This page chronicles my recent trip to China.  It was my first visit, and to compensate for my lack of knowledge about the country, I tried to take a crash course beforehand.  First, I watched the DVD series "The Rise and Fall of China" by UCLA professor Richard Baum, 24 hours of lectures which traced the last 200 years of Chinese history from the collapse of the 19th-century empire to the aspiring 21st-century superpower.  I watched the 2007 film Nanking, about the 1937 massacre committed by the Japanese army in the former capital city.  The film drew on letters and diaries from the era and, most strikingly, archive footage and interviews with surviving victims and perpetrators of the massacre.  A truly gut-wrenching film.  I also watched Bernardo Bertolucci's 1987 film The Last Emperor, winner of 9 Academy Awards.  I remember watching the movie when it first came out.  I found it incredibly beautiful but also incredibly boring at the time.  I must admit, it's one of the only films I've ever walked out of before it ended.  Alas, 25 years later, after a second viewing, I still found it rather dull.  Last, I watched the 2011 historical drama 1911 starring Jackie Chan based on the 1911 uprisings and the founding of the Republic of China when nationalist forces led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty.  Finally, I ordered several books, of which I only had time to read one - "China Shakes the World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future - and the Challenges for America" (Awarded 2006 Business Book of the Year by the Financial Times) by journalist James Kynge.  I also consulted by National Geographic Traveler and  DK Eyewitness Travel guidebooks before departing.  I apparently have no ear for the Chinese language (except when singing), so I viewed any attempt to learn the language before my travels a fruitless venture.

My 16-day trip began and ended in Beijing. It began on December 28, 2013 and ended on January 13, 2014. I hooked up with various tour groups along the way. Here's a quick overview of my itinerary.

I spent the first 3 days in Beijing, Of course, the first day didn't really count because it was my arrival day. However, on days 2 and 3, I visited Qian Men Street, Tian'anmen Square, Bei Hei Park, a hutong, the Great Wall at Badaling, 2 Ming Emperor Tombs (Changling and Dingling), and a New Year's Eve concert by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra at the Beijing Concert Hall.

From Beijing, I flew to Xi'an, where I spent 3 days visiting the Terracotta Army Museum, the Banpo Neolithic Village Museum, the Shaanxi History Museum,, and various city sites such as the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, the Old City Wall, the Bell & Drum Towers, the Great Mosque, the Muslim Quarter, and the Tang Dynasty Paradise Park.

On day 7, I took a morning train to Luoyang. For the next 2 days, in addition to walking and exploring the city, I visited the White Horse Temple, the Longmen Caves, and Songshan Mountain & the Shaolin Temple.

Day 9 was a travel day, flying to Hangzhou. The late afternoon and early evening was spent walking the pedestrian market area and visiting the scenic West Lake.

Day 10 was a day trip to neighboring Suzhou. Sites visited include the Panmen Scenic Area, Hanshan Temple, the Lion Forest Garden, the North Pagoda Garden, and a boat ride through the picturesque canals.

Day 11 was a day off for rest and a high-speed train ride to Shanghai.

Days 12 & 13 were a whirlwind tour of Shanghai, which included the City God Temple, the Shanghai Bazaar, Yuyuan Gardens, the Tea Museum, Xintiandi in the Old French Concession, the Bund, Pudong New Financial District, the Memorial House of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the 2010 Exposition Park, a Silk Museum, and Nanjing Road. The flight back to Beijing was late in the day on day 13.

Days 14 & 15 were my last 2 days in Beijing. Visited the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, Jing Shan Park, the Lama Temple, the Confucius Temple, and South Luogu Lane Hutong. Also saw a performance of "The Legend of Kung Fu" at the Red Theater and had an authentic, traditional Peking Duck dinner.

On the last day of my trip, I flew to San Francisco and had lunch with an old friend whose birthday was on that very day. After lunch, we visited the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption before I boarded my plane back home.