Nice video. Although a lot of places are missing. But then you need maybe24 hours. Emei mountain, 4 girls mountain, Grotties in Luoyang, Leshang, Yinde, Wuxi, Shuzhou, Huize, ......
This video brings back many happy memories. Before Covid19 I visited China every year for a couple of months. My dear wife of 20yrs now an Ozzie but born in Shanghai & but grew up in Beijing. Having my own interpreter it was much easier to get around but helpful holding a letter of invitation from her family in Beijing we never had any trouble traveling, staying in China even during the 2008 Olympics. My wife seemed to have relatives, friends all over China & always invited us to stay a few weeks so I got to see a lot of China, it's foods, culture & sites.
It's such an amazing film Stef. I got emotional due to my personal travel experience in China, but also very curious to see a lot more in the future. thank you!
Been living abroad for almost a decade and haven't returned to China since the pandemic, I have to say your video made me realize how little I've traveled across this place I call motherland for decades. And thanks for the publicity to my hometown :) Though a popular resort destination domestically, it's rarely getting much attention beyond the border.
Thank you so much for the long-awaited new video! The Great Wall of China never ceases to impress! Welcome to my channel about the beautiful places of Moscow too) Thank you!
Yes! Wanted to visit more places this summer but because of the situation right now, it wouldn’t be possible. Hope to travel again as soon as possible before I come back to my country.
Outstanding work Stef! I absolutely love beautiful China. I have visited 2 times totaling 52 days & cannot get enough. Of your top 10 list, I have only experienced Beijing & Zhangjajie. Because of your video I have added Lasha, Harbin, Shanghai, Fanghuang, Yangshuo & Hong Kong. What did not make your list & are on my list for my next visit will be Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Guilin & Xi’an. Again, thank you for sharing your outstanding video. Please continue making & sharing videos, you are great at it. GODspeed!
Thanks a lot for your support Detrick, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! China can really be explored for years. I hope we can visit again in the (near) future, take care!
Great vedio. And still a long list with very different landscape can explore in China. Such as : xinjiang , chongqin, hainan, macau, xi’an, dunhuang, xishusngbanna, shangrila, hangzhou, wuhan.... toooo much. Different city sometimes look like a different country. China is really the most diversity and deep history country in the world.
@farren Robbinson, Cheers, man It's sad there're a few misinformation and bogus cliches like HongKong ers protested, with uncalled for violence, insult to China, etc for their "democratic freedom" which the Ch hinrese don't have? He went to Trump School?
US is about 250 years old, it is a country. Tibet is belong to China since yuan (maybe around 1200), it has been to China for centuries, call China invade Tibet? So hilarious
My first visit to China was in 1994 and since then I have been to about 10 places. Back then, you have the whole place/space to yourself, or almost. Local Chinese tourist was few. No crowding, no pushing and you can take your own sweet time to photo shoot or do whatever you want. I stop visiting China since 2010 as my last trip then was just crowd,crowd and crowd.
Yangshuo is fantastic along with nearby Guilin. Nightlife on West Street is fun. I fly into Hong Kong but don't spend much time there. My friends went to Tibet but didn't invite me.
Thank you for sharing. You'd video is super HD, so clear its 3D! Do you mind telling what camera or handphone you used to film? TQSM. I went to China twice in April and then July - August in 1999. I stayed at the Working People's University. I went on The Great Wall at Mu Tian ___? I got up before 5 am and joined the uni community doing Taiji Chuan, Wu Shu, Qi gong and meditation. It was blasting cold but the spring wind was so fresh, the air crisp, cold and really invigorating. I saw many faces with blushing apple red cheeks, like my own face in the mirror an hour or so later. The campus courtyard was a large open square where the Academia of all age groups assembled, making up a very large spread of a few hundred of the scholar class, uniformly dressed in inky dark blue, loose top and trousers, their hands bare and feet clad in soft dark cloth Taiji Chuan shoes with upturned front that curled like the eaves of temple roof, moved slowly and gracefully, like shadowy dancers choreographing the invisible movements of their energy leylines. The uniformity of their arms rising then pressing down on gravity, opening the right arm as the right leg shifted and the physique slowly rotated at increasingly wider angles - 25 degrees eastwards, right arm bending with suppleness westwards, one foot still the other foot in a new position to keep the balance as the hands, arms legs and physique make coordinated movements involving the deep breathing, moving and flowing with the energy and movements touching the cardinal points, making semi- circles, three quarter s and full circles, hands, arms, feet and legs work but what iskeeping the Balance and where's the centre when everything keeps moving and changing? This is also metaphysical Chan Buddhism and Zen. I wanted to bring out the ambience as l feel that my experience of everything in China has a unique ambience that's so Chinese...anf seeped in China's 5000-6000 years old history, culture and civilisation. I spent 10 days on my own in Beijing, making myself