{"id":289,"date":"2016-11-01T14:59:06","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T14:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oliverberry.com\/?p=289"},"modified":"2017-01-13T18:23:58","modified_gmt":"2017-01-13T18:23:58","slug":"china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/","title":{"rendered":"China"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"china<\/p>\n

China\u2019s landscapes and ancient history have been inspiring travellers since the days of Marco Polo. Follow an oriental adventure by taxi, plane and bullet train, from the historic streets of the capital Beijing to the riverside splendour of Yangshuo.<\/h3>\n

This 14-page feature was originally commissioned by Lonely Planet Traveller<\/em> and has since been syndicated worldwide to media outlets including lonelyplanet.com<\/a>, bbc.com<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0news.com.au<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

Project description: 14pp travel feature
\nClient: Lonely Planet Traveller
\nDate: July 2012
\nArticle photography by Mark Read<\/p>\n

Beijing’s history: from hutongs to the Forbidden City<\/h2>\n

\"forbidden
\nAn inner courtyard of the Forbidden City, Beijing \/ Image \u00a9 Oliver Berry 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

Dusk is falling over the Forbidden City, the former imperial residence, and the last crowds of the day are filtering out through the gateways. The palace, spotlit by the evening sun, is painted in earthy tones: deep pinks, stone greys, cinnamon browns. Workers sweep the squares with willow brooms, and flocks of pigeons swoop across the courtyards or roost on temple rooftops, their fluttering wings blending with the distant hum of traffic and car horns.<\/p>\n

Sprawling across 180 acres of downtown Beijing, this vast palace served as the symbolic and political centre of the Chinese world for more than five centuries. Built under the reign of Chengzu, it was designed to project the might and majesty of the Chinese emperor. Between 1420 and 1924, 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived here in near-total seclusion, rarely venturing out beyond the 10-metre-thick walls, and commanding an almost divine power over their subjects. One legend says that the Forbidden City has 9,999\u00bd rooms \u2013 only half a room less than could be found in heaven (though the official room count of the palace is actually 8,704).<\/p>\n

In previous centuries, anyone entering the Forbidden City without permission would have faced instant death. These days it\u2019s China\u2019s most popular sight and attracts enormous crowds \u2013 but even among the throngs, it\u2019s still possible to find secluded corners: tumbledown temples, secret galleries, forgotten chambers, quiet squares.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a place of ancient codes and secret symbols. The palace is laid out according to feng shui and its architecture is packed with hidden meaning \u2013 from the mythical creatures which adorn the buildings\u2019 eaves to the recurrent motifs of the dragon and phoenix, emblems of emperor and empress.<\/p>\n

The Forbidden City is also a reminder of a much older Beijing which long predates the city\u2019s skyscrapers, ring roads and office blocks. Spiralling out like a spider\u2019s web from the old city are the hutongs: a tangled warren of alleyways built after Genghis Khan\u2019s Mongol army razed Beijing \u2013 known then as Zhongdu \u2013 to rubble in 1215.<\/p>\n

\u2018The hutongs are the arteries of ancient Beijing,\u2019 explains Gao Hongzhong, an artist, calligrapher and expert on Beijing\u2019s architecture, who lives and works on a busy hutong just east of the Forbidden City. \u2018Most people prefer to live in apartment blocks these days, but for me, this is where you\u2019ll find the real Beijing.\u2019<\/p>\n

Lined with family-owned shops and siheyuan (traditional courtyard homes), each hutong illustrates a way of life that has endured in Beijing for eight centuries. Rickshaws and scooters rattle past while women gossip in the gateways, men play games of mahjong, and kids chase each other through the dusty backstreets, dodging boxes and washing lines.<\/p>\n

In the 1950s, there were as many as 6,000 hutongs in Beijing, but it\u2019s thought that around 40 per cent of these have been bulldozed since 1990. Some, such as Nanluogu Xiang, have reinvented themselves with trendy bars, shops and caf\u00e9s; others face a precarious future, eyed up by rich bankers and property tycoons keen to snap up a slice of Beijing\u2019s dwindling architectural heritage.<\/p>\n

