September 2008

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Heavenly Paradise – Hangzhou

September 17, 2008 in On the Road by Fan Na | 1 comment

Good times go fast, and my vacation is about to finish. During my time away from the office, I spent some lovely days in Hangzhou. There are ten famous sites surrounding the West Lake, all of which are standard and well-known. Instead of talking about those, let me tell you about some of Hangzhou’s hidden gems.

Guo Garden 郭庄

Guo Zhuang is said to be the best existing traditional private garden in Hangzhou. It was built in 1851 and opened to the public in 1991. Being one of the garden masterpieces of Jiangnan (the lower region of the Yangtze River), it has incomparable surroundings and a smartly managed garden space.

Guo Garden Guo Garden

Rooms can be rented for private banquets.

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Visa Troubles?

September 16, 2008 in In the News, Travel Tips by admin | No comments

You may have heard about some people having difficulties getting visas to travel to China.  If you look on the Web, it’s very easy to find a host of rumors about China’s harsh visa policies.  If you’re planning on traveling to China, it may seem like a reason to get worried.

The best cure for such worries is to approach the problem step by step.  While it is true that some people have had difficulties in getting visas, it is primarily those who are trying to live or spend an extended period of time in China that have had trouble.  Chances are, if you are planning on spending a few weeks in China traveling on one of WildChina’s tours, you will have no trouble as long as you know what to do.

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Mooncakes – 月餅

September 11, 2008 in Food, Holidays and Festivals, On the Road by admin | No comments

On my train ride into Beijing yesterday, I had my first opportunity to taste a mooncake. Sitting on the lower level of beds, which during the daylight are the shared seats of everyone in the train’s cabin, I spotted a man in a neighboring cabin enjoying a small pastry. He noticed my curiosity and graciously offered me a taste.

Mooncakes, or yuè bǐng as they are known in Mandarin, are small cakes eaten to celebrate the Mid Autumn festival. Although there can be many variations, they are usually filled with a thick filling made from lotus paste or dried fruit. Sometimes, mooncakes are prepared with a duck egg yolk as part of the filling as well. This is thought by some to represent the full moon during harvest time.

Mooncake Mid-Autumn Festival - WildChina

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Friendly Shandong – Weekend Visit to Qufu and Zhujiayu Village

September 9, 2008 in On the Road by Emma | No comments

When I arrived on the train in Yangzhou,  Shandong Province this past Friday morning, I really didn’t know what to expect. WildChina sent a colleague, Cara, and myself to survey a few sites that we are planning on taking a school group to later this fall. It was important that we spend some time there to figure out logistics, test activities, and get a good feel for how the trip would run; all generally wise things to do before you descend on a site with a few busloads of middle schoolers.

Dragon Column in the Qufu Confucius Temple

We met our friendly driver Mr. Hu outside of the train station, and hopped into his car for the short ride to Qufu. As the legendary birthplace of Confucius and the location of his descendants’ ancestral home, Qufu has an almost mind-bogglingly long history. Two years after Confucius’ death in 479 BC his home was already designated as a temple, and Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty was the first to offer sacrifices there in 205 BC. For those of us used to thinking in terms of the timelines of Western history, this longevity is absolutely incredible; yet to my Chinese friends, it is just another example of the depth and breadth of Chinese culture and history.

Confucius Temple is a beautiful and expansive historic site, and at 16,000 square meters, in China it is second in size only to the Forbidden City.  We visited early in the morning when the crowds were at a minimum, and found the tall pines and numerous courtyards serenely beautiful. I was also impressed by the 9 Carved Dragon Columns (see below), which, according to legend, were covered when the Emperor visited so as not to arouse his envy.

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Some Helpful China Information

September 3, 2008 in In the News by Emma | No comments

Here’s a great resource for anyone thinking about traveling to China from Peter Greenberg’s travel blog. Peter is a well-respected travel authority who often appears on NBC’s Today Show and also produces and appears in a variety of travel segments.

This post goes into detail about food, customs, culture shock, and more. If you’re familiar with China and have lived or traveled here, you’ll probably know everything they share, but for people who are China-novices it’s a thorough introduction.

Happy reading!