JIA's Dream Tours China Blog

Hi China Tour Dreamers,

This blog topic is not nearly as fun and exciting as some of my other blogs showing all the cool things to see and do on your China tour, but it is just as important.

I advise all my clients to buy travel insurance. Your tour is a big investment and you should protect it. Travel insurance consists of not only the trip cancellation part, but also should cover you should you become sick or injured on your tour. It’s important to understand that your regular medical insurance coverage may not work the same way (or even at all) in a foreign country.

In fact, most good travel insurance policies include coverage for five kinds of problems: trip cancellation or interruption, trip delay, emergency medical expenses, emergency medical evacuation and lost or stolen luggage. Some, like the Worldwide Trip Protector plan offered by the company we recommend to our clients:TravelInsuranceCenter cover even more. The most important thing is to get the policy that covers what you need. Don’t be shy about calling the company you are considering buying from and asking questions, you absolutely want to get it right.

Okay, enough of the boring but essential stuff. The next post will be about fun stuff again, I promise!

All the Best folks!

Jia

Popularity: 23% [?]

Hello China Tour Dreamers!

My parents are returning to Beijing for a visit and it made me start thinking about how much I love my old hometown. This is the place where my dreams always started and landed – Beijing! There are so many memories there on every corner, every street and every sunset! So I thought I would share some of the wonderful memories from growing up there with a tour using your imagination!

Long Corridor Photo Courtesy of (c)Tomo.Yun (www.yunphoto.net/en/)

I want to start our tour with my favorite garden here –the Summer Palace. Even though it is called the *Summer* Palace, it is truly a Palace for all year round. In the spring time, it’s always so refreshing to see the first signs of green and the first blossoms, which is really nature’s wake up call from the long winter hibernation! In summer it is truly a beautiful paradise! You will be overwhelmed by the deep green of the trees; the grass and picture perfect Kunming Lake. Stroll down the Long Corridor at dusk to enter the feeling of this ancient imperial palace that is eight hundred years old. Fall is the season of colorful kaleidoscopes. The explosive yellow leaves of the Gingko trees appear almost magical. Climb to the top of Longevity Hill and get a birds-eye view of the northwest corner of Beijing. Or even more dramatically, enjoy a sunset moment and watch the sun slowly sinking into the Yan mountain range, with the silhouette of a classical pagoda standing on top of the Jade Spring Hill. What an unforgettable picture! In winter, see all the colors of the ancient buildings covered in the blanket of white snow. A white dream that has repeated for hundreds of years! When the sun comes out, you can see those colors slowly emerging and asserting their beauty, contrasting with the snowy world!

Summer Palace has always been my family’s special paradise! We have our fondest family moments there. Memories flood my mind, like standing by the Kunming Lake, soaking in the dramatic color of the sunset accentuated by the silhouette of Western Hill, perhaps even a group of geese flying on their way home through the curls of smoke from early dinner cooking. Each year on the Full Moon Day Festival, we would take our moon cakes with us to feast in the reflection of the most beautiful and flawless full moon of the year on the water of Kunming Lake. We often would stroll in the Long Corridor on the summer nights. It is all lit up and so quiet and peaceful.

Marble Boat Photo Courtesy of (c)Tomo.Yun (www.yunphoto.net/en/)

You can also see the lit up dragon boats floating on the lake and imagine every character from Imperial Chinese history who has lived here before. They might have experienced the same moment in the same atmosphere hundreds years ago, who knows?

Of course you will be starving after the wonderful day of exploring the park and the Imperial Restaurant in the Summer Palace is the perfect stop to end your day. It is located right in the middle of the Long Corridor. It was a palace for Concubine Pearl, one of the most beautiful concubines in the Qing dynasty. You can’t even tell it is a restaurant from its appearance until you smell the delectable aromas coming from it. Just walk into the old building and enjoy the ancient classical Chinese decorations while being served by elegant waitresses dressed in beautiful Qing Dynasty-styled robes. You will once again be surprised by the good taste that emperors had hundreds years ago! What a treat!