\u2018Of course China must keep looking forward,\u2019 notes Mr Gao, as he traces delicate Chinese characters on a sheet of parchment. \u2018But we must preserve our past, too. Once we have lost it, we cannot get it back. And without it, we are in danger of losing sight of who we are.\u2019<\/p>\n

FURTHER INFORMATION
\nebeijing.gov.cn<\/a>
\nForbidden City (dpm.org.cn<\/a>; admission from \u00a34)
\nBeijing Hutong Tour (beijinghutongtour.com<\/a>; half-day hutong tours from \u00a35)<\/p>\n

Jiankou and the Great Wall<\/h2>\n

Jiankou is about a two-hour drive from Beijing. a private taxi or minivan from Beijing to Xizhazi should cost from \u00a340.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"great
\nSunrise on the Great Wall and the karst mountains at Jiankou \/ Image \u00a9 Oliver Berry 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a few hours past midnight and the forest around Jiankou is pitch-dark, but Zhao Fuqing shows no sign of losing his way. He walks with a steady stride, occasionally stopping to hack away foliage with a battered axe that he keeps tucked into his belt. Around him, the forest echoes with sounds: buzzing insects, croaking bullfrogs and birds twittering among the treetops. Abruptly, he stops and points through a gap in the forest canopy, where the first rays of dawn are breaking. High above, a ribbon of watchtowers and battlements snakes out across the hills, its contours traced out against a fuchsia sky.<\/p>\n

Stretching for around 5,500 miles along China\u2019s wild frontiers, the Great Wall is a potent symbol of the colossal power and iron will once wielded by the Chinese empire. This vast manmade barrier might not be visible from space, as is often claimed, but it is truly one of the great wonders of the ancient world.<\/p>\n

In fact, there isn\u2019t really one Great Wall at all, but many. It consists of numerous sections, built and modified by successive military commanders over the course of more than 2,000 years. Some parts are little more than pounded earth, mud and timber. Others, such as the Jiankou section, bristle with ramparts, forts and guard towers, often given elaborate names such as The Eagle Flies Facing Upward, Heaven\u2019s Ladder or the Nine-Eye Tower.<\/p>\n

Built in the mid-14th century, during the Ming Dynasty, much of the Jiankou wall is now in a perilous state. Some areas are crumbling to dust, eroded by centuries of wind, rain and winter snows. Though heavily overgrown and riven with cracks, most of the watchtowers and battlements are still standing \u2013 although there\u2019s no telling how long they\u2019ll last.<\/p>\n

\u2018I hope our wall will be here forever,\u2019 muses Zhao Fuqing, who has been exploring this part of the wall since he was a boy and now works here as a walking guide. \u2018But you never know what Mother Nature will bring.\u2019<\/p>\n

As if to illustrate his point, a rockslide suddenly thunders down the slopes, sending clouds of dust and rubble tumbling down the valley walls.<\/p>\n

\u2018You see?\u2019 Mr Zhao chuckles.<\/p>\n

FURTHER INFORMATION<\/p>\n

WildWall Weekends runs Great Wall tours in spring\u00a0and autumn (from around \u00a3250; wildwall.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Shanghai’s architecture: a vision of China’s future<\/h2>\n

Shanghai is about 820 miles south of Beijing. The bullet train covers the journey in four hours. A soft seat in standard class should cost around \u00a395.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"shanghai
\nView from the Bund towards Pudong’s neon-lit cityscape, Shanghai \/ Image \u00a9 Oliver Berry 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

If anywhere symbolises China\u2019s superpower future, it\u2019s Shanghai. Wired by fibre-optics, intersected by neon-lit freeways and bathed in a permanent sodium glow, it\u2019s the archetypal modern metropolis: faster, richer, brasher and busier than any other city in China. Twenty years ago, the city would barely have scraped into the top 50 in the world skyscraper league, but it\u2019s now at number four \u2013 surpassed only by Hong Kong, New York and Tokyo \u2013 and rising fast.<\/p>\n

