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TOURING MAINLAND CHINA IN LUXURY
FOR UNDER $100 A DAY
by Norman R. Keegan

China is one of the most exciting destinations in the world for someone from the Western world like me. Its culture is so fascinating and pervasive, and so OLD! But maybe the greatest fascination is that it is so DIFFERENT than we are used to!

But what about the inconveniences, the reportedly poor transportation, sanitation, political uncertainties and lack of human rights? And the cost! If you look in most tour literature, you'll find that the Far East is among the most expensive parts of the world to visit.

Well, I'll admit that I have one advantage; I recently married a Chinese-American woman with great connections within China. But besides having her as a backup translator and tour guide, her most valuable contribution was that she knew the secret to low cost touring in China. You see, the Chinese government is very interested in building their commercial links with the West, and this means getting Westerners acquainted with China. Also, they are trying to attract many Chinese-Americans with higher education and money to return to China. So they make touring very attractive IF you work through the tour agents connected with the Chinese government! For example, a 10-day tour of China costs only $999 per person!, which barely covers discounted airfare!! The cost of ground transportation, 5-star hotels, 3 meals a day, English speaking guides everywhere was all subsidized by the PRC (People's Republic of China)! More about that later.

How about the quality of accommodations? We flew on an Air China Boeing 747 coach class, which seems very comparable to an American carrier, even the movies. The crew spoke English. We were met at the airport by a tour guide who put us on a luxury bus to dinner, shopping and then hotel. The hotel in Beijing was designed for American clientele: almost all TV channels in English, full American breakfast. You'd think you were in an upgraded Sheraton or Marriott! And this was typical of the hotels we used. Flights within China were on 737, 757, 767, 777 or Airbus aircraft; timely, well maintained and well staffed. And the airports were modern and efficient.

Included lunches and dinners each day were in good quality Chinese restaurants in the area. We sat at round tables, 9 or 10 to a table, and were served about 8 traditional dishes of the area, plus soft drinks, tea, beer and sometimes wine. Very adequate.

Toilets in hotels and public buildings were clean and modern. At some of the tour destinations they were less so, though not outrageous. And a few were pay toilets; 20 fen ( 2 cents). If you choose to walk around alone in any of the cities, finding an acceptable toilet might be difficult, especially since most "people on the street" speak little English. In public places, the W.C. (from the British "water closet") signs can be your guide. Toilet fixtures are usually standard Western design.

One practice that our tour company followed was amusing but practical. In addition to the usual tourist stops, we were regularly taken to pre-arranged shopping stops. Not shopping centers, but places like the Jade Factory (Beijing), Silk Factory (Suzhou), Tea Plantation (Hangzhou), Silk Embroidery Art (Suzhou ), Herbal Medicine Institute (Beijing ) and Friendship Store (Shanghai). ALL of the tours seemed to go there.

Our itinerary began in Beijing early the third day (third because we lost a day flying west across the Date Line). We were bussed to the Forbidden City, TianAnMen Square, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Suffice it to say it is thoroughly overwhelming in the richness of the culture, décor, religious ritual as well as the historic significance of sights ranging from the Forbidden City (built in the 13th century by the Ming Dynasty) and adjoining Tian An Men Square and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong (built in 1976). But it does require 3-4 hours of walking.

The following (fourth) day, we went to the famous Great Wall site outside of Beijing, where we were challenged to climb one or more of the steep mountainside sections along the top of the wall. The restored wall is in good condition, with added railings, but the step risers are 2 feet or more high and the slope about 45o to 60o! Difficult for almost anyone but especially for "short people". What is mind-boggling about this magnificent structure is that it was built over 2000 years ago by the Qin Dynasty and used about 10% of the population of the country in the workforce! It ran the length of China's northern border with Mongolia. Much of the western part is now rubble.

Then came the Ming Tombs, not far from the Great Wall. It is the burial place of 13 Ming Emperors, but only 3 of the earthen mound tombs are open. We were conducted through one, which consisted of three interconnected underground vaults for the emperor and family, with all their riches. Really not a lot of riches or ornate-ness to see, and no photos are allowed. That night, we went to a theatrical show where the three theatrical art forms of China were demonstrated - hand puppetry, Chinese Opera and acrobatics.

The next (fifth) day we flew from Beijing to Xian, the capital of Dynastic China for most of its history and approximately in the geographic center of the country. About a 1 hr. 40 min. flight. We bussed about an hour into the city, and visited the City Wall - the only such wall still intact. The next morning (sixth day) we visited the Museum of the Terra Cotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi. This was overwhelming in its size and significance. The main facility is a huge hangar-like building covering the excavation area where an "army" of bigger-than-life soldiers and horses - thousands of them - were sculpted and fired in terra cotta, then placed in orderly ranks in their underground "barracks". They were to guard the nearby tomb of the first Chinese Emperor over 2200 years ago. Discovered only in the 1970s, this has become one of the premiere archaeology sites in the world. There are many superlatives that can be used to describe this wonder. Not to be missed!

Later, we went to the Huaqing Hot Spring, a Tang dynasty retreat for emperors and their concubines. One concubine - Yang Gui Fei - was reportedly so beautiful that she distracted the emperor from his duties almost to the demise of the empire. That evening we were treated to a magnificent stage show of the Ming Dynasty Imperial theatre. Beautiful music, costumes and dances - very memorable.

On Day Seven, we took a 1 hr. 45 min. flight to Shanghai, then a 2 hour bus trip north to Suzhou. This area is largely lowlands and one sees a lot of fish farms and regular farms, with their 2 or 3 story single family houses. In the cities, virtually everyone lives in apartments. In the charming city of Suzhou, we visited the Hanshen Temple atop Tiger Hill. This pagoda-style temple, build in the 10th Century, antedates the hill, which is a burial mound for the city's founder from the 6th Century.

Day Eight found us touring the Lingering Gardens in Suzhou, built during the Ming Dynasty. The classical gardens and buildings are restful and truly beautiful. Then we went to a small town outside Suzhou called Tongli, which is built around a series of canals, hence termed the Venice of China. It was very charming, with the hand-poled boats going around the town canals (not unlike gondolas). Several of them were fishermen with cormorants rigged for fishing as they are used in Southeast Asia. That afternoon was a long bus ride around Shanghai to Hangzhou to the south.

On Day Nine, we toured the Mausoleum of Yue Fei, a hero of the Song Dynasty who was later vilified by a court official and hence executed. When he was exonerated, the court official was forever cursed, even to this day. A visit to the Lin Ying Temple was followed by a boat cruise on the large West Lake. Many gardens, temples and pagodas line its shores, creating a beautifully peaceful effect. Then after lunch, we returned to Shanghai by bus. That evening, we had an opportunity to do some serious shopping for memoirs and gifts. We recommend the Huai Hai Shopping Road for this rather than the Bund District where the tour took us.

Day Ten was our flight back to Beijing, where we caught the Los Angeles flight home. If you can take a direct flight from Shanghai to home, you have more time to see Shanghai.

This was far from a cut-rate bargain tour package. It was a luxury tour at bargain prices - possible because of the tremendous economic expansion going on in China today. As I said before, these packages are available through Chinese travel agencies. A good first contact would be on the Web at www.americaasia.com. You don't need to be Chinese or even speak Chinese. Make sure to ask for the American tour groups, where you'll get the Americanized accommodations and English-speaking tour guides. And have one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling experiences of your life!

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