Today’s blog is about the fascinating discovery in 1977 of the tomb of the Marquis Yi, ruler of the small state of Zeng, in modern Hubei Province. The Marquis died in 433 BC, during what is known as the Warring States Period. This completely preserved 4-chamber tomb has yielded over 15,000 artifacts, including over 100 instruments and thousands of weapons. To give you an idea of the size of the find, the bronze objects alone weigh approximately 22,000lbs!

In the ancient tradition, the Marquis Yi was not alone in his burial tomb (serving a royal really was a job for life, unfortunately it was just limited to the royal’s  life, yikes!). Beside his lacquered coffin were the coffins of eight young females, ages 13 – 24. These were probably concubines and/or his musicians. Also in the same room was the body of a dog, also in its own coffin. In an adjacent room were another 13 servant girls. All the girls had been strangled so that they could continue to serve the Marquis in the after-life, we know this because it was documented in the tomb. The dog’s demise was not documented (I know eventually someone will ask that question).

The greatest discovery of this tomb is the massive set of 65 bells, which required five people to play. What makes these bells extraordinary is that they are perfectly tuned to the chromatic scale, exactly the same scale that we tune our pianos to today. Each bell is even denoted with the tone it renders (two actually, a high and low). This set of bells is by far the oldest chromatically-tuned instrument known anywhere; it is older by almost 2000 years than the earliest Western instruments tuned chromatically! Music theorists had to totally rethink the origin of the chromatic scale!

The bells and other artifacts are on display at the Hubei Provincial Museum, which is in Wuhan, a popular stop along the Yangtze River. The Hubei Provincial Museum was established in 1953 and is one of the best known museums in China. It is a not-to-be-missed place to see on a Yangtze River Cruise.

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

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