On the east bank of the River Huangpu, in the high-rise district of Pudong, the pace of change in Shanghai really shifts into focus. In 1990, this was still farm land, carpeted with rice paddies, cornfields, warehouses and boat stores. Two decades later, it\u2019s the city\u2019s priciest patch of real estate, home to the main financial district, the stock exchange and Shanghai\u2019s tallest cluster of skyscrapers, including the gaudy Oriental Pearl Tower, the Gothamesque Jinmao Tower, the soaring Shanghai World Financial Centre and the Shanghai Tower, which will be the world\u2019s second-highest building, at 632m, when it\u2019s due to be completed in 2014.<\/p>\n

Wang Yi is a volunteer at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, where a scale model of Shanghai\u2019s cityscape circa 2020 takes up the entire first floor. Though only in her teens, Wang has already seen the city change beyond recognition.<\/p>\n

\u2018Many places I remember from when I was little look completely different now,\u2019 she says. \u2018Mostly the city is changing for the better, but sometimes I think it is moving too fast.\u2019<\/p>\n

Following the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, Shanghai became China\u2019s wealthiest trading port, growing rich on the proceeds of silk, tea and opium, while attracting swathes of western merchants and investors. The legacy of the city\u2019s golden age is still clear to see along the Bund, the city\u2019s most celebrated boulevard, where the banks, office blocks and heritage hotels run the architectural gamut from austere Neo- Gothic to dreamy Art Deco.<\/p>\n

For Wang Yi, this mad mix of styles is symptomatic of Shanghai\u2019s addiction to change. \u2018Every new building must be bigger, higher and shinier than the one before,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

Outside, rush hour is in full swing. Scooters whine through tailbacks and drivers lean into car horns. Skyscrapers stack along the streets, blazing with incandescent colour. High above, the night sky glows like a filament, and the traffic stretches out into the darkness like circuits on a motherboard.<\/p>\n

FURTHER INFORMATION
\nshanghai.gov.cn<\/a>
\nShanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (supec.org<\/a>; admission \u00a33)
\nJinmao Tower Observation Deck (jinmao88.com<\/a>; admission from \u00a38)<\/p>\n

Longsheng and the Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces<\/h2>\n

From Shanghai, it\u2019s a two-hour flight to Guilin. The Longsheng rice terraces are 65 miles north. Expect to pay \u00a320\u201330 for a taxi or minibus.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"longji
\nSteeply tiered rice terraces, Longsheng \/ Image \u00a9 Oliver Berry 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

Rice isn\u2019t just a staple in China \u2013 it\u2019s the stuff of life. Beyond the big cities, in the flatlands that cover much of the country\u2019s interior, every inch of available earth is given over to its cultivation, and the landscape\u2019s colours shift according to the rice season \u2013 acid green when the shoots are young, deep jade when the crop is mature, and tawny brown following the annual harvest.<\/p>\n

China accounts for more than 26 per cent of the world\u2019s total rice yield, an astonishing statistic given that the majority of the country\u2019s crop is still sown, tended and harvested by hand. High in the mountains of northern Guangxi stretches the Dragon\u2019s Backbone Rice Terraces, a vast network stacked across the hillsides like the tiers of a wedding cake. Cultivated for more than eight centuries, the rice terraces cover 16 acres and range in altitude from 300m to 1,100m.<\/p>\n

Liao Guozhen can trace back his family\u2019s rice-growing heritage here for at least 700 years. Now in his early seventies, he\u2019s been working in the terraces near his home village of Pinyan since he was eight years old. \u2018I\u2019ve never known anything other than growing rice,\u2019 he says, puffing on a crooked cigarette as he wades knee-deep into the waterlogged paddies. \u2018If you put me in a big city, I\u2019d be lost, but here I always know what to do.\u2019 As he tends to the shoots, banks of fog roll up from the valley and a few peaks peep out above the cloud.<\/p>\n

