The enormity of China hit me the moment I arrived there.

This impression – perhaps reality would be a better word to use here – lasted all throughout the week.

And it is not size I am referring to – China is one of the largest countries in the world, and its population is the biggest, topping 1.2 billion.

It is the enormity of its rich culture and history in Beijing first, and the enormity of its economic expansion and development in Shanghai later, that leaves its mark. China has so much to offer its visitors.

Tourism is in fact one of the growing industries in China. Last year, 124 million people visited China, according to statistics provided by the China National Tourist Office, nearly a four per cent increase over the previous year. Income from tourism has risen sharply from US$102 million in 1996 to US$292 million in 2005.

The Maltese are discovering China too. With Emirates providing well-timed links to Beijing and Shanghai via Dubai, this has been made easier for Maltese travellers. Yes, the Maltese are fast becoming more adventurous in their travels, and China is becoming one of their favourite destinations.

KD Travel, which co-sponsored a visit by Maltese journalists to Beijing and Shanghai in November, this year has taken two groups for a total of 126 travellers to China. And the market shows that there is room for expansion, and three groups are planned for next year.

Back to China, and specifically to Beijing, where our first stop was Tiananmen Square, in the heart of the city. It is the largest open-urban square in the world, able to fit up to one million people in its area of 440,000 square metres.

Here we had our first experience of the so-called “hello people”, people who try to sell their cheap, fake wares to tourists – ranging from watches, T-shirts, beanies, toys, skates, bags and pens. They are people who do not take no for an answer, and keep running and tagging at tourists for long stretches before they give up. If they do, that is.

As we later drove towards the Forbidden City, I could notice the hundreds of people who make use of bicycles. It was like the traditional Zabbar bicycle pilgrimage, in each and every street that is. I was told that there are some nine million registered bikes in Beijing only – where the population of the city and its hinterland reaches 15 million.

Our guide Karen explained that many Beijing residents prefer to use bikes to avoid the heavy city traffic. Others simply leave their bikes in specially-designated areas outside subway stations before taking the underground transport system to their destination, which is being upgraded before the Olympic Games are held next year. The flatland on which Beijing is built makes the use of the bikes less difficult.

After our lunch – yes, you guessed right, it was Chinese food – we moved on to the Summer Residence, which like the Forbidden City is protected by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. It was a beautiful place to visit in the cold of November, let alone in milder months – the lake that occupies three-fourths of the whole palace is fascinating.

It was the end of our first full day in Beijing, and on the way back to the hotel the traffic was quite slow, in spite of the many bicycles still on the road. Several new taxis seemed to be plying the roads too, and I was told that some 65,000 new taxis will have been brought in by the time the Olympic Games are held in August. Using them is quite cheap too – the equivalent of one euro upon entering the vehicle, and then one euro per kilometre after the third kilometre. Not bad.

On the second day, it was time to visit China’s most well-known monument, the Great Wall, the only man-made structure that can be seen from space. We visited the wall in the Badaling section – a mountainous stretch where the cold bit through our mufflers and coats, but it was worth it. Parts of the area we visited are so steep that one has to hold on to railings to climb the uneven steps, and to get down it was probably more dangerous.

But it was an out of this world experience, one that I will never forget. So much so that the Ming Tombs we visited afterwards were quite an anti-climax. Not because this yet another World Heritage Site is not worth a visit, but my mind was still fixed on the magnificence of this structure that was built so many years ago. I kept wondering how they managed to build it at a time when the facilities for such a project were so reduced. Probably, if anyone thought of building such a structure today, the idea would be deemed impossible to carry out. And yet it was done, and still stands.

Needless to say, everywhere we went we were surrounded by the “hello people”, who started off by shouting the prices of their wares and then quickly halving them to improve their chances of sale. Often, they ended up selling their items at one-tenth of the original price. The same goes for the so-called fake shop, which is an experience in itself – four storeys of shops with young men and women tugging at your sleeves to entice you to buy brand name bags, clothes and whatnot – fake, of course.

It was time for another taste of Chinese cuisine – and the peculiarity of it all is that restaurants seemed so fast in their presentation of the food – this time at the invitation of Maltese ambassador to China Karl Xuereb.

Our last day in Beijing started with a visit to the Temple of Heaven, where each one of us felt as an emperor for a few seconds as we stood on the place where Chinese emperors stood in the past. Here we also found some time to play kicker – which is like a shuttle-cock with feathers that is kicked around from one person to another. The more Maltese visit China, the more we will see of it here because it is a game that keeps one in good shape. And it is so much fun too.

It was time to say goodbye to Beijing… but our trip was not over yet as we moved to Shanghai….

But that’s another story…

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Some tips

Chinese currency is the yuan. At the time of our visit, 25 yuan were equivalent to approximately Lm1. 10 yuan were approximately equivalent to one euro.

Always take your hotel card with you when out in the streets. Most people do not speak or read English. Most taxi drivers will be able to take you back to your hotel only if you show them its name written in Chinese.

The best way to avoid the “hello people” is to ignore them. If you are to enter into any deal with them, bring down the price as much as possible. And beware of fake money if you are to get any change.

Chinese restaurants open early and close early. Chinese people normally have dinner at 6 or 7pm, so you might be disappointed if you go to a restaurant at 9pm.

Traffic is quite chaotic and green lights for pedestrians do not necessarily mean that no cars will pass. Be careful when you cross from zebra crossings. Drivers will not stop because if they had to stop every time people want to cross they will never finish their journey.

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From Malta to Beijing with Emirates

Emirates flight EK108 leaves Malta at 14:50, arrives in Larnaca, Cyprus at 18:10 leaves Larnaca at 19:30 and arrives in Dubai International Airport at 00:40hrs the following day. EK 306 flight to Peking (Beijing) leaves Dubai at 03:00 and arrives at 14:45, or else EK 308 leaving Dubai at 12:50 and arrives in Peking at 00:35hrs the following day.

The return flight to Dubai, EK 309 leaves Peking at 05:50 and arrives at 11:10 or else departure at 23:30 on EK 307 and arriving in Dubai at 04:50 on the following day. EK 107 leaves Dubai at 8:15, stops in Larnaca at 10:25 and leaves at 11:30 and arrives in Malta at 13:20.

This familiarisation trip was organised by Emirates in conjunction with KD Travel, specialist in group and individual travel to China.