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Cold in Shanghai? Head for Beihai
By Zhang Zhen |
November 29, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
IT starts to get nippy in late November as winter begins to bite in Shanghai. The chill in the air reminds me of a trip I took to Beihai, a seaside resort in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to escape the cold.
I went with 20 other people - some friends, some new acquaintances - to spend my Spring Festival holiday. In mid-February, it was quite a shock to leave the winter cold of Shanghai and arrive on the subtropical shores of Beibu Gulf.
When we arrived, the temperature of Beihai was about 25 degrees Celsius, while back in Shanghai everyone was rugged up in 10-degree weather.
When in Rome, they say, do as the Romans. So we decided to buy some local seaside clothing common in Beihai. After negotiating with the vendor, we were able to outfit ourselves in identical gear for about 28 yuan (US$4) each.
Now it was time to hit the beach!
Silver Beach in Beihai is considered by some to be "the best beach in the world." Its silver sand stretches along the deep blue sea under an azure sky. The effect is breathtaking.
At dusk particularly, the beach scene gives visitors the feeling of walking into a fairytale world. A famous song came in to my mind: "Granny's Penghu Bay." The song tells of sunshine, beaches, sea waves, cactus and an old sea captain. Some of my travel companions loved to just stroll along the beach. Others built sand castles. Some just lay there dreaming.
We took a ferry trip around Weizhou Island, which covers 25 square kilometers and was formed by a volcano. Because of its pleasant climate, beautiful scenery and fresh air, it's also known as Big Penglai, a famous immortal island in Chinese legend.
Fresh seafood is another big attraction for visitors to Beihai.
One hospitable local fisherman took us along to catch sea crabs. I've eaten a lot of crab in my life, but it was the first experience to go out and catch them myself.
After two hours, we had pulled in between 20 and 30 kilograms of crab and asked the fisherman to cook them for us. It was a meal beyond description.
When we left Beihai four days after our arrival, we all agreed it was one of the best trips we had ever taken.
(Translated by Chen Ye)
I went with 20 other people - some friends, some new acquaintances - to spend my Spring Festival holiday. In mid-February, it was quite a shock to leave the winter cold of Shanghai and arrive on the subtropical shores of Beibu Gulf.
When we arrived, the temperature of Beihai was about 25 degrees Celsius, while back in Shanghai everyone was rugged up in 10-degree weather.
When in Rome, they say, do as the Romans. So we decided to buy some local seaside clothing common in Beihai. After negotiating with the vendor, we were able to outfit ourselves in identical gear for about 28 yuan (US$4) each.
Now it was time to hit the beach!
Silver Beach in Beihai is considered by some to be "the best beach in the world." Its silver sand stretches along the deep blue sea under an azure sky. The effect is breathtaking.
At dusk particularly, the beach scene gives visitors the feeling of walking into a fairytale world. A famous song came in to my mind: "Granny's Penghu Bay." The song tells of sunshine, beaches, sea waves, cactus and an old sea captain. Some of my travel companions loved to just stroll along the beach. Others built sand castles. Some just lay there dreaming.
We took a ferry trip around Weizhou Island, which covers 25 square kilometers and was formed by a volcano. Because of its pleasant climate, beautiful scenery and fresh air, it's also known as Big Penglai, a famous immortal island in Chinese legend.
Fresh seafood is another big attraction for visitors to Beihai.
One hospitable local fisherman took us along to catch sea crabs. I've eaten a lot of crab in my life, but it was the first experience to go out and catch them myself.
After two hours, we had pulled in between 20 and 30 kilograms of crab and asked the fisherman to cook them for us. It was a meal beyond description.
When we left Beihai four days after our arrival, we all agreed it was one of the best trips we had ever taken.
(Translated by Chen Ye)
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