A China adventure will change your perspective on life and stretch your mind. How do you feel about surprises, contrasts and magnificent natural wonders that will exceed and challenge your expectations and perceptions? Maybe it’s time to consider China as that ultimate bucket list adventure!
See update below…
A Lifelong Curiosity Comes Full Circle
I’ve always had a Chinese soul, a sense of knowing. A deep connection with China and its spirit. My parents were natural adventurers and growing up in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe – well our family holidays were … well, different! Air travel was not a thing back then, but road travel was and camping was high on the list, as was budget.
We often went to Beira in Mocambique. It always seemed so exotic and foreign with warm sea, exciting food and interesting architecture. When the afternoon winds pummeled the beach campsite, we retreated to the town. I was fascinated by the fish and veg market, the unfamiliar tones of Mandarin in the warren of backstreet Chinese curio shops (I still have my tiny Buddha and little herd of galloping white Chinese horses)
So, much later in life, when I dreamed of travel to far flung places, in a small corner of my mind there was always a niggling memory of China and I suppose it was inevitable that I was destined to go.
A Winter in Shanghai: Reconnecting With a Hidden Part of Myself
Life continued as it does. Post UCT, travels in Europe, knuckling down to life in London. Then returning to Zimbabwe with a newly acquired husband in tow, juggling an advertising agency and young family.
My journalist husband started an independent newspaper. Then politics raised its head as it invariably does in Africa. And we ended up heading south to Cape Town to find a more stable life.
Kids all grown up, my son headed off to explore the world and found his way to China to teach English in Shanghai for a year. He was there for Christmas on his own, homesick and miserable. It was mid winter, freezing cold, coming up for the Chinese new year festival in mid February, a traditional Chinese family reunion. So I took leave from my job as fundraiser at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital – and there I was! Shanghai 2016 in mid winter. Freezing fingers reaching out to two stone lion sentries, in an ancient Chinese garden in the middle of the old town. Surrounded by the indecipherable sounds of Mandarin, unfamiliar faces, unreadable signs. Full of trepidation, nervous about the things I’d heard in the media.
But my heart was singing with a song of reconnection, recognition – knowing I was in a place I was exactly meant to be!
Shanghai was just beginning its transformation into a modern Chinese metropolis.
Music was everywhere, happy people in festival spirit in the streets and parks – playing music, drinking tea, doing tai chi, ballroom dancing, street painting. People greeting me – “ni hau”, the aroma of street food, the river barge engines throbbing, the musical rubbish collection vehicles. My senses were on high alert, my memory banks filling with colour and sound. And so my love affair with China – the Middle Kingdom – began. And the first of many China adventures to come.
Immersing Myself in China’s Culture, Harmony and Language
Ashamedly aware of my complete lack of knowledge, I set myself the goal of learning about China. Everything. I immersed myself in books, videos, Chinese TV and the challenge of learning Mandarin.
The Chinese peoplelove harmony, beauty and peace. Tradition and culture play an important part in their lives. Music and art are treasured. Ancient customs are revered and history is preserved. The people of China are proud of their 5000 year old civilization and have a strong sense of identity and belonging.
In Shanghai alone, there are over 100 museums and art galleries. Green spaces are an important part of city life with exquisitely designed and maintained parks and gardens with open spaces, lakes, bridges and tea houses.
On my last visit to Shanghai in Spring, there were blossoms everywhere and I was keenly aware of the perfume of flowers and the sound of birds. With over 50% of vehicles and all public transport being electric this is good news for the health and happiness of city residents.
From the Paris of the East to Cities of Heaven
My second visit to China in 2017 took me further afield. I always use Shanghai as my base for China explorations, and love to keep rediscovering this magical ever-changing city, truly the Paris of the East.
Shanghai means “above the sea” and the Huangpu River runs through it on its way to join the Yangtze before entering the South China Sea. It was a city of waterways for many centuries, surrounded by ancient canal towns.
Close to Shanghai, an hour’s ride by high-speed train, is Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo in the 13th century as ‘the “City of Heaven – beyond dispute the finest and the noblest city in the world”. He was deeply impressed by the city’s beauty, splendor, and prosperity.
I’ve visited Hangzhou many times and its neighbor Suzhou – famous for its silk. I love this beautiful city with its magnificent lake, surrounding mountains and tea terraces, ancient Song Dynasty quarter with temples, pavilions, monasteries, tea houses and pagodas. Ancient Chinese tradition and culture still run deep here, blended with sensitive and creative modern architecture.
Exploring the Vast and Wild Landscapes of China
Since those early visits to Shanghai, I’ve been much further afield exploring the length and breadth of this vast country, from the wild mountains and villages of Yunnan where festivals are round every corner, to the Great Wall and the wonders of Beijing, the walled city of Xi’an and its Terracotta Army, nearby Pingyao which was the Wall Street banking center of the Silk Road, the Dunyuang caves in the Gobi desert, the Mogao grottoes, the exquisitely beautiful Li River with its karst landscapes.
I’ve visited Lijiang on the old Tea Horse Road, hiked into Tiger Leaping Gorge where the wild rapids of the Yangtze enter the great plains, Danced with Tibetan folk in the square of fabled Shangri La high up in the mountains bordering Tibet. Thanks to Tashi, the manager of Bodhi Inn, a fellow wine drinker, I discovered Au Yun, a hidden winery where the three parallel rivers flow close to Meili Mountain- the Yangtze, Mekong and Nu. Here, a French winemaker produces award winning vintages for export to the world.
Crossing the Tibetan Plateau: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Journey
And one of my biggest China adventure experiences so far, was in 2023, when I traveled by train across the Tibetan plateau to Lhasa. What an incredible experience that was, the highlight probably being three days at a Tibetan nomad horse festival in Nagqu where I was the only westerner.
The Heart of Travel: People, Connections, and Moments
And along the way I’ve been so privileged to meet so many wonderful people. Foreigners living in China inviting me to stay, walking with members of the Shanghai Historic Society on their deep dives into hidden corners of the city, invitations to dinners, kind locals sharing their food with me on trains, coffee and tiramisu in a Tibetan tea tent. Families inviting me as a solo traveller to join them in restaurants. Home cooked meals in little villages.
Join Me on a YEI China Adventure in 2026
Would you like to join me on a guided China tour for 55plussers?
I am the founder of Forever Young Travel. We specialize in creating customised China travel experiences for mature travellers with a zest for life and a passion for adventure. China is such an exciting destination!
I am hosting a China adventure in the second quarter of 2026. If this experience sounds like your kind of journey, please complete the form below and I will get back to you with the proposed itinerary and the cost.
Article by Liz Linsell
Founder: Forever Young Travel
Update: 26 January 2026
The Chinese Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse – starts on February 17. You are warmly invited to join a special YEI meet up group on Friday February 27 2026 to celebrate and learn why it is such an auspicious time on the Chinese calendar. Learn more about the upcoming YEI China Tour. Sample some delicious Chinese teas and treats and listen to Liz Linsell talk about her adventures in China. From 10h30 to 12h30 at Nigiro Teacafe, 71 Gabriel Road in Plumstead. Seating is limited so please book early. Cost: R120 each on the day. Email Liz directly to RSVP: Lizlinsell@icloud.com
