Other Great Guides for Your Trip: Frommer’s China: The 50 Most Memorable Trips Suzy Gershman’s Born to Shop Hong Kong, Shanghai & Beijing Frommer’s Beijing Frommer’s Shanghai Frommer’s H
Trang 2by Peter Neville-Hadley
and J D Brown, Josh Chin,
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China 1st Edition
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Trang 41 The Best China Experiences 1
2 The Best Small Towns .3
3 The Best Countryside Trips .3
4 The Best Mansions & Palaces .5
5 The Best Museums .6
6 The Best Temples .7
7 The Best Markets .8
8 The Best Festivals .9
9 The Best Up-and-Coming Destinations .9
10 The Best Local Accommodations .10
11 The Best Buys .11
12 The Best Chinese Restaurants .12
Planning Your Trip to China 14 by Peter Neville-Hadley 2 Contents List of Maps viii The Best of China 1 compiled and edited by Peter Neville-Hadley 1 1 The Regions in Brief .14
2 Visitor Information .17
3 Entry Requirements & Customs .18
4 When to Go 24
China Calendar of Events .27
5 Travel Insurance .32
6 Health & Safety .32
7 Specialized Travel Resources .35
8 Planning Your Trip Online .36
9 The 21st-Century Traveler .37
Online Traveler’s Toolbox 38
10 Getting There 39
11 Packages for the Independent Traveler .42
12 Escorted General-Interest Tours 43
13 Special-Interest Trips 48
14 Getting Around .49
Ten Rules for Taking Taxis Around Town 53
15 Tips on Accommodations .54
16 Tips on Dining .58
17 Suggested Itineraries .58
18 Recommended Reading .59
Fast Facts: China 61
Bêij∫ng, with Ti≈nj∫n & Hébêi 67 by Josh Chin and Peter Neville-Hadley 3 1 Orientation .68
Neighborhoods in Brief 72
2 Getting Around .73
Fast Facts: Bêij∫ng .74
3 Where to Stay .76
Airport Hotels 88
4 Where to Dine .88
5 Exploring Bêij∫ng .97
The Big Makeover 101
Walking Tour: The Back Lakes .110
6 Side Trips from Bêij∫ng .113
Trang 5On the Wild Wall 114
7 Shopping 121
8 Bêij∫ng After Dark 124
9 Chéngdé 128
10 Sh≈nhâigu≈n 134
11 Shíji≈zhu≈ng .137
Walking Tour: The Pagodas of Zhèngdìng 139
The Northeast 146 by Josh Chin 4 1 Shênyáng .146
Minorities & the Manchu Myth .151
Model Citizens? 155
2 D≈nd∂ng .156
Border Crossing: North Korea & Russia 158
3 Dàlián & Lhshùn 159
4 Chángch∆n .167
5 Jílín City .172
Wild China: Yánbi≈n 174
6 Chángbái Sh≈n .178
7 Harbin 181
8 Wû Dà Liánchí .190
9 Mânzh∂ulî 191
Along the Yellow River 195 by Michelle Sans 5 1 Dàtóng .195
2 Hohhot .202
Walking Tour: Hohhot: Temple to Temple .204
3 Yínchu≈n .211
The (Nearly) Lost Dynasty of the X∫ Xià .212
4 Yán’≈n .217
5 Píngyáo .220
6 Tàiyuán .224
7 Wûtái Sh≈n .228
The Silk Routes 234 by Graeme Smith 6 1 X∫’≈n 237
2 Huá Sh≈n .255
3 Ti≈nshuî 257
4 Lánzh∂u .260
5 Línxià .265
6 Hézuò .266
7 Xiàhé (Labrang) .266
8 Lángmù Sì (Taktsang Lhamo) .269
9 Ji≈yùgu≈n .271
10 D∆nhuáng .276
11 Turpan (Tûlûf≈n) 282
12 Ürümqi (W∆lûmùqí) .288
13 Kuqa (Kùch√) .294
14 Kashgar (K≈shí) .298
15 Tashkurgan (Tâshíkùêrg≈n) .306
16 Khotan (Hétián) .307
Wild China: Y∫níng (Gulja) 310
C O N T E N T S
iv
Trang 61 Zhèngzh∂u .314
2 D√ngf√ng & S∂ng Sh≈n 320
3 Luòyáng .324
4 K≈if√ng .329
K≈if√ng’s Jews 332
5 Jì’nán .334
6 Tài Sh≈n & Tài’≈n .337
The Great Mountain 338
7 Q∆fû 343
Confucius Says 344
8 Q∫ngdâo .350
Wild China: The Funeral Pits of Z∫bó .358
9 Nánj∫ng .360
The Tàipíng Heavenly Kingdom .364
The Nánj∫ng Massacre 368
10 Yángzh∂u .373
The Grand Canal .374
Huáiyáng Cuisine .378
11 Wúx∫, Tài Hú & Yíx∫ng .379
Wild China: The Water Village of Tónglî 383
Wild China: Xúzh∂u 384
12 Héféi .386
13 Huáng Sh≈n 388
14 Túnx∫ 393
Hu∫zh∂u Architecture 396
Shànghâi 399 by J D Brown 8 1 Orientation .400
Neighborhoods in Brief 402
2 Getting Around .403
Fast Facts: Shànghâi 404
3 Where to Stay .406
4 Where to Dine .417
5 Exploring Shànghâi 423
6 Shopping 432
7 Shànghâi After Dark .434
8 S∆zh∂u .435
9 Hángzh∂u .438
The Southeast 442 by Peter Neville-Hadley 9 Eastern Central China 313 by Sharon Owyang 7 1 Shàox∫ng .443
The Straight Story 447
Honk if You Like Calligraphy .449
Walking Tour: ∑nch≈ng Gû Zhèn 450
2 Níngb∂ 455
3 Pûtuó Sh≈n .459
4 W√nzh∂u 463
5 Fúzh∂u .473
6 Wûyí Sh≈n .476
7 Quánzh∂u .480
8 Xiàmén .486
Wild China: The Earth Houses of Yôngdìng 496
9 Jîngdézhèn .498
10 Jiûji≈ng .502
11 Guângzh∂u .505
12 Sh√nzhèn .520
v
C O N T E N T S
Trang 71 Orientation .525
Neighborhoods in Brief .532
2 Getting Around .533
Fast Facts: Hong Kong .534
3 Where to Stay .536
4 Where to Dine .543
5 Exploring Hong Kong .550
6 Shopping 556
7 Hong Kong After Dark 560
8 A Side Trip to Macau .563
The Southwest: Mountains & Minorities 573 by Sharon Owyang 11 1 Nánníng .576
2 Guìlín .581
3 Yángshuò .588
4 Lóngshèng 595
5 S≈nji≈ng .597
6 Bêihâi .598
7 Guìyáng 601
8 Kâilî & the Miáo & Dòng Autonomous Prefecture .607
The Miáo 608
The Dòng 612
9 K∆nmíng .615
China’s Columbus 626
10 Dàlî 628
The Burma Road .630
The Bái .632
11 Lìji≈ng .636
The Nàx∫ 640
12 Xi≈nggélîl≈ (Zh∂ngdiàn) .648
The Search for Shangri-La? 649
13 Bâosh≈n & Téngch∂ng .652
Crossing into Myanmar 658
14 Jînghóng & X∫shu≈ngbânnà .658
The Dâi .659
15 Jiànshuî 664
16 Hâinán Island 668
Hong Kong 525 by Beth Reiber 10 Yángzî & Beyond 673 by Michelle Sans 12 1 Chéngd∆ 673
The Ways of Tea .687
2 Éméi Sh≈n .688
A Proper Visit to Éméi Sh≈n 689
3 Lè Sh≈n .691
4 Q∫ngchéng Sh≈n 693
5 Wòlóng Nature Reserve (Wòlóng Zìrán Bâohù Q∆) .695
6 Jiûzhài G∂u (Valley of Nine Villages) .697
7 Chóngqìng 700
8 Dàzú (Dàzú Buddhist Grottoes) .708
9 Middle Reaches of the Cháng Ji≈ng 711
10 Wûhàn .716
11 Wûd≈ng Sh≈n .723
12 Chángsh≈ 724
Máo’s Roots .728
13 Nán Yuè Héng Sh≈n .730
14 Wûlíngyuán/Zh≈ngji≈ Jiè .732
C O N T E N T S
vi
Trang 81 X∫níng .738
Tsongkapa: Tibet’s First Catholic? 743
2 Tóngrén (Repkong) 745
3 Yùshù (Jyekundo) .747
4 Mâqìn (Dàw∆) .750
The Panchen Lama’s Letter 751
5 Golmud (Gé’êrmù) .753
Highway Robbery .754
Railway on the Roof of the World .755
6 Lhasa (L≈sà) 755
7 Shigatse (Rììk≈zé) .767
Where Is the Panchen Lama? 768
8 Gyantse (Ji≈ngz∫) .770
9 Sakya (Sàji≈) .772
10 Lhatse (L≈z∫) .773
11 Pelbar (Dìngrì) .774
12 Tingri (Lâo Dìngrì) 775
Everest Trekking 776
13 Zh≈ngmù (Dram) .776
Wild China: Mount Kailash & Lake Manasarovar 778
Appendix A: The Chinese Language 780 by Peter Neville-Hadley The Tibetan World 737 by Graeme Smith 13 1 A Guide to P∫ny∫n Pronunciation .782
2 Mandarin Bare Essentials .783
3 Selected Destinations by City 788
vii
C O N T E N T S
Trang 9List of Maps
Bêij∫ng, Ti≈nj∫n & Hébêi 69
Bêij∫ng Accommodations, Dining
The Southwest Region 575Nánníng 577
Guìlín 583Yángshuò 589Guìyáng 603K∆nmíng 616Dàlî 629
πr H≈i Hú 636Lìji≈ng 637Téngch∂ng 655Jiànshuî 665The Yángzî Region 674Chéngd∆ 676
Chóngqìng 701Wûhàn 717Chángsh≈ 725Tibet 739X∫níng 741Lhasa 756
Trang 10About the Authors
Peter Neville-Hadley (development editor) is the author of the Cadogan Guides’ China:
The Silk Routes and Beijing and has also updated and edited various China titles for
Odyssey Guides A Mandarin speaker and former resident of Beijing who has been to
almost every corner of China, he has written on the country for Time, The Sunday Times (U.K.), the National Post (Canada), and numerous other magazines and newspapers in Asia and North America He moderates The Oriental-List, an Internet discussion list dealing with travel in China, and can be reached at pnhpublic@shaw.ca.
J D Brown has lived and worked in China and has written about China as a literary
traveler, a travel writer, and a guidebook author His work has appeared in such diverse
publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Michigan Quarterly Review, Islands, and National Geographic Traveler He is also the author of Frommer’s Shanghai and Frommer’s China: The 50 Most Memorable Trips When he is not traveling in the Far East,
he lives in Eugene, Oregon
Josh Chin lived in Beijing for 21 ⁄ 2 years, during which time he worked as a freelance
jour-nalist and travel writer, and served as copy editor for the government-run China Daily He
first visited China in 1991, and studied Mandarin at Peking University in 1998 He has also lived in Utah, Maine, and Hong Kong This is his first book for Frommer’s He would like to thank Susan and Yang Jingdong in Changchun, and Feng Hua, Corrie Dosh, and Katie Benner in Beijing for their various forms of help.
Sharon Owyang, born in Singapore and a graduate of Harvard University, divides her
time between film and television projects in the U.S and China, and freelance travel ing She has written about Shanghai, China, Vietnam, and San Diego for Insight Guides,
writ-Compact Guides, the Los Angeles Times, and several websites When she’s not traveling,
she pays her dues in Los Angeles, California.
Beth Reiber worked for several years in Germany as a freelance travel writer writing for
major U.S newspapers and in Tokyo as editor of the Far East Traveler Now a freelance
travel writer residing in Lawrence, Kansas, with her two sons, she’s the author of several
Frommer’s guides including Frommer’s Japan and Frommer’s Tokyo, and is a contributor to Frommer’s Europe from $70 a Day and Frommer’s USA.