feel at home exploring the local university, hostel, hutongs, food, shopping and people.It was April 1999 - chilly mornings when the steamed hot sweet potatoes and yams were so good. It was my first time in China and I had no idea how safe it is for anyone to travel solo. Months later, July - late August 1999, went to Beijing again with my daughter and her fiance. We knew nothing about China then, apart from the touristy places. Despite my being a huaqiao Chinese with someMandarin speaking ability, it took two visits of 10 days, 5 weeks and a 7 months living in Siadian, a province outside Guangzhou where I often make day trips, feeling uncomfortable travelling alone... afraiof getting lost among the huge masses of Chinese in such a massive country where a small village is big town. I fear getting lost and not having enough Mandarin to find my way home. The size and scale of China, the massive crowds, my insufficient Mandarin... and lack of knowledge and sharing of the experience of vloggers sharing their travel experience of China prevented me from seeing as much of China as I would've liked to. It wasn't till I made a trip to Fujian, Xiamen and Gulangyu on the 14 hours night coach costing 400 RMB and returning by HS train of 4.5 hours costing 50 RmB!!! It's not knowing the best way to travel around that I began to see how useful a travel agent is. At the railway station, the ticket lady left her cabin and walked me to the right platform. She came on the train and asked a passenger to take care of me... where to get, get another train which platform etc. Suddenly, there were 3-4 English speaking young Chinese assuring they re all looking after me. Its amazing how very kind and helpful the Chinese people are. They would go out of their way to escort you all the way to your front door! Now I feel confident and safe wherever I go in China.l
Great video Stef, it shows you have put a lot of effort into making it. The only thing I would make a suggestion on is the wording in your explanation as you have touched history and politics in few places. I think for travel documentary, it should be always kept neutral and unified. For example, at 23:20, the word 'negotiation' is a euphemism for 'colonization' or 'occupation'. At 13:30, 'invasion' would be often viewed by allies of Britain, while 'liberation' is used by CPC. Here I suggest 'takeover' to maintain the neutral tone. Hope this helps to get your videos attract more audiences regardless of their subjective opinion.
invasion of tibet? u mean after british empire who enslaved india, anglo-saxon intended to expand northward into qing dynasty china's territory called tibet? too bad british invaders failed its attempt in land grabbing of tibet. it was stopped by chinese troops of qing dynasty. wasn't that why you anglo-saxon countries began fabricating BS about chinese invasion of tibet? 😂😂😂😂😂😂
TBH, if you want to share your two cent opinion about politics, drop your act of being impartial for a second. Admit it. You are STILL biased towards China as you have embraced the western viewpoints 100％. Do u know that the previous ruling class in Tibet and HK committed atrocities that the locals resent? Just because CCP is still on your attack radar doesnt mean that you can mislead people. The biggest meaning of travelling is to see with your own eyes and learn more about the local culture, politics and history. Regarding this, you have failed miserably. If you have a tint understanding about the century between 1840 and 1949, and the pain imposed by the imperialist colonizers, which perhaps include your country, you won't feel comfortable to spew such ignorance.
Excellent video! The pacing is a bit slow, which isn't great for many modern RUclips viewers, but the visuals are really fantastic! Many of your shots are unique and share a larger story. If you come back, let's look to meet up (I've been living and traveling all over China since 2008 as a travel photographer). Well done!
Thanks a lot Adam, glad you liked the video! I agree that it's a bit slow for some RUclips viewers. Would be great to catch up, can I see your work somewhere?
@@DMangalorean What he said is very wrong, disinformation. How come in this 1944 US made documentary at 3:15 time mark, it says Tibet is a province of China? ruclips.net/video/_tOtVQ7cNWY/видео.html
9:50 - 10:07 A must do when in Beijing is visit the Great Wall, a series of fortifications that were built along the borders of ancient Chinese states, and later imperial China. These stretches were linked when China was unified in the Qing Dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago, and became known as the Great Wall of China. 9:59 - 10:04 the Qing Dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago The spelling of ‘Qing （清）’ is wrong and it should be ‘Qin （秦）’. The Qin dynasty or Ch'in dynasty (秦朝) was the first dynasty of Imperial China, lasting from 221 to 206 BC. Named for its heartland in Qin state （秦国） (modern Gansu [甘肃] and Shaanxi [陕西]), the dynasty was founded by Qin Shi Huang （秦始皇）, the First Emperor of Qin. The Qing （清） dynasty, officially the Great Qing (大清), was the last imperial dynasty of China. It was established in 1636, and ruled China proper from 1644 to 1912. It was preceded by the Ming （明） dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China （中华民国）. The multiethnic Qing empire lasted for almost three centuries and formed the territorial base for modern China. It was the fourth largest empire in world history in terms of territorial size.
China, generally speaking, now costs like Taiwan. So seeing many places requires a little cash. However it is still the most economical place to travel.
