Thursday - late start, hike, Chairman Mao' s summer digs and bullet train arrive in Shanghai
September 13th 2014 Today we had a slow easy start which made a change. Breakfast at 9.20am and then out for a hike at 19.30am. The minibus took us to the start of the hike which took us about 40 minutes or so through the bamboo forests and other vegetation. It was a bit tough on the legs as it was mostly up hill via steps through the bamboo, but at least it was in the shade which was a blessing as it was a hot sunny
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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. A... ... read more 
