What resources are available?

This section will provide you with details on different types of resources that are available to you for planning your trip to China. Resources for travel information come in many different forms and vary in their usefulness for different purposes. In planning, and throughout your trip, you will want to use many different resources to get the information you need. Listed here is a brief overview of what is available, as well as details for specific resources that will be referenced throughout the guide.   People             One of your most useful resources for getting information is by talking with people. In talking with individuals though it is important to remember that information they give you will be biased based on their personal experience, and may not be entirely accurate. Make sure to talk to a several different people before coming to any conclusions on a given question.             Previous travelers These are individuals who have taken a trip to China themselves and will have personal experience. They will be useful while you are planning your trip to ask questions such as where they went, what they saw, what they enjoyed the most, what problems they had, etc.   Locals Once you arrive in China the local people there will be very valuable to you in finding out about specific information. These individuals will most likely be Chinese, but you may run into other travelers or foreigners living abroad that can provide very useful insights. You will want to ask them questions such as “what are the best sights in this city?”, “where is a good place to stay?”, “what special food does this city have?”, “how do I get to the train station?”, etc.   Guide books             A comprehensive guidebook will be very useful for you both in planning your trip and as a reference throughout your trip. There are many guidebooks for China, each with its own emphasis or benefits. Listed below are two of the most popular books, but you may want to look for others in the travel section of any book store. In selecting a guidebook consider the amount and type of information it provides (logistical travel information vs. cultural/background information), the quality of the visuals (pictures, maps, etc.), and how easy it is for you to find the information you need.             Lonely Planet Lonely Planet’s China guidebook offers one of the most comprehensive resources for information on travel in China. It contains detailed information for all major cities throughout China and provides a few suggestions on everything from what to see to what to eat and where to stay. It also provides a brief overview of the country and history as well as supplemental information in the back on topics such as the language, health, transportation, etc.   Though extremely useful, this large, text-focused guide can seem overwhelming and a lack of pictures makes it difficult to get a good feel for what there is to see in a given city. Lonely Planet also offers smaller more in-depth guidebooks exclusively for Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tibet, etc.   Cited in this guide: Lonely Planet: China. 9th edition, Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd, 05   Eyewitness Travel Guides Eyewitness’ China guide lives up to its cover statement of “[showing] you what others only tell you.” It is packed with visuals that help you to get interested in what a given location has to offer. It is also rich with cultural, historical, and other interesting information, placed intermittently throughout the guidebook. However, the emphasis on visual forces the book to be light in other useful information such as the logistics of accommodations and transportation.   Cited in this guide: Eyewitness Travel Guides: China. NY: Dorling Kindersley Limited, London A Penguin Company, 2005.   Additional Guides to consider: Rough Guides Fodor's Frommers   Websites             One of the best ways to get up-to-date information is through websites. Websites can also be used to make bookings for accommodations or flights before you leave on your trip. In using websites always consider who is posting the information on the site so you can be sure the information you are getting is accurate and trustworthy. Websites will be referenced throughout the text as useful resources.   Reference There are many websites that will provide you with up–to-date information such as time tables for trains, buses, and flights or detailed maps. Some of the pages that offer the best information may require knowledge of Chinese characters.   Booking services Many websites now allow you to access information on hostels, hotels, planes, etc. and actually make bookings online. Generally there is a service fee attached for making the bookings but the assurance that you have a place to stay or a flight booked may be worth the fee.   Travel blogs There is an increasing number of sites that allow travelers to post their experiences and recommendations for other travelers. You may want to reference these sites as you plan your trip to learn what others enjoyed, problems they encountered, etc. or for information, such as the closure of a museum, that might not be posted elsewhere.   Useful China travel blogs: http://realtravel.com/china-reviews-hotels-d696.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-country/China/tpod.html http://www.travelpost.com/dir/Asia/China/CH http://www.chinahighlights.com/links/travel-blog.htm

What do I need to consider first?

