December 2008

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Traveling During Chinese New Year? Read This First

December 11, 2008 in Holidays and Festivals, Travel Tips by Emma | No comments

Chinese New Year is fast approaching, and while it’s one of our favorite times of year, it can also be an overwhelming time to travel. With a majority of Chinese citizens off of work and traveling with or to see their families, it takes a bit of planning and preparation to make sure your holiday goes smoothly. Yet despite the extra effort, this is one of the most vibrant and exciting times to travel in China, especially if you like to watch fireworks and eat dumplings.

  • Stay off the rails. If at all possible, try not to travel by train during peak holiday weeks in China. This is by far the most popular method of travel, and the word “crowded” takes on an entirely new dimension of meaning when we consider train stations during Chinese New Year.
  • Bring earplugs. Fireworks going off everywhere and at all hours can make getting your zzz’s in a bit hard. Packing earplugs will make it that much easier to get a good night’s sleep when you’ve had enough of the festivities.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Beijing and Shanghai

December 10, 2008 in Holidays and Festivals, Travel Tips, WildChina Travel Guide by admin | No comments

One of the perks (and perils) of traveling through Beijing and Shanghai is the excellent shopping that can be found, and often for great prices. With the holidays fast approaching, your resident WildChina shoppers thought we’d share a few of our favorite city haunts. Some are very well-known, and some are tiny gems that we were reluctant to part with. Happy holiday hunting!

Beijing:

  • For serious bargain hunters,  the stalls at Hongqiao Market will whip up strands of pearls, coral, beads, and semi-precious stones to your heart’s content, while you watch. Buyer beware: quality (and price) varies greatly, so be sure to inspect your wares before you hand over your hard-earned RMB.
  • Looking for something new for the home?  Lost and Found is the place for eclectic home-wares.
  • If you have a fan of contemporary art on your shopping list, than the 798 District is a must even if the gallery paintings fall just a little out of your budget. For those less willing to fork over the big bucks for avant garde art, this is also a great place to source art, photography and design books.
  • Grifted is home to an off-beat collection of unique, one of a kind gifts with a quirky sense of humor.
  • Find almost anything at Panjiayuan, a massive open air market, perfect for souvenirs and “antiques”. Be sure to go early though, as that’s when you’ll find the best bargains. Only open on the weekends.

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December Miracles: Bringing Hope to Children in Anhui

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

Only a few days before World AIDS Day on December 1, WildChina’s VP Paul Moreno had one of the most meaningful experiences of his life when he took a group of philanthropists from the Chi Heng Foundation to a village in Southeastern China that is severely affected by HIV/AIDS. The Chi Heng Foundation is based in Hong Kong and focuses on providing educational and social support to children and adults affected by HIV/AIDS.

Says Paul, “this year’s Walk for Chalk (the name of the Chi Heng trip) was a very special trip as this was the to be the first time that kids from Fuyang village were invited along to meet the donors. What surprised me most was the spirit of the group, mustered from an otherwise group of strangers, brought together by their act of kindness to help. The work that the Chi Heng Foundation has done over the past 10 years in raising awareness of the epidemic here in China, as well as supporting the affected kids, is also no easy task.

Chi Heng Foundation

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Interview With Our Expert – Beijing Great Wall Expert William Lindesay

December 8, 2008 in WildChina Experts by Emma | No comments

William Lindesay has lived in China for 14 years during which he has spent “more than 800 days on the Great Wall.” In 1987, he made what China’s Xinhua News Agency described as “the most successful foreign exploration of the Great Wall”, and he recounted his 2,470 km solo adventure in “Alone on the Great Wall” published in the UK, USA and Germany. In 2005, “Walking on the Wall with William Lindesay” was listed as one of the 50 travel experiences of a lifetime by the UK edition of Conde Nast Traveller. As one of the world’s foremost experts on the Great Wall, and a phenomenal Wall guide, WildChina is honored to be able to share William’s insights on one of the world’s wonders.

WildChina: When did you first start taking guests to the Great Wall?

William Lindesay: I guess it was about 10 years ago now. Actually, [we're talking on] Dec 4th, and 21 years ago on this day I reached Shanhaiguan at the end of my journey along the wall on foot. Obviously, I had a story to tell, so I published my first book. China was not the flavor of the moment like it is now, so it was not perceived as exciting for travelers to come here. Towards the end of the ’90s I began spending a lot of time biking near the Wall, and taking lots of photos. My wife was becoming not a golf widow, but a Wall widow, so I wanted to include her in my passion. We bought a little farmhouse near the wall, and one of my friends suggested that we invite guests to stay with us, so we did that. I found that our first visitors welcomed not just the Great Wall story, but my story – the story of conservation, why I liked the Wall, and how I first discovered it.

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