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S U M M E R I S S U E 2 5
Clockwise, from top left: A temple on a
hillside in Dongtou; boats in Zhoushan's
coastline; Dafen Oil Painting Village,
Shenzhen; a vista point in Pingtan
We also stopped in Pingtan, where one of
the optional excursions was to the 68 Nautical
Mile site. This is one of the closest points
between mainland China and Taiwan, and its
name, as you may have guessed, denotes the
distance between the two. I decided to head
inland to the city of Fuzhou, which bills itself
as the capital of the Maritime Silk Road. Its
historic wealth can still be seen in a
pedestrianised neighbourhood, dubbed the
"Beverly Hills of Imperial China." Its actual
name, Sanfang Qixiang (Three Lanes and
Seven Alleys), is a nod to the network of
narrow streets hiding courtyard homes
that are richly decorated with carvings
and paintings.
One of my favourite destinations was
Xiamen, where the port was flanked by
skyscrapers that transformed into a light show
after sunset. I also had a difficult time
choosing between two excursions—an
architectural tour of car-free Gulangyu Island
or a visit to the tea plantations of
An'xi County.
In the end, I went to see the UNESCO-listed
Nanjing Tulous, the traditional homes of the
Hakka people who settled here centuries ago
from northern China. Tulous are giant
communal homes three to five stories high
with a shared central courtyard and
surrounded by high rectangular or circular
mud walls. Entire clans of up to 800 people
lived inside these dwellings that were heavily
fortified against enemy attack. It was a
fascinating tour, and the journey there offered
a glimpse of China's lush, green interior as we
zipped past verdant rice paddies and the tea
terraces that overlooked them.
We enjoyed two days at sea, which were
both filled with onboard activities and
enriching lectures that put our destinations
into context. They also gave me a chance to
explore the Viking Yi Dun, which offers many
of the same thoughtful features as its sister
ocean ships. You can relax in The Nordic Spa
with the Sauna and the Snow Grotto.
Manfredi's Italian Restaurant offered
generous bread baskets and delicious steaks.
The extensive onboard book collection,
specially curated by London bookshop
Heywood Hill, is designed to connect you to
your destinations.
Beyond its sister ships, the Viking Yi Dun
has several unique features designed to
further immerse you in the history, culture
and cuisine of China.
"ere was a dim sum
trolley in e Restaurant
during breakfast service,
and the Aquavit Terrace
offered hot pot dinners
on port days."
The after-dinner venue, Torshavn, was
rebranded as 1872—a direct reference to the
China Merchants Group. Throughout our
journey, the Star Theatre featured dynamic
performances that showcased traditional
instruments and productions with their roots in
Chinese folk stories.
Our final stop was Shenzhen, located just
a border crossing away from Hong Kong.
The city is best known as the world's factory for
electronics, but I was surprised to learn about
the local artistic community at Dafen Village. It
is estimated that the enclave once produced as
much as 60% of the world's oil paintings, but
today, the village primarily sells inexpensive
original works. I tried my hand at creating an
oil painting during my optional excursion. I'm
not sure anyone will be rushing to buy my
masterpiece anytime soon, but as a memento
of this special journey to China, it's one of a
kind.
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