Top ten reasons to visit China

Locals in China are extremely friendly and willing to help in most situations. There can often be a significant language barrier, however this can be easily overcome with a smile and hand gestures. On all of our travels – we have agreed that Chinese people have been the most welcoming and warm.

The food in China is unbelievably cheap, very tasty and service at most restaurants is fantastic. All up – we spent three weeks in China and did not have one bad meal.

The great wall...What more can you say? This place is a must see and is absolutely breath taking.

The metro/rail system within China is comprehensive and excellent value for money. We have ridden trains from the lowest class 'hard seat' to the highest 'soft sleeper' and found most trains to be well organised and on time.

The weather in Beijing in February ranges from a chilly -5 to +6 degrees Celsius, however is still a great time to visit with reduced tourists and the possibility of seeing snow capped tourist attractions like the Great Wall. Shanghai experiences warmer weather than Beijing with temperatures in February likely to average +15C during the day.

Surprisingly we found China to be full of parks and greens spaces lined with trees and flowers. This makes for lovely relaxing walks and for great people watching.

If you weren’t a tea lover before you visit China, you will be when you leave. The colder months of the year make for great tea drinking with the range and quality available in China second to none around the world.

Xian and the Terracotta Warriors. This city and its well known tourist attraction are full of history, culture and evident hard work. Everywhere you look in Xian, there is something new and interesting and the locals here are some of the friendliest we met in China. The Terracotta Warriors were are definitely worth the trip to Xian.

While most cities you visit are incredibly modern, there are many excellent museums and historical sites to visit in China with fascinating history spanning tens of thousands of years. Within each city in China there are various influences present, for example in the Muslim quarter in Xian there is a strong Islamic influence in the architecture and food that has been carried over from central Asia, while in Shanghai there is an interesting French influence throughout.

Throughout the whole of China – we regularly spotted groups of people out dancing, doing Tai Chi, singing or playing instruments, for themselves, not for money. There was one time in particular in Hangzhou, a big group of elderly people gathered around in a circle and many began waltzing in pairs to the music being played. It was a lovely moment and I will remember it forever. This street atmosphere and liveliness is something you do not see in Australia and it was one of my favourite things about China.