Another option for safely traveling with your vacation money to China has just been announced. American Express now has the world’s first travelers cheques issued in Chinese Yuan currency. This product provides a safe and convenient payment option for American travelers to China, and you can usually get them at a better exchange rate than Chinese Yuan cash purchased before your trip.

The Chinese Yuan Travelers Cheques are available for purchase in the United States online through the AmEx website. Just keep in mind that online transactions are limited to $3000 per month, so plan accordingly!

You can exchange your American Express Chinese Yuan Travelers Cheques for local cash in China at approximately 2,000 Bank of China branches, including locations at major international airports in China. You must have a non-Chinese passport though. The cheques are not available to Chinese citizens.

Summary of Benefits

The Yuan Travelers Cheques are offered in a a single, 500 Yuan denomination and bring with them all the benefits of traveling with traveler’s cheques:
* Peace of mind and easy replacement of cheques if lost or stolen
* Better exchange rate
* Easy cashing cheques for local currency in Bank of China branch offices and participating hotels
* American Express Yuan Travelers Cheques will never expire

All the Best!

Jia

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

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

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

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

This guy is amazing! This Sichuan Opera company performs in Chengdu, which is the capital of Sichaun Province in China (home of very spicy food and Giant Pandas!).

This show is a must-see when you are in China and a bit hit with my clients. Sichuan Opera is famous as the face-changing opera. Their faces change in the blink of an eye! This show is authentic (not tourist kitsch) and you will see as many local Chinese there enjoying the show and their tea as you will tourists.

I will be posting some more video soon, including the face-changing (way cool!).

All the Best!

Jia

A fascinating yet little known fact is that Shanghai was a sanctuary for Jewish refugees fleeing the persecution of Hitler’s Germany. In fact Shanghai was the only place in the world that would take them in unconditionally. That is because Shanghai was the only place in the world that did not require a travel permit to enter!

Over 24,000 Jews found safe harbor in Shanghai from 1938 to the end of the war, many of them notable figures. Some of the notables that eventually came to the U.S. are Peter Max (famous artist), W. Michael Blumenthal and U.S. Treasury Secretary during the Carter administration. You can find more names and even more fascinating details on the web, including the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Ghetto

I just wanted to share this piece of modern Chinese history with you. Most people understandably get lost in the rich and glorious 5,000 year history of China’s past, and it is easy to overlook the more recent chapters.

Of course if you would like to include this remarkable piece of history in your tour of Shanghai we would be happy to arrange for you to see the neighborhood where they lived as well as some of the still standing sites.

Happy planning!

Jia

People go to China to experience something very Chinese, not something they can get anywhere else or at home. Who doesn’t? That’s normally what I think when giving suggestions and choosing places to stay or visit.

Without exception, every one of my clients who have stayed there all love Bamboo Garden Hotel in Beijing. First it’s a very traditional courtyard complex with beautiful Chinese garden style. Second it’s located right in the heart of old town Beijing, the Hutong area> The Hutong area is the only place where you will find the old Beijing atmosphere to immerse in while you are enjoying all the fascinating history and culture of Beijing during your day tours.

Many of my clients love this peaceful and charming hotel so much that they called this their highlight of the tour! The Bamboo Garden Hotel is a classical Chinese courtyard-style structure in a quiet lane west of the Drum Tower in Beijing. The halls and pavilions in the building are linked by unique, long corridors, with a tranquil and elegant surrounding of bamboo groves, rockeries, and fountains.

There is a very interesting history behind this hotel. It was the private residence of Sheng Xuanhuai, the postal department minister during the late Qing Dynasty, and it was also said to be the garden of Andehai, the imperial eunuch. Since the late Qing Dynasty, a succession of celebrities such as Wang Yintai, Mahansan, Dong Biwu and Kangsheng (famous people from different political periods) have lived here.

Have a sip of tea while you are emailing your friends from your elegant Chinese room (free wireless in each room) and tell them how much you are enjoying the real Beijing!

You can check out their website and see some pictures of the interior: http://www.bbgh.com.cn/index.html

You can also check out what some of our clients had to say about the hotel on our Testimonials page: http://www.jiasdreamtours.com/testimonial.html

All the best!

Jia

Autumn is a great time to visit China. And with the airfares dropping, this autumn could be the best value in a long time. I did a quick, random search on Kayak.com from San Francisco and found fares as low as $773. With some search engine diligence and a little flexibility you can probably do even better than that.

Hotel rates have been coming down as well as capacity projections are not materializing. The one-two punch of the economic crisis and the swine flu have been hammering tourism and business travel in every part of the world.

The temperatures are pleasant and it is a perfect time to see the wonders of China and maybe even experience an unforgettable cruise on the Yangtze.

If China is on your must-see before you die list (and it should be!), then you should seriously consider going this Fall. This could well be the best opportunity in years!

Cheers!

Jia

Just wanted to point you to a couple of articles on AOL I think you might find it interesting. I was the resource on these articles on China travel. Fun stuff!

Beijing Must-Eats: http://information.travel.aol.com/discovery

Beijing Must-See Places : http://information.travel.aol.com/discovery/beijing

Cheers!

Jia