Visit China Q+A - for all questions about visiting the Middle Kingdom!!

dcb11 · January 8th, 2004, 08:02 AM

I'm planning a trip to China this May with a friend (frankful on the ssc forum) who is from Shenyang. I'll be in China for 5 weeks total, but spending the last 5-7 days in Shenyang. Here are the other places we want to visit in those first 4 weeks:

Beijing
Shanghai
Xian
Suzhou
Hong Kong (and surrounding Guangdong cities)
Nanjing?
Guilin?

My question is how long to spend at each place. Also, are there any places I should add, or perhaps remove from my list? Keep in mind this is my first trip to China, and I will probably not be back for a long time.

Thanks for your help, and feel free to post photos of the places to make this a more interesting thread!

fk310 · January 8th, 2004, 10:14 AM

I think it depends on what kind of person you are, what interests you have. But to speak generally....

Beijing- I would spend the most time in Beijing. This is a great historical and cultural center. You can see the forbidden city, great wall, the palace gardens, and just enjoy this incredible capital. Spend about 4-5 days AT LEAST.
Shanghai-Also, another must see. It's very fast paced and that might get tiring. But if you are a skyscraper afficionado, which you must be to be here, you should definitely stay here a while to enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere and the skyscrapers. I would suggest 3-4 days.
Xian-If you are a history fanatic, stay longer. If not, this may not be the most pleasant city to be in because it is very polluted. However, the countryside is beautiful and there are incredible historical sites such as the terracotta warriors, the moslem quarter, the city wall, etc. I would suggest 2-3 days, 2 nights at least.
Suzhou=Again, it depends on what you enjoy. This is not far from Shanghai, only 2 hours by train. Spend 2-3 days here since you have some time. It is a beautiful and charming city, perhaps you'd find it too charming and have to stay longer?
Hong Kong (and surrounding Guangdong cities)=there are many cities around this area... Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macau, Zhuhai. The food is great, but don't eat any cats or you'd get SARS. LOL Stay a week if you're going to check out all the major places in the Pearl River delta.
Nanjing?-I would definitely go here. It is one of the most cultured and refined cities in China. It has a great wealth of historical sites, and is just an enjoyable, clean and beautiful city. I would suggest 2-3 days.
Guilin?-has great natural beauty.. if you're into nature, you should stay here for several days to unwind from the bustle of the Pearl River Delta. Perhaps 2 days?

Some other places I'd suggest? Well, since you're going to be in Shanghai, you might as well go to Hangzhou, which is a beautiful ancient city. Can't miss that. It is only 2 hours south of Shanghai. The possible places to go are actually limitless since China is so big.. but again, you need to tell us what your interests are...

dcb11 · January 8th, 2004, 06:47 PM

I'm pretty much into everything China has to offer. I'm especially looking for cultural stuff (architecture, religion, modern and ancient history), but I don't want to miss some natural beauty, such as Guilin and Yangshuo.

One problem in planning this trip is that I can't keep going back and forth from Hong Kong when I'm exploring Guangdong because of the Visa rules. I can only enter mainland China twice. I suppose we'll have to get a hotel in Shenzhen, or maybe Guangdong. How long would you say to stay in Hong Kong itself?

Thanks for your help.

fk310 · January 8th, 2004, 08:21 PM

I would probably suggest 4-5 days. That sounds about right. HK is an exciting place. But if you're into Chinese culture, history and natural beauty. It's not the place for you. I think you need to look at more traditional cities. Yangshuo is good. Zhouzhuang is another very charming river canal city near Shanghai. Suzhou is a definite must. Basically, there are quite a number of beautiful cities that are near Shanghai which can give you a good taste of Chinese culture. They are nanjing, Suzhou, hangzhou, zhouzhuang, yangzhou, wuxi, I am sure there are more.

In the north, Beijing offers a great deal, as I said before. Dalian is a very beautiful, picturesque city but relatively new.

