October 2008

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Dunhuang – Silk Road

October 14, 2008 in On the Road by Fan Na | No comments

This is the third day of our Silk Road trip. “So far, it’s been so wonderful.” said one of our guests.

Xinjiang

Our trip started in Xi’an, the starting point of the Silk Road. After changing our flight at Lanzhou, a jumping-off point on the ancient Silk Road, now we’re at Dunhuang, a key trading point of the Silk Road.

Dunhuang was the western-most fort of the early Tang Dynasty, where the east meets west. Long ago its ancient name meant “beautiful desert oasis”. Many foreign merchants, monks, and officials came here for economic, military, political and cultural communications, which provided the basis for the flourishing of one of China’s earliest Buddhist centers.

One of the significant sites here is Mogao Cave, which consists of 492 caves with 25,000 square meters of wall paintings and more than 3,000 painted sculptures, spanning from the 4th to the 14th century.

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Travel With a Purpose: Voluntourism in China

October 13, 2008 in On the Road by Emma | No comments

WildChina VoluntourismSmiling Olympic volunteers were ubiquitous on the streets of Beijing this August and September, and news of their helpfulness was reported in several media outlets . These legions of volunteers are just one part of the growing culture of community service in China. This trend isn’t limited to the local Chinese population though, as there are a growing number of opportunities for visitors to China to devote some of their time to service. This is especially true for educational and non-profit groups, and WildChina is commited to organizing activities that aid local communities and enrich traveler experiences.

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Expert Profile: Anne Warr, Shanghai Architect

October 13, 2008 in WildChina Experts by Emma | No comments

Anne Warr

Anne Warr is an architect who has lived in Shanghai since    2003. Anne earned an MA in Heritage Conservation from the  University of York, UK and worked for ten years as Heritage Manager for the NSW Government, and then as Heritage Manager for the City of Sydney. She started a tour guiding business, Walk Shanghai, and is a founding member of ‘Save Shanghai Heritage’, a volunteer group producing walking tour brochures of Shanghai’s twelve Conservation Areas. The first brochure, on the Jewish Ghetto area, was published in 2006. Anne and her partner run the Shanghai office of the Australian architectural firm “AJ+C.”


WildChina: How did you get started giving tours of Shanghai?

Anne Warr: When I first came to Shanghai in 2003 I was given the wonderful task of writing an “Architecture Guide to Shanghai”, by Australian publisher Watermark Press. As I explored the city discovering the many facets of its architecture and history, I became very familiar with the city and its stories. So, it became natural for people to start asking me to give architectural tours. The first tour I gave was for the MOMA Board of Directors in 2005.

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Condé Nast World Savers Congress: China Panel

October 9, 2008 in In the News, WildChina on the Web by Emma | 1 comment

You may not know it, but Mark Twain and Matt Damon have something in common: a belief that travel can bridge divisions between cultures and broaden our horizons. Twain once said that “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, ” and Matt Damon echoed this idea in his opening statement for the recent Condé Nast World Savers Congress.

Dedicated to honoring organizations and individuals that use the $8 trillion dollar tourism industry as an avenue for positive change in the world, the World Savers Congress brings travel professionals, philanthropists, activists, and changemakers together to honor those who are exemplary examples of the power that the travel industry can have for good.

WildChina’s CEO Albert Ng was invited to be on a panel to discuss the future of travel in China. Also on the panel was the distinguished Orville Schell, Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society, Barbara Finamore, the Beijing-based Director of the National Resource Defense Council’s China Program, and a representative from the Marriott International Hotel Group.

Albert Ng @ Conde Nast World Savers Congress - photo courtesy of Elliott Ng\'s flickr page

Albert Ng at the Condé Nast World Savers Congress: China Panel

Photo courtesy of Elliott Ng. (his excellent post on the panel can be found here)

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