Before you start doing your research there are a few questions you should ask yourself. This guide is designed to help you plan a low budget and relatively short trip, so those questions should already be answered. A couple more questions you should consider are when you should go and what you want to see.   When to go             Chances are that your school or work schedule and the time you can get off will be the primary factor in when you go on your trip. If you do have some room for selecting your own time however, here are a few things to consider.   Weather Take into consideration what the weather will be like in the locations you want to go. The summers are very warm and humid in southern China, and if you go in July or August, you may land in the middle of the monsoon climate depending on where you go. On the other hand, the north gets very cold in the winter time and there may be snow.   Tourist Season You probably don’t want to be traveling at the same time that everyone in China has planned their trip. Finding accommodations and getting train tickets will be difficult and most everywhere will be crowded. For the Chinese natives Spring Festival is the biggest time of year for returning home to see family. This event centers around Chinese New Year which usually occurs in late January or February. This festival, however, also offers a view of China at its most colorful time.   The two other peak tourist season for the Chinese are “May Day” (May 1st), and “National Day” (October 1st). Both of these holidays last a week long, so many Chinese take advantage of the time off to travel. The peak seasons for foreign tourists are the spring and autumn.     Additional Resources: (see “What resources are available?” for additional details)               Travel blogs Lonely Planet – Getting Started (p13), Directory – climate (p888)             Eyewitness – Climate (p48-9)             http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0192339.html - future Chinese New Year dates   What to see             The number of potential destinations in China is enough for a lifetime of travel, but you won’t have that much time. You will have to choose out of all of China’s diversity what you want to see. You may want to begin by considering what type of sights you would like to see (e.g. do I want to see scenery or historic sites?). Below are listed a few general categories to consider. Keep these in mind when you decide on what cities you will visit as well as which sights in those cities you want to see.   Once you have a feeling for what you are really interested in, it will be easier as you do research to identify where you want to spend your time. Take a look at travel agencies’ offered tours to get you started in knowing where the places are that most people like to go.   History China has one of the longest and richest histories of any country in the world. Most travelers have Beijing on their list of destinations to make sure they get to see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. Also on the list of most travelers are the 2,000-year-old Terracotta Soldiers in Xi’an. Nanjing is a city rich in China’s more recent history with many museums and memorials. Most Chinese cities offer an array of memorials, monuments and museums, so if you’ve studied China’s history you many want to put this type of sight higher on your list.   Culture Chinese culture, both ancient and modern, can be fascinating to see, especially if you have done some studying or if you frequently interact with the Chinese. If this is your interest, you will want to plan on visiting some of China’s many temples and pagodas, seeing some of China’s 55 minority groups, attending culture performances, etc. China’s big cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, offer many cultural performances and a good look at the modern culture, but if you want to get a good feel for the classical or ancient culture you will need to plan on traveling to some more remote areas.   For instance Yunnan, in South West China, is home to 26 minority groups and offers a good view of what China’s old cities were like. One of the best ways to see the culture firsthand is probably not at tourist sights at all, but in wandering around on your own and finding ways to interact with the people themselves, rather then just watch them perform.        Scenery China’s scenery is as diverse and rich as its people and history. If you love to see breathtaking views of mountains and rivers, you will not be disappointed in some of the most famous destinations. The two most popular rivers for tourists are the Yangtze in the center of the country and the Li River near Guilin in the south. China also has many famous mountains such as Yellow Mountain in Anhui province and Hua Mountain near Xi’an. Beyond the most popular destinations China offers nearly every landscape from a beach in Qingdao to the desert in Urumqi.     Additional resources: (see “What resources are available?” for additional details)               Tour agencies – look at their tours to get ideas Lonely Planet – Itineraries (p17) – suggested itineraries for specialized trips Travel blogs – see what everyone else enjoyed http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/china/overview.html - suggestions of top locations to visit