WildChina Day Experiences

Serving as China’s capital since the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368 AD), Beijing’s past present and future are forced together in the crowded neighborhoods and streets of the city.

But despite a divide between new and old, one thing about Beijing has remained constant for centuries: hard-handed political power, as well as thriving intellectual and artistic thought prominent in Beijing, continues to influence China and the world.

Once a mere backwater fishing village, the destiny and fortunes of Shanghai changed forever when the British opened their first concession here in 1842, followed soon after by the French and Japanese.

Shanghai today retains those charms in the tree-lined streets of the former French Concession and iconic banking houses along the Bund; at the same time, the urban bustle and multitudes of skyscrapers are a testament to Shanghai’s aspirations to be a major international metropolis.

Now the financial capital of China, Shanghai is a great place to check out the old, the new and the foreign in this worldly economic and cultural center.

 As China’s third-largest city and the capital of Guangdong province, this southern city is a booming metropolis where a colorful patchwork of cutting-edge architecture and colonial-era buildings line the narrow, verdant streets.

However, Guangzhou’s impressive population belies the city’s way of life, with much of the megacity still humming along at a pleasantly relaxed pace. Culturally diverse and gastronomically rich, there is no shortage of atmospheric streets to wander or plates of dim sum to devour.

Located in the heart of eastern Sichuan, Chengdu is the capital of this southwestern province. Geographic and political remoteness have always contributed to the free-spirited nature of the Sichuan people, and the modern cosmopolitan nature of Chengdu reflects this.

As the economic hub of Southwestern China, but also the home to a large, thriving community of students and intellectuals, Chengdu embodies liberal thinking and progressiveness across a wide range of interests and pursuits. Chengdu’s identity as a thriving metropolis, epicenter for preserving Giant Pandas, and source for some of Sichuan’s most delicious cuisine, makes it one of the most interesting cities to visit in China.