Put the pedal to the metal on these adventures
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, September 11, 2014
Route 5: Guizhou to Guangxi
About eight days is needed to cover this route wandering in mountains from Guizhou Province to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Starting in Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou Province, highlights of this route include the chance to visit small villages of different ethnic minorities and the odd karst formations often found in the southwest region of China.
The first day takes you from Guiyang to Kaili, home of Xijiang Village, the biggest Miao ethnic village in the country. Then drive up Mount Leigong to Rongjiang and stop for the night.
The next day starts with a drive to Congjiang in the morning to visit Basa Miao People's Village. Check out the local products as they may make great souvenirs of the trip. The various villages have different traditions and customs. Villagers living in these places haven't changed much over the centuries as they have little communication with the outside world.
Next up is Gaozheng for more intriguing villages and Zhaoxing, before venturing to Guilin, Guangxi. The Wind and Rain Bridge, a signature kind of covered bridge built by Dong minority in Chengyang is an amazing piece of architecture with several traditional Chinese bridge houses along the span. Locals use the bridge houses for public events.
After getting your bearings in Guilin, take a boat to Yangshuo, a famous haunt among backpackers craving for a laid-back vibe. Yangshuo is also renowned for karst landscape views and many find a bike tour in the area very rewarding.
While driving across Guizhou, bear in mind the province is home to 6,000 species of wild plants. More than 500 species are edible and about 3,900 are considered medicinal plants.
Route 6: Around Beijing
Beijing makes a great base for a series of one or two-day road trips containing a good deal of surprises.
Chengde
Chengde is a pleasant hilly area with many rivers. Chengde summer palace is a former imperial garden, the largest still in existence, and is surrounded by temples.
Chengde is some 200 kilometers' drive from Beijing.
Yudu Mountain
This 90-minute drive from Beijing Badaling highway brings travelers to Yanqing County, which is famous for its mountain scenery, including Yudu Mountain. Other recommended scenic spots include Northwest Ditch and Southwest Ditch, Lujia River, Wulipo and Sancha River Valley.
Jinshanling Great Wall
There are numerous sections of the Great Wall to see around Beijing. The Jinshanling section is 130 kilometers from the downtown Beijing and can be reached by taking highway G45.
Once arriving, plan on spending at least half a day clambering about the Great Wall. This section is on the border of Hebei Province and stretches 10.5 kilometers from Wangjing Tower to Gubei Pass, a key fortress between Shanhai Pass and Juyong Pass of the wall. The wall wriggles its way up, down and around the mountains. With a bit of luck, you'll get a clear sky for some amazing pictures.
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