All the Best!

Jia

Popularity: 19% [?]

Hi China Tour Dreamers!

This entry is dedicated to understanding high altitude sickness, a concern for a lot of people planning to visit Tibet on their Dream Tour to China. Also known as Acute Mountain Sickness (or AMS), it is estimated that 75% of people will experience mild symptoms of it. As Lhasa sits at 3,490 meters (11,450 feet), and the air only contains 68% of the oxygen compared to sea level, experiencing some form of AMS is a possibility.

It is impossible to predict if you will have any symptoms. It affects everyone differently and there is no high-risk profile like in other illnesses. It can affect the fit and not so fit, young or old, etc. (although some empirical studies actually show that elderly people are slightly less affected, however they cannot determine why) The good news is that if you do exhibit symptoms, most likely they will be mild.

Symptoms usually start 12-24 hours after arrival at altitude and begin to decrease in severity about the third day. The symptoms of Mild AMS does not impede your normal activity, just take steps (i.e. climbing) slowly and don’t exert yourself. Symptoms can be headache, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, nausea, disturbed sleep, and a feeling of malaise.

The last tour group to Lhasa that I was with ran the gamut from no symptoms to moderate symptoms. The ones that did experience AMS usually had one or two of the symptoms listed above, but no one really suffered excessively. The most common symptoms were shortness of breath, some headaches (easily curable with their preferred OTC pain reliever of choice (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.)) and fatigue.

For the worriers of you (and you know who you are ), the major hotels all have on-site clinics complete with medical staff. One of our group who had more moderate symptoms decided to use the clinic in our hotel to great success. It was not that the symptoms were overwhelming, rather she just decided that she could get more enjoyment out of the tour if she dealt with the symptoms head-on with treatment rather than wait for her body to acclimate. A very logical choice for her, however for the rest the symptoms were mild enough to be handled with a nap or a couple of ibuprofen.

Just remember to drink lots of liquids and do try and avoid alcohol, at least for the first day or two. Dehydration impedes the body’s ability to acclimate and alcohol acts a dehydrator.

One other note, try and avoid the oxygen bottles that many places will be happy to sell you. While they make it sound tempting, unless you really need it, it will only slow your natural acclimation to the altitude.

If you want to read chapter and verse on the subject of AMS, Princeton University has a great fact sheet on the subject: Outdoor Action Guide to High Altitude: Acclimatization and Illnesses

All the Best!

Jia

Popularity: 8% [?]

Giant Panda Cubs – The Tree Wars!

Hi China Tour Dreamers!

I shot this video when we visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

These Giant Panda Cubs were playing King-of-the-Tree at the center and it was a hoot!. It was a panda-style ultimate fighting smack-down, a mixture of ankle biting
and sumo wrestling.

The center is dedicated to saving these beautiful, endearing but highly endangered animals. And it is one of the best places to see the pandas. Definitely a must-see in China!

Be sure to include Chengdu in your China trip planning, it is one of my favorite places! Just let me know when you are ready to start the planning!

All the Best,

Jia

Popularity: 6% [?]

Hi China Tour Dreamers!

Last time we were in Tibet we stayed at the Brahmaputra Grand Hotel, and it was a fantastic experience! The hotel was literally built as a hotel and museum. Classic Tibetan artwork and ancient relics adorn every wall, table and shelf  in every public room and hallway. Musicians and singers roam the hotel continuously singing and playing traditional Tibetan songs. Their haunting tones and melodies transcend language, touching your soul as you stand surrounded by so many splendors of Tibetan culture. The experience is like no other I have ever felt before.

I was totally blown away as soon as I entered the lobby. The cultural treasures were amazing, as was the decor. The grand staircase is beautiful (see picture).

Even before we finished checking in a beautiful voice drew us back to the grand staircase, where we shot the first video below.

The singers and musicians perform all day; you will encounter and enjoy impromptu Tibet folk songs all over the hotel, as the second video below video captures.

