WildChina is excited to announce the product launch of Cityscapes & Countrysides: An Intimate Look at China and Vietnam.

Northern Vietnam

This pioneering cross-border journey will transport guests through two ancient capitals and into contact with rural ethnic minorities. The trip begins in Beijing where you will be part of modern China at its best, as business executives brush shoulders with pedi-cab drivers against a backdrop of towering skyscrapers and family-owned hutongs.  In contrast, China’s southern province of Guizhou, invites travelers to step back in time to a world of rice paddies and karst hills, inhabited by water buffalo and the Miao ethnic minorities.

On the Vietnam side of the border, Hanoi and the Vietnamese countryside represent two vastly different corners of the country, both in landscape and in culture. In Hanoi you will glimpse the history and culture behind this 1000-year-old Vietnamese capital, while the villages of Sapa, Seo Trung Ho, and Ban Ho expose the traveler to the bucolic, traditional side of life, providing interesting comparisons with China’s Guizhou to the north.

Among the rice paddies in Guizhou, China

WildChina is collaborating with Journey Within, a South East Asia based travel company and a member of the Condé Nast Destination Expert Alliance. Over the years, Journey Within CEO Andrea Ross and WildChina Founder Zhang Mei have forged a strong relationship while attending annual Condé Nast Top Travel Specialist conferences, an gathering of the crème de la crème of the travel industry (picked by the one and only Wendy Perrin, Condé Nast’s famed travel guru).  Several years ago, Andrea and Mei began speaking about how they should create an cross border adventure journey so their clients could learn about Vietnam and China’s complex shared history, ethnic minorities and gorgeous handicrafts.

Zip through Hanoi, Vietnam with Journeys Within

With WildChina and Journey Within’s access to local families in these remote villages, there’s no better way to Experience China–and now Vietnam–Differently. To take a look at more trip details, click here on Cityscapes & Countrysides: An Intimate Look at China and Vietnam.

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Ready for cross-border travel? Get in touch at info@wildchina.com and a WildChina travel consultant would love to answer any questions you might have regarding this journey.

Photos by WildChina + Journeys Within

Even if you are not a basketball fan, the recent success and rise of Jeremy Lin has been thrilling to track.

In his short 23 years, Lin’s life has been a series of remarkable events:  Harvard-educated, one of the few Ivy League players to play professional ball, and, of course, Lin’s performance beginning February 4 in back-to-back games where he has set personal record after personal record. Perhaps most miraculously– in our opinion– is that his 5’6 parents produced a son who grew to be 6’3? Amazing!

It’s been interesting to watch China’s netizens and basketball fans reaction to Lin. Born and raised in Palo Alto, Lin’s parents moved to the United States from Taiwan and while he has great-great grandparents from China’s Mainland, Jeremy is 100% American. The New Yorker’s Beijing Correspondent Evan Osnos put it best when he commented, “He [Lin] understands Mandarin, and speaks enough of it to answer some interview questions, though one joke making the rounds is that former Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury—who has spent the last two years in the Chinese league—might have better pronunciation.”

That being said, this Valentine’s Day, China has a new sweetheart and it is definitely Lin.  Lin set up a Chinese Weibo account (comparable to Twitter) and several days ago @JeremyLin林书豪 had around 840,000 followers with only 58 tweets.  In the course of one night, his following grew by 50,000 people.  A recent post on Feb. 9th had 9000 comments! Lin’s posts are very personal and often incorporate his commitment to religion. Two days ago, Lin posted, “God is good during our ups and our downs.”

Earlier today, we sat down with WildChina’s #1 NBA fanatic to get some perspective on this new celebrity.  Wang Fan, a WildChina’s Operations team member, has been playing basketball since he was 14.  Each week, Wang watches hours of live NBA games and plays on a local team.  While I expected Wang to gush over this new star, Wang was much more reserved. He feels “many Chinese are interested in Lin, but there is no way that his fame and success compare to Yao Ming.” Wang also noted that “Chinese people like him because he looks like us, but we all know that he is really an American.” 

We are looking forward to tracking this story in China– we certainly know that China NBA is on pins and needles right now, hopefully for another big success à la Yao Ming to increase the already strong following of NBA in China.

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Janet Yang, one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood” and producer of such films as Joy Luck Club & The People vs. Larry Flint, stopped by WildChina’s Beijing office to discuss her new movie, SHANGHAI CALLING. It will come as no surprise that when Janet entered our office, she definitely drew looks of awe and admiration.