If you are adventurous, you can venture into the west... it is much dryer and more desert, but there are some very breathtaking places. I can upload some pics when I have some time. There is Jiayuguan, the old lonely fort on the western end of the great wall. This is in Gansu province. Xinjiang province offers a great deal of Uighur cultural experiences and has a wide range of beautiful scenery from alpine forests to the taklamakan desert. In Inner Mongolia, you can see Mongol nomads roam, and the vast open sky country is amazing. Basically, china has endless opportunities because it is so vast, and it's civilization so ancient.

dcb11 · January 8th, 2004, 10:35 PM

Its true that Hong Kong may not have the cultural history and resources of mainland China, but keep in mind that I'm a huge skyscraper fan too! Both modern and ancient China are very fascinating.

I don't think I'll be able to make it too far west on this trip. I want to cut down on plane/train trips, but exploring cities close together, as in the area around Shanghai, is a definite possibility.

Do you think Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou are all unique enough that I should make sure to visit all of them? What about Zhouzhuang, Yangzhou, and Wuxi? Are they worth visiting on such a tight schedule?

fk310 · January 8th, 2004, 11:42 PM

If you have five weeks (which is a good time btw) and a limited budget. I suggest you stick to three main areas. Start from south and work northwards since you have to end up in Shenyang.

Start in HK. Spend 5 days there, then move to the rest of Guangdong province. Spend about 4-5 days absorbing that.

Then move on to the Shanghai region. Nanjing., hangzhou and Suzhou are MUSTS. yangzhou and Wuxi you can skip. Going to Zhouzhuang is not too far from Suzhou and that area, so you can make a day trip there. But stay about 1.5-2 weeks in that region. But those cities I highlighted, nanjing, suzhou and hangzhou are DEFINITE musts. They are classic cities, your trip would not be complete without seeing them.

Then move up to Beijing. Spend about 5 days there.

Then you can ahve the option to spend 1-2 days in Dalian or just go straight up to Shenyang, which should be the last leg of your trip. I think this itinerary makes a lot of geographical sense.

snake · January 9th, 2004, 12:30 AM

Since you are going to China in winter, and you will stay at Shenyang for a few days. So I suggest you may take a time to Harbin or Dalian. Harbin you can see the famous annual ice and snow sculptures. Dalian has skyscrapers, but might be too cold for visiting a seashore city. So I prefer Harbin.

The best season to Suzhou is late Spring, but you can take one-two days there in the current season. Hangzhou is an alternate choice for Suzhou. Both are very close to Shanghai. And you definitely need to enjoy the foods and snacks in Suzhou if you are there.

Although I came from Nanjing, I don't think it's a good season to visit Nanjing. Autumn is the best season to be there.

Beijing and Shanghai are the MUST. Tianjin is very close to Beijing, so you can spare one day to visit it from Beijing. Tianjin has many western style old building in her downtown, and is a big city. If you skip Xi'an, you can take a train to Chengde in Hebei, then to Shenyang

I've never been to Guangdong & HK. So

. But in this winter season, you might spend more time in GD. But don't let SARS spoil your trip there.

If you like nature, I suggest you go to Yunnan instead of Xi'an. I f you prefer history, Xi'an is a MUST and you may add Luoyang too.

Enjoy your trip and have a happy Chinese New Year

dcb11 · January 9th, 2004, 01:55 AM

I'm going in May, not in the winter, but thank you for your suggestions.

null · January 10th, 2004, 03:41 AM

Great!!

you can add Urumqi & Lahsa for non-han Chinese culture,if you have the time

i currently live in Yangzhou,Jiangsu province

for more info.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attr...ngsu/yangzhou/

not that big and thriving,but more livable than most big Chinese cities

beivushtang · January 10th, 2004, 03:25 PM

i was wondering if one can travel to china and just tour the country by himself ?
i heard it's very strict and that you can't hire a car ...
anybody knows how it works ?