Of course Tibet itself is a spiritual experience unlike any other. You don’t have to be Buddhist to feel the holiness the land exudes, or the devoutness of the Tibetans. The streets are filled with voyagers on their holy pilgrimages to the temples. At every third step they prostrate themselves to show devotion, then rise and take three more steps before prostrating themselves again in painstaking repetition. These journeys take days, weeks, months and even years, however they must be taken. Their religion is placed above all other needs and desires.

Check out the Brahmaputra Grand Hotel’s website for much more detail.

Just let me know when you are ready to experience Tibet for yourself!

All the Best!

Jia

Popularity: 4% [?]

Hello China Tour Dreamers!

Okay, enough blogs about the history and philosophy of China, let’s answer the question that is most on your minds; where can I get some great Chinese food?

Cooking in China is an artistic culture. Chinese chefs are extremely particular about their choice of ingredients and subtle about the use of fire, with due attention paid to the savories and nutritious balance of the dishes.The presentation is just as important as the taste. The dish must look as exquisite as it tastes! To judge a good dish, we have very tough standards: the color, the shape, the taste, the smell and the aesthetics are all critical to make a perfect dish.

There are four main styles of Chinese cuisine.  (Actually one theory actually puts the number of Chinese cuisine at eight, with the addition of Fujianese cooking, which attaches utmost importance to freshness of ingredients and delicate taste of dishes; Zhejiang cooking, distinguished by an obsession with the purity of flavor; Hunan cooking, producing dishes which are pungent in a numbing way and Anhui cooking, known for its richness of flavors.) However for this blog we will focus on the universally acknowledged four main styles.

Cantonese, which is famous for the seafood, fresh water food and exotic dishes. The fact that some of them are made with exotic fowl and snakes makes Cantonese cuisine very special and exotic!  There is a saying in China that the Cantonese will eat anything with wings except an airplane, and anything with legs except a table!

Cantonese cuisine is the most predominant style here in the U.S., by far. That is due mainly to the fact that in the early days of Chinese immigration to the U.S., the overwhelming majority of the Chinese immigrants were Cantonese. These were the brave, hard-working souls that came to America to work the gold fields of California and to build the first trans-continental railroad. It was the Chinese laborers from Guandong Provence (called Canton by the western countries) that laid the Central Pacific tracks across the mighty Sierras and all the way to Utah, where it connected with the Central Pacific driving westward from the east.

Sichuan cuisine is famous for spicy and hot. Spicy to the degree of numbness, is a salient feature of  Sichuan dishes. A good Sichuan dish will leave you with your tummy full and your ears on fire! Some standard, authentic Sichuan dishes are Dan-Dan Noodles, Chongqing (a.k.a. Chungking) Chicken and Spicy Boiled Beef will leave you thinking that your hair must be on fire!

Sichuan restaurants are hard to find in the U.S. outside of major metropolitan areas, however I will hook you up with great Sichuan food on your tour! There are a lot of great things to see and do in Sichuan, which is also home of the Giant Pandas. Don’t worry if really spicy food is not your thing, they can dial down the heat to suit any taste!

Huaiyang cuisine is famous for its tenderness, freshness of materials, delicate tastes and the fastidious way of presentation. It is less greasy and very healthy. Huaiyang stands for the Huai’an-Yangzhou area of those riverside cities in Jiangsu province.

Huaiyang cooking contrasts the more common style of Chinese cooking, which entails cooking very fast over high heat. Huaiyang style is more along the lines of braising, stewing and steaming over low heat for a long time.  And for the folks who were scared off by the spicy claims of the Sichuan section above, Huaiyang food is almost never spicy.

Fun tidbit: Huaiyang is famous for its Chingkiang vinegar, which is a black vinegar that really kicks up the flavor of many dishes. the next time you are in your local Chinese restaurant and order pot stickers, dumplings or Chinese buns or pancakes, ask them for some black vinegar. They will bring you a a little bowl that you can use to dip your food. Try it!

