We flew into Shanghai and arrived early morning. It was like landing on a different planet, nothing is familiar and at first it is all very confusing. However, we found the Maglev Train which travels at speeds of 430 kms / hr and was built mainly to impress visitors to the city. We went into the centre of Shanghai and the trip took less than 8 minutes

The first morning we took a walk along the historic Bund which is Shanghai’s most famous attraction. It runs parallel to the Huangpu River and on the opposite side you can view the amazing Shanghai Skyline of the Pudong, the futuristic business district. That evening we took a cruise down the Huangpu River for a closer look at the development taking place in this rapidly changing city.

The next day we visited Fuxing Park, one of the many public parks all over the city and saw couples gracefully dancing ballroom style and practicing Tai Chi. Many Chinese do not have the luxury of a garden or even a balcony so this form of exercise is practised all over China, very un-self-consciously, out in the open air. Anyone can get involved and many people like to go and watch.

The Shanghai Acrobatics are on nightly for two hours and are not to be missed, they are one the best Troupes in China and we saw juggling, unicycling, chair-stacking and plate spinning acts.

One place I found absolutely fascinating was the People’s Square marriage market which takes place every Saturday and is packed with parents who have photos of their children of marrying age. They are there to match-make and have photos of their children and details of their best attributes on a placard with the hope that they will meet a suitable candidate and marriage will follow.

We then took the short flight to Beijing and I was really looking forward to visiting Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and The Great Wall.

The first morning we headed for Tiananmen Square which is located in the heart of the city and is the site for massive parades and rallies and the largest square of this kind in the world. At sunrise and sunset the raising and lowering ceremony of the Chinese National Flag is worth a visit if only for a bit of people watching: people from all over China come to watch this spectacle.

The Great Wall is one of the greatest wonders of the world and the day of our visit was a truly memorable day for me. We opted for an easy walk of about 2 hours. Some of the sections are quite steep but the views from high up the wall are incredible. My advice? Don’t miss it!

You will need a full day for The Forbidden City. It is a labyrinth of old neighbourhoods and grand open courtyards. We strolled around the old streets and alleyways where people actually used to live and work. It is very evocative of a time now passed into history.

In the evenings we headed to the Legation Quarter close to Tiananmen Square which has a great selection of restaurants and bars catering to Westerners’ tastes because some of the Chinese cuisine is not for the faint hearted.

The following morning we visited Jingshan Park, just behind the Forbidden City which offers breath-taking views of the Palace from the top of one of Beijing’s very few hills.

Don’t forget to try the famous Peking Duck while you are in Beijing and a Chinese massage by a blind masseuse, it’s an experience somewhere between pleasure and pain!

The following day we rented some bikes and visited a hutong neighbourhood, with its narrow alleys and single story traditional courtyard houses. This used to be where most people lived but they have now been levelled and replaced by high rise apartment blocks to house the millions of immigrants who have come to the city in search of work and a better life.

From Beijing we flew to Xian to see the Terracotta Army each of the 8000 warriors has a different face and they were made to accompany the first Qin Emperor in the afterlife. You definitely need a guide to help with this excursion.

This is only the tip of a very large iceberg. China is a fascinating Country and holds a very special place in my heart. I cannot wait to go back and see some more of this amazing country.