loureed · January 12th, 2004, 04:07 PM

if i were to go to china right now. my itenerary would be beijing, pingyao, shanghai, hong kong, and sichaun. emei shan and the dazu rock carvings in the province sichaun. emei shan is one of the five holy buddhist mountains with 20 or 30 temples on it and spectacular scenary. the dazu rock carvings are hundreds of caves with thousands of buddhist statues and mosaics carved right into them.

pingyao is a ming dynasty city that completely escaped the destruction of communism and is between beijing and shanghai somewhere. theres only 3 or 4 such cities in china that are this worthwhile.

huangshan(yellow mountain) next to shanghai is really nice as well.

when you go to china, dont except some pretty historical fantasy land like youll find in europe. or youll come back quite jaded like i did.

enjoy youre trip. it is a treat of course.

January 20th, 2004, 01:02 PM

If you're visiting Guangdong province, I think these are the cities worth going:

Hong Kong - a skyscraper lover's dream, and tons of shopping, good food, and entertainment. Spend at least 3 days there.

Shenzhen - pretty incredible city considering it was nothing but farmlands just 20 years ago. Lots of new skyscrapers and projects U/C. Spend about 1-2 days there.

Guangzhou - just a 1.5 hours train ride from Shenzhen. A huge city with population of 12 million +. An older city with not as many new skyscrapers, but the food is awesome (if you like Chinese food). 2 days should be enough.

Zhongshan - hometown of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the father of the Republic of China. His memorial hall can be visited there. Nice laid-back city with about 2.5 million people. A single-day visit should be enough.

Zhuhai - lots of entertainment and a major tourist city. 1-2 days.

Macau - former Portugese colony right next to Zhuhai. Good food, nice Portugese architecture, and great casinos. 1-2 days.

I suggest you should visit these cities in the order listed (or in the reverse order).

In regards to places other than those in Guangdong, I think these are worth going:

Shanghai - Very few cultural attractions, but skyscrapers aplenty. The Bund is a must go. However, although many people (including many here in this forum) have high praises for Shanghai, I think it's an overrated city. I would spend 3 days max if I were you.

Suzhou - Xihu (West Lake) is a must go if you like nature.

Jiuzaigou - in Sichuan province. A couple of hours plane ride from Chengdu. The Yellowstone Park of China. If you like nature this place is a must go. It's renowned as the most beautiful place in China, with lots of beautiful lakes, waterfalls, and natural sceneries.

Chengdu - although heavily polluted, you might as well go there if you go to Jiuzaigou. The capital of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdom Period.

Guilin - stunning natural sceneries.

Three Gorges - you can take the cruise ride from Chongqing to Wuhan.

Beijing - spend at least 3 days there. Just visiting the Forbidden City will take you around half a day.

The Great Wall - you can't be coming to China without visiting the Great Wall. Enough said.

Dalian, Qingdao - haven't been there yet in person, but I heard they are beautiful coastal cities. You can visit the Qingdao Beer factory if you're in Qingdao.

Xian - worth visiting if you're into cultural relics.

Nanjing - former capital of China. One of the few walled cities left in all of China. Lots of historical and cultural attractions.

null · January 20th, 2004, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Suzhou - Xihu (West Lake) is a must go if you like nature.

correct:Taihu

January 20th, 2004, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by neon

correct:Taihu

sorry my bad. Thanks for the correction neon.

Monkey · January 21st, 2004, 02:08 AM

I am coming to Shanghai in late February for 9 days. I don't want to spend all of my time in the city and I'm interested in some day/overnight trips. I don't want to go as far as Beijing and I have visited Hong Kong already. Genenrally I'm not looking to see as many big ticket sights as possible in the shortest possible time - those can wait for another trip. I'm interested in places easily accessible from Shanghai. From reading this article I picked up recommendations for Yellow Mountain and Hangzhou. Any additional information about these or other places would be greatly appreciated.