Shandong cuisine is often known as “Northern Style” cooking. Shandong chefs are especially skilled in producing high-calorie and high protein dishes. The imperial banquets in Beijing are considered Shandong style. These dishes originated in the kitchen of the imperial palace for the exclusive enjoyment of the emperor and empress in the old days. The serving of imperial dishes follows highly stylized procedures.

Speaking of Beijing, one of the most famous Chinese dishes is Beijing Duck, which has the reputation as “the most delicious food on earth”. Even Beijing Duck has over 100 years of history, beginning in the Qing dynasty.

The Dumpling Banquet in Xi’an is another masterpiece in the northern style. Dumplings are considered the most traditional Chinese food, and are served as a must in every family celebration during the Chinese New Year’s Eve. The Dumpling Banquet is a feast of dumpling collections that is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience and should not be missed!  The dumplings are as artistic as they are delicious! They come in all sizes and shapes. Some of the shapes are kittens, bunnies, peaches, fish and many more. And of course the ingredients vary as well from various vegetables and meats to fried walnuts. Just remember to pace yourself because there are 30 courses!

Naturally Beijing Duck and the Xi’an Dumpling Banquet and standard events on any tour we arrange that includes Beijing and Xi’an, respectively.

Wow, for some reason I am suddenly very hungry! I think I will go enjoy some delicious Chinese food!

All the Best!

Jia

Popularity: 100% [?]

Hello China Tour Dreamers!

This blog delves deeply into the hidden meaning of the magnificent architecture you will see in Beijing. Nothing in China is by chance. Everything you see there was created specifically that way to satisfy cultural and philosophical rules that are thousands of years old. philosophies such as Feng Shui, Yin/Yang and the I Ching. It is truly fascinating information and will enhance your trip to China greatly, because you will understand much deeper about what you are seeing than the average tourist. So settle back and enjoy the read!

China is a dichotomy of old and new. A trip across the Middle Kingdom (as China is called in Chinese) will reveal farmers plowing fields with water buffalo as their ancestors have for thousands of years, to the most modern cities in the world; complete with the ubiquitous Starbucks and Hard Rock Cafes!
Beijing

Beijing is the perfect example of this dichotomy. The capitol of China, Beijing is a great window to see into the past of China and to the future! The Forbidden City is the epicenter of old world china in Beijing. Inside its magnificent walls is the complete history that has been hidden for 500 years. The palace complex is built in the very center of the meridian line and encompasses the entire culture of China in its fabled architecture.

The Meridian Line is part of the Yin/Yang concept of the balance of nature. It is the very center line that runs through the middle of entire city from the north to the south. All the important buildings are on this line, Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, City Drum Tower and City Bell Tower are all on this line. In old times, all the buildings were built according to your status in the social hierarchy, the higher your rank was, the closer to the Meridian Line.  For example, the Emperor’s throne chair sits right on the middle of the Meridian Line. Why? Because, the Emperor was considered the center of the universe, so his power was supposed to radiate outwards from the center! Following this meridian line you will see perfectly symmetrical designed buildings on both sides of the line. This keeps the balance of Yin and Yang and follows the concept of our ancient science of Feng Shui. What is Feng Shui? Literally translated, Feng means the Wind, Shui means the Water. Together it’s the art and science of  how to preserve the harmony of our artificial existence in order to get along with the Mother Nature. For example, in the Forbidden City, the front court, which is the political area is in the south, and the back residential area is in the north. According to five elements theory, the south is associated with fire, symbolizes growth and belongs to the Yang category. So it is the logical place for government structures. North is associated with water, which symbolizes storage and belongs to Yin. That is more in harmony for residence. That is why the buildings in the front court are magnificent and grand, while the residential  buildings in the back are smaller, to show the tender and gentle virtue of the Yin.

