What is the most romantic city in the world? Undoubtedly Venice, followed by Paris of course. Chinese people decided to copy both. In fact, Tongli does not resemble Venice at all, except for the fact that it is a floating city, but it does not intend to replicate any aspect of it. Tongli is a thousand year old town, built on the delta of the Yangtze River. It is spread over 7 islets: 15 small canals run through the city and 49 bridges, built in different eras, connect the historic center. Most of the buildings are from the Ming and Qing era, when Tongli became the residence of nobles and artists who moved there to enjoy its beauty.
English
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I’ll be honest: China wasn’t on my list of favorite destinations. To me China was just the place where they make the cheap products we find in every market nowadays. I didn’t realize the future is there and it has almond eyes.
With its 32 million inhabitants, Shanghai is the most populous city in the world. In its metropolitan area, it hosts about half of the inhabitants of the whole of Italy. Managing flows is therefore essential and I’m surprised by the lack of traffic jams and silence in the streets.
Every place seems to have a legendary past in Bago! Formerly the capital of Burma, built along Pegu’s riverbed, Bago has the highest stupa in Myanmar, the most gallant men and the most capricious women. Visit pagodas with gigantic Buddha statues and temples devoted to ancient pythons, you will spend a carefree day. Don’t miss the local market, where you can taste small birds on the spit and fried locusts, two typical Burmese street foods.
Known as the city of gems, Ava has been the capital of Burma several times.
Many tourists take a buggy ride to enjoy the ruins of stupas and pagodas. Walking through the vast grasslands, palm groves and cultivated fields you can get a taste of the daily life of the farmers of the neighboring village Inwwa.
Amarapura is an ancient capital of the Burmese kingdom located near Mandalay. Here you can still witness the daily life of thousands of monks, adults and children, who gather in Mahagandayon Monastery to eat together the offerings gathered in the neighboring villages.
A few kilometers from Mahagandayon Monastery, visit U Bein bridge, the oldest and longest teak bridge in the world.
Mandalay is a young city founded in 1857 to be the capital of the country, which it was from 1861 to 1885. It was built by King Mindon Min, who identified the hill at the north of the city (Mandalay Hill) as the site chosen by Buddha 2,400 years earlier for this purpose. It is the second most populous city in the country (after Yangon) and the first religious center (it houses about 60% of monasteries in the whole of Burma).
Among the most interesting sites, the Golden Palace Monastery and the 4 ancient capitals of the kingdom are worth a visit.
Visiting the Pa’o village of Taunggyi is an experience of hospitality. Legend has it the Pa’o were born out of the love between an alchemist and a female dragon. Today, colourful turbans and dresses with multiple fringes are reminiscent of the connection with the mythological animal. The Pa’o, who live on subsistence agriculture and live in bamboo huts, fully embody the Burmese value of ana, the respect for others. In Myanmar kindness is really present in every home.
If there is one place that represents the essence of Myanmar is undoubtedly the Shwedagon Paya of Yangon, with its golden stupa 98 meters high overlooking the skyline of Yangon.
In Yangon you come across thousands of Buddha statues: none of them express pain or suffering. On the contrary, Buddha smiles at us and invites us to abandon the sufferings of life.
I visit Yangon in April and I am amazed by masses of people who fight with water guns in the streets! Everywhere is urban warfare; every corner becomes a trench to launch water balloons from. Thousands of people gather in the city squares and dance, jump and scream under the fire hydrants. It’s the Thingyan Water Festival, the New Year’s Eve celebration that lasts almost a week.
Open to tourists only recently, Kakku, in Myanmar, amazes with its over 2,000 pagodas arranged in orderly rows. Walking through the labyrinth of stupas in ever-changing shades, you will encounter hundreds of Buddha statues, all smiling with benevolence. The sound of the bells hanging from the spires helps the meditation of the faithful.
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