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| Mark Appleton writing from Xi'an, 8 September 2002 |
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We have surveyed the first four days of the route for the Great Tour of China, as far as Xi'an. I was delighted on the first day to discover that Beijing does not suffer from the urban sprawl of most large cities. After about 40 minutes on the modern expressway we were in the green mountains that house parts of the Great Wall never visited by tourists. By the end of the day we had arrived in the magnificent village of Taishan. This is the centre of the important Buddhist area of Wutai Shan and boasts no fewer than 20 temples and monasteries. The hotel we will use here has 4 Chinese stars and is situated a few km out of the village - far enough to be quiet, but close enough to be easily accessed.
Although the conditions are primative, local people seem incredibly proud of their city and I was extended a warm welcome. Within minutes of walking through the gate, Mr Li was befriended by a local lady who acted as our guide for over two hours with no expectation of payment. Realising that tourism is a good source of cash, a few of the historic buildings have opened their |
I have been in China for just under a week and I am really enjoying the place. I am travelling with five members of the FASC staff led by Mr Li Chunwei. Only Mr Li and Mr Zhang speak any English at all, but communication is generally good.
The second day of the event will be quite short at just over 300km, with much of it on good modern expressway. This will give participants an opportunity to explore the temples at the start of the day, and also the wonders of Pingyao at the end of the day. This is an incredible city, untouched by modernisation and full of character. Our hotel reflects this simplicity and I was assured it was the best in town. Wandering through the Old City (just a few hundred metres from the hotel) was like stepping back 100 years. The buildings and living conditions have hardly changed since then, with the exception of the odd electric lamp, taxi and the inevitable "Internet Bar" (housed in a ramshackle building with a piece of cloth for a door!).