I thought I was going to finally enjoy a traveller's video, but sadly, you spoiled it by sneaking in your biased political views regarding HK. Fact is, HK was part of China before Britain colonised it as a result of the OPIUM WAR, which was sparked by greedy Britain FORCING the drug trade into China, ultimately causing a huge population to become drug addicts. During the British Rule, there was NO DEMOCRACY, NO VOTING and NO PROTEST ALLOWED. During the earlier part of the British rule, any newspaper that dared to publish anything negative about the British gov't were met with underhanded violence, while the local Chinese people were discriminated in their own home and not allowed in certain places that were for WHITES only. 1997 marked the end of colonisation, Britain had no say in this matter, HK must be returned to China, period. As Deng had told Thatcher during the negotiation, HK must be returned not even 1 second late. If you're going to grasp this opportunity to be political, you should get your fact straight, otherwise, don't bother spreading crap.
He says that Britain 'negotiate' with the Chinese empire (he neglect to say the British Empire is an hegemonic Empire who stole $ 45 trillions from India , Source: AL Jazeera) to rule Hong Kong - silencing on how Britain forced China to ceded HK to the British after the Opium War- part. He went on to say HK people have the freedom and their own identity under the British - however, THIS IS WHAT HE DID NOT SAY, HK economy grew with capitalism as encouraged by the British but it came with a price. The British governor made a deal with the HK tycoons by promising to reduce taxes for their corporations and in return they buy HK land from the government with inflated prices and recoup the markup and the profits by developing luxurious condo and commercial buildings. This scheme also encouraged many of the world's corporations to invest in HK to exploit the low corporate tax which at one time is the lowest in the world. Seemingly a win-win and financially euphoric situation for them. However, In the long run, this induces inequality to rise in HK led by extremely high property prices causing most ordinary HK people to be unable to own a home due to rocket high prices. The high cost of living also compounded the frustration of HK citizens especially the young who only see a bleak future for themselves and their next generation.
When the British handed over HK back to China in 1997, the Chinese left them to their own governance in accordance with the one country-two systems policy and this I think is a mistake and naivety on the part of the CCP to expect that HK will run smoothly until the 50 year policy ends. Unbeknownst to the Chinese , the British and other Western powers in particular the US have already planted a Trojan horse in HK by fomenting an anti China literature and angst among the young through liberal studies in schools on top of the tormenting daily grind of a financially pressured way of life in HK. The culmination of these factors is waiting to erupt like a volcano of pent up frustration and social unrest, all it needs is a spark.
Alas, the proposed reform of the Extradition Treaty by the HK legislation supported by the CCP is the spark they need and this served as a clarion call and an opportunity for them to effect a color revolution stemming from HK and spreading to the whole of China in a bid to bring down the Chinese government . However, this guy STEF might have probably believed on what he said, not knowing or refused to acknowledged that the Western powers have patronized the concept of democracy, freedom of speech and human rights, and used it to punish and manage countries by determining how 'democratic' they are, how much 'freedom of speech' is given and whether they are conforming enough to 'human rights'. If they don't meet their so-called "standard" or "values" they will punish them by applying sanctions and restricting them to the access of the dollar to buy food and necessities that the country needs. All these 'values' have become a scam and are pushed aggressively by their mass media and social media which they have controlled world-wide to support their government hegemonic agenda to maintain their Western world order.
@@stefhoffer Yes, I enjoyed the video Stef but stop the political BS.This is a travel channel and after 4 years of Trump I am sick of it. I want politics free videos but now the West wants to mix politics with sports too- they want to screw Beijing Winter Olympics. Their athletes who train for years will be the first loser. WTF.
And the Tibet thing, he just used “invade” to describe the liberation of Tibet, which is typical westerners’ mindset, as indigenous people on this vast land with some shared culture and highly similar gene, does the life local Tibetans live today look like an invasion event¿ yeah, the old Tibetan nobility did seek independence to maintain the rotten slavery system, which is the reason why they are in exile.🙄🙄 except from all these , this is quite a nice tourism guidance , but it’s better for the audiences to explore all these history with their own eyes . And Dalaï-lama is not particularly one person by the way, it is one of two titles granted by the central government(used to be the emperors of Chinese Ming&Qing dynasty)to the most respected religious leaders (reincarnated according to Buddhist rule )in Tibet, and it is a system still in use today. _____a fan of historical documentaries.
@@itsly1w215 Yes, the TIBET thing did catch my attention straight away, but I just let it go. I am really glad you've raised the point. But when I saw the HK part showing the umbrella protest combined with his BS commentary, I could no longer hold my reaction to his political propaganda. Using the word 'INVADED' is indeed very very misleading. When I watch a traveller's video on Washington, I certainly don't expect to see a footage of the US Capital Riot. When I watch a traveller's video of Germany, I don't expect to see crowds cheering for Hitler.
You should have included XIAN which is the ancient capital city of the most prosperous and successful TANG DYNASTY OF CHINA. Also, it was the cradle of civilization of China. The Chinese is still called themselves as TANG MAN, literally means the people of the TANG DYNASTY. It is a cultural city with a lot of Chinese History over there. The grave of Emperor Chin is located there. Emperor Chin was the one who united China from seven warlords in those days to form one country in AD210. He was the FIRTH EMPEROR OF CHINA.
On your journey, don't forget to smell the flowers. Take time out to notice that you're alive. You can only live in one day.Share this You can never regret anything you do in life. You kind of have to learn the lesson from whatever the experience is and take it with you on your journey forward.