Also Shanghai restaurant tips and what to order....

dcb11 · January 21st, 2004, 06:14 AM

I haven't been there yet, but I can tell you to look into Suzhou (beautiful city with canals and gardens) and Nanjing (another big city; very historical in both the ancient and modern periods. Also, has attractive parks, I'm told). The surroundings of shanghai have more to offer (unless you're only interested in skyscrapers). Spend a few days in Shanghai, then go with daytrips, perhaps an overnight in Nanjing.

Monkey · January 21st, 2004, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dcb11

I haven't been there yet, but I can tell you to look into Suzhou (beautiful city with canals and gardens) and Nanjing (another big city; very historical in both the ancient and modern periods. Also, has attractive parks, I'm told). The surroundings of shanghai have more to offer (unless you're only interested in skyscrapers). Spend a few days in Shanghai, then go with daytrips, perhaps an overnight in Nanjing.

Thanks for the tips. Has Nanjing more to offer than Hangzhou? They were both ancient capitals right??

null · January 22nd, 2004, 03:57 AM

you are lucky,this year is Monkeys year!!!

j/k

Nanjing was 6 times as the Chinese capital

Hangzhou was the capital of Nansong Dynasty(one of the weakest han regimes)

Monkey · January 22nd, 2004, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by neon

you are lucky,this year is Monkeys year!!!

Yup! Happy New Year....

Sher · January 23rd, 2004, 03:08 AM

@Monkey

Hope these help a bit:

http://chinaguides.shanghai-window.c...ttraction.html
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai.htm
http://www.beijing-opera.org/shanghai/

Be sure to go to a new place called "Xin Tian Di" at night, it's a new entertainment district with cafes, bars, restaurants, shops... (you will see more westerner there than oriental

), click here for more info.

As for shopping, besides Nanjing road, Huaihai road is a must.

I remember it's quite expensive to go up to the highest pearl (350m) of the Oriental Pearl Tower (about $100 RMB), but besides sightseeing, what worths the most is the history museum at the bottom of the tower, be sure to get there.

The Bund is the true Shanghai.

January 8th, 2004, 08:02 AM	#1
dcb11 Blue Devil Join Date: May 2003 Location: Duke University, Durham, NC Posts: 188 Likes (Received): 0	Going to China- Please help! I'm planning a trip to China this May with a friend (frankful on the ssc forum) who is from Shenyang. I'll be in China for 5 weeks total, but spending the last 5-7 days in Shenyang. Here are the other places we want to visit in those first 4 weeks: Beijing Shanghai Xian Suzhou Hong Kong (and surrounding Guangdong cities) Nanjing? Guilin? My question is how long to spend at each place. Also, are there any places I should add, or perhaps remove from my list? Keep in mind this is my first trip to China, and I will probably not be back for a long time. Thanks for your help, and feel free to post photos of the places to make this a more interesting thread!

January 10th, 2004, 03:25 PM	#10
beivushtang Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 139 Likes (Received): 0	how free is travel to china ? i was wondering if one can travel to china and just tour the country by himself ? i heard it's very strict and that you can't hire a car ... anybody knows how it works ? __________________ Visit my PBase Gallery <_>^beivushtang^<_>%

