Visit to Paris and China

Our visit to China was an extension of our trip to Paris, France for the annual international Pharmaceutical Trade Fair (Pharmagora Plus). This has been the largest pharmaceutical trade fair in Paris for the last 37 years. About 400 vendors and 13,000 pharmacists and allied players were projected to attend.

 Our group of 21 coordinated by Ubipharm Cameroun took off from Paris on the 10^th of March 2025 for Beijing with a stopover in Dubai.

In Beijing, we visited the Tiananmen Square (Gate of Heavenly Peace) which is the de facto heart of China. Here is located the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, National Museum of China, Monument of National Heroes, Chinese Parliament building and The Forbidden City (former administrative and residential palace of past Chinese Emperors). Most people always associate Tiananmen Square with the 1989 student protest that was crushed by the then Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng. The Western Media called the uprising pro-democracy protest while the Chinese government considered it as a counter-revolutionary project.

 Ever since that watershed event that was to determine the future of China, the country has since witnessed unprecedented growth to become the juggernaut that we know today. We did also visit a section of the Great Wall of China near Beijing. We next took off for Xi’an (1134 km from Beijing) by high speed train that took about 4hrs 20 minutes to cover that distance. In 2003, the train took over 12 hours to cover the same distance.

We had a hectic day in Xi'an. We visited the place where jade stones are shaped into jewelry and other byproducts. We then visited the Terracotta Warriors at the famous UNESCO world heritage site where the 2200 years old sculptures are displayed at the site of their excavation. We also visited the 655 years old Xi'an city wall which has a total length of 14 kms. It was used in the past as a defense wall. We were later witnesses for 2 hours to very beautiful Chinese traditional music spectacle in a high end restaurant. Xi'an has been one of the ancient imperial capitals of China and the eastern departure point of the Silk Road. It was drizzling and quite cold throughout the day with temperatures hovering around 8 degrees Celsius.

We next flew out of Xi’an to Shanghai (1275km away).   Shanghai (pop 25 million) is considered by some people to be the most populous urban city in China though others cite the less well-known city of Chongqing. We did land at Shanghai's Pudong airport from Xi'an around 7pm. Shanghai, a port city in the east of China, is the economic, financial and cultural power house of China. The world's largest container port is in Shanghai. The Shanghai Tower (the 128-storey, 632-meter-tall building) is the 3rd tallest in the world. We did go up the 468 metres tall Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower and ended at the most popular observation desk at 263 meters from where you can view the city. One exciting and scary experience is to walk on transparent glass while viewing the city at 259 metres below. Not for the faint hearted.

 We did visit a Buddhist Center. Buddhism is the foremost religion in China though majority of Chinese are atheists. One of our tour guides said that more and more youths are disconnected from religion. He referred to their own religion as I-phonism due to their attachment to phones. The phone is at the center of life in China. Applications on phones are used for daily transactions in a country that is gradually turning cashless. We did also visit the 448 year old Yu garden...a complex real estate that combines architectural beauty with nature. Shanghai alongside many other Chinese cities has predominantly high rise buildings as residential areas. China has the highest concentration of high rise buildings in the world running into tens of millions with over 3000 buildings exceeding 150 meters in height. There is currently a housing glut in China with analysts estimating the number of unoccupied apartments to be in the excess of 60 million. China is currently experiencing a population decline like South Korea and Japan.

 Many Chinese youths are not interested in raising children. Technological advancement in China is breathtaking. Even beggars don't expect to be given cash. You will need to scan the code of a plaque they usually hang on their necks to transfer money from your phone to theirs. At the airport when I went to the information desk after security clearance to get more information about my flight, I was told to stand in front of a screen. Facial recognition technology in the system immediately brought out my photo, my names and all the information I needed about the flight. In China, moving across the country is so easy because of a highly developed transport infrastructure. You either go by plane or comfortable high speed trains. Roads are equally well maintained.

In Guangzhou, while most members of my group were preoccupied with commercial activities, I did visit the Canton tower, Baiyun Mountain and Yuntai Garden. On the third day of my solo visit, I took off for Gulong Gorge (100 kms out of Guangzhou). It was such an interesting site for lovers of nature and adventure.

 Trip videos below

Start of visit to Xi’an

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvGmb1EIhI4

Chinese Dance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fOeXsSOMqE

Canton Tower

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obND_SvIlY4

Yuntai Garden Guangzhou

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rjcUH_-1U8

Gulong Gorge scenic path

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VRu6EadkjA

Sky Walk Gulong Gorge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE2v2zKoXG4