CHINA

Beijing

Arrival in Beijing which by now is midnight, the airport is fairly empty and I head to the exit; brrrrrr.....what freezing cold, the board showed -15 degrees, I couldn't wait to get into a taxi but the line was managed by soldiers who distributed people into the cars!! After a short ride I was already in the city center, the most absolute desolation all around, no one on the street, of course....with such cold!! In Beijing I stayed in a Guest House, the Beijing Haoyuan located in an ancient building from the Qing era right in the middle of the old Hutongs of the city. Like all metropolises Beijing too could have offered the best international Hotels, but I am still enthusiastic about the choice I made; this small structure really had the flavor of ancient Chinese dwellings, with its inner courtyards, its typically furnished rooms and such helpful managers.

It was one in the morning when I arrived at the entrance, the taxi was already gone, absolute darkness all around and a weak little light illuminated the entrance......CLOSED!!! I start knocking with the classic handle on the main door and finally a gentleman in pajamas arrives with my surname (or what they had understood over the phone....) written on a piece of paper....Room 17...Check-in tomorrow...he tells me quickly and then goes back to sleep before freezing given how he was dressed!! From here I set out on the following days to visit the city; the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of the Lamas and of Confucius, Jingshan and Beihai Park as well as the visit to the Great Wall at Badaling and the Summer Palace.

Beijing made a very good impression on me, I would have expected a totally different city and instead it impressed me for its cleanliness, its order and its incredible extent (which I read in some guides is equal to that of Belgium....) It doesn't develop in height like other metropolises with myriad skyscrapers and it conveys a sensation of elegance and grandeur due also to the millennial history that precedes it. The works that will lead it to the 2008 Olympics are proceeding quickly but they limited me in visiting some important monuments like the Temple of Heaven; by that date everything will be restored to its ancient splendor and I believe the Chinese will want to give a great display of efficiency and organization.

Certainly the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace are the two things that fascinated me most; it is incredible to think of how much history, how many dynasties have passed between those walls; the Summer Palace then, if I imagine it blooming in spring it takes on an enchanting appearance. The disappointment instead was the Great Wall; I chose to visit the nearby site of Badaling but I wasn't impressed by it because it is restored so well that it looks like a work of our days. What instead I imagined was a more dilapidated wall, more imposing, in short more real but probably I should have gone somewhere else. The days were always clear, blue sky but a Siberian cold, this forced me to wander around always chattering my teeth but in the end it went well that way.

Yangshuo

We set off for Guilin, certainly a more human temperature would have welcomed me but above all I was bursting with excitement....finally I would visit one of those places that I have always dreamed of and read about in books. I wouldn't stop in Guilin, by now too well-known and touristy, but I would go to nearby Yangshuo. My hotel's car was waiting for me. The first impression along the road? "but where have those mountains and hills for which I came here gone.....?" It took little to regain all my enthusiasm when on the horizon I began to make out those peaks with such strange shapes!! Yangshuo is a relatively small town, surrounded by mountains covered in green; a river flows in these parts called the Li River, along its course panoramic cruises take place and along its banks scenarios and views open up that take your breath away, this was my first morning.

I'm not joking when I say this place is one of those that will remain unforgettable for me, too many things make it unique. In the afternoon, having rented a bicycle, together with my guide (Chinese-speaking...I did nothing but follow her) I ventured through the surrounding rice paddies, inside the villages, along the paths and alongside the canals; we pedaled a whole day in the open air and in total freedom.

The following day still by bike and other scenarios opened up before my eyes interspersed with some misadventures like the chain breaking.....we were 2 hours away from Yangshuo.....what to do??? A moped with a cart was passing by...., of course he wanted a small contribution for the ride but he took us back home!! Here you really find yourself in another world, I went from modern Chinese cities to a rural landscape that reminded me so much of the photos my grandfather used to show me of Italy in the 30s. Life in the fields, animals grazing, work in the rice paddies, women carrying vegetables to the market, men carrying bricks, sand and bamboo on their shoulders.... And in the evening life took place all along one street, west street or the street of foreigners as they call it in those parts, small restaurants, small hotels and little shops on every corner.

The tranquility of those places, the relaxed air combined with the friendliness of those people so curious to know me to find out everything about my country made everything so unique that on my departure an infinite melancholy accompanied me. Telling those kids about my experiences and my life was truly beautiful for me but for them it was the only way to imagine what they will hardly be able to achieve.....and I realized once more how privileged I should feel......and how lucky I am to see the world......

Hong Kong

Last stop Hong Kong; in those parts they say: "one country, two systems". The first question I asked myself on arriving at the airport was:" but is this or is it not China??". Different customs, stamp on the passport, different currency but above all......here we are on another planet!! This time too it was already late evening when, collecting my bags, I wondered whether I would ever get out of that enormous, ultramodern, sparkling airport. Going outside.....nothing like Beijing, here it was 20 degrees and it was divine. Taxi and then off, heading to Kowloon, the peninsula overlooking Hong Kong bay and where I had my hotel. The taxi ride was very funny, little traffic and the driver driving fast among bridges, elevated roads, underpasses etc...made me feel like I was on a roller coaster.

Passing by I saw the port with its containers and its cranes...my goodness this is what you call maritime traffic....arriving below my hotel on Nathan Road the street lights lit up the night and the number of people walking in the street disoriented me, one of the most densely populated areas in the world was welcoming me with its frenetic rhythms. I, arriving from tranquil Yangshuo, felt a slight sense of fear....let's let the night pass, tomorrow we'll see. On waking up I plunged into the city traffic, after the initial adjustment my visit began. Right away I went to nearby Lantau Island with its temples and the "Big Buddha" on the hill then back to the City, to Hong Kong Island to go up to the Peak with the typical Peak Tram to see the city and its bay from above, beautiful the view by day but in the evening....even more so.

The financial district, what elegance with its glass and steel skyscrapers, Victoria Park for all the sports and non-sports activities of ordinary people. The following day I decided to go to Ocean Park, it was the only way to be able to see a Panda for the first time.....how adorable!! In the afternoon back to Kowloon in the Mong Kok district, sports items, clothing and technology, everything available for the most unbridled shopping. I was dazzled by the beauty of this city, it surprises you for the organization and the progress left as a legacy by the ancient English rule, transport and services in general are of absolute quality; at first impact it could disorient but a moment is enough to enter into its system.

In the evening then, you can watch the profile of its illuminated buildings from the Avenue of the Stars or on a Star Ferry vessel but in any case, one cannot help but be captivated by the charm of Hong Kong.

My conclusions are truly positive, so much did this trip to China give me and so much would it have to give considering the vastness and variety of its territory. For me China is like a time machine, you move within a single country but you can find yourself truly catapulted into different eras. One thing more than all will remain with me, in fact the Yangshuo experience will always be in my drawer of the most beautiful moments.