For the past 15 years, Michelle Sans has studied, taught, and directed academic tours in
China She speaks and reads Mandarin and holds a master’s degree in Chinese language and classical literature.
Graeme Smith has traveled through most of China’s backwaters over the last 15 years.
After almost selling his girlfriend to a truck driver for ¥20 ($2.50) he realized it was time
to learn the language properly, and spent 2 years pacing the corridors of Peking and Tsinghua universities in search of enlightenment He was lured away from the comforts
of academic life and a substantial contract with the South Coogee Wanderers Football Club to join our team.
Trang 11An Invitation to the Reader
In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants, shops, and more We’re sure you’ll find others Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions If you were disappointed with a recommendation, we’d love to know that, too Please write to:
Frommer’s China, 1st Edition
Wiley Publishing, Inc • 111 River St • Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
An Additional Note
Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is especially true of prices We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirma- tion when making your travel plans The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings Keep a close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.
Other Great Guides for Your Trip:
Frommer’s China: The 50 Most Memorable Trips
Suzy Gershman’s Born to Shop Hong Kong, Shanghai & Beijing
Frommer’s Beijing Frommer’s Shanghai Frommer’s Hong Kong
Trang 12Frommer’s Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations
Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality,
value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system In country, state,
and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your time accordingly Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (rec- ommended) to three stars (exceptional) Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).
In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you
to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists Throughout the book, look for:
Special finds—those places only insiders know about
Fun facts—details that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun
Best bets for kids and advice for the whole family
Special moments—those experiences that memories are made of
Places or experiences not worth your time or money
Insider tips—great ways to save time and money
Great values—where to get the best deals
The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:
Frommers.com
Now that you have the guidebook to a great trip, visit our website at www.frommers.com
for travel information on more than 3,000 destinations With features updated regularly,
we give you instant access to the most current trip-planning information available At Frommers.com, you’ll also find the best prices on airfares, accommodations, and car rentals—and you can even book travel online through our travel booking partners At Frommers.com, you’ll also find the following:
• Online updates to our most popular guidebooks
• Vacation sweepstakes and contest giveaways
• Newsletter highlighting the hottest travel trends
• Online travel message boards with featured travel discussions
Trang 13The Best of China
compiled and edited by Peter Neville-Hadley
sights, they are often dwarfed by the hype surrounding them The Chinese travelindustry is determined to shuttle tour groups around a limited shortlist of bothtruly magnificent sights and merely wannabe jaw-droppers, selling a highlyimaginary picture-book China so over-promoted that it can hardly fail to disap-point And yet beyond the world of the carefully cropped photograph, the over-charging, and the tourist trap, there is a China where life goes on regardless ofyour presence, not staged for your pleasure—where you, rather than just yourwallet, are welcome
While the first section below features the best and truly worthwhile of theexperiences that figure prominently in the itineraries of both independent andorganized trips, many of the remaining recommendations will lead you off reg-ular routes and onto do-it-yourself itineraries to small-town alternatives,regional foods, and small guesthouses in traditional Chinese buildings—to a realChina beyond both the brochure hype and the reach of other guidebooks
1
1 The Best China Experiences
• Strolling Past the Old Russian
Architecture in Harbin: At the
heart of the Russian-built city,
Zh∂ngyáng Dàji√’s unexpected
cupola-topped Art Nouveau
man-sions are reminders of the 1920s
and 1930s, when Harbin was the
liveliest stop on the eastern leg of
the Trans-Siberian Railroad See
chapter 4
• Exploring the Forbidden City’s
Forgotten Corners (Bêij∫ng): No
one fails to be impressed by the
grandeur of the Forbidden City’s
central axis, which is all most
visi-tors see But the quieter maze of
pavilions, gardens, courtyards,
and theaters to either side have the
greater charm See p 97
• Cycling the City Wall in X∫’≈n:
The largest city walls in China
have been much pierced for
mod-ern purposes and can be tackled in
a modern way, too, with a breezy,traffic-light-free ride above therooftops on rented bicycles andtandems Behold views of rem-nants of vernacular architecture,clustered around small temples.See chapter 6
• Exploring Lìji≈ng’s Old Town:
Built over 800 years ago andpartly rebuilt after a massive 1996earthquake, Lìji≈ng’s old town,with its maze of cobblestonestreets, gurgling streams, and orig-inal and reconstructed traditionalNàx∫ houses, is one of the mostatmospheric places in China,hordes of tourists notwithstand-ing Rise before the sun, thenwatch its golden rays filterthrough the gray winding streets,lighting up the dark woodenhouses See chapter 11
Trang 14• Walking on the Great Wall from
J∫nsh≈nlîng to S∫mâtái (Bêij∫ng):
The Great Wall, winding
snake-like through the mountains, was
meant to be walked This
magnif-icent 3-hour hike follows China’s
greatest monument through
vari-ous states of repair, from freshly
restored to thoroughly crumbling,
over steep peaks and gentle flats,
and through patches of wilderness
and rugged farmland, with over
two dozen watchtowers along the
way See chapter 3
• Riding the Star Ferry (Hong
Kong): There’s no better way to
acquaint yourself with Hong
Kong than to ride the cheapest
cruise in China The century-old
green-and-white Star ferries weave
between tugs, junks, and
ocean-going vessels in a 5-minute harbor
crossing See chapter 10
• Cruising the Lí River (Guìlín):
One of the most popular
attrac-tions in China, the cruise along
the Lí River between Guìlín and
Yángshuò is overexposed and
overpriced, but the scenery along
the way, taking in gently rolling
karst mountains, gigantic bamboo
sprays, and quaint fishing villages,
is still some of the most
memo-rable in the world See chapter 11
• Unwinding in a Sìchu≈n
Tea-house: One of the great pleasures
of being in Sìchu≈n is drinking tea
at a neighborhood teahouse On
any given afternoon at Q∫ngyáng
G∂ng in Chéngd∆, for instance,
seniors can be found playing
mahjong with friends while their
caged songbirds sit in nearby trees
providing ambient music As
patrons eat watermelon seeds,
nuts, dried squid, or beef jerky,
attendants appear at regular
inter-vals to refill their cups from copper
kettles For an afternoon of perfect
relaxation, bring a friend and a
deck of cards, or postcards to
write, and forget about sightseeingfor a few hours See chapter 12
• Strolling in Shànghâi’s French Concession: The domain of the
French community up until 1949was colonial Shànghâi’s trendiestarea, and it remains full of tree-lined boulevards, colonial man-sions, and numerous Art Decomasterpieces, now bundled upwith phone lines and pole-hungwashing Some of the city’s bestshopping is also here Just beyondthe former concession is modernShànghâi’s trendiest area, themegadevelopment of restaurants
and shops known as X∫nti≈ndì.
See chapter 8
• Getting Lost in the Lanes Around Bêij∫ng’s Back Lakes:
No other city in the world has
anything quite like the hútòng,
narrow lanes once “as numberless
as the hairs on an ox.” Now idly vanishing, the best-preserved
rap-hútòng are found around a pair of
man-made lakes in the city center.This section of the city is almostthe last repository of Old Bêij∫ng’sgritty, low-rise charm, dotted withtiny temples, hole-in-the-wallnoodle shops, and quiet courtyardhouses whose older residents canstill be seen walking around inMáo suits See the walking tour,
“The Back Lakes,” on p 110
• Dining Táng-style at the Shânx∫ Grand Opera House (X∫’≈n):
There are several dinner-theatershows in X∫’≈n, but this one com-bines a more authentic perform-ance by an opera companyholding revolutionary credentials,with an imperial banquet of morethan 20 kinds of dumplings, allexcellent For booking details, see
Trang 15through a long, narrow canyon
takes passengers to one of the
famous suspended coffins of the
B≈ people, then returns them
downstream in a fraction of the
time Along the way, howler
mon-keys can sometimes be spotted
swinging through the trees, small
waterfalls appear from the rocks,and swallows and other smallbirds flit about The water in thissmall tributary is surprisinglyclear, and the scenery and silenceare thoroughly calming See chap-ter 12
2 The Best Small Towns
• Xiàhé (G≈nsù): This delightful
monastery town nestles in a
mountain valley at an elevation of
2,900m (9,500 ft.) It’s divided
into two sections, primarily Huí
(Muslim) and Hàn Chinese at its
eastern end, changing abruptly to
a Tibetan town as you climb
west-ward to the gorgeous gilded roofs
of the vast Labrang Monastery
Bent and walnut-visaged Tibetan
pilgrims make you welcome on
the 3km (2-mile) circuit around
the monastery’s perimeter See
p 266
• Mânzh∂ulî (Inner Mongolia): A
tiny town of 50,000 on the
Russ-ian border, lost in a sea of grass,
Mânzh∂ulî is the East-meets-Wild
West frontier outpost David
Car-radine should have used as the
backdrop to the TV series Kung
Fu It stands on the edge of the
Hulun Buir, an emerald expanse
of grassland shot through with
radiant patches of wildflowers See
p 191
• Dàlî (Yúnnán): This home of the
Bái people, a backpacker’s mecca
for over a decade and recently
gen-trified for large numbers of
tourists, remains a retreat from the
world You can hike part of the
impressive 19-peak Green
Moun-tains (C≈ng Sh≈n) to the west, sail
on the cerulean Êr Hâi Lake to theeast, take a bike ride into any ofthe nearby Bái villages See p 628
• Gyantse (Tibet): Towered over by
the spectacular 13th-century
fortress of Gyantse Dzong, this is
the only substantial settlement inTibet to retain its vernaculararchitecture of sturdy two- andthree-story farmhouses, offering arare and beautiful glimpse ofTibetan rural life no visitor toTibet should miss See p 770
• Yángshuò (Guângx∫): Some decry
it for being over-commercialized,but this small town on the LíRiver, nestled in a cluster of spinypinnacles, has retained enough ofits laid-back charm to be adelightful alternative to Guìlín.See p 588
• Shàox∫ng (Zhèji≈ng): The
gondo-las of this relaxed “Venice” are narrow craft with arched, black-painted woven bamboo awnings,propelled by wiry boatmen acro-batically using both hands and feet
