China Holidays Weblog

Wild China - last in the series

The last programme has now been transmitted and what a brilliant conclusion to this fascinating series it was.  

The title of this programme Tides of Change gives us a clue as to its contents.  With a coast line that stretches nearly 2,000 miles from the Yellow Sea in the north through the East China Sea and finishing in the South China Sea we see a huge variety of bird life and the numerous bird sanctuaries that exist along the coast line. 

I am not a ‘twitter’ but I would just love to see the sight of the migrating Cranes – can you imagine what a sight it must be – I was so surprised to hear that an estimated  3 million birds migrate along the Chinese coast . 

The programme also gave us tantalising glimpses of the tea plantation and terraced field of rice cultivation – I have been lucky enough to see many such areas within China and I can assure you that they are indeed just a beautiful as they were shown on Wild China. What is difficult to appreciate on a TV programme is the quietness of the areas, well away from the crowds of local tourist.  

I was fascinated to hear that the Chinese tourism industry was worth an estimated £75 billion to the Chinese economy (from my experience I would guess at least 75% of this income comes from the local Chinese exploring their own country) rather than hordes of overseas visitors  

Well -  I will now need to find something else to do on Sunday evenings – let’s hope the BBC soon do a repeat run of the programmes. 

'Wild China' Programme 5

Programme 5 gave us an insight into the life of pandas in the wild.  Before anybody asks us to arrange to see pandas in the wild I must say that the footage that the BBC showed last night was unique; as a tourist it is impossible to see Pandas in the Wild. 

We do have arrangements with Wolong Panda reserve to enable our clients to work as volunteers in the research station – this is a great experience for those people who really do want to get up close and personal with a Panda. 

For me the best bit of last nights show was the segment about Jiuzhaigou and Mount Emei, these areas are little explored by westerners although popular with the city dwelling Chinese.  

As the programme announcer said at the start of the programme “this edition of the series was filmed before the recent earthquake”, I am afraid much of what we saw last night has now be devastated and many thousands of the population have been displaced as well as countless people, in these rural areas, having lost their lives. 

Please keep an eye on our web site www.chinaholidays.com  for the latest news about the recovery that the population in Sichuan Province are making and when tourist can again visit this lovely area of Wild China. 

Wild China the BBC 2 series

The splendid BBC series 'Wild China' continues to receive rave reviews for its stunning photography and insight to some rarely visited areas in remote China. If you've not had the chance to watch any of the programmes the BBC have selected video clips that you can view online.

We at China Holidays are already receiving a string of enquiries from clients who have seen the programmes and wish to visits many of the areas. Unfortunately, most of these places are not suitable for tourists and in many cases are indeed closed to tourists in order to protect the wild life and in some case the way of life of the inhabitants. As a result we're not in a position to offer holidays to these locations. 

However, this week’s programme about the Silk Road and in particular Harbin (for the Ice Festival) did show areas where we are able to take our clients to provide them with astonishing holidays. Indeed we have taken many clients to these more remote areas in the last 10 years

We would love to hear from anybody with first hand experience of visiting Harbin  Turpan, Urumqi and Kashgar.  

For 2009 we will further develop tours into areas away from the main tourist spots. It is more difficult in China to get away from the crowds but when you can achieve it the feeling of satisfaction is immense.

The Earthquake

It is now a week since the huge earthquake struck Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province at 14:28 on 12 May 2008. We have received contact from many clients who have been in touch with us to express their concern and who have asked us to pass their sincere condolences to all those who suffered from this disaster.

We are very grateful for all your immediate and wholehearted concerns showed towards the Chinese population who have had their lives shattered by this sudden earthquake

The 8.0 magnitude quake was powerful enough to be felt throughout China. But, luckily people from areas relatively far away from the epicenter have not been affected in any great way.

All Tourists visiting Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, and Shanghai are well and safe, as these cities are all quite a distance from the epicenter. Most of the guests have decided to finish their tours as planned.  Our guests who happened to be near the epicenter have evacuated with the help of police and the army.  The Chinese government has carried out “Disaster Contingency Plan” to ensure that people who were suffering could get immediate help.

As a tour company, we have been keeping in touch with all our guests since the quake happened. We are happy to report to you that none of our guests are in any danger.

Up to now, big cities like Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, Shanghai and more are still safe tour destinations, but we do not recommend any tours to areas in Sichuan province until it is officially announced safe.  To be specific, Chengdu, Wolong and all the other areas in Sichuan should be avoided for the foreseeable future.  

No Olympic venues were affected, and the huge Three Gorges Dam, which is roughly 400 miles east of the epicenter, was not damaged; Our Yangtze River Cruises will depart as planned for the rest of the season.

