As we’ve all heard , Kashgar’s Old Town, a place of 2100 years’ history, is being destroyed. I’m sad to say  that I witnessed this on a recent trip I lead through Xinjiang, probably one of the last groups to see the Old Town with our own eyes.

Upon arrival in Kashgar, our local guide told me that only the day before, in the middle of the night, the oldest part of the city was torn down. Here is what it looks like now:

On my last trip to Kashgar only six months ago, this was a street full of hat shops. This time, the old fellow’s shop  is probably already under the dust. (Picture taken on Oct 20^th 2008)

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May is a special month for me.

May 10th is Mother’s Day. I appreciate my Mom, who is the greatest person in the world, gives me life and helps me to know the beautiful world.

May 11th is my birthday. I appreciate the life I’m living and the people around me.

May 12th is a day of memory in China and the world, as we mourn for and remember the people who lost their lives in the earthquake.

My memories go back to Sichuan. How did it become connected to me? I was there. This time last year, I was traveling with a group of experts in Sichuan, researching nature reserve ecotourism development. At that time, no one knew what would happen.

May 11th, 2008: We arrived Jiuzhai Town.

May 12th, 2008, Morning: We visited Baihe Golden Monkey Nature Reserve;

May 12th, 2008, Afternoon: We were visiting the Jiuzhaigou valley when suddenly, the earthquake happened. We were trapped in Jiuzhaigou for 2 days.

May 14th, 2008: We decided to drive back to Chengdu. It was a long, escaping journey that took nearly 3 days. We traveled through Ruo Er Gai, Hongyuan, Kangding… some of the most remote places in Northwest Sichuan. It was an adventure, one of the most adventurous journeys in my life. I grew and learned through it.

Though it was a devastating time for Sichuan, our people were not beaten. Love and support was gathered from every corner of China and the world.

At WildChina, we contribute our effort to help Sichuan post-earthquake development in the ways we know best. We worked with Sichuan local NGOs to help tourism development; we trained local staff, developed ecotourism products and brought guests there. We feel a strong connection to Sichuan.

In 2008, the Wenchuan people suffered and lost their home in this natural disaster. In 2009, they use their tremendous courage and strength to stand up and rebuild their homes. I believe Sichuan will be more beautiful than ever before.

A year after the 5.12 earthquake, let’s remember the past and look forward to the future.

This is the third day of our Silk Road trip. “So far, it’s been so wonderful.” said one of our guests.

Our trip started in Xi’an, the starting point of the Silk Road. After changing our flight at Lanzhou, a jumping-off point on the ancient Silk Road, now we’re at Dunhuang, a key trading point of the Silk Road.

Dunhuang was the western-most fort of the early Tang Dynasty, where the east meets west. Long ago its ancient name meant “beautiful desert oasis”. Many foreign merchants, monks, and officials came here for economic, military, political and cultural communications, which provided the basis for the flourishing of one of China’s earliest Buddhist centers.

One of the significant sites here is Mogao Cave, which consists of 492 caves with 25,000 square meters of wall paintings and more than 3,000 painted sculptures, spanning from the 4th to the 14th century.

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Good times go fast, and my vacation is about to finish. During my time away from the office, I spent some lovely days in Hangzhou. There are ten famous sites surrounding the West Lake, all of which are standard and well-known. Instead of talking about those, let me tell you about some of Hangzhou’s hidden gems.

Guo Garden 郭庄

Guo Zhuang is said to be the best existing traditional private garden in Hangzhou. It was built in 1851 and opened to the public in 1991. Being one of the garden masterpieces of Jiangnan (the lower region of the Yangtze River), it has incomparable surroundings and a smartly managed garden space.

Guo Garden

Rooms can be rented for private banquets.

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