Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/873989
public square, with plenty of space to soak up the surroundings on all four sides: the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, the National Museum of China, the Great Hall of the People and, of course, the Gate of Heavenly Peace leading into The Forbidden City. This is the most immense palace complex in the world, hidden from public view for 500 years while the emperors of two Chinese dynasties ruled their empire from its ancient buildings. The borders of this empire were guarded by China's most iconic monument—The Great Wall. This is one of a handful of sites across the world (think Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal) that simply have to be seen to be believed. Remnants of the wall extend over 20,000 kilometres across all terrains. It was first built by the Northern Qi dynasty more than 1,400 years ago, then rebuilt and strengthened during the Ming dynasty. There are a number of options to visit the wall from Beijing, the most convenient (and also most crowded) of which is at Badaling. I was advised to see the Mutianyu stretch of the wall, 70 kilometres north of Beijing. The experience was breathtaking. In the literal sense. As I stood atop the wall for the first time, I forgot to breathe. The sense of immense and stirring history was palpable. The wall curved up and away over the mountains in both directions, punctuated by great watchtowers. The sky was a flawless indigo blue, the wind whistled through the battlements and I was truly lost in the his- tory and landscape of China. CHENGDU—CITY OF PANDAS How to top one of the greatest monuments of humankind? By viewing one of the greatest creations of nature: the giant pandas! I flew from Beijing 2,000 kilome- tres southwest to Chengdu, a city of 14 million people, famed for its teahouses, spicy Sichuan cuisine, face-changing theatre and giant pandas. These are—in order—charming, fiery, bizarre and enchanting. The heart of giant panda country is just 70 kilometres from downtown Chengdu. At elevations up to 5,600 metres above sea level, it is the only region in the world with both wild and captive giant pandas. And the greatest number of individual pandas in one place is at the Chengdu Research Centre of Giant Panda Breeding, located just 10 kilo- metres north of Chengdu. Here wild bamboo forests and woods, lakes, brooks, grassy glades, man-made dens, rocks and caves simulate the panda's natural environment. Over 100 pandas out of a total worldwide population of around 2,000 reside in four reserves established in the giant panda habitat. The Research Centre has finally cracked how to persuade pandas to repro- duce successfully and they are now rehabilitating young pandas into the wild. For visitors, the experience is entrancing. I was childishly joyful to see so many pandas up close and personal in their natural environment. When a nursery of seven baby pandas were brought outside from their den for the first time, my happiness was complete. As I was standing there in Chengdu with a soppy smile on my face, the giant panda was officially being taken off the 'endangered' list and upgraded to 'vulnerable.' A heart-warming news story I was privileged to see unfolding with my own eyes. FALL 2017 DREAMSCAPES 17 TRAVEL PLANNER Swire Pacific is the name behind Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon and Swire Hotels; it employs over 50,000 people and operates throughout the Asia Pacific region. Cathay Pacific flies daily from Toronto and Vancouver to Hong Kong while Cathy Dragon connects many centres in China and the rest of Asia. Swire Hotels features three properties (listed below) in their House Collective in China. For more information, visit: China National Tourism Office: tourismchina-ca.com; cnto.org Beijing Tourism: en.visitbeijing.com.cn Cathay Pacific: cathaypacific.com The Opposite House, Beijing: theoppositehouse.com The Temple House, Chengdu: thetemplehousehotel.com The Upper House, Hong Kong: upperhouse.com DS