As a Chinese, whose family came from a rural village and raised in those ‘authentic’ part of town in city, I cringed every time when foreigners say the word ‘authentic’ or ‘real’ to undeveloped part of China. I can’t stand that people travel to get out of their 9to5 boring life, only to watch people in other cultures doing their boring mundane shit in order to survive, then goes: ‘wow that’s authentic Chinese culture, too bad they’re destroying this’. Those old Shanghai streets and slum like buildings, were the ones that doesn’t have proper plumbing or electric wiring, and not up to modern building code. The only cultural significance of those building for any ‘authentic’ Chinese is that “we had to live in those when we have no other choice”. Sure, some of them culture worth preserving, but most of them are mere symbols of the life that most Chinese doesn’t want to go back to. Not saying you meant bad when saying that, but seriously Cringy for me.
That kind of western mentality disturbs me too! The way they see other cultures and other peoples is like seeing animals that should be kept as “original” as possible to entertain their fantasies. That is how they treat native Indians, to round them up in some preserves. They would not make efforts to develop the area and lift the people, instead, they gave drugs to native Indians.
What place in China you want to visit?
I actually visited some of those amazing places, so i think the most interesting would be Harbin. thank you :)
Fenghuang
Nice video. Although a lot of places are missing. But then you need maybe24 hours. Emei mountain, 4 girls mountain, Grotties in Luoyang, Leshang, Yinde, Wuxi, Shuzhou, Huize, ......
Maybe Yangshuo, Zhangjiajie or Yuanyang but probably adding them all to my travel list! And would love to go back to HK, amazing city.
Xiamen China
Awesome video Stef! You’re really making me want to visit China this year!
Thanks Ryan, glad you liked it! You should really visit China when it opens again. Love your new channel by the way, keep up the great work!
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@@stefhoffer 0p
Your 10 top in China absolutely blew me away..... there is so much more to see in this wonderful world.
Great to hear that Frank, and it's only a fraction of places. Safe travels!
Wonderful photography, great commentary and good editing. THANKS!
Thanks a lot for your kind words!
I love China, amazing culture and people. 😍😍
It's a fascinating place yes!
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I’ve been to Zhangjiajie and Huangshan, honestly it’s breathtaking, long to go back there
Would be great if you can go again, good luck!
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Thanks for sharing this video.Feeling that I also travel as well.Beautiful places to visit and discover as well.
This video brings back many happy memories. Before Covid19 I visited China every year for a couple of months. My dear wife of 20yrs now an Ozzie but born in Shanghai & but grew up in Beijing. Having my own interpreter it was much easier to get around but helpful holding a letter of invitation from her family in Beijing we never had any trouble traveling, staying in China even during the 2008 Olympics. My wife seemed to have relatives, friends all over China & always invited us to stay a few weeks so I got to see a lot of China, it's foods, culture & sites.
Great to hear that Gary, hope you can travel to China again soon. Take care!
It's such an amazing film Stef. I got emotional due to my personal travel experience in China, but also very curious to see a lot more in the future. thank you!
Thank you Adi, let's hope we can travel there again in the future!
A wonder travel documentary and one of my favorites. Thanks so much Stef! Excellent job done!!
Been living abroad for almost a decade and haven't returned to China since the pandemic, I have to say your video made me realize how little I've traveled across this place I call motherland for decades.
And thanks for the publicity to my hometown :) Though a popular resort destination domestically, it's rarely getting much attention beyond the border.
Thanks a lot for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Which town are you from originally?
@@stefhoffer The one known for the cerveza haha
@@zhangz5614 Ah the beautiful Qingdao, very nice city! :)
Beautiful scenery! So serene! I miss travelling...Will just have to use my mind for now. Thanks for helping! 🥰
Thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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Thank you so much for the long-awaited new video! The Great Wall of China never ceases to impress! Welcome to my channel about the beautiful places of Moscow too) Thank you!
Thanks for watching, it's really a very impressive place. Great channel you have by the way, good luck!
@@stefhoffer Thank you very much!
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Superb video, thanks a lot for all your effort! Well Done and Cheers!
Thank you for your kind words!
I’ve been in Huangshan and Guilin too. Actually, all the places I’ve visited in China are definitely breathtaking and each has a unique way to offer.
Completely agree, it's a very diverse and interesting place.
Yes! Wanted to visit more places this summer but because of the situation right now, it wouldn’t be possible. Hope to travel again as soon as possible before I come back to my country.
@@esaymazing Let's hope that will be possible, good luck!
You can try Sichuan Jiuzhaigou, I don't know how to put it into words
@@lifeinchina6426 can't agree more!
And when I think I have already seen your best video yet, you strike again! What an amazing video, beautiful shots and great commentary!
Thank you Fleur, I'm very glad you liked the video!