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January 8th, 2004, 10:14 AM	#2
fk310 BANNED Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 95 Likes (Received): 0	I think it depends on what kind of person you are, what interests you have. But to speak generally.... Beijing- I would spend the most time in Beijing. This is a great historical and cultural center. You can see the forbidden city, great wall, the palace gardens, and just enjoy this incredible capital. Spend about 4-5 days AT LEAST. Shanghai-Also, another must see. It's very fast paced and that might get tiring. But if you are a skyscraper afficionado, which you must be to be here, you should definitely stay here a while to enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere and the skyscrapers. I would suggest 3-4 days. Xian-If you are a history fanatic, stay longer. If not, this may not be the most pleasant city to be in because it is very polluted. However, the countryside is beautiful and there are incredible historical sites such as the terracotta warriors, the moslem quarter, the city wall, etc. I would suggest 2-3 days, 2 nights at least. Suzhou=Again, it depends on what you enjoy. This is not far from Shanghai, only 2 hours by train. Spend 2-3 days here since you have some time. It is a beautiful and charming city, perhaps you'd find it too charming and have to stay longer? Hong Kong (and surrounding Guangdong cities)=there are many cities around this area... Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macau, Zhuhai. The food is great, but don't eat any cats or you'd get SARS. LOL Stay a week if you're going to check out all the major places in the Pearl River delta. Nanjing?-I would definitely go here. It is one of the most cultured and refined cities in China. It has a great wealth of historical sites, and is just an enjoyable, clean and beautiful city. I would suggest 2-3 days. Guilin?-has great natural beauty.. if you're into nature, you should stay here for several days to unwind from the bustle of the Pearl River Delta. Perhaps 2 days? Some other places I'd suggest? Well, since you're going to be in Shanghai, you might as well go to Hangzhou, which is a beautiful ancient city. Can't miss that. It is only 2 hours south of Shanghai. The possible places to go are actually limitless since China is so big.. but again, you need to tell us what your interests are...

January 8th, 2004, 06:47 PM	#3
dcb11 Blue Devil Join Date: May 2003 Location: Duke University, Durham, NC Posts: 188 Likes (Received): 0	I'm pretty much into everything China has to offer. I'm especially looking for cultural stuff (architecture, religion, modern and ancient history), but I don't want to miss some natural beauty, such as Guilin and Yangshuo. One problem in planning this trip is that I can't keep going back and forth from Hong Kong when I'm exploring Guangdong because of the Visa rules. I can only enter mainland China twice. I suppose we'll have to get a hotel in Shenzhen, or maybe Guangdong. How long would you say to stay in Hong Kong itself? Thanks for your help.

January 8th, 2004, 08:21 PM	#4
fk310 BANNED Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 95 Likes (Received): 0	I would probably suggest 4-5 days. That sounds about right. HK is an exciting place. But if you're into Chinese culture, history and natural beauty. It's not the place for you. I think you need to look at more traditional cities. Yangshuo is good. Zhouzhuang is another very charming river canal city near Shanghai. Suzhou is a definite must. Basically, there are quite a number of beautiful cities that are near Shanghai which can give you a good taste of Chinese culture. They are nanjing, Suzhou, hangzhou, zhouzhuang, yangzhou, wuxi, I am sure there are more. In the north, Beijing offers a great deal, as I said before. Dalian is a very beautiful, picturesque city but relatively new. If you are adventurous, you can venture into the west... it is much dryer and more desert, but there are some very breathtaking places. I can upload some pics when I have some time. There is Jiayuguan, the old lonely fort on the western end of the great wall. This is in Gansu province. Xinjiang province offers a great deal of Uighur cultural experiences and has a wide range of beautiful scenery from alpine forests to the taklamakan desert. In Inner Mongolia, you can see Mongol nomads roam, and the vast open sky country is amazing. Basically, china has endless opportunities because it is so vast, and it's civilization so ancient.

January 8th, 2004, 10:35 PM	#5
dcb11 Blue Devil Join Date: May 2003 Location: Duke University, Durham, NC Posts: 188 Likes (Received): 0	Its true that Hong Kong may not have the cultural history and resources of mainland China, but keep in mind that I'm a huge skyscraper fan too! Both modern and ancient China are very fascinating. I don't think I'll be able to make it too far west on this trip. I want to cut down on plane/train trips, but exploring cities close together, as in the area around Shanghai, is a definite possibility. Do you think Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou are all unique enough that I should make sure to visit all of them? What about Zhouzhuang, Yangzhou, and Wuxi? Are they worth visiting on such a tight schedule?

