• China's Key Routes

• Journeys to inspire your own

• Of all the possible routes through this vast country, only a few received much attention until recent times. Trade and pilgrimages were pretty much the only reason for travel for individuals and so these key routes tend to focus on the easiest connections with neighbouring states. The Silk Roads are the most obvious example of this - being used primarily for trade but also being the route by which the word of Buddha came to China. Tea is one of the most famous products and the key routes by which this was carried are also of interest as they pass through some delighful areas.

  The earliest Europeans to visit came overland. Their journeys were therefore often epics taking many years. Marco Polo is the most famous but there were many others who came to Cathay in search of riches and other rewards. Many Jesuits came as part of a sustained attempt to convert the Chinese court, and therefore the Chinese people, to Christianity but, despite interesting influences in astronomy and other sciences, this never bore fruit.

  The 20th Century saw major changes in China. Many writers have recorded their journey from this period as a way of revealing those changes and their consequences to the outside world. Where those records have been too academic, others have written more popular versions. Simon Winchester's, The Man Who Loved China, being one such work.

  Contemporary writers often use their own journey as an excuse to write about many aspects of this diverse country. It is easy to flit between urban and rural issues this way, with only a brief mention of the transportation to maintain the storyline.

  Below is a list of journeys through China that could give you some inspiration for your own travel plans. Browse through them, and feel free to Contact Us if you would like further assistance planning your trip to China.

• (Alphabetical)
• Along The Great Wall
• In Their Footsteps
• Long March
• Red China
• Rhubarb Road
• Silk Roads
• Tea Road
• Tea-horse Trail
• Tibet RailwayTibetLhasa
• Yangtse Three GorgesChongqing
• 
  
  

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