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Outstanding work Stef! I absolutely love beautiful China. I have visited 2 times totaling 52 days & cannot get enough. Of your top 10 list, I have only experienced Beijing & Zhangjajie. Because of your video I have added Lasha, Harbin, Shanghai, Fanghuang, Yangshuo & Hong Kong. What did not make your list & are on my list for my next visit will be Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Guilin & Xi’an. Again, thank you for sharing your outstanding video. Please continue making & sharing videos, you are great at it. GODspeed!
Thanks a lot for your support Detrick, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! China can really be explored for years. I hope we can visit again in the (near) future, take care!
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Stef! Great video I enjoy watching your vids so much! This is awesome content! Keeo it going!
Thanks a lot, I'm glad you like them! Take care :)
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حلوه اوي الفديوه ده استمر 👌
جوله موافقه 👍 🔔 🌹
Thank you! :)
Great vedio.
And still a long list with very different landscape can explore in China.
Such as : xinjiang , chongqin, hainan, macau, xi’an, dunhuang, xishusngbanna, shangrila, hangzhou, wuhan.... toooo much.
Different city sometimes look like a different country.
China is really the most diversity and deep history country in the world.
Thank you! I completely agree, there are so many interesting places to visit in China. It's easy to make a 'Top 1000'.
Interesting to watch from home. I could not stomach these insane crowds.
Great video Stef ! Top class cinematography and thoughtful narration.
Thank you for the kind words, I appreciate it!
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So many beautiful places to visit. This part of world is not known in mainstream media preserving its beauty
China is among the most diverse places in the world, you could spend years traveling there.
Truly , you're The BEST TRAVELER ! THANK YOU !
Qingdao is a must go city in China too
Thanks Stef for the amazing video of China!
Thank you for watching!
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Great video Stef! I can’t wait going back to China .. it’s beautiful!!
Thanks a lot! Hope you can travel again soon!
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thanks for sharing such amazing film!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome video, awesome cinematography!
Thanks a lot :)
Tibet invaded by China ? Are you sure ? Apart from the slight distortion of history, an interesting video.
@farren Robbinson, Cheers, man It's sad there're a few misinformation and bogus cliches like HongKong ers protested, with uncalled for violence, insult to China, etc for their
"democratic freedom" which the Ch hinrese don't have? He went to Trump School?
US is about 250 years old, it is a country. Tibet is belong to China since yuan (maybe around 1200), it has been to China for centuries, call China invade Tibet? So hilarious
Very beautiful China
Nice video, Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you for watching
incredible Hong Kong no place could compared
Absolutely agree.
So beautiful place.
Beautiful,beautiful......................
I still missed going to Lasa,Habin ,n many many more parts of the great China
My first visit to China was in 1994 and since then I have been to about 10 places. Back then, you have the whole place/space to yourself, or almost. Local Chinese tourist was few. No crowding, no pushing and you can take your own sweet time to photo shoot or do whatever you want. I stop visiting China since 2010 as my last trip then was just crowd,crowd and crowd.
Do not travel on public holidays, there will be fewer people😋
Wonderful video
Great china
Life is so simple and joyful in Asian and african people really!!!
Beautiful China cities.🙄🙏
breath taking scenes.
Thanks Benjamin!
Very beautiful 🔝🔝❤️
Thank you!
@@stefhoffer 👍❤️
@@stefhoffer 👍❤️
Amazing place and fantastic video
Many thanks
i really love watching your travel vlog Stef, i already visit Xiamen airport when i was in connecting flight and saw via arial view.
Thanks a lot Brad! I hope you can visit China again in the future :)
@@stefhoffer hopefully, God willing.
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China beautiful, please make more good videos
Stef, China didn't invade Tibet.
Tibet is recognised by the UN as a part of China.
Nice video，thanks for sharing！
Thanks for watching!
Yangshuo is fantastic along with nearby Guilin. Nightlife on West Street is fun. I fly into Hong Kong but don't spend much time there. My friends went to Tibet but didn't invite me.
Thank you for so much information about china
I'm from INDIA🇮🇳 love uu.।
Thank you for watching!
Thank you for such an inspiring vid. Some great memories recorded.
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Thank you for watching :)
Thank you for sharing. You'd video is super HD, so clear its 3D! Do you mind telling what camera or handphone you used to film? TQSM.
I went to China twice in April and then July - August in 1999.
I stayed at the Working People's University. I went on The Great Wall at Mu Tian ___? I got up before 5 am and joined the uni community doing Taiji Chuan, Wu Shu,
Qi gong and meditation. It was blasting cold but the spring wind was so fresh, the air crisp, cold and really invigorating. I saw many faces with blushing apple red cheeks, like my own face in the mirror an hour or so later. The campus courtyard was a large open square where the Academia of all age groups assembled, making up a very large spread of a few hundred of the scholar class, uniformly dressed in inky dark blue, loose top and trousers, their hands bare and feet clad in soft dark cloth Taiji Chuan shoes with upturned front that curled like the eaves of temple roof, moved slowly and gracefully, like shadowy dancers choreographing the invisible movements of their energy leylines. The uniformity of their arms rising then pressing down on gravity, opening the right arm as the right leg shifted and the physique slowly rotated at increasingly wider angles - 25 degrees eastwards, right arm bending with suppleness westwards, one foot still the other foot in a new position to keep the balance as the hands, arms legs and physique make coordinated movements involving the deep breathing, moving and flowing with the energy and movements touching the cardinal points, making semi- circles, three quarter s and full circles, hands, arms, feet and legs work but what iskeeping the Balance and where's the centre when everything keeps moving and changing? This is also metaphysical Chan Buddhism and Zen. I wanted to bring out the ambience as l feel that my experience of everything in China has a unique ambience that's so Chinese...anf seeped in China's 5000-6000
years old history, culture and civilisation.
