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Here you find travel articles of our Pyala travelers who visited China before you!

Around Yuanyang you see more fascinating terraces of the Hani People. If you look at the state, you almost feels unreal: The small terraces filled with water resemble small mirrors that form a work of art where the artist find exactly the right balance managed between lines and light!
I had really squeezed at sunset moment in my arm, so I thought it was pretty unreal. Many colors between orange and red reflected in the water of the different cuts were part of lands.
I've been looking forward to the way to different village markets I visited. Here the hill tribes still wear their traditional embroidered clothing. Their hairstyle is frequently so special that I've wondered how anyone can think of that. Women with shaved heads and a red cap on tip. Women with complicated roll topped with a silver braided doojse which I can not name other than a silver butter dish. And with all this splendor I always thought; How long will these people ever dress and their unique culture can sustain? Is it a matter of a few years or a few decades?

Christel van Bree

Beijing
South Silk Road (Yunnan cuisine) (according to Christel)
I looked a little surprised when I stepped through the door of a brand new white complex in New Soho and face to face with a cap including swimmer who just wanted to jump in the water. I thought it was in the warm atmosphere of a restaurant but found myself unexpectedly in a sports complex! But that's New Soho, every facet of modern life in one: work, live and relax together. Once passed by the pool felt it quickly more like a restaurant. Or at least as a cultural complex. The complex appeared on the famous modern Chinese artist Fang Lijun to be, a life-size painting of his hand hanging on the wall and art books with replicas of his works were signed by the painter himself, for sale. The restaurant once inside my heart was really just spring up. Lifesize modern art on the wall, a super hip decor and was also noticeable that the whole event took place on a glass floor. That felt a little insecure, like I was in the crooked house Fantasia Land. So the interior is exciting, the food must be bad, I thought suspiciously. But once the sticks to the mouth, I fell from one surprise to another.

The lesser-known ethnic Yunnan cuisine with diverse dishes and unfamiliar ingredients like hard cheese, pineapple rice, strange roots and tied frogs tasted very exotic in modern Beijing. The striking contrast between the traditional Yunnan dishes and the very trendy modern decor made my evening a great success! (booking recommended!)

Address: 3rd Floor, Bldg. D SohoNew Town, 88 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang (661 5515) Metro Dawanglu

Shanghai
Bar Rouge (according to Wim)
Through a highly artistic elevator I rise up in one of the colonial buildings on the Bund, in Shanghai. When I get out, it seems not only whether I am literally gone up, but also ahead in time. While the Bund still breathes the atmosphere of the jaren'20 Shanghai, I step into a bar which is located right in the 21st century here. From the terrace, I have an amazing view of Shanghai "by night, the neon lights of Pudong with its futuristic skyline staring me forward. In the dimly lit bar itself staring enlarged portraits of Chinese. Behind the bar is to conjure an artist with cocktail glasses and bottles. Trendy music sounds through the speakers. Is this still the China where the nightlife are illuminated by fluorescent lamps, where the floor is covered in dirt and large bottles of beer filling the table. No; this is Inshanghai Bar Rouge, the place to be in the world's most fashionable city.

Chengdu
Snackstreet
Situated next to the Wuhou Temple Snack Street, a name that does not really immediately salivating. Despite many (especially overseas Chinese) tourists, it is still very nice to eat there, especially with children. A long continuous row of food stalls makes for lots of choice. You can buy small snacks, as well as noodle dishes, sticks with watermelon, dumplings, tofu with delicious spicy sauce, etc. The favorite of our kids was a real sticky rice in bamboo stick. The bamboo stick is even close when it comes to ordering and places they split him in half for you so you can easily access the sticky rice with vegetables. For the food stalls are everywhere picnic tables where everyone sit down together. So you still have a nice conversation with Chinese people from London or New York, which "mainland" China just find that surprising as we are.