The terraces aren\u2019t just beautiful, they\u2019re practical too, a self-sustaining ecosystem. Springwater is trapped by the terraces, and then evaporates, forms clouds and falls again as rain higher up the mountain. The tiered structure also prevents erosion and provides a habitat for insects, birds and butterflies, which act as natural predators, reducing the need for pesticides. Yet as in much of rural China, the old ways are disappearing fast.<\/p>\n

\u2018All of my grandchildren have left for the city now,\u2019 admits Mr Liao, \u2018and I don\u2019t know what will happen to the terraces when there\u2019s no-one left to work them. The future is uncertain, but we have always found a way to survive.\u2019<\/p>\n

FURTHER INFORMATION
\nlongjiriceterraces.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Yanghsuo, land of a thousand rivers<\/h2>\n

The main town of Yangshuo is 41 miles south of Guilin. Frequent buses operate (single journeys costing around \u00a31.80). A taxi should cost \u00a325\u201330.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"yangshuo
\nTraditional bamboo rafts jostle for space on the Li River \/ Image \u00a9 Oliver Berry 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

A spiky patchwork of peaks, plains, creeks and canyons, Yangshuo is where China\u2019s city dwellers go when they want to experience the great outdoors. Stretching along the banks of the Yulong and Li rivers, this rural county is home to some of the country\u2019s most famous landscapes \u2013 they even feature on the back of the 20 yuan note.<\/p>\n

Strewn with karst pillars, rural villages and riverside trails, it offers a glimpse of an agrarian past that feels a world away from the clamour of China\u2019s traffic-choked cities. For centuries, life here has been dictated by the river. During seasonal monsoons, the floodplains and rice fields all but disappear under water; in high summer, many of the creeks and tributaries dry up to a trickle.<\/p>\n

Before the advent of motorways and high-speed trains, the rivers were often the only means of transportation in rural China and, even now, traditional bamboo rafts are still a common sight along the riverbanks \u2013 although these days, they\u2019re more likely to be transporting tourists than trade goods.<\/p>\n

Tourism may be Yangshuo\u2019s most lucrative industry today, but some of the old river ways endure. Cormorant fishing is one such custom \u2013 fishermen train the cormorants using loops of throat twine, which allow the birds to guzzle smaller fish but prevent them from eating the larger ones. As recently as the 1950s, there were as many as 500 cormorant fishermen working on the Li River, but now only a handful remain, mainly to stage shows for visitors.<\/p>\n

Grandfather Huang is one of the last; aged 86, he\u2019s been fishing here since learning the secrets from his father almost 80 years ago. \u2018Cormorants are very clever birds,\u2019 he explains, dressed in his traditional garb of loose pyjamas, matted cloak and bamboo hat. \u2018Each has their own character \u2013 some are hard workers, but others are very lazy. They understand many commands. Some of them even know swear words,\u2019 he laughs.<\/p>\n

Later, fleets of bamboo rafts float out along the Yulong river. Steering between stone weirs and hidden eddies, the boatman points out wildlife along the riverbanks: shelducks in the shallows, water buffalo in the grass, a grey heron hidden among the reeds.<\/p>\n

In the distance, limestone pillars spiral skywards, their pinnacles cloaked in cloud, and white mist drifts off the fields.<\/p>\n

FURTHER INFORMATION
\nyangshuo-travel-guide.com<\/a>
\nRaft trips are available (from \u00a33 per person).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