to work the oars The inevitablerebuilding of the city center has atleast showed some sense of scaleand left intact a few areas ofancient housing, through whichthe boatmen cruise, passing underMíng-era bridges See p 443
3 The Best Countryside Trips
• Jiûzhài G∂u (Sìchu≈n): This
national park has dense forest,
green meadows, rivers, rapids,
ribbon lakes in various shades ofblue and green, chalky shoals, andwaterfalls of every kind—long and
Trang 16narrow, short and wide, terraced,
rushing, and cascading Of
cul-tural interest are six Tibetan
vil-lages of the original nine from
which this valley gets its name See
p 697
• Bayan Bulak (X∫nji≈ng): This
tiny Mongolian hamlet
sur-rounded by breathtaking
grass-lands is reached by a spectacular
journey through pine forests,
waterfalls, and wildflowers It’s
also close to vast Swan Lake, a
breeding ground for elegant black
swans See p 311
• Chángbái Sh≈n (Jílín): This
long-dormant 2,600m (8,500-ft.) high
volcano is home to Ti≈n Chí, a
deep, pure, mist-enshrouded
crater lake that straddles the
China–North Korea border and
is sacred to both Koreans and
Manchurians The northern
approach to the lake, with its trail
that climbs alongside the
thunder-ing Chángbái Waterfall, is best in
the fall The western approach is
ideal in early summer, when its
vast fields of vibrant wildflowers
are in full bloom See p 178
• The Bridges of Tàishùn County
(Zhèji≈ng): Within living
mem-ory, this mountainous area above
W√nzh∂u had no highways other
than the winding paths and steep,
stone-flagged staircases slithering
down slopes to cross fast-moving
rivers at extraordinary “centipede
bridges”—gorgeous hump-backed
and often two-story
construc-tions, with midstream shrines and
topped with writhing ceramic
dragons Tàishùn still has many
unmetalled roads, and as you
fol-low the original paths through the
lush countryside to find some
hid-den bridge, you pass water buffalo
pulling ploughs See chapter 9
• Lángmù Sì (G≈nsù): This Tibetan
monastic center is largely unknown
to Chinese tourists, and the quil mountain village is reminis-cent of Lìji≈ng before it was
tran-“discovered.” The town is home totwo major Tibetan monasteries,housing around 1,000 monkswhose chanting of the scripturesmay be heard throughout the day.Ramble through narrow ravinesand moraine valleys crowded withwildflowers, or take a horse trek upFlower Cap Mountain to obtainstunning views as far as the holymountain of Amnye Machen See
p 269
• Amnye Machen (Q∫nghâi): The
route around this holy mountain,for a while believed to be theworld’s highest, must be clock-wise—turning back is sacrilegious
So once you start on the 3-dayhorse trek, or the 7- to 10-daywalk with the aid of a baggage-carrying yak, there’s no turningback But the scenery around the6,282m (20,605-ft.) peak, and thecompany of sometimes entire vil-lages of Tibetans, make the trekwell worthwhile See p 752
• Around Lìji≈ng (Yúnnán): This
area offers a wide variety of tryside experiences, from riding achairlift up to the glacier park of
coun-the magnificent, snowcapped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, to hik- ing the sheer-sided Tiger Leaping Gorge while the Yángzî River
rages below, to being rowed in a
“pig-trough” boat across the
pris-tine Lúg∆ Lake—China’s answer
to Lake Tahoe See p 636
• Wûlíngyuán & Zh≈ngji≈ Jiè
(Húnán): This scenic area is made
up of three adjoining subtropicalparklands, with quartzite sand-stone peaks and pillars to rivalGuìlín’s scenery There are plenti-ful rare plants and insects, swarms
of butterflies, a large cave with cite deposits, and stunning views
cal-C H A P T E R 1 T H E B E S T O F cal-C H I N A
4
Trang 17through bamboo, pine, and oak
forest See chapter 12
• Everest Base Camp (Tibet):
Whether by 3-hour drive from the
village of Pelbar, or by a 3- to
4-day trek from Tingri, the trip to
the tented base camp (at 5,150m/
16,890 ft.) or to rooms in
Rong-buk Monastery (at 4,980m/16,330
ft.) offers unbeatable vistas of the
world’s toothiest snowcaps set
against a startling cobalt sky See
chapter 13
• Hulun Buir Grasslands (Inner
Mongolia): Located just outside
the remote border town of
Mânzh∂ulî, the Hulun Buir’s
grasslands are the most pristine in
China This expanse of gentle
emerald hills, perfectly
punctu-ated with small streams and rocky
outcrops, is all the more attractive
for how difficult it is to reach See
chapter 4
• Great Wall Hike from
J∫nsh≈n-lîng to S∫mâtái (Hébêi): This is
the easiest and most complete way
to experience the breadth of the
Great Wall See “Best China
Expe-riences,” above, and chapter 3
• The Leaning Towers of K≈ipíng
(Guângd∂ng): This county is
lit-tered with extraordinary towers
called di≈olóu—some of them
squat brick fortresses dating back
to the 17th-century; others bizarre,alien watchtowers mostly built byChinese who traveled out throughthe treaty ports and returnedwealthy enough to build fortifiedresidences Up to nine stories high,the towers sprout turrets and loop-holes, balconies and cupolas, bor-rowed from half-understoodEuropean styles encountered any-where from Macau to Manila
Di≈olóu tower over almost every
village and rice paddy in thecounty See chapter 9
• Rice Terraces (Yúnnán, Guângx∫):
Some of southwest China’s mostspectacular vistas are of its terracedrice fields—golden yellow in thefall and sparkling silver in thespring—painstakingly hewn overhundreds of years by variousminority groups See chapter 11
• Huáng Sh≈n (∑nhu∫): The most
famous mountain in China forscenic beauty, actually a group of
72 peaks, is known for its sea ofclouds, strangely shaped rocks,unusual pine trees, and bubblinghot springs—four features thathave inspired countless paintersand poets for over 1,500 years See
p 388
4 The Best Mansions & Palaces
• Wáng Ji≈ Dàyuàn (Píngyáo): It
took a century for this vast
man-sion to grow to 123 courtyards
and 1,118 houses; the decorative
lattice screens and windows,
shaped openings between rooms
and courtyards, and undulating
walls are exquisite examples of
Míng and Q∫ng vernacular
archi-tecture See p 223
• Potala Palace (Lhasa): A
monastery, a palace, and a prison,
the Potala symbolizes the fusion of
secular and religious power in
Tibet in a vast, slab-sided, red andwhite agglomeration on a hilltopdominating central Lhasa Despitethe ruination of its surroundings,there’s no more haunting sightwithin China’s modern politicalboundaries, and nothing elsewhich speaks so clearly of the oth-erness of Tibet See p 761
• The Forbidden City (Bêij∫ng):
Preeminent among the survivingcomplexes of ancient buildings inChina, the former residence of theemperors needs far more time
Trang 18than most tours give it See “The
Best China Experiences,” earlier
in this chapter, and p 97
• Wêi Huáng G∂ng (Chángch∆n):
Also known as the Puppet
Emperor’s Palace and best known
in the west as the setting for part
of Bernardo Bertolucci’s film, The
Last Emperor, this impressive
palace complex, opened to visitors
after an admirable full-scale
restoration in 2002, was the
resi-dence of Henry Pûyí, China’s last
emperor and subsequently puppet
ruler of Japanese-controlled
Manchukuo See p 170
• Prince G∂ng’s Mansion
(Bêij∫ng): With a garden of
elabo-rate rockeries and peaceful
cov-ered pathways framed by the
sloping tile roofs and brightly
painted beams of its surrounding
buildings, this stunning complex
is the most impressive imperial
residence in Bêij∫ng, outside of the
Forbidden City See p 109
• Qiáo Ji≈ Dàyuàn (Píngyáo): One
of the loveliest of the several chant family mansions of thisarea, this was the set for the film
mer-Raise the Red Lantern With six
large courtyards, 313 houses, andfine craftsmanship of lattices, lin-tels, carvings, wooden balustrades,and chimneys throughout, the18th-century manse takes hours
to explore See p 222
• Bìshû Sh≈nzhu≈ng (Chéngdé):
The imperial summer resort andits surrounding Eight Outer Tem-ples form another of the greatestancient architectural complexes ofChina, arranged around a greenvalley The temples have bizarreborrowings from a number ofminority architectural traditions,and both temples and palace have18th-century replicas of buildings
of which the country is mostproud See p 130
C H A P T E R 1 T H E B E S T O F C H I N A
6
5 The Best Museums
• Hong Kong Museum of History
(Hong Kong): A life-size diorama
of a Neolithic settlement, replicas
of fishing boats and traditional
houses, ethnic clothing, displays
of colorful festivals, and whole
streets of old shop frontages with
their interiors removed piece by
piece and rebuilt here, make this
the most entertaining museum in
China See p 551
• Shânx∫ Lìshî Bówùguân (X∫’≈n):
If you can visit only one museum
in China, this should be it An
unrivalled collection of treasures,
many demonstrating X∫’≈n’s
inter-national contacts via the Silk
Routes, is more professionally
dis-played here than almost anywhere
else in the mainland See p 244
• Unit 731 Museum (Harbin):
During World War II, Japan set
up a secret facility where it tested
biological weapons on thousands
of live human subjects Thismuseum, built on what remains ofthe Unit 731 testing grounds,presents a gloomy but vividaccount of one of the war’s mostobscure and shocking atrocities.See p 186
• S≈nx∫ng Du∫ Bówùguân
(Chéngd∆): An attractive andwell-laid-out museum housingitems from a group of sacrificialpits, this is one of the most signif-icant finds in 20th-century China.See p 682
• Shànghâi Bówùguân (Shànghâi):
In terms of display and Englishlabeling, this ultra-modernmuseum (lights fade as youapproach cabinets), loaded withstunning antiquities, is China’smost modern and inviting See
p 427
Trang 19• Nánj∫ng Dàtúsh≈ Jìniànguân
(Nánj∫ng): The deaths of over
300,000 Chinese, killed over the
course of 6 weeks during the 1937
Japanese invasion of Nánj∫ng, are
commemorated here Photographs
and artifacts documenting the
Japanese onslaught, the atrocities
suffered, and the aftermath, are
sobering, grisly, and shockingly
effective See p 368
• Wáng ∑ntíng Xiâoxiâo lânguân (Chéngd∆): Located in a
Zhân-narrow lane west of the main townsquare, this small, one-of-a-kindmuseum contains tens of thou-sands of Máo pins, Cultural Revo-lution memorabilia, and vintagephotographs The museum occu-pies the living room of its devotedproprietor See p 681
6 The Best Temples
• Kông Miào (Q∆fû): One of
China’s greatest classical
architec-tural complexes, this spectacular
temple in Confucius’s home town
is the largest and most
magnifi-cent of the hundreds of temples
around the country honoring the
sage Greatly enlarged since it was
a series of gates and buildings
aligned on a north-south axis and
decorated with imperial flourishes
like yellow-tiled roofs and
dragon-entwined pillars See p 346
• Màij∫ Sh≈n Shík∆ (Ti≈nshuî):
This haystack-shaped mountain
of soft red rock, covered in
bril-liant green foliage, is China’s
pret-tiest cave-temple site, and the only
one where statuary has been
added to the cave walls rather than
carved out of them Views from
the stairs and walkways lacing the
cliffs are spectacular (including
those straight down) See p 258
• Zhèngdìng (Hébêi): Neither the
most spectacular nor the best
known of temple groups, but
within a short walking distance of