January 8th, 2004, 11:42 PM	#6
fk310 BANNED Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 95 Likes (Received): 0	If you have five weeks (which is a good time btw) and a limited budget. I suggest you stick to three main areas. Start from south and work northwards since you have to end up in Shenyang. Start in HK. Spend 5 days there, then move to the rest of Guangdong province. Spend about 4-5 days absorbing that. Then move on to the Shanghai region. Nanjing., hangzhou and Suzhou are MUSTS. yangzhou and Wuxi you can skip. Going to Zhouzhuang is not too far from Suzhou and that area, so you can make a day trip there. But stay about 1.5-2 weeks in that region. But those cities I highlighted, nanjing, suzhou and hangzhou are DEFINITE musts. They are classic cities, your trip would not be complete without seeing them. Then move up to Beijing. Spend about 5 days there. Then you can ahve the option to spend 1-2 days in Dalian or just go straight up to Shenyang, which should be the last leg of your trip. I think this itinerary makes a lot of geographical sense.

January 9th, 2004, 12:30 AM	#7
snake Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,787 Likes (Received): 0	Since you are going to China in winter, and you will stay at Shenyang for a few days. So I suggest you may take a time to Harbin or Dalian. Harbin you can see the famous annual ice and snow sculptures. Dalian has skyscrapers, but might be too cold for visiting a seashore city. So I prefer Harbin. The best season to Suzhou is late Spring, but you can take one-two days there in the current season. Hangzhou is an alternate choice for Suzhou. Both are very close to Shanghai. And you definitely need to enjoy the foods and snacks in Suzhou if you are there. Although I came from Nanjing, I don't think it's a good season to visit Nanjing. Autumn is the best season to be there. Beijing and Shanghai are the MUST. Tianjin is very close to Beijing, so you can spare one day to visit it from Beijing. Tianjin has many western style old building in her downtown, and is a big city. If you skip Xi'an, you can take a train to Chengde in Hebei, then to Shenyang I've never been to Guangdong & HK. So . But in this winter season, you might spend more time in GD. But don't let SARS spoil your trip there. If you like nature, I suggest you go to Yunnan instead of Xi'an. I f you prefer history, Xi'an is a MUST and you may add Luoyang too. Enjoy your trip and have a happy Chinese New Year

January 9th, 2004, 01:55 AM	#8
dcb11 Blue Devil Join Date: May 2003 Location: Duke University, Durham, NC Posts: 188 Likes (Received): 0	I'm going in May, not in the winter, but thank you for your suggestions.

January 10th, 2004, 03:41 AM	#9
null Mind Reader Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3,285 Likes (Received): 62	Great!! you can add Urumqi & Lahsa for non-han Chinese culture,if you have the time i currently live in Yangzhou,Jiangsu province for more info. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attr...ngsu/yangzhou/ not that big and thriving,but more livable than most big Chinese cities

January 12th, 2004, 04:07 PM	#11
loureed Registered User Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 1,611 Likes (Received): 0	if i were to go to china right now. my itenerary would be beijing, pingyao, shanghai, hong kong, and sichaun. emei shan and the dazu rock carvings in the province sichaun. emei shan is one of the five holy buddhist mountains with 20 or 30 temples on it and spectacular scenary. the dazu rock carvings are hundreds of caves with thousands of buddhist statues and mosaics carved right into them. pingyao is a ming dynasty city that completely escaped the destruction of communism and is between beijing and shanghai somewhere. theres only 3 or 4 such cities in china that are this worthwhile. huangshan(yellow mountain) next to shanghai is really nice as well. when you go to china, dont except some pretty historical fantasy land like youll find in europe. or youll come back quite jaded like i did. enjoy youre trip. it is a treat of course.