China\u2019s landscapes and ancient history have been inspiring travellers since the days of Marco Polo. Follow an oriental adventure by taxi, plane and bullet train, from the historic streets of the capital Beijing to the riverside splendour of Yangshuo. This 14-page feature was originally commissioned by Lonely Planet Traveller and has since been syndicated worldwide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[4],"tags":[56,57,46,59,58,44],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChina | Oliver Berry | Travel Writing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"China has been inspiring travellers since the days of Marco Polo. Follow an oriental adventure from Beijing to the riverside splendour of Yangshuo.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"China | Oliver Berry | Travel Writing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"China has been inspiring travellers since the days of Marco Polo. Follow an oriental adventure from Beijing to the riverside splendour of Yangshuo.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Oliver Berry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-11-01T14:59:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-01-13T18:23:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"473\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Oliver Berry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@olivertomberry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@olivertomberry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Oliver Berry\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Oliver Berry\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1de80041e68b40c68786ae809aa5873\"},\"headline\":\"China\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-01T14:59:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-01-13T18:23:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/\"},\"wordCount\":2436,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1de80041e68b40c68786ae809aa5873\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"beijing\",\"great wall\",\"photography\",\"rice terraces\",\"shanghai\",\"travel writing\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Writing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/\",\"name\":\"China | Oliver Berry | Travel Writing\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-01T14:59:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-01-13T18:23:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"China has been inspiring travellers since the days of Marco Polo. Follow an oriental adventure from Beijing to the riverside splendour of Yangshuo.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1\",\"width\":700,\"height\":473,\"caption\":\"Great Wall of China\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Writing\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"China\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/\",\"name\":\"Oliver Berry\",\"description\":\"Writer & Photographer\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1de80041e68b40c68786ae809aa5873\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1de80041e68b40c68786ae809aa5873\",\"name\":\"Oliver Berry\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf90958e892eb4ad5262a070dcc3e2b6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf90958e892eb4ad5262a070dcc3e2b6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Oliver Berry\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"description\":\"Oliver Berry is a writer, photographer and filmmaker, specialising in travel, nature and the great outdoors.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/oliverberry.com\",\"@olivertomberry\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/olivertomberry\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"China | Oliver Berry | Travel Writing","description":"China has been inspiring travellers since the days of Marco Polo. Follow an oriental adventure from Beijing to the riverside splendour of Yangshuo.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"China | Oliver Berry | Travel Writing","og_description":"China has been inspiring travellers since the days of Marco Polo. Follow an oriental adventure from Beijing to the riverside splendour of Yangshuo.","og_url":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/","og_site_name":"Oliver Berry","article_published_time":"2016-11-01T14:59:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-01-13T18:23:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":700,"height":473,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Oliver Berry","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@olivertomberry","twitter_site":"@olivertomberry","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Oliver Berry","Estimated reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/"},"author":{"name":"Oliver Berry","@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1de80041e68b40c68786ae809aa5873"},"headline":"China","datePublished":"2016-11-01T14:59:06+00:00","dateModified":"2017-01-13T18:23:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/"},"wordCount":2436,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1de80041e68b40c68786ae809aa5873"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1","keywords":["beijing","great wall","photography","rice terraces","shanghai","travel writing"],"articleSection":["Writing"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/","url":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/","name":"China | Oliver Berry | Travel Writing","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1","datePublished":"2016-11-01T14:59:06+00:00","dateModified":"2017-01-13T18:23:58+00:00","description":"China has been inspiring travellers since the days of Marco Polo. Follow an oriental adventure from Beijing to the riverside splendour of Yangshuo.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1","width":700,"height":473,"caption":"Great Wall of China"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/china\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Writing","item":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/writing\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"China"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/","name":"Oliver Berry","description":"Writer & Photographer","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1de80041e68b40c68786ae809aa5873"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1de80041e68b40c68786ae809aa5873","name":"Oliver Berry","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf90958e892eb4ad5262a070dcc3e2b6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf90958e892eb4ad5262a070dcc3e2b6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Oliver Berry"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"},"description":"Oliver Berry is a writer, photographer and filmmaker, specialising in travel, nature and the great outdoors.","sameAs":["http:\/\/oliverberry.com","@olivertomberry","https:\/\/twitter.com\/olivertomberry"]}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverberry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/great-wall.jpg?fit=700%2C473&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s5ccy7-china","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverberry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}