each other, are some of China’s
oldest surviving unimproved
tem-ple buildings (one of which
houses a 30m/90-ft.) high
multi-armed bronze of Gu≈ny∫n), and a
collection of ancient pagodas so
varied it’s almost as if they’ve been
set out specifically to surprise you
See p 139
• Jokhang Temple (Lhasa): The
spiritual heart of Tibetan dhism, this temple should be vis-ited twice: once to see the intensedevotion of pilgrims circumnavi-gating it by prostrating themselvesrepeatedly across cobblestonesmade slippery by centuries ofburning yak butter lamps, andrubbing their foreheads againstthe statuary in the dim, smokyinterior; and a second time in theafternoon for a closer look at theancient images they venerate See
Bud-p 760
• Temple of Heaven (Bêij∫ng): The
circular Hall of Prayer for GoodHarvests, one of the finest achieve-ments of Míng architecture, isalmost as well-known as a symbol
of Bêij∫ng as the Ti≈n’≈n Mén, butthe three-tiered sacrificial altar ofplain stone is thought by many to
be the most sublime object ofbeauty in China See p 105
• Mòg≈o Shík∆ (D∆nhuáng): The
biggest, best-preserved, and mostsignificant site of Buddhist statu-ary and frescoes in all China, withthe broadest historical range, theMòg≈o Caves, in their tranquildesert setting, should be yourchoice if you can see only one cavesite See p 279
• Y∂nghé G∂ng (Bêij∫ng): After the
Q∫ng Y∂ngzhèng emperor movedinto the Forbidden City, his per-sonal residence was converted into
Trang 20this temple Several impressive
incense burners are scattered
throughout the golden-roofed
complex, also known as the Lama
Temple A 20m (60-ft.) tall
san-dalwood statue of Maitreya, the
future Buddha, fills the last
build-ing See p 107
• Bâodîng Sh≈n (Dàzú):
Artisti-cally among the subtlest and most
sophisticated of China’s Buddhist
grottoes, these Sòng dynasty caves
are situated around a
horseshoe-shaped cove, at the center of
which is lush forest See p 709
• Lóngmén Shík∆ (Luòyáng):
About 2,300 caves and niches
with more than 2,800 inscriptionsand over 100,000 Buddhist stat-ues are spread across two hills and
400 years in time See p 325
• Yúngâng Shík∆ (Sh≈nx∫): These
are the earliest Buddhist cavescarved in China Most were hol-lowed out over a 65-year periodbetween 460 and 524 Viewed as awhole, they show a movementfrom Indian and Central Asianartistic models to greater reliance
on Chinese traditions See p 198.See also Chéngdé’s Bìshû Sh≈nzhu≈ngand its Eight Outer Temples, in “TheBest Mansions & Palaces,” above
C H A P T E R 1 T H E B E S T O F C H I N A
8
7 The Best Markets
• Kashgar Sunday Bazaar: The
bazaar is now split in two and not
quite what it was, but the
live-stock part of the market, southeast
of town, is still well worth visiting
Bearded Uighur men in
tradi-tional blue and white garb
sharpen their knives and trim
their sheep, small boys wearing
Inter Milan strip gorge themselves
on Hami melons, Kyrgyz in dark
fur hats pick up and drop dozens
of lambs to test their weight and
meatiness before settling deals
with vigorous and protracted
handshakes See p 302
• P≈nji≈yuán Jiùhuò Shìchâng
(Bêij∫ng): A vast outdoor market
held on weekends, P≈nji≈yuán
teems with what is very likely the
world’s best selection of things
Chinese: row upon row of
every-thing from reproduction Míng
furniture to minority clothing to
Máo memorabilia Most of the
antiques are fakes, although
experts have made some surprising
finds in the bedlam See p 122
• K≈if√ng Night Market (K≈if√ng):
Visitors overnight in K≈if√ng just
so they can attend this famous and
festive night market whose stay is the wide variety of deliciouslocal snacks on offer, such as five-spice roasted bread, sesame soup,and spicy lamb kabob See p 334
main-• Khotan Sunday Bazaar: This is
everything the Kashgar Marketonce was Jewelers pore over gem-stones, blacksmiths busy them-selves shoeing horses and repairingfarm tools, blanket makers beatcotton balls, rat-poison sellersproudly demonstrate the efficacy
of their products—the sights andsmells are overwhelming Don’tmiss the horse-riding enclosuretowards the north side of themelée, where buyers test the road-worthiness of both beast andattached cart, with frequent spec-tacular tumbles See p 308
• Temple Street Night Market
(Hong Kong): Prices here are rageous compared to those atChina’s other markets, but thescene at this night market is veryentertaining, especially the for-tune-tellers and street-side per-formers singing Chinese opera.See p 560
Trang 21out-T H E B E S out-T U P - A N D - C O M I N G D E S out-T I N A out-T I O N S 9
8 The Best Festivals
For dates and contact information, see
also the “China Calendar of Events”
on p 27
• Saka Dawa, held throughout the
Tibetan world, celebrates the
Buddha passing away and thus
attaining nirvana It’s held on the
8th to 15th days of the fourth
lunar month, with religious
danc-ing, mass chanting and “sunning
the Buddha”—the public display
of giant sanctified silk portraits
See chapter 13
• Ice & Snow Festival (Harbin):
Not so much a festival as an
extended citywide exhibition,
Harbin’s Ice and Snow Festival
runs from December to March
every year and is without doubt
the northeast’s top winter
attrac-tion The festival centers around
hundreds of elaborate ice and
snow sculptures, frosty
reproduc-tions of everything from Ti≈n’≈n
Mén to Elvis See chapter 4
• S≈nyuè Jié (Dàlî): This
once-reli-gious festival celebrated by the Bái
people in mid-April/early May
now features 5 days and nights of
considerably more secular singing,
dancing, wrestling, horse-racing,
and large-scale trading This is a
rare opportunity to see not only
the Bái, but a number of Yúnnán’s
other minorities, gathering
together in one of the most
beau-tiful and serene settings in the
foothills of the Green Mountains(C≈ng Sh≈n) See chapter 11
• Kurban Bairam (Kashgar):
Cele-brations are held in Muslim munities across China, but inKashgar they involve feats oftightrope-walking in the mainsquare and wild dancing outsidethe Idkah Mosque The 4-day fes-tival is held 70 days after thebreaking of the fast of Ramadan,
com-on the 10th day of the 12th mcom-onth(Dhul-Hijjah) in the Islamic calen-dar It falls on February 1, 2004,and annually shifts backwards by
11 days See chapter 2
• Miáo New Year Festival (X∫ji≈ng,
Lángdé): The Miáo celebrate manyfestivals, but one of the biggestblowouts is the occasion of theMiáo New Year, usually aroundDecember The celebration fea-tures songs, dances, bullfights, and
lúsh√ng competitions, not to
men-tion Miáo women gorgeouslybedecked in silver headdressesengaging in various courtship ritu-als See chapter 11
• Wéif≈ng International Kite tival: Thousands of kites take to
Fes-the skies for 2 days in April in one
of the world’s largest kite-flyinggalas You can simply watch, ofcourse, but the Chinese claim thekite as their invention, so there’s
no better time and place to pick
up the end of the string yourself.See chapter 7
9 The Best Up-and-Coming Destinations
• Yôngdìng (Fújiàn): The
magnifi-cent multistory circular fortresses
of the Hakka minority, known as
“earth buildings” and home to
hundreds (usually all with the
same family name), are the largest
and most striking examples of
sur-viving domestic architecture in
China See chapter 9
• Yùshù (Q∫nghâi): Khampa areas
within the Tibet “AutonomousRegions” are closed to the individ-ual traveler, but here these fiercelyproud Tibetan warriors trade in atraditional market town beneath astern gray and red monastery Seechapter 13
Trang 22• Jiànshuî (Yúnnán): This small
Hàn-dynasty town boasts the
third largest Confucian temple in
the country, some exquisitely
restored traditional Míng and
Q∫ng dynasty residences, and an
unusual collection of
old-fash-ioned wells Jiànshuî is also the
gateway to some of the most
beau-tiful terrace fields in the country
See chapter 11
• Yánbi≈n (Jílín): A lush, achingly
pretty hilly region perched on
China’s border with North Korea,
parts of which have only recently
been opened to tourism, Yánbi≈n
is home to the largest population
of ethnic Koreans outside the
peninsula itself
Independent-minded travelers have the
oppor-tunity to explore one of the few
truly bicultural societies in China
See chapter 4
• Téngch∂ng (Yúnnán): This
charming overlooked town on the
ancient southern Silk Route is
poised to become an important
tourist destination in the coming
years as tourist authorities gear up
to promote travel along the
ancient trade route For now,
Téngch∂ng is still a laid-back,friendly town with a surprisinglylarge number of attractions thatinclude hot springs, volcanoes,waterfalls, temples, and someabsolutely delightful traditionalChinese villages just outside it.See chapter 11
• Píngyáo (Sh≈nx∫): Chinesetourists have discovered Píngyáo,but the numbers of Westerntourists are still relatively few atwhat is one of the best-preservedMíng and Q∫ng towns in China
An intact Míng city wall rounds clusters of elegant high-walled courtyard residences, some
sur-of which are also guesthouses Seechapter 5
• Quánzh∂u (Fújiàn): An overnight
ferry from Hong Kong, a few days
in Xiàmén, and a short bus trip toQuánzh∂u combine to make theperfect less-traveled start to aChina trip Quánzh∂u’s rebuilt citycenter is more to scale than most,with hints of traditional style Thelaid-back town has plenty of inter-est to see, at a human scale andpace See chapter 9
C H A P T E R 1 T H E B E S T O F C H I N A
10
10 The Best Local Accommodations
• D∆nhuáng Sh≈nzhu≈ng
(D∆n-huáng): The finest hotel on the
Silk Routes, with views of the
Míngsh≈ Sh≈n Dunes, this
impos-ing fortress is surrounded by
styl-ishly renovated courtyard houses
See p 280
• Lhs∂ng Yuán B∫nguân: Of all
Bêij∫ng’s traditional
courtyard-style hotels, this former imperial
residence has the most character,
recalling the opulence of China’s
“feudal” era, but with a more
lived-in feel than you’ll find
else-where See p 86
• Lóngmén Guìb∫n Lóu (Harbin):
Built by the Russian-controlled
Chinese Eastern Railroad in 1901,the Lóngmén has served as a hos-pital, the Russian Embassy, and acheap hostel for migrant workers
In the 1930s and 1940s, it waspart of the illustrious Japanese-owned Yamato Hotel chain TheChinese Railway Bureau reno-vated the building in 1996, pre-serving the original Russianwoodwork and restoring much
of its turn-of-the-20th-centuryatmosphere Rooms are palatialand decorated with period furni-ture See p 188
• Zh∆ji≈ Hu≈yuán Kèzhàn
(Jiàn-shuî): A stay at this charming
Trang 23guesthouse, which occupies
sev-eral wings of the exquisitely
restored, 214-room, 42-courtyard
Q∫ng dynasty mansion, is a
delightful step back in time See
p 667
• Sèmân B∫nguân (Kashgar): Set
on the grounds of the former
Russian Consulate, this has
merely two government-issued
stars and poor service, but
stan-dard rooms and suites in the
orig-inal and beautifully decorated
consulate buildings, with their
high ceilings and dramatic oil
paintings, can be bargained down
to low prices This is the nearest
you’ll get to experiencing some
“Great Game” ambience See
p 303
• Déj∆ Yuán & Ti≈n Yuán Kuí
(Píngyáo): These are the top two
courtyard guesthouses in a town
full of ancient architecture The
Déj∆ Yuán has rooms decorated
with calligraphy and furnished
with dark wooden Míng style
tables and chairs and traditional
