Not the cities of course.
China has huge, densely populated, vibrant cities. Yet there are vast areas of pastoral beauty and seemingly remote natural wonders -- often just a few hours' drive from major cities.
Take Shanghai, for example. It's one of the largest, most sophisticated cities in the world with a population well over 18 million. But a two-hour drive south of Shanghai lies the beautiful garden city of Hangzhou.
Another 1.5-hours drive southwest of Hangzhou is Thousand Islands Lake -- a magnificent area of jade islands rising from pure blue water surrounded by heavily forested mountain crags.
Two hours southeast of Hangzhou is the Nanxi hot spring, one of China's most beautiful and delightful spas set in the ethereal beauty of a 10,000-hectare national forest park of lakes, waterfalls and mist-shrouded mountains.
And half an hour's drive from Nanxi hot spring is the ancient town of Qiantong, a farming and artisan community virtually unchanged in the past 700 years.
Here's a closer look at some of those serene beauty spots just a few hours' drive south of the hustle and bustle of Shanghai:
THOUSAND ISLANDS LAKE
Called Qiandao Hu in Chinese, the Thousand Islands Lake was created when the Xin'an River was dammed in 1959 for a hydroelectric project.
More than 50 towns and farming communities were submerged, but what was left was a magnificent lake with the tops of what were once mountains poking through the surface as hundreds of new islands (known as dragonheads).
One of those ancient communities -- Shi (Lion) City -- is the largest underwater city in the world, a ghostly relic of 1,800-year-old architecture that draws divers from around the world to explore.
On the surface, the area languished in relative obscurity for two decades before Chinese government officials realized how spectacularly beautiful the manmade lake and surrounding mountains were. The area was designated a state forest park in 1979 and resort development began in the 1980s.
The Thousand Islands Lake now has some of the finest resort hotels in China, but the magnificent setting is still largely unspoiled and untrammeled by masses of tourists. The water is clear, the fishing and swimming are great, and the lakeshore and islands offer unlimited discoveries by boat.
Accommodation ranges from the grand five-star New Century Resort on the Kylin Peninsula, where peacocks strut and yachts tie up at the dock to Wenxin Island where tourists can rent wooden cottages that seem more fitting to Muskoka than China.
NANXI HOT SPRING
Drawing visitors to its soothing, invigorating mineral water for centuries (even royal concubines), Nanxi is considered one of the Top 10 hot springs in China.
The Nanxi baths are part of a modern spa and resort complex, the Ninghai Hot Spring Hotel. Wander from your hotel room to the hot spring reception area where you are issued swimwear and sandals before being showered by attendants.
Then on to the pools of hot and cold mineral-rich mountain spring water -- surging whirlpool baths, swimming pools, warm baths filled with flowers and natural fragrances, outdoor hot pools for lazing with friends on a starry night -- and even pools filled with tiny fish that nibble away callouses and dead skin from your body.
Later try a massage or visit the karaoke bar to continue the night's entertainment. I can recommend both.
Although Nanxi hot spring draws about 600,000 visitors a year, you never feel crowded there. Set in Sleeping Dragon Valley and surrounded by a huge national forest, the area is a serene Eden of lakes dotted with small island shrines and mountain peaks sewn together by threads of mist.
QIANTONG
Step through the gates of the ancient town of Qiantong and step back 750 years in time.
About 1,300 of its houses were built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and remain virtually unchanged to this day -- apart from the addition of electricity to run TVs and appliances and the ubiquitous bicycles weaving down cobbled streets beside channels of clear running water.
Most of Qiantong's residents are descendants of the people who built those houses -- and more than 80% of the town's population bears the family name Tong. It really is living history.
As well as farming, the people of Qiantong are skilled craftsmen renowned for centuries for their carving and other artistry. And the tofu handmade in Qiantong is reputed to be among the best in China.
So there you have it -- serene natural and manmade wonders in the wide open spaces of China, separated from the clamour of huge cities by a only few hours -- and a world of experiences.
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MORE INFORMATION
For brochures or further details on travelling in China, contact the China National Tourist Office in Toronto at 416-599-6636 or tourismchina-ca.com. Canadians require a travel visa, which can be arranged through the Consulate General of the P. R. China in Toronto. Call 416-964-2387 or 416-324-6459 or log on to toronto.china-consulate.org for details.
