Take advantage of China's new ‘transit visa' to see its most charming water town

Telegraph

2 days ago

It was only at the very end of last year that China relaxed its previously byzantine visa requirements, meaning that British citizens can now – under certain circumstances – visit for up to 240 hours (10 days) without a visa. Quite the revelation.
The policy does, however, come with some conditions. Firstly, China cannot be your final destination – you must be breaking your journey there, and travelling onwards to a third destination (ie. not straight back to the UK). You must also enter through one of the 60 approved entry ports, be prepared to show either a boarding pass (or proof of purchase) for your onward flights, and have at least six months of validity remaining on your passport. But that's it – it's just that easy.
This means that you could, for example, fly from London to Beijing, spend ample time exploring the capital, then stop off afterwards in, say, Hong Kong, Tokyo or Singapore on your way home – going, in effect, on a double city break.
With a population comfortably over 20 million, Beijing is double the size of most cities anyway, and you quickly get used to the crowds (and the interminable queues) when visiting such sights as Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. If, however, after all the must-sees, you want to get away from all those crowds, it is surprisingly easy. In fact, in China, escapism can be summed up in just two words: water town.
These ordinarily sit far off the usual tourist radar – but are much beloved by the Chinese. Originally to be found mainly in the south of China, water towns were villages that grew up around rivers. City dwellers were drawn to them for the tranquillity that came with canals, lakes and rivers, lined by charming old houses and cobbled streets.
The Summer Palace itself was perhaps the first northern water town, albeit exclusively for the use of the Emperor and his court. There are several popular examples close to Shanghai – Zhujiajiao being the most famous (known as the 'Venice of Shanghai'), with the likes of Tongli, Zhouzhuang and Xitang also drawing sizeable crowds.
But the loveliest of them all – and an ideal option for tourists visiting Beijing – is surely delightful, overlooked Gubei, just two hours from China's capital.
The first thing you see as you approach Gubei Water Town are its highly decorated dougong roofs, pagodas and temples, presiding over pretty ponds covered with water lilies. This is Chinese medieval architecture at its finest – you could have arrived on the set of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And 'set' is perhaps the clue here. Because Gubei was, in fact, built just a little over ten years ago.
Those new to China might find this surprising. Most water towns are found in the south of the country as, in the north, winters are very cold and open water freezes. Undaunted, Gubei's planners prevailed, gently pointing out that the frozen water would itself offer other charms – maybe skating? Charm certainly proliferates.
The River Tang flows through the centre with smaller canals and waterways, lakes and ponds branching off it. Occasionally, boats, a little like covered gondolas, glide silently by. There are cobbled streets, pretty bridges, open-air theatres, tea houses, street food sellers (chestnuts, hot pears and cakes so delicious they are limited to two pieces per person), restaurants and shops.
Purists might argue that a facsimile lacks authenticity, yet it's a place that's hard to dismiss or pin down quite so simply. A town designed for tourism it may be, but it's certainly not sterile or characterless: it's hardly Las Vegas, nor is it Disneyland – the attention to detail in recreating the architecture and materials of medieval China is faultless, and the emphasis in the shops is not on Hollywood-style merchandise, but on handmade crafts such as silk painting and calligraphy. You can even attend a fan painting workshop or learn to make a paper kite.
So, yes, it's undeniably escapism, but the Chinese version appears to be a very different concept from the western one. Here, instead of rollercoasters and one-armed bandits, you slow down the pace to discover the joys of traditional culture: Chinese opera and marionettes, martial arts and tea ceremonies.
There are no motorised vehicles allowed on these cobbled streets and, if you get tired, there are attenuated golf carts that take you to drop-off points around the perimeter. The greenery – there are lots of gardens within the town which is itself surrounded by forest – is restful to the eye and it's very quiet (most people seem to speak here only in hushed tones).
The architecture is delightful. Up rustic steps I find myself in a series of courtyards that lead to the 'Asian School', where open air pavilions are divided by narrow channels filled with lilies and a couple of ladies sit beneath paper umbrellas, quietly chatting. Even in early June it's hot, and outdoor tea houses and restaurants are shaded, the atmosphere cooled, too, by the sound of water falling over the weir and playing fountains, while just below the surface of the water, hundreds of koi carp are a flash of gold.
On the outskirts of Gubei Water Town, there are modern luxury hotels, but in the town itself, it's all B&Bs or small hotels. Mine is the William Edgar Boutique Hotel, where you step over a high threshold (useful for keeping out ghosts) and into a small courtyard where a huge decorated screen protects the privacy, as custom demands, of the real entrance beyond.
Decorated with antique painted cupboards, fine porcelain and a moon gate, even the lift interior here is lacquered red with a scrolled scarlet bench inside, perfect for imperial posteriors. Beyond my room is a stone terrace from which I can watch a light show against the background of the mountains. At the start, I'm convinced I'm watching traditional scarlet Chinese lanterns rise into the night sky, until they arrange themselves in '2025' with the '0' as a heart. This, of course, is China – and they're drones.
Now, William Edgar may seem an unlikely name for a Chinese hotel, but it turns out he was an early American visitor here who played a prominent role in the preservation of the Great Wall. And this is perhaps Gubei Water Town's most important USP – it is surrounded by what is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful stretches of one of the world's seven 'new' Great Wonders (despite originating from the 7th-century BC), with ten watchtowers and a cable car to reach them. Unlike the crowds you'll find if you visit the parts of the Wall closer to Beijing, here – especially if you visit fairly early in the day – you get the place pretty much to yourself.
And solitude at the Great Wall is surely reason enough to try escapism Chinese-style.
Essentials
Bamboo Travel has a tailor-made package from £5250pp, based on two people travelling in October 2025, including flights (from London Heathrow to Beijing with Air China, and Beijing to Hong Kong and then back to London with Cathay Pacific). Also included are nine nights at the Peninsula Beijing; full day private tours of Beijing, the Great Wall and Gubei Water Town; four nights at the Peninsula Hong Kong; and all transfers.
If you want to spend the maximum time in China and see as much of the country as possible, Nihao China has a nine-day private tour in October and November from RMB33,000pp, staying at the Peninsula hotel in Beijing and Shanghai and the Ritz Carltons in Xian and Chengdu, with tours of Beijing, Gubei, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base, and Shanghai. This includes all internal travel but not international flights. For more information, see chinatraveldepot.com