My Big China Trip 2012 (重庆，武汉，郑州，济南，扬州，上海）

[xuexiansheng]

Big China Trip 2012

I've finalized all my travel dates, I've got my plane ticket and visa，looks like I'm off to China for a month! I'll be doing some sightseeing and looking at Universities/cities where I might like to go back to do a year or two of language study.

Here's the itinerary, so far:

Wed. Feb. 29 Flying into Shanghai, then book a domestic flight to Chongqing, ASAP. Is this possible to do at the airport, or is it best to try to book a domestic flight before I leave?

Chongqing (1-2 days) where I'll book a cruise on the Yangtze. (Thanks for the suggestions from this post...) If I have time, go see Dazu carvings.

Cruise on river (2-3 days). Get from end of the cruise at Yichang to...

Wuhan (1 day), maybe stop the the University and look around, time permitting. (Anyone from Wuhan Univ. that would like to meet a friendly American, PM me!)

Train from Wuhan to....

Zhengzhou (11 days) I'll meet with a contact from a nearby Univ. for a few days. Then do a week of classes at Zhengzhou Univ. Go see Longmen caves on the weekend. Anyone have favorite things to do in or around Zhengzhou?

Take a train from Zhengzhou to ….

Jinan (2-4 days) Check out the provincial museum, maybe look at Jinan Univ. Weather and time permitting, climb Taishan.

Travel from Jinan to...

Nanjing/Yangzhou (4-5 days) to meet friend and check out another University.

Take a bus or train to...

Shanghai (1-2 days) check out a few museums and do some shopping (is that 'fake' market still open, or did they close that down? where is the best place to shop in Shanghai?) before I fly out on March 29!

This will be the second time I've gone to China. The first time was back in 2004, for a year of school at Anhui Univ. I'm really looking forward to traveling again, now that my language skills are a little bit better. I won't have a phone, so I was planning on keeping in touch with my friends and contacts via email. Is it pretty easy to find free Wi-Fi networks where I can use my iPod touch? And, is Gmail accessible, or should I plan on using my back up Hotmail account? Suggestions, comments and recommendations are welcome, thanks!

[langxia]

For wifi I would say bars or malls (more and more malls start to have wifi now). Starbucks wifi needs you to give your phone number and you will get an sms with a code to access the internet (so they are not an option for you if you don't have a phone)

Actually why do you plan not having a phone ? you can take an old phone and buy a chinese simcard, at least this way you can be reached and reach your contacts in china easyer. A sim card can be bought for 30 or 40 kuai so if I was you I would definately think about it.

[xuexiansheng]

@langxia- Thanks for the Wi-Fi tips. I remember I bought a card for an old phone back in 2004 for some small amount, but then I had to go to China moblie and fill out some paperwork with my residence permit and all that stuff. Is it really that easy and I can just grab a SIM card, then pop around to a china mobile and throw on 100 kuai for a month, while I'm traveling?

[abcdefg]

I will try to help with some of your questions. Sounds like a terrific trip.

Wed. Feb. 29 Flying into Shanghai, then book a domestic flight to Chongqing, ASAP. Is this possible to do at the airport, or is it best to try to book a domestic flight before I leave?

It can be done at the Shanghai airport, but you can also do it before you leave home using e-long or c-trip to get a better selection of flights. They will issue you an e-ticket that you can print out. They may charge a small "foreign transaction fee" for use of a non-Chinese credit card. If you book it from home, be sure to allow enough time to find your checked luggage and clear customs.

If I have time, go see Dazu carvings.

The Dazu carvings were amazing. Greatly under-rated. So many tourist sites in China are disappointing when you actually go there because they are crowded and don't live up to their inflated hype. But the Dazu carvings exceed my expectations. Even though some people recommended spending a night in Dazu, I just took a day trip out of Chongqing and still found it well worth the time.

Cruise on river (2-3 days). Get from end of the cruise at Yichang to...Wuhan

As to getting from Yichang to Wuhan, I found an excellent high speed bus last summer. I no longer have detailed ticket information, but it departed from the main bus station where we arrived from the Yangtze River boat. The boat docked at a remote place 15 or 20 minutes out of the city proper, in an industrial suburb. Then the boat company transported us into Yichang on their privately hired bus at no extra charge.

The station where I bought my onward (Wuhan) ticket is right where they let us off. I'll try to locate an address, then come back and post it later. I think I can find it on a map. Recommend buying your bus ticket just as you arrive, instead of waiting until the next day.

Jinan (2-4 days) Check out the provincial museum, maybe look at Jinan Univ. Weather and time permitting, climb Taishan.

If you will be in Jinan and Taishan, I would recommend also going to nearby Qufu to visit the birthplace of Confucius. Last year I climbed Taishan one day and toured Qufu the next. That also gave my tired legs time to rest. You will be in this region at a good time of year; Jinan gets real hot in the summer.

