometimes impenetrable local transport system/infrastructure and a population that has priorities other than developing scenic spots around the corner (although this might be changing) make true independent traveling difficult.

There should be something like the "anti Lonely Planet"....