I spent 10 days on my own in Beijing, making myself feel at home exploring the local university, hostel, hutongs, food, shopping and people.It was April 1999 - chilly mornings when the steamed hot sweet potatoes and yams were so good. It was
my first time in China and I had no idea how safe it is for anyone to travel solo.
Months later, July - late August 1999, went to Beijing again with my daughter and her fiance. We knew nothing about China then, apart from the touristy places.
Despite my being a
huaqiao Chinese with someMandarin speaking ability, it took two visits of 10 days, 5 weeks and a 7 months living in Siadian, a province outside Guangzhou
where I often make day trips, feeling
uncomfortable travelling alone... afraiof getting lost among the huge masses of Chinese in such a massive country where a small village is big town. I fear getting lost and not having enough Mandarin to
find my way home. The size and scale of China, the massive crowds, my insufficient Mandarin... and lack of knowledge and sharing of the experience of vloggers sharing their travel experience of China prevented me from seeing as much of China as I would've liked to.
It wasn't till I made a trip to Fujian, Xiamen and Gulangyu on the 14 hours night coach costing 400 RMB and returning by HS train of 4.5 hours costing 50 RmB!!!
It's not knowing the best way to travel around that I began to see how useful a travel agent is.
At the railway station, the ticket lady left her cabin and walked me to the right platform. She came on the train and asked a passenger to take care of me... where to get, get another train which platform etc. Suddenly, there were 3-4 English speaking young
Chinese assuring they re all looking after me. Its amazing how very kind and helpful the Chinese people are. They would go out of their way to escort you all the way to your front door! Now I feel confident and safe wherever I go in China.l
What a awesome place,I would love to visit Hong Kong
Hope you can in the future.
very good presentation in all aspects .I love HONG KONG my birth place....
HK is good place to visit. Shanghai is my favorite though
Thanks for your comment!
Great description and video.
Thank you.
Beautiful country
Really is.
Great video Stef, it shows you have put a lot of effort into making it.
The only thing I would make a suggestion on is the wording in your explanation as you have touched history and politics in few places. I think for travel documentary, it should be always kept neutral and unified.
For example, at 23:20, the word 'negotiation' is a euphemism for 'colonization' or 'occupation'. At 13:30, 'invasion' would be often viewed by allies of Britain, while 'liberation' is used by CPC. Here I suggest 'takeover' to maintain the neutral tone.
Hope this helps to get your videos attract more audiences regardless of their subjective opinion.
Thank you, I'll keep your suggestions in mind for the future.
Chinese are dictators
invasion of tibet? u mean after british empire who enslaved india, anglo-saxon intended to expand northward into qing dynasty china's territory called tibet?
too bad british invaders failed its attempt in land grabbing of tibet. it was stopped by chinese troops of qing dynasty. wasn't that why you anglo-saxon countries began fabricating BS about chinese invasion of tibet? 😂😂😂😂😂😂
TBH, if you want to share your two cent opinion about politics, drop your act of being impartial for a second. Admit it. You are STILL biased towards China as you have embraced the western viewpoints 100％. Do u know that the previous ruling class in Tibet and HK committed atrocities that the locals resent? Just because CCP is still on your attack radar doesnt mean that you can mislead people.
The biggest meaning of travelling is to see with your own eyes and learn more about the local culture, politics and history. Regarding this, you have failed miserably.
If you have a tint understanding about the century between 1840 and 1949, and the pain imposed by the imperialist colonizers, which perhaps include your country, you won't feel comfortable to spew such ignorance.
All the best!
lahasa is my favourate. i also saw dalai lama in india because i am from india... he always say how china in late 40s and early fiftys captured tibet
Excellent video! The pacing is a bit slow, which isn't great for many modern RUclips viewers, but the visuals are really fantastic! Many of your shots are unique and share a larger story. If you come back, let's look to meet up (I've been living and traveling all over China since 2008 as a travel photographer). Well done!
Thanks a lot Adam, glad you liked the video! I agree that it's a bit slow for some RUclips viewers. Would be great to catch up, can I see your work somewhere?
@lappelap tamalate Thank you, I appreciate that. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Great place
Have u ever been?
@@SAZTravel no but by video it's seem beautiful
If you don't understand politics, please don't comment on it. It's not good for you
agree, made me fawned when the comments on Tibet and HK.
