First snow for the season, Huayang

Winter has arrived! Well… according to the Chinese calendar that is. If following our Gregorian Calender we still have another 13 days to go…however, here in the Qinling Mountains, I have no doubt the weather has chosen to go by the Chinese calendar!! Last Wednesday it started snowing here for the first time this season and continued throughout the night. As mentioned below in Alex’s article ‘North China is Hit by Blizzard’ (Nov 11), snow that heavy is apparently an unusual occurrence this early in the year. I awoke to find a winter wonderland – everything covered in a few inches of snow. Just spectacular!

The giant pandas in Changqing have obviously noticed the change in seasons also. There have been sightings of two different giant pandas by our staff in the last couple of weeks, signalling that they have started to descend to the valleys for the cold weather. During June to September each year, the majority of our 100 strong panda population live in the high mountains. In the high mountains of Changqing Reserve, a small type of arrow bamboo is present, Fargesia qinlingensis. The pandas feed on the shoots of this species, occasionally having some cane and leaf also. Seeing giant pandas during this time is very difficult for both staff and visitors to the Reserve. This is not only because they are located high in the mountains, but also because the arrow bamboo leaves are very small and dense, making visibility difficult. Even if a panda was happily eating or sleeping only 10 meters away, it may be difficult to find!

Giant Panda, Changqing National Nature Reserve (photo taken by Zhao Naxun)

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This year’s transition from Autumn to winter is already turning out to be one of superlatives. This week, northern China experienced its heaviest snowfall in the last half century. Not since 1955 has one tempest delivered so much snowfall in northern China.

On October 31, China experienced its earliest snowfall in over two decades, albeit aided by measures to alleviate a lingering drought in China’s north. Advancements in weather technology are leading to a winter marked by sudden and heavy snowfalls.

Winter's First Snowfall on the Great Wall

The heavy snowfall created picturesque winter scenes all over Beijing for the several days following the snowstorm.

If you’re planning on traveling to northern China during the winter, make sure to bring a warm coat!

Upon reflection, as a ‘city girl’, I guess I never thought much about where my food came from. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I knew apples grew on trees, and a pumpkin had to be way too heavy for that, so most likely grew on a vine … and I even had a mini (albeit fairly unsuccessful) veggie patch in my inner-city Melbourne share house. In fact, to be completely honest, friends of mine back home would probably testify that I investigate the origin of my food more than most, having chosen long ago the life of a ‘pescetarian’ (seafood eating vegetarian) for ethical reasons. However, my knowledge, until now, has been intellectual rather than experience based.

Autumn in Huayang, Shaanxi

Living, working and exercising in the town of Huayang has allowed me to watch my dinner grow before my very eyes. I have seen the full process, from seed to harvest of some of my favourite vegetables and grains – including eggplants, corn, pumpkin, beans, carrots, rice and wheat to name just a few. It has had a profound affect upon me, and while saying it is a spiritual experience may be taking it too far, at times it has certainly felt like it.  In the cities of the ‘wealthy west’ so often we fill our days and lives with the pursuit of meaningless things … and to watch farmers at work and vegetables slowly growing through the seasons is a nice reminder of our life sustaining needs and the hard work and reliance upon the elements that is required to obtain these necessities.

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A deadly cocktail of sun, sand, rainforests, tropical fruits, mojitos, motorbikes, minority villages and street food has distracted me from writing my fourth blog … No, I’m not talking about the Hawaii or even Bali – believe it or not, still China! Hainan Island to be precise.

Ri Yue Wan, Eastern Coast, Hainan

The staff at Changqing Reserve work weekends, and the vast majority of them are living away from their families. This means that each month we work approximately three weeks ‘on’ and then get a week ‘off’. So after the Golden Week concluded we all took off – most to see their families, however me to see more of China. I LOVE travelling around China … its quite easily one of my favourite things in the world to do. Every trip is a new and exciting experience. In fact, it recently occurred to me that I threw out expectations on these mini-breaks long ago and now just eagerly await adventure. As a UK friend of mine said recently in his travel blog “No matter where you are, what you’re doing, who you’re with, there’s this feeling that something specials going to happen. It’s hard to explain but visit and you’ll see for yourselves. There is nowhere quite like China.”

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A client asked WildChina to help book the Lijiang Banyan Tree hotel in Lijiang, arriving on Oct 1, and departing on Oct. 5th.  I wanted to scream –”NO, NO, NO! You don’t want to do that.”  Hence, want as many to know this as possible, pls. pass it onto anyone who’s planning to go to China.

Here’s my advice:

If you have any flexibility on timing or location choice, I would highly recommend you NOT to go to Lijiang at this time. October 1st is the busiest day of the whole year. That is Chinese National Day, that’s the day when Chinese travel most. Lijiang is on top of the list as popular destination.  In fact, this Chinese National Day Holiday is state-sanctioned, from Oct 1 to Oct 7 every year. So star from Sep. 30, it’s already crazy there.

That means:
A. The crowd in Lijiang is probably equivalent to black Friday at the mall after Thanks-Giving.
B. No hotel or flight discounts.
C. Inconsistent services due to the volume.

In fact, you also want to avoid Lijiang at the following time too
Chinese New Year: Feb. 13-19, 2010
Tomb Sweeping Festival: April 3-5, 2010
Dragon Boat Festival: Around June 16, 2010 exact dates to be determined
Moon Festival: Around Sep 22, 2010 exact dates to be determined
Chinese Labor Day: May 1st to 3^rd, 2008
(Note all except Chinese Labor Day and Chinese National day are based on Lunar calendar, so the dates changes every year. )

This warning probably applies to all travel in China. I would not recommend anyone to travel in China during those dates.

WildChina is proud to be featured in the latest issue of National Geographic Traveler in their “Tours of a Lifetime” article. One of our most interesting journeys, “Old Country Living: Wandering the Rustic Landscapes of Guizhou and Guangxi” was picked for its unique blend of culture, adventure, and off-the-beaten-path travel. From the site:

Cut off from the rest of the country by rugged mountains, the southern provinces of Guangxi and Guizhou are largely unspoiled—tranquil lakes, jagged karst peaks. The region is home to many minority groups, many of whom still wear traditional dress and work at cormorant fishing and papermaking. You’ll stay in a series of rural homes. The Beijing-based operator works with villages to ensure that tourism doesn’t harm the community. One Guizhou village, for instance, closes itself to travelers three months each year to help maintain their traditional routines. Wild China: “Old Country Living: Wandering the Rustic Landscapes of Guangxi and Guizhou, China,”

Thanks National Geographic Traveler! We’re glad to be picked for such a wonderful distinction.

Interested in this trip? Email us at info@wildchina.com.