Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.
May 2nd 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo For the past 40+ years, one of the places I have always longed to see was the Li River area. It is that part of China that we always see in pictures with these mountains rising from the ground, many ... 4 photos[full story]
May 14th 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo hey fellas!!
know this is really late sorry this took forever. been inundated with texts and emails aplenty promulgating the dangers and perils of the recent earthquake that inflicted china. really ... 1 photos[full story]
May 5th 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo We are posting this blog from Chengdu, the day after the big earthquake and wanted to let everyone know we are all safe. We had written most of this blog prior to the quake, and our travels sure seem ... 32 photos[full story]
May 10th 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo It rained each day while we were in Yangshuo. But it absolutely downpoured on our last full day there. So, we decided to stay in for the majority of the day. We were the only family at the small ho ... [full story]
May 8th 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo West Street is the main drag in Yangshuo. We went there each night to find a place for dinner. We also hid away in a couple of restaurants during major rain delays. The girls loved the sights and s ... [full story]
May 9th 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo I went to cooking school today in Yangshuo at the Yangshuo Cooking School. It was a fantastic experience. There were 12 students and one teacher at a beautiful school about 15 minutes outside of Yan ... [full story]
May 8th 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo Yangshuo is what you would call a backpacker's paradise. There are hills and trails galore, and there are backpackers and mountain bikers everywhere you turn.
On our second day in Yangshuo, we d ... [full story]
May 7th 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo Our first day in Yangshuo. Wow is it hot and humid and rainy!! Since our hotel is on the opposite side of the Li River from the town of Yangshuo, we had to walk about 1/2 mile down a dirt road to se ... [full story]
April 14th 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo First stop on the Chinese mainland was Guangzhou - a city with a population of 4 million, none of whom it appeared, could speak English. Even asking for a menu took 5mins of gesturing and pointing! ... 7 photos[full story]
May 1st 2008Asia » China » Yangshuo Leaving the big city we were soon travelling deep into the Chinese countryside with the rain lashing at the train windows and paddy fields on either side for as far as the eye can see. Eventually we ... 29 photos[full story]
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