Nothing wrong he said
@@DMangalorean What he said is very wrong, disinformation. How come in this 1944 US made documentary at 3:15 time mark, it says Tibet is a province of China? ruclips.net/video/_tOtVQ7cNWY/видео.html
@@DMangalorean 👎👎👎
Nice video！Welcome to ChengDu！
Thanks a lot :)
great video, thanks
Very good presentation in all aspects. I love HONG KONG my birth place....
A great video with beautifull images ! An excellent guide if you want to visit China !!!!
Thank you very much! I hope you can visit China one day :)
I don't really like their communist but I could say that China is one of the great culture and the most beautiful country in this world!
It's really a fascinating place with many different sides.
Done a few places in China ~ Awesome
9:50 - 10:07
A must do when in Beijing is visit the Great Wall,
a series of fortifications that were built along the borders of ancient Chinese states,
and later imperial China.
These stretches were linked when China was unified in the Qing Dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago, and became known as the Great Wall of China.
9:59 - 10:04
the Qing Dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago
The spelling of ‘Qing （清）’ is wrong and it should be ‘Qin （秦）’.
The Qin dynasty or Ch'in dynasty (秦朝) was the first dynasty of Imperial China, lasting from 221 to 206 BC. Named for its heartland in Qin state （秦国） (modern Gansu [甘肃] and Shaanxi [陕西]), the dynasty was founded by Qin Shi Huang （秦始皇）, the First Emperor of Qin.
The Qing （清） dynasty, officially the Great Qing (大清), was the last imperial dynasty of China. It was established in 1636, and ruled China proper from 1644 to 1912. It was preceded by the Ming （明） dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China （中华民国）. The multiethnic Qing empire lasted for almost three centuries and formed the territorial base for modern China. It was the fourth largest empire in world history in terms of territorial size.
As a Chinese I haven’t even visited these most places you mentioned…haha
The nation is large and has a great many nice places to go.
Hope you can visit some of these places soon, take care!
Great video! Keep it up ❣️❣️☺️
Thank you :)
Isn't Tibet was under the administration of Yuan Dynasty since 1240?
Nice
China, generally speaking, now costs like Taiwan. So seeing many places requires a little cash. However it is still the most economical place to travel.
you only discovered about 10 to 20 percents amazing places in China from my view
Yes, it's probably easy to make a 'top 100' about China :)
I thought I was going to finally enjoy a traveller's video, but sadly, you spoiled it by sneaking in your biased political views regarding HK.
Fact is, HK was part of China before Britain colonised it as a result of the OPIUM WAR, which was sparked by greedy Britain FORCING the drug trade into China, ultimately causing a huge population to become drug addicts.
During the British Rule, there was NO DEMOCRACY, NO VOTING and NO PROTEST ALLOWED. During the earlier part of the British rule, any newspaper that dared to publish anything negative about the British gov't were met with underhanded violence, while the local Chinese people were discriminated in their own home and not allowed in certain places that were for WHITES only.
1997 marked the end of colonisation, Britain had no say in this matter, HK must be returned to China, period. As Deng had told Thatcher during the negotiation, HK must be returned not even 1 second late.
If you're going to grasp this opportunity to be political, you should get your fact straight, otherwise, don't bother spreading crap.
He says that Britain 'negotiate' with the Chinese empire (he neglect to say the British Empire is an hegemonic Empire who stole $ 45 trillions from India , Source: AL Jazeera) to rule Hong Kong - silencing on how Britain forced China to ceded HK to the British after the Opium War- part.
He went on to say HK people have the freedom and their own identity under the British - however, THIS IS WHAT HE DID NOT SAY,
HK economy grew with capitalism as encouraged by the British but it came with a price. The British governor made a deal with the HK tycoons by promising to reduce taxes for their corporations and in return they buy HK land from the government with inflated prices and recoup the markup and the profits by developing luxurious condo and commercial buildings. This scheme also encouraged many of the world's corporations to invest in HK to exploit the low corporate tax which at one time is the lowest in the world. Seemingly a win-win and financially euphoric situation for them. However, In the long run, this induces inequality to rise in HK led by extremely high property prices causing most ordinary HK people to be unable to own a home due to rocket high prices. The high cost of living also compounded the frustration of HK citizens especially the young who only see a bleak future for themselves and their next generation.
When the British handed over HK back to China in 1997, the Chinese left them to their own governance in accordance with the one country-two systems policy and this I think is a mistake and naivety on the part of the CCP to expect that HK will run smoothly until the 50 year policy ends. Unbeknownst to the Chinese , the British and other Western powers in particular the US have already planted a Trojan horse in HK by fomenting an anti China literature and angst among the young through liberal studies in schools on top of the tormenting daily grind of a financially pressured way of life in HK. The culmination of these factors is waiting to erupt like a volcano of pent up frustration and social unrest, all it needs is a spark.
Alas, the proposed reform of the Extradition Treaty by the HK legislation supported by the CCP is the spark they need and this served as a clarion call and an opportunity for them to effect a color revolution stemming from HK and spreading to the whole of China in a bid to bring down the Chinese government
.