This birds-eye-view of the Forbidden City is the perfect way to see just what an architectural masterpiece it truly is! It is the true embodiment of Chinese philosophy and culture: supreme royal power and an ingrained hierarchical order. You can clearly see a central power line called the meridian line, that runs through the center of the entire city of Beijing. The higher your status, the closer you are to the meridian line.
The emperor’s throne hall sits squarely on this line in the very center of the forbidden city (fourth building back, sitting in the white marble). This symbolizes how his power would radiate outward across the entire kingdom!

Here you can also see the five marble bridges which symbolize the five virtues of Confucianism. Hopefully by now you can see how interwoven the Chinese culture is in every aspect of life; even the designs of the cities!

Even the colors are regulated according to your status. In ancient times only the emperor’s buildings – the Forbidden City, had magnificent colors of yellow, red and green. The rest of the city buildings are all in gray. So you could easily distinguish people’s status in the hierarchy. Notice that the Forbidden City is in red and yellow? That is because earth, which is represented by yellow, is the center and represents the nation, so the roofs are in yellow; Fire produced earth and has the color of red, so the walls are mainly in red.

Now when you go to Beijing, while you are being wowed by the beauty of those groups of gorgeous ancient buildings, take another look and think about the whole picture and remember what I said today. You will really be fascinated by how deep this philosophy goes below the skin and into the heart and soul of the whole city.

Always remember that everything in China was built that way for a reason!

Another fascinating fact, every local family used to have their own courtyard, and the exact same centralization rule applies to the arrangement of the buildings inside the courtyard. It is like a miniature Forbidden City! Family members had their room according to their place in the family hierarchy. The leader of the family always lives in the most central building in the courtyard.  So be sure to include a visit a Hutong ( an old-style courtyard) to see for yourself what you have learned today. We can easily arrange a Hutong tour as part of your tour, where you can visit with a local family, enjoy a lunch with them and ask any questions you like!

Fascinating stuff, eh?

Feel free to add comments or ask questions. You probably already figured out by now that I love talking about China!

All the Best!

Popularity: 18% [?]

Hello China Tour Dreamers,

Understanding China’s deep history and culture can really enhance your tour experience. I always go into cultural and historical detail in my pre-tour talks with clients and everyone loves it so much I thought I would devote a new category to it in my blog. I hope you enjoy!

One of the most important people in Chinese history is probably one of the least known in the Western world. Most people know that the Great Wall is one of the seven ancient wonders. But most people may not know that the one who conceived and created that wonder was also the first Emperor of China’s feudal society.

His name was Qin Shi-huang and he had a remarkable reign.

Qin Shi-huang was born in 259 B.C. and became King of the state of Qin at the age of 13. One by one, he conquered the six kingdoms and unified China into one country. In 221 B.C. he established the Qin Dynasty, the first centralized and unified regime in the Chinese history. He then proceeded to standardize the language, currency and measurement systems. His contributions to China would forever shape its destiny.

Despite his great contributions however, Qin Shi-huang was a also despot – conceited, cruel, unforgiving, and with a mercurial temperament. He ruthlessly executed anyone he thought who was against him. Even his grand projects, like his tomb: Terra Cotta Warrior Army and the Great Wall were built on the suffering of the people. His merits and demerits have brought him both praise and blame down through the ages. He has been honored as a remarkable emperor and denounced as a tyrant. In many ways though, he was a product of his times. Even though the Qin dynasty only lasted 15 years, he totally changed the history of China. Although there have been many dynasties in the 2,000 years after him, they all inherited and embraced the system he created.

One of Qin Shi-huang’s greatest legacies is the Great Wall, which runs through most of the northern China, from the Gobi Desert in the west, to the East China Sea. The wall was originally intended as protection against the northern frontier enemies. After thousands of years of decay, expansion and rebuilding the wall has become the symbol of the indomitable Chinese spirit. The most popular visited section of the Wall is about 500 years old and is in Beijing. The oldest part of the Wall is in the far west out in the middle of the desert and is over 2000 years old. Those ruins lay in sand, and other than a few inches showing above the sand, you can barely tell there used to be the grand history of the Wall!