heated brick beds The Ti≈n Yuán
Kuí also offers occasional opera
performances on hot summer
nights when the guesthouse is full
and the performers available See
p 224
• Former Consulates (W√nzh∂u and Xiàmén): W√nzh∂u’s Ji≈ngx∫n Liáoyângyuàn is a former British
Consulate from 1894, set fully on an offshore island Thereare only six very oddly shapedrooms, the best of which is vast andhigh-ceilinged with a balcony with
peace-a view peace-across the wpeace-ater Xiàmén’s
J∫nquán B∫nguân is more
upmar-ket, a recently converted formerU.S Consulate from 1928 on theisland of Gûlàng Yû, with viewstowards Xiàmén proper Both for-mer consulates allow modern visi-tors a whiff of the treaty port past.See p 466 and 495
The Peace Hotel, the best of
Shànghâi’s historic hotels—built in
1929 as the Cathay Hotel—features alobby that is an Art Deco masterpiece,and splendid public areas Roomshave been modernized, but the servicehas lapsed Go for lunch or a drink
See also Yôngdìng in “The Best
Up-and-Coming Destinations,” above Anight in a several-hundred-year-oldearthen fortress is as authentic as itgets, but don’t expect luxuries (or evennecessities)
11 The Best Buys
• Chén Lú (Shânx∫): Seventeen
small factories turn out different
styles of pottery, and their
show-rooms have starting prices so low
you’ll volunteer to pay more You
can also buy original works in the
houses of individual artisans See
chapter 6
• Hù Xiàn (Shânx∫): There’s no
better place than the source to
buy these farmers’ paintings with
their brilliant colors and scenes of
village fairs and peasants
harvest-ing crops or herdharvest-ing geese See
chapter 6
• Zh∂ng Bêi Jiùhuò Shìchâng
(X∫’≈n): There are fakes aplenty, aseverywhere else, but this bustlingantiques market, fed by continu-ous new discoveries in the sur-rounding plain, is geared to locals,
so asking prices are not as absurd
as elsewhere See chapter 6
• Jatson School (Lhasa):
High-quality Tibetan handicrafts,including traditional Tibetanclothing, paper, incense, mandala
thangkas, yak-hide boots, ceramic
dolls, door hangings, bags, andcowboy hats, are all made on-site,
Trang 24and sold at very fair prices Your
money goes to support poor,
orphaned, and children with
dis-abilities See chapter 13
• Name-Brand Clothing &
Acces-sories: Adequate to near-perfect
imitations of items by North Face,
Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Polo,
and just about any other expensive
label you can think of can be had
for a song at several markets in
China, especially at Bêij∫ng’s Silk
Street and Hóngqiáo markets,
Shànghâi’s Xi≈ngyáng Lù market,
and Sh√nzhèn’s Luó Hú
Commer-cial City (not quite as cheaply)
See chapters 3, 8, and 9
• Khawachen Carpet and Wool
Handicraft Co Ltd (Lhasa): This
U.S.–Tibetan factory’s carpets
have rich but tasteful shades
woven into delightful traditional
patterns Carpets can also be made
to order You’ll pay much less here
than in New York or even Bêij∫ng.See chapter 13
• Qípáo: Tailors in Bêij∫ng and
Shànghâi will cut a custom-fit
qípáo, the tight-fitting traditional
dress better known by its
Can-tonese name cheongsam,
some-times for hundreds of dollars lessthan in Hong Kong and the West
A quality tailored dress, lined withsilk and finished with handmadebuttons, typically costs between
$100 and $200 Slightly less fancyversions go for as little as $50.Custom-embroidered fabrics arealso available very cheaply Seechapters 3 and 8
Note: Pearls, antiques, jade, jewelry in
general, and objets d’art are fakes orare not worth the asking price (usuallyboth) Unless you are an expert or arehappy to have a fake, do not buy thesethings
C H A P T E R 1 T H E B E S T O F C H I N A
12
12 The Best Chinese Restaurants
Turn to each chapter’s full restaurant
reviews for contact information and
details of dishes, and use the
charac-ters given in “Appendix B: The
Chi-nese Menu” to place your orders It’s
easy
• Hàn Kèji≈ (Bêij∫ng): This
restau-rant’s stylized mix of stone floors
and rough-hewn wood tables, set
against the backdrop of one of
Bêij∫ng’s lakes, is enough to make
it noteworthy But it is the food—
a delicate interpretation of
little-known Hakka cuisine—that
places it among the best
restau-rants in the country The sweet
“secret recipe” paper-wrapped fish
ranks among the most divine
seafood entrees anywhere See
p 95
• Shìjì X∫ng (Turpan): Set in grape
fields north of town, with a
melt-water stream flowing by, this
Uighur restaurant is a favorite
among locals for carousing lateinto the night, and featuresdancers from all over X∫nji≈ng.See p 287
• B≈guó Bùy∫ (Chéngd∆): The
art-fully rustic surroundings are apleasure in themselves, but thisrestaurant is a particular favoritewith locals for its delicious localfare made with fresh, naturalingredients See p 684
• Wúmâi’êrhóng Mêishí Chéng
(Kuqa): This is the most ous restaurant in this charmingoasis town Cheerful Uighur staffserve the tastiest, most fillingkabobs in the X∫nji≈ng region See
illustri-p 297
• Mayke Ame (Lhasa): Set in the
former pleasure palace of DalaiLama VI, who preferred skirts tosutras, this is the Tibetan capital’smost charming restaurant See
p 764
Trang 25• D∂ngf≈ng Jiâozi Wâng (Harbin):
This always-busy restaurant on
Harbin’s celebrated Zh∂ngyáng
Dàji√ produces some of the best
jiâozi anywhere, served the way
they should be: generously filled
and unadorned, with a
mouth-watering, make-it-yourself
vine-gar-and-garlic dipping sauce See
p 189
• Bêij∫ng Dàdông Kâoy≈ Diàn
(Bêij∫ng): When done properly,
roast duck, cooked in a
wood-fired oven then sliced and rolled in
pancakes with plum sauce and
green onion, is one of the finest
dining experiences in China This
place does it best See p 91
• Lâo S∆n Ji≈ (X∫’≈n): This is the
best place to sample X∫’≈n’s most
celebrated dish, yángròu pàomó, a
self-assembled lamb stew with
coriander, chili, and garlic,
thick-ened with bread you crumble
yourself See p 252
• Míng Yuán (Nánj∫ng): Few
peo-ple have heard of D∫ngsh≈n
dishes, but locals will tell you that
this unusual cuisine, created in
Nánj∫ng over 20 years ago, is
guar-anteed to refresh and delight even
the most jaded of palates with
crab steeped for a week in wine,
honey, and spices; sautéed Yúnnán
mushroom with crab paste; and
the restaurant’s signature
hand-made fish noodles See p 371
• C∆chá Dànfàn (Wûhàn): Among
the specialties, which rely on local
produce, are dishes served in
bam-boo stalks and hollowed-out
mel-ons and squashes This is a chance
to try Húnán dishes with a slight
bite, as well as dishes rarely seen in
restaurants in the West See p 722
• Kông Y∫jî Jiûlóu (Bêij∫ng):
Deco-rated to look like a traditionalstudy and named for the drunkenscholar-hero of a short story byfather of modern Chinese litera-ture Lû Xùn, the atmosphericKông Y∫jî serves wonderfully exe-cuted dishes from the YangtzeRiver delta where Lû was born.See p 96
• Cháng Mû Dì Yóumiàn Dà Wáng (Hohhot): This bustling
restaurant, a mix of Mongolian ger
and prettified farmhouse, izes in Mongolian pastas and pan-cakes that you’re not likely to findanywhere at home Try husked-wheat pancakes filled with carrots,potato, and cabbage, rolled up andsliced like Mediterranean levantsandwiches See p 209
special-• Luk Yu Tea House (Hong Kong):
First opened in 1933, this is thecity’s most famous remaining tea-house, a wonderful Art Deco–eraCantonese restaurant with ceilingfans, spittoons, individual woodenbooths for couples, marble table-tops, and stained-glass windows.It’s one of the best places to tryChinese teas, but it’s most famousfor its dim sum, served from 7am
to 5:30pm See p 547
• Sh≈ng Palace (Hángzh∂u): This
restaurant is expensive, but itdeserves its place here as the pur-veyor of simply the best of theregion’s delicate Huáiyáng cuisine,using modern techniques to turn
“beggar’s chicken” into a feast fitfor an emperor, and in equallyimperial surroundings See p 524
3:12 pm, 4/29/05
Trang 26Planning Your Trip to China
by Peter Neville-Hadley
without speaking French, you can manage Bêij∫ng without Mandarin Tens ofthousands of visitors travel in China independently each year, making theirarrangements as they go, and without more than a guidebook and a phrase book
to help them You can certainly arrange various levels of assistance, either uponarrival or from home, but you can also travel just as freely as you would else-where, perhaps using agents to get your tickets, and picking up the odd day tour.But whether you plan to travel at random, with a pre-planned, pre-booked
route, or with a fully escorted tour, it’s vital that you read this chapter carefully.
The way you’re used to traveling, even in many other developing nations, doesn’tapply in China Much of the advice out there on travel in China is far from wise.What’s good advice in the rest of the world can be the worst advice in China,and without absorbing what’s below, some of the rest of this guide may seeminscrutable
So put down your preconceptions, and read on
2
1 The Regions in Brief
BÊIJ≤NG, TI∑NJ≤N & HÉBÊI
While there’s much talk of getting to
the Three Gorges on the Yángzî River
before the area’s partial disappearance,
the real urgency is to see what little of
the old Bêij∫ng is left before
prepara-tions for the 2008 Olympics deliver
the final coup de grâce to what remains
of its ancient housing and original
Míng dynasty street plan Whole city
blocks can vanish at once, not
gradu-ally drowned over a period of years,
but felled in the space of a few days,
sometimes taking ancient,
long-for-gotten temples with them (although
some of these are occasionally restored
and reopened to public view)
But while Bêij∫ng suffers from
being communism’s showpiece for the
outside world and victim of ersatz
modernization, it still has far more to
offer than several other Chinese cities
put together, including some of
China’s most extravagant monuments,
such as the Forbidden City In
addi-tion, there’s easy access to the
sur-rounding province of Hébêi with its sinuous sections of the Great Wall and vast tomb complexes.
THE NORTHEAST
Even if the Chinese no longer believecivilization ends at the Great Wall,most tourists still do The frigid lands
to the northeast, once known as tary or Manchuria, represent one ofthe least-visited and most challengingregions in China, and its last greattravel frontier
Tar-Despite industrialization, the
provinces of Liáoníng, Jílín, and H√ilóngji≈ng, and the northern sec- tion of Inner Mongolia, still claim China’s largest natural forest, its most pristine grasslands, and one of its most celebrated lakes (Ti≈n Chí).
Trang 27What makes the region unique,
how-ever, are the architectural remnants of
the last 350 years—early Q∫ng palaces
and tombs, incongruous Russian
cupolas, and eerie structures left over
from Japan’s wartime occupation
AROUND THE YELLOW RIVER
As covered in this book, this region
comprises an area of northern China
that includes Sh≈nx∫, Níngxià, parts of
Shânx∫ (sometimes spelled Shaanxi),
and Inner Mongolia, roughly
follow-ing the central loop of the Yellow River
north of X∫’≈n
One of China’s “cradles of
civiliza-tion” and rich in history, the area lays
claim to most of the country’s oldest
surviving timber-frame buildings
and its oldest carved Buddhist
grot-toes, as well as Píngyáo, one of its
best-preserved walled cities.