Janet was in town to talk about SHANGHAI CALLING and we were lucky to get a few sneak peeks of the film.  A romantic comedy about an ambitious New York attorney sent to Shanghai on assignment who immediately stumbles into a legal mess that could spell the end of his career.   But with help from a beautiful relocation specialist, a well-connected foreign businessman, a clever but unassuming journalist, and a street-smart assistant, Sam might just save his job, discover romance, and learn to appreciate the many wonders Shanghai has to offer.

WildChina guests, hailing from Paris to Buenos Aires, often prepare for their journey by watching films, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Raise the Red Lantern.  While we love these films, the images that they project are of a China that existed generations ago.  It can be confusing for first time visitors to China to arrive in Shanghai expecting Mao suits, and be confronted with new airports, high-speed trains and swank international clientele sipping martinis in hopping bars. SHANGHAI CALLING is the first film we have seen that excels at portraying a realistic Shanghai, a complex mixture of sexy modernism and ancient streets filled with jiaozi (dumplings) vendors.

This film is a total treat and we can’t wait to see the full length production in movie theaters in fall 2012.

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Photos by: First Independent Pictures, SHANGHAI CALLING

WildChina, alongside Outpost Magazine, Revo, Mountain Hardwear, and ZoomerMedia, is sponsoring a once-in-a lifetime journey, The Kawa Karpo Expedition.  Leaving next week, WildChina expert & good friend, Jeff Fuchs will be leading this expedition.

Fuchs, a longtime resident of Shangrila and Explorer Club member, has a longtime fascination with lost trade routes and sacred Tibetan mountains.  With this journey to Kawa Karpo, Fuchs, alongside Bill Roberts of Zoomermedia, aim to immerse in “a journey along an ancient pilgrimage-trade route, a journey to recapture and peek into an ancient route when mules and men (and mountains) were inseparable. ”

Speaking to Fuchs on the phone earlier today, he is hard at work putting on pre-expedition pounds and eagerly awaiting the arrival of Roberts and videographer Roberto Gibbon Gomez.  At the moment, Fuchs imagines the expedition will take 9-12 days to complete, depending on weather.

Stay tuned right here on the WildChina blog to track the Kawa Karpo Expedition. Fuchs will be sending photos and stories via sat phone while on the trail!

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If Jeff Fuchs’ journey sounds right up your alley, WildChina is offering an expert-led trip with Fuchs exploring The Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan from April 11-20, 2012. Sign up now!

With winter winds blowing through northern China, cold season has sadly set in.

Heaven Lake, Xinjiang

While WildChina’s international staff is beefing up on their Vitamin C and working to get a good night’s sleep,  we wanted to share how WildChina’s expert local guides ward off the dreaded sniffles and sore throat. Their responses– some expected and others quite different– are a wonderful insight into Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Do let us know if you try any out on your own!

1) Hot foot bath: Every night draw hot water in a tub and add in a table spoon of vinegar (very imporant). This is an effective method when you are beginning to have early symptoms of a cold as it can ward off a more serious illness.

2) Firmly (don’t hold back!) rub a hot towel behind the ears: Every night before bed (very important to be done on a regular basis), grate a hot towel from the top to the bottom of your ear, causing friction + slight pain.  Good preventative measure.

3) Eat onion ginger porridge:  Place 250 grams of washed rice into a pot of boiling water. Add 100 g of finely minced ginger and 100 g of minced onion. Boil for nine minutes and add a dash of brown sugar. Apparently more effective than than any medication and the hot porridge will begin to make you “sweat out you illness.”

4) And last but not least…Back Scrapping: Dip a coin in white wine and begin scuffing the chest, back and spine on both sides, to create redness + sores on the skin.  This, apparently, eliminates fever and body sweating.

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Interested in learning more about Chinese Traditional Medicine? We have experience in customizing trips with a TCM expert! Get in touch at info@wildchina.com.

Each year, WildChina plans and leads journeys for thousands of clients from all over the world. And with these clients, comes lots and lots of used plastic water bottles– which doesn’t make us, as committed members to sustainable travel in China, very happy.

However, as China has no potable drinking water– even in the big international cities like Shanghai or Hong Kong– we have been left with limited options.

Even financial powerhouse Hong Kong has non potable water

You might say, well, “Why don’t you provide each WildChina guest a re-usable water bottle?” In theory, we couldn’t agree more.  WildChina would love to purchase BPA-free water bottles for our clients to use both on trip and at home.  However, since our guests cannot re-fill their water bottles back at the hotel or at a restaurant, we are uncertain that investing in water bottles is a good investment.

One model that WildChina Founder Mei Zhang liked was discovered at a recent holiday to Soneva Kiri Six Senses in Thailand. At this resort, elegant glass bottles can be picked up and dropped off at many locations throughout the property. We think this is a great idea and the bottles look classic and high-end

However, if traveling with young children or on a Huanghuacheng hike, we are not convinced that this is the most appropriate solution.