January 20th, 2004, 01:02 PM	#12
zhongguoren Guest Posts: n/a Likes (Received):	If you're visiting Guangdong province, I think these are the cities worth going: Hong Kong - a skyscraper lover's dream, and tons of shopping, good food, and entertainment. Spend at least 3 days there. Shenzhen - pretty incredible city considering it was nothing but farmlands just 20 years ago. Lots of new skyscrapers and projects U/C. Spend about 1-2 days there. Guangzhou - just a 1.5 hours train ride from Shenzhen. A huge city with population of 12 million +. An older city with not as many new skyscrapers, but the food is awesome (if you like Chinese food). 2 days should be enough. Zhongshan - hometown of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the father of the Republic of China. His memorial hall can be visited there. Nice laid-back city with about 2.5 million people. A single-day visit should be enough. Zhuhai - lots of entertainment and a major tourist city. 1-2 days. Macau - former Portugese colony right next to Zhuhai. Good food, nice Portugese architecture, and great casinos. 1-2 days. I suggest you should visit these cities in the order listed (or in the reverse order). In regards to places other than those in Guangdong, I think these are worth going: Shanghai - Very few cultural attractions, but skyscrapers aplenty. The Bund is a must go. However, although many people (including many here in this forum) have high praises for Shanghai, I think it's an overrated city. I would spend 3 days max if I were you. Suzhou - Xihu (West Lake) is a must go if you like nature. Jiuzaigou - in Sichuan province. A couple of hours plane ride from Chengdu. The Yellowstone Park of China. If you like nature this place is a must go. It's renowned as the most beautiful place in China, with lots of beautiful lakes, waterfalls, and natural sceneries. Chengdu - although heavily polluted, you might as well go there if you go to Jiuzaigou. The capital of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdom Period. Guilin - stunning natural sceneries. Three Gorges - you can take the cruise ride from Chongqing to Wuhan. Beijing - spend at least 3 days there. Just visiting the Forbidden City will take you around half a day. The Great Wall - you can't be coming to China without visiting the Great Wall. Enough said. Dalian, Qingdao - haven't been there yet in person, but I heard they are beautiful coastal cities. You can visit the Qingdao Beer factory if you're in Qingdao. Xian - worth visiting if you're into cultural relics. Nanjing - former capital of China. One of the few walled cities left in all of China. Lots of historical and cultural attractions.

January 21st, 2004, 02:08 AM	#15
Monkey Londinium langur Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Londinium Posts: 14,616 Likes (Received): 1	I am coming to Shanghai in late February for 9 days. I don't want to spend all of my time in the city and I'm interested in some day/overnight trips. I don't want to go as far as Beijing and I have visited Hong Kong already. Genenrally I'm not looking to see as many big ticket sights as possible in the shortest possible time - those can wait for another trip. I'm interested in places easily accessible from Shanghai. From reading this article I picked up recommendations for Yellow Mountain and Hangzhou. Any additional information about these or other places would be greatly appreciated. Also Shanghai restaurant tips and what to order....

January 21st, 2004, 06:14 AM	#16
dcb11 Blue Devil Join Date: May 2003 Location: Duke University, Durham, NC Posts: 188 Likes (Received): 0	I haven't been there yet, but I can tell you to look into Suzhou (beautiful city with canals and gardens) and Nanjing (another big city; very historical in both the ancient and modern periods. Also, has attractive parks, I'm told). The surroundings of shanghai have more to offer (unless you're only interested in skyscrapers). Spend a few days in Shanghai, then go with daytrips, perhaps an overnight in Nanjing.

January 22nd, 2004, 03:57 AM	#18
null Mind Reader Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3,285 Likes (Received): 62	you are lucky,this year is Monkeys year!!! j/k Nanjing was 6 times as the Chinese capital Hangzhou was the capital of Nansong Dynasty(one of the weakest han regimes)

January 23rd, 2004, 03:08 AM	#20
Sher patience Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 340 Likes (Received): 0	@Monkey Hope these help a bit: http://chinaguides.shanghai-window.c...ttraction.html http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai.htm http://www.beijing-opera.org/shanghai/ Be sure to go to a new place called "Xin Tian Di" at night, it's a new entertainment district with cafes, bars, restaurants, shops... (you will see more westerner there than oriental ), click here for more info. As for shopping, besides Nanjing road, Huaihai road is a must. I remember it's quite expensive to go up to the highest pearl (350m) of the Oriental Pearl Tower (about $100 RMB), but besides sightseeing, what worths the most is the history museum at the bottom of the tower, be sure to get there. The Bund is the true Shanghai.