Another of his monuments is his grand tomb, which took 37 years to build, and is protected by an Army of 8,000 life-sized Terra Cotta Warriors. Each warrior has his own unique features, pose, hair-style and facial expression. You will never find two warriors the same. All of them look so vivid and well prepared for battle. Still facing east against the six conquered kingdoms in their battle formation, eternally vigilant and awaiting the command of their emperor. Can you imagine, this miracle of archeology was found by a farmer when he was digging water well in 1974? That is why there is a saying in China: if you want to be millionaire over night, dig a hole in Xi’an. Because Xi’an was capital for over 13 dynasties, spanning more than 2,000 years, and there are 73 emperors buried there.

The most mysterious of Qin Shi-huang’s legacies is his tomb, which is still to be uncovered. According to the history books, his tomb is built under the water table, reinforced with bronze as waterproofing. And the size of his tomb is gigantic, and follows the layout of his capital Xianyang. It is a miniature of his world when he lived. There are gemstones as stars, in perfect celestial formation. Flowing rivers of mercury depict the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. There are even mountains and canyons, everything in their accurate geographic locations! Can you imagine the excitement when his tomb is finally opened to the world?

This small episode of China’s history is just a great example to dignify the unique style of Chinese culture. China has had some wonderful, dramatic dynasties and great emperors, like Qin shi-huang and his Qin Dynasty. Like Royal European countries, China had a nobility hierarchy, and a rigid etiquette to maintain and demonstrate this historical culture. The signs of this special synergy are everywhere, from the philosophy to the architecture, from the system of the whole society to people’s daily mannerism, and every corner of city is telling you the history!

Popularity: 5% [?]

Hello China Tour Dreamers,

The Impressions of Liu Sanjie is a sensational night show performed in the largest natural theater in the world. It is a double delight in that the show itself is visually stunning, and the natural theater is so integrated into the natural scenery that it is a living, breathing part of the performance. You will see anything like it anywhere else!

The theater is a totally unique venue, with the waters of the Li River as its stage, and twelve mist shrouded hills and the sky act as backdrop. Mist, rain, moonlight, and the seasons ensure that every show will be unique. The auditorium is housed on the natural islands of the river with the audience seated on the artistically designed terraces, surrounded by green plants.

The Impressions of Liu Sanjie is a large-scaled show with 600 plus actors and actress involved. The show lasts approximately 70 minutes based on the classical Sanjie Liu folk songs. Sanjie Liu is a legendary figure in the Zhuang minority folklore. Her name literally translates as third daughter of Liu. Liu Sanjie was said to be extraordinarily bright as a child who was capable of singing about every object she pointed at. Due to her ability to compose and sing elegant and touching songs independently, Liu Sanjie was dubbed as “Song Fairy”.

The Zhuang people are the largest minority, second only in size to the majority Han people.

The Impressions of Sanjie Liu is a must-see on your visit to Guilin and Yangshuo. Yangshuo is just downriver from Guilin and we always recommend an overnight stay in Yangshuo when visiting Guilin.

Enjoy the show!

All the Best,

Jia

Popularity: 36% [?]

Hi China Tour Dreamers,

Better start making your plans now for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. You can be sure it will be a once in lifetime event. Remember how China presented the Olympics! It will be a fabulous extravaganza! They are projecting participation from 200 countries and 70 million visitors! You can check out this cool slideshow on the Expo. Make sure your speakers or headphones are on, the music is a beautiful traditional Chinese folks song.

You can get an idea of the grand scale China is planning from the 2010 Shanghai World Expo’s official website: World Expositions are galleries of human inspirations and thoughts. Since 1851 when the Great Exhibition of Industries of All Nations was held in London, the World Expositions have attained increasing prominence as grand events for economic, scientific, technological and cultural exchanges, serving as an important platform for displaying historical experience, exchanging innovative ideas, demonstrating esprit de corps and looking to the future.

The 2010 World Expo runs from May 1st – October 31st, 2010. Just let me know if you are interested and I will be happy to help you plan your dream tour!

All the Best!

Jia

Popularity: 5% [?]