Serge – China travel advisor at China Roads
Portrait of Serge in video
A few questions for Serge – his story, his advice and his favorites
What is your connection with China? Your first trip to China?
My first trip to China was in 1995. I arrived from France by bike and then crossed China from one end to the other over a period of 8 months. It was during this trip that I met my future wife in the Guilin region of Yangshuo. This expedition notably gave rise to the writing of a book: “The Tribulations of a Wandering Pedaler,” which can still be found in some online bookstores!
Where do you currently live?
After our marriage in China in 1996, we lived in France for nine years before returning to my wife’s homeland in Yangshuo with our two children in 2006. We have lived in Yangshuo ever since.
What is your favorite place in China?
The magnificent landscapes of southern China have always fascinated me, especially the karst mountains around Guilin and the Li River, but also the region’s terraced rice fields (Longji) with its magnificent ethnic villages perched in the mountains.
When to leave?
September and October are the best times in terms of climate (drier and cooler than summer) and with beautiful light on the crops just before harvest. Or else in spring with the rice fields watered from May, or later in summer when nature is flamboyant and green, even if the air is often full of humidity.
An experiment to do?
Meeting rural people is often very rich in emotion and full of insights into their daily lives far from modern cities. I particularly appreciate these unique and timeless villages, especially among the ethnic groups in Guizhou province, where you can eat and sleep in the homes of locals and discover their customs. A night in a Hakka fortress house (Tulou) in Fujian province is also an unforgettable experience.
A place in China you would gladly return to?
Tibet.
A favorite hotel?
House of Karst! This is actually my own hotel that I’m building in the Yangshuo countryside. A project that will take several years, and is gradually taking shape, thanks in particular to a partnership with our agency China Roads, for a result that I hope will meet my expectations and those of our future travelers!
What travel destinations do you recommend in China?
The southern provinces: Guangxi with Yangshuo and the rice terraces, Hunan with Zhangjiajie, Fujian with the Hakka houses, Guizhou and the villages of ethnic minorities.
A souvenir to bring back from China?
A thermos bottle from the Mao era.