View on the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces from a hilltop in Ping’An near Longsheng, China Ping’An (or Ping’Ancun) is a 650 year old Zhuang village.  During the Yuan Dynasty and Qing Dynasty the Zhuang minority cultivated the hills around Longsheng and Ping’An. The Zhuang people build a large amount of rice terraces which resulted in a spectacular scenic area. Views of the Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces near Ping’An shortly after a heavy rain. You can still see the clouds hanging low in the valley.

The Elephant Trunk Hill in Guilin is a major tourist attraction. Chinese tourists in particular enjoy posing with Cormorants and the Elephant Trunk Hill in the background. Cormorants were widely used in the region for fishing. For this, their necks are pinched so that they cannot swallow the fish. For many Chinese a nice tourist attraction. We thought it was a terrible sight.

Golden and silver pagoda’s or the Sun & Moon Twin Towers in Shanhu Lake in Guilin. Guilin is a small city (by Chinese standards) and is located on the River Li. Guilin and the surrounding area are one of China’s top tourist destinations. The landscape to the south (in the direction of Yangshuo) consists of many high karst towers (often approximately 100 to 200 meters high). North of Guilin are the photogenic rice terraces of Longsheng. The Elephant Trunk Hill is a hill, landmark and tourist attraction in Guilin. It is also the symbol of Guilin.

Children playing cards inside a small shop in the countryside near Yangshuo in Guangxi province, China The children are sitting inside the concrete building because there it is somewhat cooler and more pleasant than in the hot July sun in the humid rainy season.

Chinese man pushing his pushcart in the surroundings of Yangshuo. His cart is loaded with his rice crop.

Karst peaks and the Li River near Yangshuo, Guilin region, Guangxi province Yangshuo is beautifully situated in a scenic region full of Karst peaks along the Li River. It is a pleasant city to spend several days, enjoy the special environment and relax.

From (the region of) Shanghai we flew to Hongkong, a vibrant city which became part of China again in 1997 Skyline of Hongkong. By going to Hong Kong we made a small mistake. When we went to China, we were given a single entry visa. We thought that would be fine. But since Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, returning to mainland China is considered a re-entry. So unfortunately we had to spend quite some time arranging a new visa to continue our journey through China.

Some old houses and bridges along canals in the ancient town of Zhouzhuang Zhouzhuang is a quaint town in Jiangsu Province, between Suzhou and Shanghai. Along the canals are beautiful old houses, some of which can also be visited.

Fish drying in the sun in front of some little shops on Putuoshan Island Putuoshan is an island off the coast of Ningbo. Putuoshan is one of the four sacred mountains in Chinese Buddhism and has been a sacred site for over two thousand years. Putuoshan breathes divinity. Not only are there a number of temples on the small island, you can see monasteries everywhere. All sights can be easily reached on foot. The island is not very big. Atop Putuoshan is a statue of the female Buddha Guanyin, the watcher of the world’s cries. She is the goddess of mercy. She towers 33 meters above Putuoshan. In the villages…

Portuguese Church in Ningbo Ningbo is city near the Hangzhou Bay. In the sixteenth century there was a sizable Portuguese community in Ningbo. Therefor you can still find this Portuguese Church in Ningbo Ningbo is among the wealthiest cities in China due to it’s industry, harbour and service sector. From Ningbo there are ferries to the Putuoshan, a scenic island off the coast of Ningbo