Beyond the Great Wall of China

By Kimberly Jane Tan, GMA News

Most people probably want to go to China just to see the Great Wall. I used to be one of those people, but after visiting four of China's best cultural cities, I can attest to the fact that there's a lot more to see in this country aside from one ancient structure.

Last month, I was fortunate enough to represent GMA News Online which was among 11 foreign media outfits invited to visit the cities of Beijing, Chengdu, Nanjing, and Suzhou. Three of these cities were among the 10 best cultural Chinese cities feted by China Radio International (CRI) Online in its 2011 Chinese City Rankings event.

If I were to describe China now, I'd say it's like the country is trying to follow the wedding tradition of using something old, something new, and something borrowed.

Something old

During my recent visit, I witnessed how the local governments have been trying to preserve its old cities and streets. Even in Beijing, the capital and major transportation hub, the state has preserved the hutongs or narrow alleys in the area of Shichahai.

Originally, Shichahai was the neighborhood where the royal families and aristocrats lived. But now, most of the old mansions are occupied by ordinary people or rented out as commercial establishments.

Riding rickshaws, visitors can go around the hutongs and see how the old houses were built and what they looked like in the past.

Similarly, the local government of Chengdu has preserved the China Lane Cultural Protection Area, which covers the Kuan Lane (wide lane), Zhai Lane (narrow lane), and Jing Lane built during the Qing dynasty.

On Kuan Lane, culture buffs can visit open-air Chinese teahouses and taste authentic Sichuan cuisine. The local restaurants also have a mini-stage where local artists perform the Sichuan Opera (also known as Chuanju), which includes the art of face changing.

Meanwhile, traditional houses and buildings have been preserved on Zhai Lane while other establishments with a Western influence can be found on Jing Lane.

In Suzhou, the local government is proud of Piangjiang Street, where singing boatmen and women guide punting boats down the canals; locals have dubbed it the Venice of the East. Tourists can choose to take boats or small ferry rides depending on the canal route.

A similar cruise can be experienced in Nanjing, where tourists can also ride a ferry along the Qinhai River, one of the branches of the Yangtze river. Old and new structures can be seen from the boat, while performances await the tourists at the end of the ride.

Aside from the structures, the Chinese government has also taken a step into exhibiting historical relics unearthed in various places.

In Chengdu for example, the Wuhou Temple displays the ancient tablets made for the emperor Liu Bei and prime minister Zhuge Liang of the Shu Kingdom during the period of the Three Kingdoms.

Another impressive sight in the province is the Jinsha Site Museum, which opened in 2007 and was built over the 3,000-year-old Kingdom of Shu. It is one of the largest archaeological museums in China, covering 300,000 square meters of excavation sites where precious relics like the gold ornament article called the Sun and Immortal Bird were found.

Something new

But aside from preserving its history and culture, China has also been expanding its horizons, bringing in more investors into its already massive economy.

The local government of Chengdu constructed the Tianfu Software Park to service outsourcing companies in the Chengdu High-Tech Zone. Tianfu, which opened in 2005, houses nearly 200 local and international companies such as GE, IBM, DHL, Huwei, Siemens, Ericsson, and Accenture.

According to Tianfu's vice president for marketing Victor Jansson, the chip in every two laptops in the world is made in Chengdu. He added that they hope to produce 80 percent of Apple's iPads in their city by the end of the year.

Jansson said foreign investors based in Chengdu get lower income tax rates and free office spaces during their first year in China. Christine Du, president of the Tianfu Software Park, said they have around 30,000 employees but are looking to expand to 100,000 in five to six years.

Of course, China's most recent modern structures are some of the popular sports venues during the 2008 Beijing Olympics: the Beijing National Stadium or the Bird's Nest, and the National Aquatics Centre or the Water Cube.

The Bird's Nest, which was built over a period of four years, has a seating capacity of 91,000 while the Water Cube has a capacity of 17,000. The stadiums are still used for some sporting events and are open to the public.

Something borrowed

And as a testimony that China is slowly opening its doors to the outside world, the government has been forging partnerships with other countries in various business ventures.

For example, China and Singapore jointly built the Suzhou Industrial Park in 1994. The Park has a marked Singaporean influence, judging from the style of the buildings in the area. A mini-amusement park in the Park even has a ferris wheel that looks like Singapore's Flyer.

The local government of Suzhou also built the Harmony Times Square, which is often compared to New York's famed Times Square. The area has a lot of Western-style restaurants and shops. It also boasts of an "Air Cinema" where visitors can watch different 15-minute videos on a long projection screen on the ceiling at night.

Posted with permission from the author
Original link sa GMA News website: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/234960/lifestyle/beyond-the-great-wall-of-china