We have a few more ideas up our sleeves, but would love to turn this conversation over to you. What are your thoughts?

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Have any ideas? We are all ears. Drop a line at info@wildchina.com to tell us your suggestion.

Photos by: Sustainable Water, Paul Moreno, Nalgene, Zhang Mei at Soneva Kiri

There is arguably no trip more important than one’s honeymoon. And while many couples opt for mass scale inclusive resorts and sugary drinks, others are looking to take a trip of a lifetime and experience something a bit different. As a result, each year WildChina carefully plans bespoke honeymoon trips throughout China for couples from all over the globe. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we sat down and compiled our favorite top three romantic experiences in China to share with you.

1. Sample imperial cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as you watch the sunset together in your private courtyard in Hangzhou at the Amanfayun, for a passionate evening alone.

2. Horseback ride side-by-side against the serene backdrop of Lashihai Lake in Yunnan province, an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your lives.

3. Buzz above Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour in a private helicopter tour; take in amazing views of this subtropical metropolis that few ever experience.

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Planning a honeymoon trip? WildChina would love to help. Drop a line to info@wildchina.com.

Photos by: Amanfayun, WildChina and Hunter Holt

It will come as no surprise that travel in China can be tricky.  Mountaineous terrain in the rugged western regions, booming cities of 18 and 20 million people, and a serious language barrier for those not fluent in Mandarin are all challenges one can face. In the words of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, “We aren’t in Kansas anymore…” never rings truer when landing in China for the first time.

However, there are the rare moments when China travel becomes a bit easier.  One of WildChina’s favorite off the beaten locations is Mt. Kailash in the Ngari prefecture of Tibet. Mt. Kailash is one of China’s most holy mountains and the three day circumnavigation around the base of the +21,000 ft. mountain is challenging, but moving. In the words of WildChina Founder Zhang Mei, “Definitely a trip of a lifetime.”

Several years ago, arriving to the base of Mt. Kailash was an ordeal.  Three days of arduous car travel extended the trip significantly and turned many away who only had 7-10 days of holiday.  Fortunately, a flight from Lhasa to the Ngari prefecture has opened, allowing quicker access to Mt. Kailash. 

Earlier this morning, WildChina received a travel request from a couple interested in traveling to this region and we were thrilled to tell them that the three day challenging drive could be reduced, allowing them to visit other places on their trip, allowing more time to explore the Guge Kingdom.

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Interested in traveling to Tibet in the near future? Summer is a fantastic time to go. Get in touch at info@wildchina.com
 

Last weekend, WildChina expert Alison Klayman received a Sundance Film Festival Award for her film, Ai Weiwei Never Sorry.

The film documents Ai Weiwei from 2008 toJune 2011, during which Klayman had unparalleled access the artist’s personal life. When Chinese authorities detained Ai Weiwei for three months in Spring 2011, Klayman made many media appearances to speak about Ai and her work, including on CNN International and The Colbert Report. That same year, she was named a Sundance Documentary Fellow and listed in Filmmaker Magazine’s annual list of “25 New Faces of Independent Film.”

WildChina spoke with Klayman earlier today to discuss her experience at Sundance. “The real reward has definitely been the overall response to the film at Sundance, from the audiences and also the filmmaking community. To have the whole festival and town buzzing about Ai Weiwei’s charisma, humor and courage, to overhear conversations around town about China and social media and change, and to see that the overwhelming takeaway message for audiences was to be inspired to go speak out in their own life…that was the real reward.”

From everyone at WildChina, congratulations!
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Interested in learning more about WildChina’s expert network? Take a look here to learn more about experts including leading Great Wall historians, the most sought after Contemporary Chinese Art advisors and tea experts who can take you to far away plantations.

Photos by: LA Times

Wow! Last night we sat down to eat at Heping Yiyuan, a favorite spot of WildChina’s guests for an elegant tea ceremony or lunch. Typically the eggplant that we make at home or get out at a Chinese restaurant– while deliciously flavoured–is a tad on the mushy side.

This eggplant was entirely different.

Slightly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, it had the perfect amount of salt and sweet. I only wish that the picture could convey how lovely this dish was! For those you based in China or have traveled to China, you already know that the oft forgotten eggplant in North America is magically transformed in China into a delicious dish– even our pickiest clients– the seven year old boy who professed only to like rice in China quickly devoured this dish.

During your visit– or if you are a Beijing local– take a stroll through Ritan Park and pop in for a meal. WildChina is also offering a culinary tour throughout China, where you will be able to learn more about Chinese cuisine.

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Hungry? Take a look at China for Foodies for an unbeatable culinary experience!

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