THE SILK ROUTES
From the ancient former capital of
X∫’≈n, famed for the modern
rediscov-ery of the Terracotta Warriors, trade
routes ran in all directions, but most
famously (because they were given a
clever name in the 19th century) west
and northwest through G≈nsù and
X∫nji≈ng, and on through the Middle
East Under the control of Tibetan,
Mongol, Indo-European, and Turkic
peoples more than of Chinese, these
regions are still populated with
Uighurs, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Tibetans,
and others, some in tiny oasis
commu-nities on the rim of the Taklamakan
Desert which seem completely remote
from China The Silk Routes are
lit-tered with alien monuments and
tombs, and with magnificent
cave-temple sights such as D∆nhuáng,
which demonstrate China’s import of
foreign religions and aesthetics as
much as the wealth generated by its
exports of silk
EASTERN CENTRAL CHINA
Eastern central China, between the
Yellow River (Huáng Hé) and the
Yángzî River (Cháng Ji≈ng), is an area
covering the provinces of Hénán, Sh≈nd∂ng, Ji≈ngs∆, and ∑nhu∫ It is
the area in which Chinese culturedeveloped and flourished with littledilution or outside influence
Luòyáng was the capital of nine dynasties, K≈if√ng capital of six, and Nánj∫ng capital of eight The home-
town of China’s most importantphilosopher, Confucius, is here, alongwith several of China’s holiest moun-
tains, notably Tài Sh≈n and Huáng Sh≈n, as well as that watery equivalent
of the Great Wall, the Grand Canal SHÀNGHÂI
Shànghâi is the city China boosterslove to cite as representing the country
as a whole, but it in fact representsnothing except itself—the country’swealthiest city, and with (if the gov-ernment’s figures are to be believed)the highest per-capita income Lookcloser and you’ll see that many of itsshiny new towers are incomplete orunoccupied But the sweep of 19th-and early-20th-century architecture
along The Bund, which looks as if the
town halls of two dozen provincialBritish cities have been transported to
a more exotic setting, and the maze of
Art Deco masterpieces in the French Concession behind the Bund, make
Shànghâi the mainland’s top meets-West destination, with therestaurants and a more relaxed andopen-minded atmosphere to match
East-Nearby Hángzh∂u and S∆zh∂u offer
some of China’s most famous scenery
THE SOUTHEAST
South of Shànghâi and the YángzîRiver, the coastal provinces of
Zhèji≈ng, Fújiàn, and Guângd∂ng
have always been China’s most ward-looking These towns, whichboomed under the relatively openTáng dynasty and which were forced
out-to re-open as “treaty ports” by the guns
of the British in the 19th century, are
Trang 28also those most prosperous under the
current “reform and opening” policy
But in between the famous names,
smaller Shàox∫ng and Quánzh∂u have
managed to preserve some of their
charm Xiàmén, connected to Hong
Kong by sea, has a treasure trove of
colonial-era shop-houses, and an
island covered in foreign-style
man-sions A short distance inland, rural life
continues much as it did back in the
Táng dynasty, and extraordinary
col-lections of fortress-mansions,
corri-dor bridges, and watchtowers have
survived the destruction of the
Cul-tural Revolution A little further
inland, the impoverished
pottery-pro-ducing province of Ji≈ngx∫ shows the
two-speed nature of China’s growth
HONG KONG & MACAU
Two sets of pencil-slim towers jostle
for position on either side of a harbor,
close as bristles on a brush Between
them, ponderous ocean-going vessels
slide past puttering junks, and
cen-tury-old ferries waddle and weave
across their paths The mixture of
Asia’s finest hotels, territory-wide
duty-free shopping, incense-filled working
temples, and British double-decker
buses makes this city-state worth flying
to Asia to see in its own right Macau,
a little bit of misplaced Mediterranean,
is a short ferry ride away
THE SOUTHWEST
Encompassing the provinces of
Yún-nán, Guìzh∂u, Guângx∫, and
Hâinán Island, this region is home to
some of China’s most spectacular
mountain scenery and three of Asia’s
mightiest rivers, resulting in some of
the most breathtaking gorges and lush
river valleys in the country
Even more appealing is the fact that
this region is easily the most ethnically
diverse in China Twenty-six of China’s
56 officially recognized ethnic groups
can be found in the southwest, from
the Mosu in Lúg∆ Lake to the Dâi
in X∫shu≈ngbânnà, from the Miáo
around Kâilî to the Dòng in S≈nji≈ng,
each with different architecture, dress,traditions, and colorful festivals
THE YÁNGZÎ RIVER
In addition to shared borders, the
landlocked provinces of Sìchu≈n, Húbêi, and Húnán and the munici- pality of Chóngqìng have in common
the world’s third longest river, theCháng Ji≈ng (“Long River,” akaYángzî or Yangtze) The home of fiveholy Buddhist and/or Daoist moun-tains, this area contains some ofChina’s most beautiful scenery, partic-ularly in northern Sìchu≈n and north-ern Húnán
Sìchu≈n deserves exploration using
Chéngd∆ as a base, and the Húnán should be explored from Chángsh≈ If you’re taking the Three Gorges cruise
(available indefinitely despite whatyou may have heard), try to at leastleave yourself a few days on either end
to explore Chóngqìng and Wûhàn.
And a day trip from Chóngqìng to the
Buddhist grottoes at Dàzú is well
worth the time
THE TIBETAN WORLD
The Tibetan plateau is roughly the size
of western Europe, with an averageelevation of 4,700m (15,400 ft.).Ringed by vast mountain ranges such
as the Kunlun range to the north and the Himalayas, the region offers tow-
ering scenic splendors as well as some
of the richest minority culture within
modern China’s borders Lhasa,
for-mer seat of the Dalai Lamas, is
domi-nated physically by the vast Potala Palace, and emotionally by the fervor
of the pilgrims to the Jokhang ple Fewer than half of the world’s
Tem-Tibetans now live in what is calledTibet—much Tibetan territory hasnow been allocated to neighboringChinese provinces and particularly in
Q∫nghâi, where the authorities are less
watchful and the atmosphere in bothmonasteries and on the streets morerelaxed
C H A P T E R 2 P L A N N I N G Y O U R T R I P T O C H I N A
16
Trang 29V I S I T O R I N F O R M A T I O N 17
2 Visitor Information
The mainland travel industry is, in
general, a quagmire of deception, and
provides no truly reliable official
sources of information either within
China or via its overseas operations
The branches of the China National
Tourism Administration in foreign
countries are called China National
Tourist Offices Nominally nonprofit,
they used to be little more than agents
for the state-owned China
Interna-tional Travel Service (CITS), but they
now offer links to a variety of
opera-tors Don’t expect them to be accurate
about even the most basic visa or
Cus-toms regulations, or to update their
websites, which sometimes give
con-flicting information and can’t even get
the names of tour operators right
Hong Kong and Macau have their
own tourism agencies, which are vastly
more professional The Hong Kong
Tourism Board is a source of endless
quantities of free literature, maps, and
helpful advice, and its website is
com-prehensive, accurate, and up to date
The Macau Government Tourism
Office is the same on a smaller scale
CHINA NATIONAL TOURIST
OFFICE ( WWW CNTO ORG )
office: 350 Fifth Ave., Suite 6413,
Empire State Building, New York,
4002; fax 212/760-8809; ny@cnta.
gov.cn) California office: 600 W
Broadway, Suite 320, Glendale, CA
545-7506; la@cnta.gov.cn)
Suite 806, Toronto, ONT M5G 1V2
office: 115 E 54th St., 2nd floor, New
In Canada 3rd floor, 9 Temperance
St., Toronto, ONT M5H 1Y6(&416/366-2389; fax 416/366-1098;
yyzwwo@hktb.com)
In the U.K 6 Grafton St., London
020/7533-7111; lonwwo@hktb.com)
In Australia Level 4, Hong Kong
House, 80 Druitt St., Sydney, NSW
9283-3383; sydwwo@hktb.com)
MACAU GOVERNMENT TOURISM OFFICE
In the United States 5757 W
Cen-tury Blvd., Suite 660, Los Angeles, CA
310/338-0708; mgtona@earthlink.net)
In the U.K 1 Battersea Church Rd.,
0207/771-7000; fax 0207/771-7081; sharon
bernstein@cibgroup.co.uk)
In Australia Level 17, Town Hall
House, 456 Kent St., Sydney, NSW
9267-7717; macau@worldtradetravel.com)
Trang 30In New Zealand Level 5, Ballantyne
House, 101 Customs St E., P.O Box
fax 09/308-5207; macau@aviationandtourism.co.nz)
All visitors to mainland China must
acquire a visa in advance In general,
visas are not granted at the border
Visitors to mainland China must have
a valid passport with at least 6
months’ validity and two blank pages
remaining (you may get away with just
one blank page) Visa applications
typically take 3 to 5 working days to
process, although this can be sped up
with the payment of extra fees to as
lit-tle as 1 day if you apply in person “L”
(tourist) visas are valid for between
1 and 3 months Usually 1 month is
granted unless you request more,
which you may or may not get
accord-ing to events in China at the time
Double-entry tourist visas are also
available
At home you should apply to your
nearest consulate, although it’s
possi-ble to pick up Chinese visas in other
countries while on an extended trip It
varies, but typically your visit must
begin within 90 days of the date of
issue Note that although postal
addresses are given below, some
con-sulates (including all those in the U.S
and Canada) will only accept
applica-tions in person, and applicaapplica-tions by
post or courier must go through an
agent, with further fees to be paid
Telephone numbers are given, but
many systems are automated, and
get-ting a human to speak to can be next
to impossible; faxes and e-mail rarely
get a reply, and websites are often out
of date
Applying for a visa requires
comple-tion of an applicacomple-tion form that can be
downloaded from many consular
web-sites or acquired by mail Visas are
valid for the whole country, although
some small areas require an extra mit from the local police Temporaryrestrictions may also be placed, some-times for years at a time, on areaswhere there is unrest, and a furtherpermit may be required This is cur-rently the case with Tibet where, untilrecently, travelers were required toform groups before entering theregion, and to pay a huge price for atour (but they were not required toactually join it on arrival) For details
per-of Tibet permits, see chapter 13 Ingeneral, do not mention Tibet orX∫nji≈ng on your visa application, or itmay be turned down flat
Some consulates indicate that sight
of an airline ticket or itinerary isrequired, or that you give proof of suf-ficient funds, or that you must be trav-eling with a group, while they happilycarry on business with individualswho have none of this supporting doc-umentation Such statements do pro-vide a face-saving excuse for refusing avisa should there be unrest or politicaldifficulties, or should Tibet orX∫nji≈ng appear on the application.One passport photograph isrequired, as well as one for any childtraveling on a parent’s passport.The visa fees quoted below bycountry are the current rates for
nationals of that country, and can
change at any time U.S citizensapplying for a double-entry visa in theU.K for instance, are charged morethan British citizens, but other nation-als are charged less Regulations mayalso vary: U.S citizens applying in
Australia must submit two forms and two photos; everyone else just one of
each In addition to the visa feesquoted, there may be supplementaryfees for postage, and higher fees can
Trang 31often be paid for speedier service
Pay-ment must always be in cash or by
money order
Once you’re inside China,
single-entry tourist visas only can usually be
extended once for a maximum of 30
days at the Aliens Entry-Exit
depart-ment of the Public Security Bureau
(PSB) in most towns and cities U.S
citizens pay ¥125 ($16), U.K citizens
¥160 (£12), Canadians ¥165 (C$28),
and Australians ¥100 (A$18)
Extensions within China now
typ-ically take 5 working days to process,
although you may sometimes be able
to cajole offices into faster service
Consulates in the
United States
Single-entry visas are $50;
double-entry $75 Visit www.china-embassy.
org, which has links to all U.S
con-sular sites and a downloadable
applica-tion form Applicaapplica-tions must be
delivered and collected by hand, or
sent via a visa agency In Washington,
D.C (for residents of Delaware,
Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland,
Mon-tana, Nebraska, North Carolina,
North Dakota, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia,
West Virginia, and Wyoming): Room
110, 2201 Wisconsin Ave NW,
338-6688; fax 202/588-9760;
fax-back 202/265-9809; chnvisa@bell
atlantic.net) In Chicago (for
Col-orado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin):
100 W Erie St., Chicago, IL 60610
312/803-0110) In Houston (for Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas): 3417
Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77066
8466; automated FAQ
713/524-4311; visa@chinahouston.org);
how-ever, its temporary location is at 3400
Montrose Blvd., 7th floor In Los
Angeles (for Arizona, Southern
Cali-fornia, Hawaii, New Mexico, and
Pacific Islands): 443 Shatto Place, Los
213/807-8006; fax 213/380-1961) In New York (for Connecticut, Maine, Massa-
chusetts, New Hampshire, New sey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,Rhode Island, and Vermont): 52012th Ave., New York, NY 10036
212/502-0245) In San Francisco (for Alaska,
Northern California, Nevada, gon, and Washington): 1450 LagunaSt., San Francisco, CA 94115
415/563-4861)
Consulates in Canada
Single-entry visas are C$50;
double-entry C$75 Visit www.china embassycanada.org for an applica-
tion form Applications must be ered and collected by hand, or sent via
deliv-a visdeliv-a deliv-agency Ottdeliv-awdeliv-a (for residents of
the Ottawa region, Quebec, foundland and Labrador, NewBrunswick, Nova Scotia, and PrinceEdward Island): 515 St Patrick St.,
416/324-6468) Vancouver (for British
Colum-bia and Yukon Territory): 288–1338
734-0704; fax 604/734-0311) gary (for Alberta, Saskatchewan, and
Cal-Northwest Territory): 1011 6th Ave
537-1247; fax 403/264-6656) Consulates in the United Kingdom
Single-entry visas are £30; entry £45 There’s a supplementarycharge of £20 for each package dealt
double-with by mail Visit embassy.org.uk for an application London: 31 Portland Place, London,
2–4pm phone service; 24-hr
0900/188-0808) Manchester: Denison House,
Trang 3249 Denison Rd., Rusholme,
Single-entry visas are A$30;
double-entry A$45 Add A$10 per package
dealt with by mail or courier, and a
pre-paid return envelope Canberra:
15 Coronation Dr., Yarralumla, ACT
Consulates in New Zealand
Single-entry visas are NZ$60;
double-entry NZ$90 Add NZ$15 per
pack-age dealt with by mail or courier, and
a pre-paid return envelope
Welling-ton: 2–6 Glenmore St., P.O Box
600; fax 04/4749632; www.china
embassy.org.nz) Auckland (for
Auck-land-area residents only): 588 Great
South Rd., Greelane; postal address
P.O Box 17123, Greelane, Auckland
(&09/525-1588, ext 710 or 707; fax
09/525-0733; www.chinaconsulate
org.nz)
Consulates Elsewhere
A complete list of all Chinese
embassies and consulates can be found
at the Chinese foreign ministry’s
web-site: www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng (or
vari-ous mirror sites around the world)
Click on “Missions Overseas.”