However, this guy STEF might have probably believed on what he said, not knowing or refused to acknowledged that the Western powers have patronized the concept of democracy, freedom of speech and human rights, and used it to punish and manage countries by determining how 'democratic' they are, how much 'freedom of speech' is given and whether they are conforming enough to 'human rights'. If they don't meet their so-called "standard" or "values" they will punish them by applying sanctions and restricting them to the access of the dollar to buy food and necessities that the country needs. All these 'values' have become a scam and are pushed aggressively by their mass media and social media which they have controlled world-wide to support their government hegemonic agenda to maintain their Western world order.
The Opium Wars were indeed horrible events, that's why I called them 'infamous'. Hope you still enjoyed the rest of the video!
@@stefhoffer Yes, I enjoyed the video Stef but stop the political BS.This is a travel channel and after 4 years of Trump I am sick of it. I want politics free videos but now the West wants to mix politics with sports too- they want to screw Beijing Winter Olympics. Their athletes who train for years will be the first loser. WTF.
And the Tibet thing, he just used “invade” to describe the liberation of Tibet, which is typical westerners’ mindset, as indigenous people on this vast land with some shared culture and highly similar gene, does the life local Tibetans live today look like an invasion event¿ yeah, the old Tibetan nobility did seek independence to maintain the rotten slavery system, which is the reason why they are in exile.🙄🙄 except from all these , this is quite a nice tourism guidance , but it’s better for the audiences to explore all these history with their own eyes . And Dalaï-lama is not particularly one person by the way, it is one of two titles granted by the central government(used to be the emperors of Chinese Ming&Qing dynasty)to the most respected religious leaders (reincarnated according to Buddhist rule )in Tibet, and it is a system still in use today. _____a fan of historical documentaries.
@@itsly1w215 Yes, the TIBET thing did catch my attention straight away, but I just let it go. I am really glad you've raised the point.
But when I saw the HK part showing the umbrella protest combined with his BS commentary, I could no longer hold my reaction to his political propaganda. Using the word 'INVADED' is indeed very very misleading.
When I watch a traveller's video on Washington, I certainly don't expect to see a footage of the US Capital Riot. When I watch a traveller's video of Germany, I don't expect to see crowds cheering for Hitler.
Thanks, well done: a map showing your places would be helpful.
Thanks, I will consider it for next videos!
Has he really personally travelled to Tibet. Saying that one can only travel to Tibet as a tour group is not true.
As a foreigner this was the only way, at least when I traveled there.
Nice
You should have included XIAN which is the ancient capital city of the most prosperous and successful TANG DYNASTY OF CHINA. Also, it was the cradle of civilization of China. The Chinese is still called themselves as TANG MAN, literally means the people of the TANG DYNASTY. It is a cultural city with a lot of Chinese History over there. The grave of Emperor Chin is located there. Emperor Chin was the one who united China from seven warlords in those days to form one country in AD210. He was the FIRTH EMPEROR OF CHINA.
Thanks, definitely agree Xi'an could have made it to the list!
great video but if you make the audio without the background music easier to watch th
Thank you, I try to use as much ambient audio as possible, but sometimes I have no choice.
On your journey, don't forget to smell the flowers. Take time out to notice that you're alive. You can only live in one day.Share this You can never regret anything you do in life. You kind of have to learn the lesson from whatever the experience is and take it with you on your journey forward.
good
❤️❤️no words
wonderful video.
Nice video👍
Thanks Stef!
thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Welcome to nepal 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵
So good brother
Thanks!
to thank for video
👏👏👏👍👍👍
Xingjiang and Jiuzhaigou is the most beautiful
I fou le like To ses unknown places which age not in thé travel guides
to thank for video
Well, I'm sad that you didn't mention any place in Nanjing, former Capital of China.
Sorry Rui Wang, 10 places is really too limited for China :)
Feng huang, Yangshuo, Xi’an, Shenzhen, Sichuan where are most attracted me.
You traveled around China a lot it seems :)
As a Chinese, whose family came from a rural village and raised in those ‘authentic’ part of town in city, I cringed every time when foreigners say the word ‘authentic’ or ‘real’ to undeveloped part of China.
I can’t stand that people travel to get out of their 9to5 boring life, only to watch people in other cultures doing their boring mundane shit in order to survive, then goes: ‘wow that’s authentic Chinese culture, too bad they’re destroying this’.
Those old Shanghai streets and slum like buildings, were the ones that doesn’t have proper plumbing or electric wiring, and not up to modern building code. The only cultural significance of those building for any ‘authentic’ Chinese is that “we had to live in those when we have no other choice”.
Sure, some of them culture worth preserving, but most of them are mere symbols of the life that most Chinese doesn’t want to go back to.
Not saying you meant bad when saying that, but seriously Cringy for me.
That kind of western mentality disturbs me too! The way they see other cultures and other peoples is like seeing animals that should be kept as “original” as possible to entertain their fantasies. That is how they treat native Indians, to round them up in some preserves. They would not make efforts to develop the area and lift the people, instead, they gave drugs to native Indians.
Guilin and Shanghai Waterfront ❤