China - Olympic 2008

Just two decades ago the people of China had barely enough to eat. Today China has the fastest growing economy in the world–something that has to be seen to be believed. On a recent trip to China–four days in Beijing and three days in Shanghai, which is about right for an overview–here’s what I observed:

*Traffic as bad as Tokyo’s or LA’s.

*Clean streets and sidewalks with hardly a scrap of paper to be seen.

*Huge, dramatic buildings going up everywhere. Most of the cranes in the world seem to be in Beijing or Shanghai. Famed architect John Portman has designed three brilliant hotels in Shanghai alone.

*Excitement and pride. Beijing is getting ready for the Olympics in 2008 and Shanghai for the World Expo in 2010. *Entrepreneurship. Everybody is trying to get in on the action. Even bus drivers sell bottles of water–two for a dollar.

*Openness toward Western ideas that is perhaps unparalleled in history. Example. The State owns the land but individuals can own condos and finance them with 5-10-15-and 20-year mortgages. As my guide put it, “We are learning from you.” *Unbelievable bargains. I was particularly impressed with the silk scarves and rugs.

*Hustlers. Most of the antiques and coins in the shops–except for the government approved (or run) shops–are fakes. You will be able to purchase watches on the streets for almost nothing, but they tend not to run very long.

*Business opportunities. China is looking for partners and investors. China owns more American bonds than any other nation on earth, and it will have to find ways to spend dollars on American products and services.

Tips For Travelers In China

*Don’t go to Beijing or Shanghai for a vacation. Go to Cancun or St. Barts instead and lie on the beach. Go to China for an adventure.

*Choose a hotel as close to the central city as you can. Otherwise you’ll spend a lot of time in traffic.

*Be on guard against pickpockets and counterfeit money.

*Do go to The Great Wall. Do avoid the Peking Opera–amateurish and strictly for Western tourists–and the Peking Duck banquet that they serve in the restaurant adjoining the theater. It’s difficult to make Peking Duck taste ordinary but these chefs succeed brilliantly.

*Do go to the Shanghai Acrobats Performance–amazing–and do not miss an excursion to Suzhou, a few miles from Shanghai. Known as the “Venice of the East,” Suzhou is renowned for its canals and gardens.

A Travel Bargain

Check out www.smartours.com. If you are accustomed to flying business-class or first-class and staying in five-star hotels, don’t consider smarTours. But if you don’t mind flying coach and staying in four-star hotels, this company provides excellent value. (You may want to consider using Smartour and purchasing upgrades for your flight.) Their guides are fantastic; they take away the pain of navigating through a foreign culture.

From The Achievement Digest April 2005

© 2005 - Gene Griessman

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China is a popular travel destination for many travelers and will be more so as the Olympics approach. The new year celebrations in China are top notch and here is some information on them.

An Overview of the Chinese New Year for Travelers

Most of the world celebrates its New Year on January 1st, which marks the beginning of the Gregorian calendar that most countries use. It’s not the only New Year celebration, however. The Jewish New Year takes place on Rosh Hashanah, which coincides with a date on the Gregorian calendar that will always fall between September 6 and October 15. Another celebration of the year beginning comes in China - the background of Chinese New Year is very interesting and complex.

The Chinese New Year originally started with the Xin Dynasty, which is where “month one” of the Chinese year was said to start. Month twelve was said to be during the Shang Dynasty. These were not months in the sense of the Gregorian calendar, rather, just marking different periods of time. The first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, changed the beginning of the Chinese New Year to be during the period marked month ten in 221 BC. The final change of when the Chinese New Year would be celebrated happened in 104 BC, when Emperor Wu decided on a first day of the year.

The customs that started with the Chinese New Year came from other sources. The first New Year celebrations were said to have been based on an old legend of a monster known as Nian. This monster could sneak into houses, and all of the Chinese people were afraid of him. Once the population learned that Nian was afraid of loud noises and the color red, people began to put on fireworks displays and decorate with the color red. This led to the term “Guo Nian” (Passover the Nian) which is also used as the term for New Year.

The period of the Chinese New Year celebrations lasts for fifteen days on the Gregorian calendar. The date on which the celebration starts is determined by the Chinese calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar, and always starts between the Gregorian dates of January 21 and February 20. The celebration starts with New Year’s Eve. Before this date, Chinese families make sure to thoroughly clean their houses, because it is believed that this will sweep away bad luck. All brooms and cleaning items are put away on New Year’s Eve so good luck can not be swept away, and a family dinner is held to celebrate.

The Chinese New Year ends with the Lantern Festival, one of the most recognizable parts of the holiday to Westerners. This period of celebration is not just held in China; Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, among others, also mark the time of the Chinese New Year.

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China is situated in the south-eastern part of Eurasia and the eastern and central part of Asia. The region totals 9.6 million square kilometers. From bustling metropolises to the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China is characterized by a diversified culture. Whether you are following the Silk Road, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr. Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province, the cultural feast is its chief draw. However, standard tourist sights like The Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Terracotta Army are relatively few, considering the size of the country.

Contrary to popular perception, China has not done away with its Maoist past; the revolutionary fervour is balanced by economic pragmatism. However, the change of pace is visible in modern day China. Travellers who visit the country would be surprised to see how much China has opened up and how many liberal trends have materialized subsequent to the late Deng Xiaoping’s free market economics. Whether travellers are attracted to the country’s rich history, architecture, culture, or politics, the speed with which things are changing ensure their vacations are unparalleled.

In the plains, villages appear to amalgamate while big cities are sprawling affairs with the majority of their inhabitants residing in uniform dormitory buildings. There are several regional discrepancies. Some areas of the People’s Republic are not populated by the Chinese but by supposed minority peoples, of whom there are over 200 groups. Nevertheless, enduring images of China are fundamentally stereotypical Chinese ones: chopsticks, tea, shadow-boxing, karaoke, Dickensian train stations, smoky temples, red flags, and the aroma of frying tofu, in addition to the industrial landscape a person would expect from one of the world’s largest economies.

Spring and autumn are the best times to visit China. Daytime temperatures range from 20

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