Buying Visas in Countries
Bordering China
Note that the Chinese Consulate in
Kathmandu, Nepal, will not sell visas
to individual travelers wanting to
enter Tibet overland, or they may
stamp the visa to prohibit overland
entry via the Friendship Highway The
consulate in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, will
usually refuse visas to those not ing a fax or telex from a Chinese state-registered travel agency, or they willstamp the visa to prohibit overlandentry via the Torugart Pass Obtainingvisas at the consulate in Almaty canalso sometimes be difficult for nonres-idents of Kazakhstan
hold-Buying Visas in Hong Kong
The easiest place to apply for a land visa is Hong Kong, where thereare several China visa options Single-entry tourist “L” visas valid for 3months are easily obtainable, as is the(unextendable) double-entry version.Multiple-entry “F” visas are also easy
main-to obtain via visa agents and withoutthe letter of invitation required toobtain them at home Single-entryvisas bought through HK agents typi-cally cost HK$120 to HK$150($15–$19), multiple-entry “F” visasaround HK$450 ($56) Officeslocated just a few minutes’ walk fromthe main tourist areas charge less still.See chapter 10, “Hong Kong &Macau,” for recommendations
Entering the Mainland from Hong Kong & Macau
It is possible for all but British citizens
to buy a permit at the Lo Wu bordercrossing from Hong Kong toSh√nzhèn, valid for 72 hours of travel
in the Sh√nzhèn Special Economic
Zone only According to the
Guângzh∂u PSB, tourist visas can bepurchased on arrival at Guângzh∂uEast station by direct express railwayfrom Hong Kong, but this has notbeen tested It is possible to buy a 3-month “L” visa or 6-month “F” visafrom a branch of China Travel Service
on the mainland side of the crossingfrom Macau to Zh∆hâi See chapter
10 for more details
H O N G K O N G V I S A S
U.S., Canadian, Australian, and NewZealand citizens, and those of mostother developed nations, are granted
C H A P T E R 2 P L A N N I N G Y O U R T R I P T O C H I N A
20
Trang 3390-day stays free on arrival British
cit-izens are granted 180 days Passports
should be valid for 1 month longer
than the planned return date In
the-ory, proof of sufficient funds and an
onward ticket may be demanded, but
this request is almost unheard of
M A C A U V I S A S
U.S., Canadian, Australian, and New
Zealand citizens are granted 30-day
stays free on arrival British and most
other EU nationals can stay up to 90
days without a visa Passports should
have at least 30 days of remaining
validity upon your arrival
CUSTOMS
W H AT YO U C A N B R I N G
I N T O C H I N A
Generally, you can bring into China
anything for personal use which you
plan to take away with you when you
leave, with the usual exceptions of
arms and drugs, or plant materials,
animals, and foods from diseased
areas There are no problems with
cameras or video recorders, GPS
equipment, laptops, or any other
stan-dard electronic equipment Two
unusual prohibitions are “old/used
garments” and “printed matter,
mag-netic media, films, or photographs
which are deemed to be detrimental to
the political, economic, cultural and
moral interests of China,” as the
regu-lations put it Large quantities of
reli-gious literature, overtly political
materials, or books on Tibet might
cause you difficulties (having a pile of
pictures of the Dalai Lama certainly
will, if discovered), but in general,
small amounts of personal reading
matter in non-Chinese languages do
not present problems Customs
offi-cers are for the most part easy-going,
and foreign visitors are very rarely
searched Customs declaration forms
have now vanished from all major
points of entry, but if you are
import-ing more than $5,000 in cash, you
should declare it, or theoretically youcould face difficulties at the time ofdeparture, although once again, thiswould be highly unlikely Importing
or exporting more than ¥6,000 ($750)
in yuán is also theoretically prohibited,
but again, it’s never checked Chinesecurrency is anyway best obtainedwithin China (or in Hong Kong), and
is of no use once you leave
CURRENCY
M A I N L A N D C H I N A
Although for most destinations it’susually a good idea to exchange atleast some money—just enough tocover airport incidentals and trans-portation to your hotel—before youleave home so you can avoid the less-favorable rates you’ll get at airport cur-
rency-exchange desks, mainland China is different Yuán, also known
as RMB (Rénmínbì, or “People’s
Money”), are not easily obtainableoverseas, and rates are worse whenthey can be found, although rates at
back street money-changers away from
Hong Kong’s main shopping areas areoften better than in mainland China.There is no legal private money-changing in mainland China, andrates are fixed to be the same at all out-lets nationwide on a daily basis Sochange at the airport when you arrive,
Trang 34and then at larger branches of the
Bank of China, or at desks
adminis-tered by the bank in your hotel or at
major department stores in larger
cities If you find a shop offering to
change your money at other than a
formal Bank of China exchange
counter, they are doing so illegally,
and you open yourself to shenanigans
with rates and fake bills, which are
fairly common Even the meanest
hole-in-the-wall restaurant has an
ultraviolet note tester Do not deal
with black-market money-changers.
Hotel exchange desks will only
change money for their guests, but
they are open very long hours 7 days
a week Bank hours vary from
province to province In some
provinces they operate the same hours
every day; in others, the exchange
counter is open during hours different
from those of the rest of the bank and
not on weekends; in still others, banks
are completely closed on weekends
See “Banks, Foreign Exchange &
ATMs,” in the “Fast Facts” section of
each destination
The yuán is pegged to the U.S
dol-lar, trading within ¥8.276 to ¥8.28 to
one U.S dollar, only allowed to move
within a band of 0.2% For all other
currencies, strength in comparison to
the yuán is a matter of strength in
comparison to the U.S dollar The
pound sterling has recently been
trad-ing at around $1.56 and ¥12.95, the
euro at $1.07 and ¥8.87 The latest
rates can be found at www.xe.com/
ucc.
There are notes for ¥100, ¥50, ¥20,
¥10, ¥5, ¥2, and ¥1, which also
appears as a coin The word yuán is
rarely spoken, and sums are usually
referred to as kuài qián, “pieces of
money,” usually shortened to just
kuài S≈n kuài is ¥3 Notes carry
Ara-bic numerals as well as numbers in
Chinese characters, so there’s no fear
of confusion The next unit down, the
jiâo (¥0.10), is spoken of as the máo.
There are notes of a smaller size for
¥0.50, ¥0.20, and ¥0.10, as well ascoins for these values The smallest and
almost worthless unit is the f√n (both
written and spoken) or cent and, lievably, when you change money youmay be given tiny notes or lightweightcoins for ¥0.05, ¥0.02, and ¥0.01, butthis is the only time you’ll see themexcept in the bowls of beggars or dona-tion boxes in temples The most usefulnote is the ¥10 ($1.25), so keep a goodstock Street stalls, convenience stores,and taxis are often not happy with
unbe-¥100 ($13) notes
Keep receipts when you exchange
money, and you can reconvert excess
¥RMB into hard currency when youleave China, although sometimes notmore than half the total sum for whichyou can produce receipts, and some-times these receipts must be not morethan 3 months old
at other points of entry Do notchange in hotels or banks, but withmoney-changers, and choose money-changers away from the main streetsfor a significantly better rate Bankshave limited weekend hours, butmoney-changers are open every day
Macau’s official currency is the aca (MOP$), pegged to the Hong
pat-Kong dollar (and thus to the U.S lar) at a rate of MOP$103.20 toHK$100—about MOP$8 to US$1.Hong Kong dollars are accepted every-where, including both coins and notes(even on buses), but at par If youarrive in Macau from Hong Kong for
dol-a short stdol-ay, there’s little point inchanging money beforehand But
C H A P T E R 2 P L A N N I N G Y O U R T R I P T O C H I N A
22
Trang 35your change will invariably be in
pata-cas, which are useless in Hong Kong
or mainland China
ATMS
There are many ATMs in China, but
with few exceptions as yet, only a
selection of Bank of China machines
accept foreign cards Check the back
of your ATM card for the logos of the
Cirrus (www.mastercard.com), PLUS
(www.visa.com), and Aeon (www.
americanexpress.com), systems, and
then contact the relevant company for
a list of working ATM locations in
China Bêij∫ng and Shànghâi are both
fairly well served, and have additional
Citibank and Hong Kong and
Shang-hai Bank machines which take just
about any card ever invented But
even some provincial capitals and
some major tourist destinations often
have no machines accepting foreign
cards, even if their screens say they do
Nevertheless, it is possible, as long as
you plan ahead, to travel in China
relying on ATMs, but be sure to
replenish your supplies of cash long
before they run out, and have a couple
of hundred U.S dollars in cash as a
backup These can be exchanged in
almost any branch of any bank Some
machines have a limit of ¥2,500
($310) per transaction, but often
allow a second transaction the same
day In Hong Kong and Macau there
are ATMs everywhere which are
friendly to foreign cards
TRAVELER’S CHECKS
Traveler’s checks are only accepted at
selected branches of the Bank of
China, at foreign exchange desks in
hotels, at international gateways, and
at some department stores in the
largest cities In the most popular
des-tinations, checks in any hard currency
and from any major company are
wel-come, but elsewhere, currencies of the
larger economies are preferred, and
hotels may direct all check-holders to
the local head office of the Bank ofChina U.S dollars cash, in contrast,may be exchanged at most branches ofalmost any Chinese bank, so even ifyou plan to bring checks, having a fewU.S dollars cash (in good condition)for emergencies is a good idea Checksattract a marginally better exchangerate than cash, but the 75% commis-sion makes the result slightly worse(worse still if you paid commissionwhen buying them) Occasionally, ifthe signature you write in front of theteller is not so similar to the one youmade when you bought the check thatonly an electron microscope could tellthe difference, it may be rejected In
Hong Kong and Macau, checks are
accepted at banks and ers in the usual way
Chi-on your MasterCard, Visa, DinersClub, or Amex card from majorbranches of the Bank of China, with aminimum withdrawal of ¥1,200($150) and 4% commission, pluswhatever your card issuer charges—avery expensive way to withdraw cash,and for emergencies only If you doplan to use your card while in China,it’s a good idea to call your card issuerand let it know in advance
All major credit cards are widely
accepted in Hong Kong and Macau.
