China Trip 2009 - Dragons in Imperial China
The Dreaming Dragon Group had another very successful trip to China, and our numbers were swelled by some friends from France and the Seychelles. Junhui and Yoyo managed to keep us all well entertained, and very well fed, and managed not to lose any of us in the crowds, quite a feat at some of the busy tourist sites!

Sunday 19th July
The three intrepid travellers Raffaella, Joanna, Dipen set off from T5 Heathrow to Beijing. Trip almost delayed by the offer of €600 each for a ticket on the next flight but our loyalty to Junhui overshadowed the offer and we declined! Met by Junhui in Beijing Airport and then the other members of the trip who flew in from France and the Seychelles – Julie, Michael, Guylenne, Thibaut, Samuel, and Luka. Quite tired after our long haul flights, we had dinner in the hotel and then a small group of us visited Wang Fujing shopping area for a quick pre-bedtime tour.

Monday 20th July
We started to tour the famous Beijing sights – Tiananmen Square, leading on to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is a huge site and we spent several hours looking around, and we just managed to make in time to a market area a bit like Camden Town but with a Chinese flavour. In the evening we went to the Olympic stadium and mingled with the other tourists in awe of the fantastic beautiful Bird’s Nest Stadium, and the Water Cube.

Tuesday 21st July
We walked through the public park on the way to the Temple of Heaven and saw people dancing, practicing Tai Ji, playing cards, singing and entertaining themselves. In the afternoon we walked through the site of the Summer Palace from one side to the other, it along with all the other tourist sites we had visited in Beijing was very busy – with tourists! In the evening we had dinner at a pao (dumpling) restaurant in a shopping area that was very new but designed to look old style. Luka almost ate chicken feet as he thought that Junhui asked him if he liked chicken frites!

Wednesday 22nd July
We flew from Beijing to Kunming in Yunnan Province and checked in to the Greenland Hotel. We had a tour of the large shopping area before dinner in a Tibetan restaurant. The decorations of the restaurant were amazing, and the staff encouraged us to take part in the dancing and show whilst we were eating. Dipen even gave us an impromptu show too!

Thursday 23rd July
We visited the World Heritage Site of the Stone Forest, and were taken around by one of the local guides from the ethnic minorities. It took about 3 hours to walk around, and we had lunch at a local restaurant. In the evening we watched a Yunnan Cultural Show, displaying the dances and singing of some of the ethnic groups who live in Yunnan. It was very colourful and pleasing to the eye and ear.

Friday 24th July
We started the day by being chauffeur driven in an army minibus to a temple in the hills on the outskirts of Kunming. In the afternoon there was an opportunity for more shopping in the modern centre, and Raffaella bought a beautiful silk traditional Chinese style dress.

Saturday 25th July
Today we flew to Dali, and arrived at the Regent Hotel. Lunch was in a traditional Bai style house and in the afternoon we looked around a Bai village where they had a show displaying their traditional dress and dance. There was time in the evening to take in the old town and the handicraft shops.

Sunday 26th July
There are hills surrounding Dali and we took a chairlift up Cangshan where there was a trail deeper in to the hills. The area is known for the naturally growing herbs that are used in traditional medicine treatments and the area is protected. In the afternoon we travelled to hot springs about 2hours drive from Dali. There were several pools to choose from all about 39degreesC, and we found one with a good position in front of the stage where there was a show of traditional song and dance in the evening.

Monday 27th July
Travel to Lijiang by coach along the back roads through villages. We saw fields of rice, tobacco, sunflowers, and sweetcorn. We stopped for lunch by the roadside, we could see the vegetables being harvested from the garden and washed before they were passed to the chef in the kitchen. When we arrived in Lijiang it was raining heavily but the big mosquitoes still managed to find us in the dining room! The hotel was a beautiful 5-star in the new part of the old town.

Tuesday 28th July
In the morning we were taken up in the hills to a show with attitude at altitude! It was an amazing performance of Naxi traditional dance and music with a cast of 100s of men, women, and horses. We returned for lunch in Lijiang and had a few hours to walk around the World Heritage town renowned for its beautiful waterways, wooden buildings and cobbled streets.

Wednesday 29th July
We travelled to the Jade Village which is a display of Naxi living, and also has a pool which is the source of the water that flows through Lijiang old town. On the way back to the old town we walked through a park area called Black Dragon Pool which had an amazing view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as a back drop. There was more time for shopping in the afternoon to pick up some traditional style knic-knacs. In the evening we were treated to a concert of Naxi music – four of the musicians were over 80yrs old, and the musical director was 80yrs old himself!

Thursday 30th July
In the morning there was free time as we were flying back to Kunming at lunchtime. We had cakes to snack on in the airport, and Dipen taught Samuel and Thibaut some sanshou and jian (straight sword). In the evening we had dinner at a restaurant in Kunming with Junhui’s very good friends who were from a variety of backgrounds.

Friday 31st July
Junhui arranged for us to visit his old Army gymnasium and we had a mind bending body contorting display by the current gymnastic students. We had a walk around the centre of town and the Fayon family did some last minute shopping as it was their last day with us in Kunming. In the evening we watched a show of dance and music with dinner, and when the family headed back to the hotel to pack Dipen, Raffaella, and Joanna visited a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner at his home to find out more about his specialty which was opening up meridians using a special medicine he made and a jade stone on the neck and back.

Saturday 1st August
As the Fayon family departed to Beijing before their flights home, Dipen, Raffaella, and Joanna had one extra day in Kunming. We travelled to see the traditional medicine doctor whom we met last night, and Dipen and Joanna had treatments. They were quite painful in certain areas when it was being done, and bruising was brought out on to the skin as part of the treatment. After lunch we had a foot massage in a beautiful old style building with a courtyard. In the evening we were fortunate to be invited to a wedding and banquet of the children of one of Junhui’s friends. The wedding was a very happy occasion, with lots of food and alcohol flowing!

Sunday 2nd August
Dipen, Raffaella and Joanna (sadly but with great memories) left Junhui and Yoyo in Kunming and travelled back to Beijing to stay overnight before their flight back to the UK.
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