select - China’s Powerhouses
Written by Gregg Henglein Illustration by Andy Pratt
Ancient civilisation abounds throughout China, history etched in the vast nation’s marvellous landscape. But stitches of modernisation now bind the country’s legacy, with spectacular and towering skylines overlooking centuries of splendour.
Shanghai
Located along the East China Sea coast and the Yangtze River’s southern banks, Shanghai is China’s largest city, home to more than 13 million people.
A centre of finance and business, the city is also a paradise for shoppers and gourmands alike. Yuyuan Garden, the primary shopping and tourist area, features modern shops in a 16th century setting. Nanjing Road is electric with towers of neon standing as beacons of Shanghai’s 21st century power and status. For history, venture to the 242 AD Longhua Temple. It originally hosted 13 pagodas constructed to hold the remains of Buddha, as ordered by Wu dynasty Emperor Sun Quan. At the Temple of the Jade Buddha, two precious Buddha statues carved from jade are exquisite cultural relics.
WHY
Exposure not only to China’s largest city, but also one that provides insights into the country’s history and development into a global force.
WHERE
Roughly equidistant between Beijing and Hong Kong, where the East China Sea meets the Yangtze River.
HOW TO GET THERE
Qatar Airways has daily non-stop flights to Shanghai.
Beijing
Globally, Beijing drew notice as host city of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The appointment drove Beijing’s government to increase its dedication to minimising pollution, and in so doing established Beijing as not just a historic city, but one increasingly welcoming to tourists. More than 500,000 years ago, so-called Peking Man lived just outside Beijing, which later served for 800 years as the capital of the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Absorb the legacies of these periods throughout Beijing. One such place is the Forbidden City, built in the early 15th century and eventually serving as a palace throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. Northeast
of the city, visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall; this section used to serve as the northern barrier, defending the capital against invaders.
WHY
The centre of China’s legendary dynasties, there is no place in the country that holds more history.
WHERE
Sitting at the tip of the North China Plain at the northwest end of the Yellow River.
HOW TO GET THERE
Qatar Airways flies non-stop to Beijing four times a week.
Hong Kong
Though operating as a separate administrative region from mainland China, Hong Kong is one of the country’s must-see destinations, strictly modern, and a financial powerhouse over the past 15 years. Mostly, however, Hong Kong represents a blend of Chinese custom with Western influence from its time as a British colony. Thousands of skyscrapers fill the skyline, the view of which must be seen from breathtaking Victoria Peak.
WHY
The most modern city in China, Hong Kong also displays Western character,
as it has become an international bellwether.
WHERE
Hong Kong is located on China’s south coast, east of Macau on the opposite side
of the Pearl River Delta.
HOW TO GET THERE
Qatar Airways has daily non-stop flights to
Hong Kong.