Trang 36EMERGENCY CASH
American Express also runs an
emer-gency check cashing system, which
allows you to use one of your own
checks or a counter check (more
expensive) to draw money in the
cur-rency of your choice from selected
banks This works well in major cities
but it can cause confusion in
less-vis-ited spots, and the rules on withdrawal
limits vary according to the country in
which your card was issued Consult
American Express for a list of
partici-pating banks before you leave home
If you’re stuck in a province where
banks are closed on weekends, you can
have money wired from Western
Union (& 800/325-6000; www.
westernunion.com) to many postoffices and branches of the Agricul-tural Bank of China across China,including 49 in Bêij∫ng alone, and 18
in Hong Kong You must present valid
ID to pick up the cash at the WesternUnion office In most countries, youcan pick up a money transfer even ifyou don’t have valid identification, aslong as you can answer a test questionprovided by the sender This shouldwork in Hong Kong but might causedifficulties in mainland China Let thesender know in advance that you don’thave ID
C H A P T E R 2 P L A N N I N G Y O U R T R I P T O C H I N A
24
4 When to Go
Weather details are given below, but a
far bigger factor in your calculations
should be the movement of domestic
tourists who, during the longer public
holidays, take to the road in the tens
or even hundreds of millions,
crowd-ing all forms of transportation,
book-ing out hotels, and turnbook-ing even the
quietest tourist sights into
litter-strewn bedlam
PEAK TRAVEL SEASONS
Chinese New Year (Spring Festival):
Like many Chinese festivals, this one
operates on the lunar calendar Solar
equivalents for the next few years are
January 22, 2004; February 9, 2005;
January 29, 2006; and February 18,
2007 The effects of this holiday are
felt from 2 weeks before the date until
2 weeks after, when anyone who’s
away from home attempts to get back,
including an estimated 150 million
migrant workers Although tens of
thousands of extra bus and train
serv-ices are added, tickets for land
trans-port are very difficult to get, and can
command high prices on the black
market (official prices also rise on
some routes, and on ferries between
Hong Kong and the mainland) Air
tickets are usually obtainable and may
even still be discounted In the fewdays immediately around the NewYear, traffic on long-distance rail andbus services may be light, but localservices may dry up altogether Mosttourist sights stay open, althoughsome shut on the holiday itself or havelimited holiday hours
Labor Day & National Day: In a
pol-icy known as “holiday economics,” theMay 1 and October 1 holidays havenow been expanded to 7 days each(including 1 weekend—most peopleare expected to work through theweekend prior to the holiday toexchange for 2 weekdays, which areadded to the official 3 days of holiday).The aim is to draw out some of China’svast savings and get it sloshing aroundthe economy on leisure spending, apolicy which has been spectacularlysuccessful These two holidays nowmark the beginning and end of thedomestic travel season, and mark thetwin peaks of leisure travel, with the remainder of May, early June, andSeptember also busy Most Chineseavoid traveling in the summer exceptspecifically to cooler high ground or
an offshore island, usually on a end The exact dates of each holiday
Trang 37week-are not given out until around 2 weeks
before each takes place, but it’s best, if
you’re traveling independently, to
arrive at a larger destination before the
holiday starts, and move on in the
middle or after the end The disposable
income to fund travel is more often
found in the larger cities, so these tend
to become quieter, easier to get
around, and less polluted Noted
tourist destinations around the
coun-try will be extremely busy, however In
Hong Kong and Macau, these are
only 1- or 2-day holidays introduced
in 1997 and 1999 respectively
University Holidays: Exact term
dates are rarely announced far in
advance, but train tickets can be
diffi-cult to obtain as the student populace
moves between home and college
Terms run for 18 weeks with 2 weeks
of exams, from the beginning of
Sep-tember to just before Spring Festival,
and from just after the Spring Festival
to the end of June
Local Difficulties: China’s main
international trade fair occupies the
last 2 weeks of April and October, and
drives up hotel prices in Guângzh∂u,
where it’s held, and as far away as
Hong Kong In the summer, pleasant
temperatures in the northeast
(slightly cooler than the rest of China)
draw students on summer vacation
(which makes train tickets hard to
acquire), as well as large Chinese tour
groups who trample all before them; it
may not be the best time for your visit
The northeast’s Dàlián is also
over-booked during the International
Fash-ion Festival in September (see later)
Across China, mid-week travel is
always better than weekend travel,
particularly true at destinations easily
tackled in a weekend, such as Wûtái
Sh≈n and Píngyáo (see chapter 5,
“Along the Yellow River.”)
Govern-ment-imposed travel restrictions in
Tibet tend to increase around the
Monlam Festival (sometime mid-Jan
to mid-Feb), Saka Dawa Festival(mid-May to mid-June), and aroundthe present Dalai Lama’s birthday(July 6) The border crossing between
Hong Kong and the mainland at Lo
Wu can take a couple of hours at
hol-iday periods
CLIMATE
China is the third biggest country inthe world, with the second lowestinland depression (Turpan) and some
of its highest peaks (Everest and K2are both partly in China) Its farnortheast shares the same weather pat-terns as Siberia, and its far southwestthe same sub-tropical climate asnorthern Thailand
In the north, early spring and late
autumn are the best times to travel,both offering warm, dry days andcool, dry evenings During March andApril winds blow away the pollutionbut sometimes bring sand from theGobi and topsoil from high ground tothe northeast of Bêij∫ng, increasinglydesiccated by the mismanagement ofwater resources The sky can at timesturn a vivid yellow
In the south, November to
Febru-ary brings a welcome drop both intemperature and in all-pervasivehumidity, although in Hong Kong allpublic interiors and many privatehouses are air-conditioned to cryo-genic temperatures year-round
Central China, lacking the sea
breezes that moderate the coast’s mers and make its winters more tem-perate, has some of the country’s mostsearing summer temperatures and bit-terest winters, but it also escapes the
sum-worst of the humidity Tibet has
spring-like days in the summer but farmilder winters than most peopleexpect, at least in Lhasa, madeendurable by the dryness of the cli-
mate The northwest has perhaps the
greatest range of temperatures, withsevere summers and winters alike, but
it is also largely dry
Trang 38Public holidays and their effects vary
widely between mainland China and
the two Special Administrative
Regions, Hong Kong and Macau
Mainland China
A few years ago the Chinese were
finally granted a 2-day weekend
Offices close, but stores, restaurants,
post offices, transportation, sights
and, in some areas, banks, all operate
the same services 7 days a week Most
sights, shops, and restaurants are also
open on public holidays, but all offices
and anything government-related take
as much time off as they can
Although China switched to the gorian calendar in 1911, some publicholidays (and many festivals—seebelow) are based on a lunar cycle, theirsolar dates varying from year to year
Gre-Holidays are New Year’s Day (Jan 1), Spring Festival (Chinese New Year
and the 2 days following it—see “PeakTravel Seasons,” above, for exact dates
in coming years), Labor Day (May 1
plus up to 4 more weekdays and a
weekend), National Day (Oct 1 plus
extra days, as with Labor Day, above)
Average Temperature Celsius/Fahrenheit
Average Precipitation cm/inches
Trang 39fact take the day off or only open for
reduced hours Weekend ferry sailings
and other transport may vary,
particu-larly on Sunday, when many shops are
closed and opening hours for
attrac-tions may also vary Hong Kong gets
many British holidays, traditional
Chinese holidays, plus modern
politi-cal ones added after 1997, but in
shorter forms Banks, schools, offices,
and government departments are all
closed on these dates, as are many
museums: New Year’s Day (Jan 1),
Lunar New Year’s Day (for the
main-land Spring Festival, but in Hong
Kong the day itself plus 2 more, and
an extra Fri or Mon if 1 day falls on a
Sun); Ching Ming Festival (Apr 5),
Good Friday (usually early Apr, plus
the following Sat and Easter
Mon-day), Labor Day (May 1), Buddha’s
Birthday (1 day in May), Tuen Ng
(Dragon Boat Festival, 1 day in June),
Hong Kong SAR Establishment
Day (July 1), Mid-Autumn Festival
(1 day in Sept, usually moved to the
nearest Fri or Mon to make a long
weekend), National Day (Oct 1),
Chung Yeung Festival (1 day in Oct),
Christmas Day and Boxing Day
(Dec 25, and the next weekday if the
26th is a Sat or Sun)
Macau
Macau has the same holidays as Hong
Kong except for SAR Establishment
Day, and with similar consequences,
but with the following variations:
National Day is 2 days (Oct 1–2), All
Souls’ Day (Nov 2), Feast of the
Immaculate Conception (Dec 8),
Macau SAR Establishment Day
(Dec 20), Winter Solstice (Dec 22),
and Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day (Dec 24 and 25)
CHINA CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
China’s festivals follow the traditional lunar
calendar, and to increase confusion, some
minority calendars operate according to different traditions For conversion to solar/ Gregorian calendar dates, try the websites www.est-direct.com/china/lunarcal.php, or www.mandarintools.com.
The Chinese tourism industry is ingly inventing festivals to try to boost busi- ness Unless indicated below, be wary of any festival with the word “tourism” in its name, for instance.
increas-January
Spring Festival (Ch∆n Jié), or
Chinese New Year, is still the sion for large lion dances and othercelebrations in Hong Kong, Macau,and Chinatowns worldwide, but inmainland China it’s mainly a timefor everyone to return to his or herancestral home and feast Fireworksare now banned in larger cities.Temple fairs have been revived inBêij∫ng, but are mostly fairly low-key shopping opportunities with-out the color or professionalentertainers of old But in the coun-tryside there’s been a gradual revival
occa-of stilt-walking and masked sions Spring Festival is on the day
proces-of the first new moon after January
21, and can be no later than ary 20
Febru-Monlam Festival is held
through-out the Tibetan world (including atXiàhé and Lángmù Sì) Monasteriesare open to all, and there are reli-
gious dancing, the offering of torma
(butter sculptures), and the ning of the Buddha” when a silk
“sun-painting (tangkha) is consecrated
and becomes the living Buddha inthe minds of believers Typically,the festival culminates in the parad-ing of the Maitreya Buddhathrough the town Fourth to 16thdays of the first lunar month (Jan25–Feb 6, 2004; Feb 12–24, 2005).Check dates with Q∫nghâi Moun-
823-8922) In Tibet check with FIT (& 0891/634-4397; www.
tibet-travel.com/)
Trang 40Kurban Bairam (Gû’êrb≈ng Jié),
also known as the Festival of
Sac-rifice, is celebrated by Muslims
throughout China It marks the
willingness of the prophet
Abra-ham to sacrifice everything to
God, even his son Ishmael
Cele-brations in Kashgar involve feats
of tightrope-walking in the main
square and wild dancing outside
the Idkah Mosque The 4-day
fes-tival is held 70 days after the
breaking of the fast of Ramadan,
on the 10th day of the 12th
month (Dhul-Hijjah) in the
Islamic calendar It falls on
Febru-ary 1, 2004, and shifts earlier by
11 days each year
February
The Lantern Festival (D√ng Jié)
perhaps reached its peak in the late
Q∫ng dynasty, when temples, stores,
and other public places were hung
with fantastically shaped and
deco-rated lanterns, some with figures
animated by ingenious mechanisms
involving the flow of sand Many
people paraded through the streets
with lightweight lanterns in the
shapes of fish, sheep, and so on, and
hung lanterns outside their houses,
often decorated with riddles There
are some signs of the festival’s
revival, including at Píngyáo in
Sh≈nx∫ Province, and at Quánzh∂u
in Fújiàn The festival always falls
15 days after Spring Festival
March
Hong Kong Sevens Rugby
Tour-nament, Hong Kong Known as
“The Sevens,” this is one of Hong
Kong’s most popular and one of
Asia’s largest sporting events, with
more than 20 teams from around
the world competing for the Cup
Championship A 3-day pass costs
HK$750 ($97) Contact the Hong
Kong Rugby Football Union at
(Q∫ng-Hong Kong and Macau, frequentlyobserved in Chinese communitiesoverseas, and celebrated in morerural areas of China, as a familyouting on a free day near the festi-val date It’s a day to honor ances-tors by visiting and tidying theirgraves and making offerings ofsnacks and alcohol, which oftenturns into a picnic April 5
Sisters’ Meal Festival (Zîmèifàn Jié), Táiji≈ng, Sh∫dòng (Guìzh∂u).
Celebrated with lúsh√ng
(wind-instrument music) dances andantiphonal singing, this is one ofthe prime occasions for young Miáomen and women to socialize andfind marriage partners Elaboratelydressed Miáo women prepare pack-ets of berry-stained glutinous rice topresent to suitors For exact dates,
to 15
Luòyáng Peony Festival, Luòyáng.
Over 300 varieties of China’s bestpeonies, first cultivated in Luòyáng1,400 years ago, are on display at theWángchéng Park (WángchéngG∂ngyuán), which is awash in a riot
of colors from red to violet and everyshade in between April 15 to 25
Wéif≈ng International Kite val, Wéif≈ng The kite capital of the
Festi-C H A P T E R 2 P L A N N I N G Y O U R T R I P T O Festi-C H I N A
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