And, is Gmail accessible, or should I plan on using my back up Hotmail account?

Gmail is currently available here on the mainland, but it never hurts to have a backup.

[jkhsu]

Shanghai (1-2 days) check out a few museums and do some shopping (is that 'fake' market still open, or did they close that down? where is the best place to shop in Shanghai?) before I fly out on March 29!

I think the Xiang Yang market has been closed but there might be some other ones that have popped up. Personally, I don't see Shanghai as a great place to shop as things tend to me more expensive there than the West or Hong Kong.

Which museums are you planning to visit? My suggestion is to check out the contemporary / modern art exhibits at M50 or "50 Moganshan road".

[imron]

Is it really that easy and I can just grab a SIM card, then pop around to a china mobile and throw on 100 kuai for a month, while I'm traveling?

Yep. That's what I do everytime I visit China.

[abcdefg]

Here is the passenger terminal I used to buy a bus ticket from Yichang to Wuhan in late April last year. It is near the river. I'll give you the Google Maps url plus an image in case the (long) link does not work. Bear in mind that things change rapidly in China, so double check it when you first arrive Yichang.

http://maps.google.c...ved=0CCAQ8gEwAA

[skylee]

Re Jinan and Taishan. I think they are nice places to visit, and it is easy to do a day trip to Taishan from Jinan. Day trip to Qufu is also easy. I did such a four-day trip in Easter 2009. If you like you can read my blog (it is in Chinese but now that your Chinese is better ...) http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_789625bf0100p37l.html

[xuexiansheng]

@abcdefg- Thanks for the recommendations and suggestions. I'm flying into Shanghai @ 4:40pm, I'm considering finding a hotel to flop down in. But, if I'm still up for it, I'll try to book a plane ticket to Chongqing that night. I'll definitely try to hit up the Dazu carvings, good to hear first hand that they are worth it. And, I hadn't considered Qufu, but I might just have to make time for it. As for Taishan, I'm a little worried about the weather, hopefully it won't be icy and miserable at the top. Wish me luck!

@jkhsu- Thanks, I won't look for that 'fakes' market. It wasn't a pleasant place to shop, but they did have a good selection. I was just thinking about buying some little things for the people back home, but I'll be visiting enough tourist places, I'm bound to find something! I liked Chinesepod John's write up about tourist places for his mother in Shanghai. I was planning on geeking out in the Urban planning museum and the propaganda poster museum.

@imron- My cell from the states should work, thanks!

@skylee- I will take a look at you blog, thanks!

Great write-up, thanks for sharing.

Edited February 18, 2012 at 08:22 PM by xuexiansheng

[JonBI]

From Zhengzhou you can hop on a bus to Dengfeng and go see the Shaolin temple, and the even more beautiful Song Shan that is above it. Zhengzhou's main highlight is its excellent museum. You could also make the worthwhile mission to Anyang and see the digsite of one of China's oldest capitals.

[JonBI]

Oh, and if you daytrip to Qufu, remember to leave early, and get back early, as the busses stop running early (though 200kuai got me a taxi back to Tai'an).

And as for souvenirs, almost all of them in the country are from the factories in Guangdong - they are the same everywhere, so just decide where to purchase based on the prices and the freedom of bargaining. Nothing is actually "real" in the sense that it is a priceless bargain - everything sells for more than it is worth, and has no real resale value - originals, if they are deemed nice, rarely are affordable (and antiques are completely out of the question). As for jade products, they are all glass, as China has already exhausted its jade (Nephrite) mines completely. A real good one is unaffordable, and not sold in shops.

[xuexiansheng]

@JonBI- Thanks for the tip for Qufu! As for souvenirs, I wasn't looking for anything authentic. I find souvenirs for my family/friends are just a little way of saying "Look, I thought about you on my trip. Here's physical proof!" I didn't know that all the jade was glass, shows you what happens to limited resources!

[panda23]

Big China Trip 2012

I've finalized all my travel dates, I've got my plane ticket and visa，looks like I'm off to China for a month! I'll be doing some sightseeing and looking at Universities/cities where I might like to go back to do a year or two of language study.

Here's the itinerary, so far:

Wed. Feb. 29 Flying into Shanghai, then book a domestic flight to Chongqing, ASAP. Is this possible to do at the airport, or is it best to try to book a domestic flight before I leave?

Chongqing (1-2 days) where I'll book a cruise on the Yangtze. (Thanks for the suggestions from this post...) If I have time, go see Dazu carvings.

Cruise on river (2-3 days). Get from end of the cruise at Yichang to...

Wuhan (1 day), maybe stop the the University and look around, time permitting. (Anyone from Wuhan Univ. that would like to meet a friendly American, PM me!)

Train from Wuhan to....