 

  More detailed reports about the conditions near the epicenter can be found through many channels it does seem as if reporting of the disaster has been candid and thorough by both the western and Chinese media.

Wild China on the BBC

On Sunday the BBC are beginning a series entitled 'Wild China'. From the BBC site:

China is a vast country with an astonishingly diverse landscape. Through unprecedented access, this six-part series reveals the little-known natural treasures and secret wildlife havens of China's wildest regions.

The programmes are as follows:

• Heart of the Dragon
• Shangri-La
• Tibet
• Beyond the Great Wall
• Land of the Panda
• Tides of Change

The series should showcase some of the fascinating aspects of China that you may not be aware of. If you have any queries or questions, or would like the opportunity of discussing China, please do let us know  -  we'd be happy to help.

New photographs

We've just added some more photographs to our Flickr account - they are from two of our clients who have recently returned from a holiday to China. You can see them at the China Holidays Flickr pool. If you have any photographs of a recent trip to China (it doesn't need to be with China Holidays - we just love seeing photographs of the country!) do let us know.

As a bit of fun we've also turned one of them into a jigsaw puzzle as well - hope you enjoy it!

China Holidays 10th anniversary

China Holidays is to celebrate its 10th anniversary with the launch of its first trade brochure this Summer, part of a campaign to build closer links with agents and operators.

Speaking to over 200 guests at the operator’s anniversary celebrations at Madam Tussauds, managing director Stephanie Cheng said that, having built up a major incoming and outgoing business to China , it was now important to give the trade easier access to this major market, particularly with all the interest that will be generated by this Summer’s Olympic games.

Guest of honour at the celebrations was the Chinese Ambassador to the UK , Her Excellency Fu Yin, who said: “There are now tremendous opportunities for China and the UK to build strong trade and cultural links as a result of London following Beijing as the host city for the Olympic Games. Bilateral relations are also very important, and companies like China Holidays assist in no small way to spread the mutual understanding of each other’s culture and points of view”. She added: “However I do believe that the UK tourism industry should do more to make life easier for Chinese visitors, such as having more Chinese speaking and guides and increasing Chinese language signage”.

UK Inbound chief executive Stephen Dowd told the party that Visa procedures for Chinese visitors coming to the UK were being improved and that the cost of an ADS Visa was being reduced. “I hope this underlines to travel agents in China that the UK authorities do indeed welcome Chinese visitors and that we are ready to welcome even more in the coming months”.

Looking back at the ten year history of China Holidays, Chairman Carey Fletcher said that, having started with a tiny office, the company now employed 30 staff in offices in Beijing and London . He said: “During this time we have seen a huge growth in the amount of Chinese inbound travel to the UK – last year China Holidays brought over 4,000 business people from China into this country, which underlines the importance of building strong relationships with the travel trade there”. China Holidays brought 12 leading tour operators from China to the anniversary celebrations as part of a familiarisation trip being supported by a number of leading UK attractions.

Share your experiences of your holiday in China with us!

Going on holiday is always an enjoyable and exciting experience. However, almost as enjoyable is sharing those experiences with friends, colleagues and loved ones. Here at China Holidays we also like to enjoy the tales that our customers bring back with them. If you'd like to share your stories do feel free to click on the 'comments' link at the bottom of this post, fill in your details and your experiences and send them off. We'll add them to the weblog entry as soon as possible.

If you're stuck for a few ideas perhaps we can help:

What surprised you most about China?
What was the most attractive place you visited?
What was your favourite smell or taste?
Did anything funny happen to you?
Did you meet any interesting characters?
Was there a particular tour that stands out in your memory?
If you had to sum up China in 3 words, what would they be?

Of course you don't need to answer those questions - they're just some ideas to help you on your way!

The Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors, originally uploaded by China.Holidays.

As you're probably aware, the British Museum is currently hosting an exhibition of some of the famous Terracotta Warriors. Here at China Holidays we thought you might like to see some photographs of them in situ.

The figures are 2,200 years old and (obviously) made from terra cotta. 20 figures, their horses, chariots, weapons and kit make up the exhibition. They have been protecting the first Qin emperor since his death in 210BC. Each figures is estimated to be worth between £750,000 to £1.5 million.

The exhibition explores the life and reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, as well as the excavation of the warriors themselves. It's on from now until April 6th 2008, and we'd encourage you to visit it , and perhaps think about getting a taste of China at home! You can get more information on the exhibition directly from the British Museum Website. In the meanwhile, enjoy the photographs!

7 Horses Hill on Li River

7 Horses Hill on Li River, originally uploaded by China.Holidays.

This is a photograph taken by a China Holidays client, Valerie. She took this stunning photograph of the 7 Horses Hill on the Li River. It really gives you a good view of this stunning location.