We are planning to take the Hanoi to Beijing train in about a week,and hoping for some tips/thoughts.
Anyone taken the 48hour train from Hanoi?
We were planning Beijing and then heading SW ending in Kunming before taking a bus into Laos. Any ideas for MUST SEE places? Also, we will be there for Christmas and New Years (Unfortunately not Chinese New Year!) and would like any tips on a good place to be at that time, as we may be feeling a little homesick.
We really don't know much about China as we just decided to go while here in Vietnam so any thoughts would be of great help.
Thanks!

How much time do you have, and what kind of places do you like to see?

I haven't taken the train, but I'd prefer to break the journey rather than doing it in one go.

If you went overland you could head up to Yangshuo first. Then up towards Shanghai (stopping in Hangzhou and Suzhou. Then up to Beijing.

From Beijing you could head down towards Xi'an and spend a couple of days there.

Then you could make your way towards Kunming and Dali - tiger leaping gorge and so on.

Not sure if there would be anywhere good / festive inthat area to spend Xmas though. Maybe Dali - that is probably the most touristy.

Also remember distances in China are big. Consider internal fights for some journeys.

We are planning for about 3 to 4 weeks.
We really like outdoorsy places- good hiking areas, as well as historic sites.
Thanks for your ideas!

Definitely check out the Tiger Leaping Gorge if you enjoy hiking. I also recommend western Sichuan and southern Qinghai. If you can't visit Tibet just yet, take the journey up into the mountains of western Sichuan to experience Tibetan culture in a very traditional setting. Some travelers I've met confess that with the advent of tourisim in Tibet and especially since the train connection to Lhasa, western Sichuan and Qinghai are your best bet at experiencing a genuine Tibetan environment. Be prepared for roughing it, if you plan on taking this route. Xi'an and the surrounding area possess a myriad of sites with historical significance. Open up the guidebook and pick whatever suits your fancy. Enjoy China!

Jimmy

Lots of "outdoorsy" stuff to do in Yangshuo... biking, hiking, rafting,etc. And the scenery is great!

The Yangshuo Culture House is an amazing place to stay...
It's a cross between a hostel and a homestay. Every once in a while, I still crave the food they serve (which is included in the price...)

http://www.yangshuo-study-travel.com/

Have a nice trip!

Here is another site for Yangshuo - Yangers

In 3-4 weeks - maybe go to Yangshuo, Beijing, Xi'an and then down to Kunming, with side trips in between. That's a mixture of historic and rural. It will be getting cold as you head north though.

Xishuangbanna is very special with minority and tropical weather, just 9 hours bus from Kunming, maybe you should pass by here to Laos

For some more off-the-track experiences, consider doing your hiking in Guizhou. I lived there for a year and can say in all seriousness that it's one of the most beautiful provinces in China, and yet completely overlooked by travelers. For quiet walks and countryside rambles there are tons of rice paddy terraces. There are serious mountains for the climber/hardcore hiker in you and a few of these don't have the paved/staircased trails present over the rest of China. There are a million and one different minorities so tons of culture to take in. VERY friendly people; you may genuinely be the first white person many of them have seen face-to-face. Wonderful food as long as you can deal with spice. You can get to Guizhou by bus or train; though transport can be rough.

You can head west through the heartbreaking rural beauty of western Guizhou to Kunming (Yunnan) to head back to SE Asia via Laos, and hike along roads and paths that few, if any, other travelers have been down. There's a canyon with prehistoric cave paintings in the area but you've got to charter transport to get to it. It's a challenging hike, as well with a big cultural reward at the end.

Another worthwhile spot is Jingdezhen, the site of the old Ming porcelain industry. It's still a porcelain center and a fun place to visit, though isn't on many traveler agendas for some reason.

Xi'an is very nice and another good place to see some genuine history-come-alive. Horrific pollution though.

Sichuan is a wonderful province and every part of it has something to offer. The western part is basically Tibet, but not in Tibet. The south is lush and green for most of the year and you can alternate between rice terraces, bamboo forests, the cliff-graves (ancient coffins attached to sheer cliff faces) of the ancient Bo people, and the coolest teahouse this side of the Pacific Rim.

Other suggestions above, especially Hangzhou and Suzhou on the east coast, are also great! Xiamen is a nice city to stop in as well, by Chinese standards. (every Chinese city is "highly polluted" to some degree).

When will you be in Kunming? I'll be there the first week of January and would love to show you around Yunnan.