Zhengzhou (11 days) I'll meet with a contact from a nearby Univ. for a few days. Then do a week of classes at Zhengzhou Univ. Go see Longmen caves on the weekend. Anyone have favorite things to do in or around Zhengzhou?

Take a train from Zhengzhou to ….

Jinan (2-4 days) Check out the provincial museum, maybe look at Jinan Univ. Weather and time permitting, climb Taishan.

Travel from Jinan to...

Nanjing/Yangzhou (4-5 days) to meet friend and check out another University.

Take a bus or train to...

Shanghai (1-2 days) check out a few museums and do some shopping (is that 'fake' market still open, or did they close that down? where is the best place to shop in Shanghai?) before I fly out on March 29!

This will be the second time I've gone to China. The first time was back in 2004, for a year of school at Anhui Univ. I'm really looking forward to traveling again, now that my language skills are a little bit better. I won't have a phone, so I was planning on keeping in touch with my friends and contacts via email. Is it pretty easy to find free Wi-Fi networks where I can use my iPod touch? And, is Gmail accessible, or should I plan on using my back up Hotmail account? Suggestions, comments and recommendations are welcome, thanks!

You can book a flight to Chongqing at the Shanghai airpot, but don't expect it to necessarily be the next one out, so you might end up arriving in the middle of the night.

I strongly advise you not to do this trip without a phone. Also, although your foreign phone and SIM card will work in China (note that some older phones may not be able to write or display Chinese characters), if you think there's a good chance the locals will need or want to call you, you'd better get a Chinese SIM card at your earliest convenience, as the rate to make international calls is extremely expensive (>5RMB/min). The process is fairly painless, all you'll need is some Chinese language ability, your passport, and a local address (your hotel will do, even if you're planning to check out the next day). Just make sure you are able to reload the card in another part of China or put enough money on initially so you won't have to.

While I can't comment on Dazu, I can say there isn't much worth seeing in the main city of Chongqing. Ciqikou is OK, but the souvenir shops are greatly outnumbered by snack shops, and I found the old towns in Sichuan are generally better.

[wushijiao]

Anyone have favorite things to do in or around Zhengzhou?

I went to Shaolin Si, and hiked Song Shan (both near Dengfeng), both would be good options. Also, while in Luoyang, go to Baima Si, and the Luoyang historical museum. Similarly, the Henan Provincial museum in Zhengzhou is also very good.

[yialanliu]

Jade is actually pretty inexpensive depending on where you are. In China there are 4 types of jade.

The cheapest is probably the Jade from Xi'an （蓝田玉）. You can get a bracelet for around 80-100 RMB and goes up from there.

Obviously, don't buy them from street vendors. If you take tours, they should include shopping at a pretty fancy place. Stuff there is 99% authentic although they do overcharge you for it. However, you are at least getting a real item. And even there, the bracelet should be at most 120 RMB.

This goes for all souvenirs if you are looking for authentic things. Especially if it's something that you'll wear or eat. Fakes tend to have chemicals that are not approved such as lead which over time can leach into your skin. I still am suprised at the amount of people buying fakes when they are laced and I mean laced with chemicals.

[JonBI]

In Chongqing you can go to one of the many hotsprings, which are a nice way to wind down. Dazu is not bad either, but it is annoying to get there, and annoying to get back. Chongqing food is also excellent, and the people there are more than friendly. It isn't too bad a city, in terms of city, and even hopping on a bus to see the scenery is not too bad.

As for the above comment, authentic what? where is the resource from? Jade as a commodity is worth more than the jade is sold for in the stores. the Lantian jade, as well as the Hotan jades are long exhausted. 80RMB is not the value of a commodity which once fetched from the Chinese imperial coffers the price of gold. It may be authentic what it is - unknown green Bracelet - but it is not real Jade. The same way you can buy a piece that looks like a Xuande porcelain off the side of the road, but that won't make it real.

[xuexiansheng]

@wushijiao- Thanks for the museum recommendations, I am a museum nerd. The real test of my Chinese skill will be to see if I can read some of the interpretive information for the displays. If I can do that, all my studying over the last few years will have payed off.

@yialanliu and JonBI- Thanks, if I ever do decide to buy some Jade (real or fake) I would probably just ask a Chinese friend to help with the purchase. Firstly, to keep from getting ripped off, and secondly, I have horrible taste when it comes to that kind of stuff and wouldn't know what to buy anyway!

[xuexiansheng]

Thanks to all for the suggestions and recommendations, off to China tomorrow!

[yialanliu]

Have fun.

Laslty, if you buy cheap things you kind of can't be ripped off.

So what if you overpaid and bought a bottle of water for 5RMB. At most, your being ripped off by 5RMB and that's not the end of the world. Whereas if you bought something for 1000 RMB, then you might be ripped off for 990RMB and that hurts.

[langxia]

How was your trip ? Did you make it back home alive ?