Explore More - 2019

and its elegant

and its elegant waterfront promenade, the Bund, is one of the world’s most iconic pedestrian boulevards, overlooked by many colonial-era banks and trading houses. Explore the excellent cultural and artistic collections at the Shanghai Museum, attend a dazzling Chinese acrobatic show or enjoy tea in tranquil Suzhou, the nearby “Garden City” known for its silk production. Stroll through People’s Square or ride the superfast Maglev train, an engineering marvel of magnetic levitation. You can even learn about traditional medicine, cooking, calligraphy, and more from residents during an outing to the Caoyang community. Qingdao, China Once known as the “German Hong Kong,” Qingdao is rich in German and Japanese colonial mansions and half-timbered houses. You can even sample a beer-brewing tradition that dates back to the days of German kaiser Wilhelm II, and delve more deeply into this unique past during a panoramic tour featuring the Eight Great Passes and Wusi Square. Alternately, you could explore Qingdao’s rich architectural and artistic heritage on a wonderful and informative tour of noteworthy attractions including Tianhao Palace, Qingdao Art Museum and the Olympic Sailing Center constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Dalian, China With its rich history and many parks, Dalian is known as one of China’s most livable cities. Under Soviet rule for a decade after World War II, today the city enjoys a picturesque setting, with numerous parks and a friendly atmosphere. Enjoy a city tour featuring a stop at Labor Park with its lovely gardens, modern architecture, peaceful walkways and floral displays. Beijing, China Beijing holds more than 3,000 years of history. Quiet warrens of courtyard homes reveal Beijing at its most authentic, recalling the Peking of old. Highlights include Tianjin, located on the Haihe River, and famous for its stretch of the Grand Canal, the longest and possibly oldest existing manmade waterway on Earth. But the Great Wall—13,000 miles of walls, towers and trenches that were begun 2,200 years ago to defend the Chinese empire against nomads from the north—is the big draw. A hike across the section that runs along the ridge of mountains north of the city in nearby Huangyaguan (Yellow Cliff Pass) is most certainly worth the effort. Go online: Watch a video of the Far East Discovery cruise at voc.com/videos Above: Acrobats perform at a show in Shanghai Facing page, clockwise from left: The Great Wall of China; May Fourth Square in Qingdao; Dalian’s cityscape; a bronze lion in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City in Beijing 72 VIKING.COM EXPLORE MORE 2019

EXPLORE MORE 2019 VIKING.COM 73