DESTINATIONS CHINA | ESCORTED TOURS
LEFT: Dazu Rock Carvings ABOVE: Agents on the fam trip at Black Mountain Valley PICTURE: Shutterstock
NATURE CALLS Outside the city, the undulating hillsides and mountains are spectacular, as are its cultural treasures. The next morning, we headed to the Unesco-listed Dazu Rock Carvings, where more than 60,000 stone figures dating from the 9th to the 13th centuries are carved into the steep hillside. Depicting vivid scenes from heaven and hell, they are influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs. Many such sites were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but these – obscured by lush forest – remained unscathed and glimmer among the foliage like hidden treasures. At Black Mountain Valley, we meandered along a series of planked waterways and floating bridges through the depths of the cool valley. Surrounded by crashing waterfalls and towering forest, we were told that extraordinarily high levels of negative oxygen ions in the air make it good for mind, body and soul. Still, we were in a sticky state by the time we finished the 10-mile walk, and a cable car yanked us back to reality. In China, ancient wonders coexist with fantastical futuristic development, and the next day we descended 80m into the gorge of the Three Natural Bridges – another Unesco-listed landmark, where the karst landscape has been evolving for 2.5 billion years – in a glass elevator. Daredevils can venture on to the Sky Walk, a glass bridge 280m above it. But for me, descending ever deeper into the gorge on foot through a series of caves, tunnels and bridges
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33We spotted three young women, ghost-like and beautiful, walking in the fog dressed in ancient costume
– where the average height and span was 200m – over huge open meadows was the only way to go, even if it was a little more arduous than the option taken by the many Chinese tourists we saw being carried down on sedan chairs while filming on WeChat. On nearby Fairy Mountain, we spotted three young women, ghost-like and beautiful, walking in the thick fog dressed in ancient Chinese costume. Daisy told us this style of dress has recently been adopted by some young people as a reaction to the styles and thinking of present- day China. It was a surreal and beautiful moment that spoke volumes about the culture here today.
SPICE OF LIFE Wushan is a pretty city with an Alpine feel, where Chongqing city dwellers come to escape the summer heat. Restaurants line the streets – and the food is famously good. At Chen Jia Hua Yuan – meaning ‘family garden house’ – we ate cumin-spiced lamb with crispy, chilli potatoes (the altitude means they are a normal part of people’s
diet here), smoked tofu with oyster mushrooms, and heaps of flavourful vegetables all grown on the owner’s farm. The story of the region – including its
relationship to the river, its fiery food, farming heritage and the traditions of its Tujia minority people – is told in a dramatic and spectacular opera, Impression Wulong. Directed by Zhang Yimou, the creative director of the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympic Games, it is set in a natural amphitheatre surrounded by mountains and dark forests. Incredible lights, movement and sound rippled and echoed around us, bringing the gorge to life – and making the hairs on my arms stand on end. To say it was the most incredible live performance I’ve ever seen is no exaggeration, underscoring all that’s so captivating about this part of China.
TW BOOK IT
Wendy Wu Tours’ Chongqing & Yangtze Cruise is an 11-day private tour – with your own guide – that visits Chengdu and its giant pandas, the Dazu Rock Carvings, Chongqing, the Black Valley and the Three Natural Bridges, before embarking on a Yangtze river cruise through the Three Gorges, finishing in Shanghai. Prices start at £3,490, including flights with Tianjin Airlines, which operates a weekly direct service from Heathrow to Chongqing.
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