WildChina on the Web

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WildChina Twitter Live Q+A: Answers for You, and Books for Children

November 3, 2009 in News You Can Use, WildChina on the Web by Alex G | No comments

Never been to China before? Don’t know where to start planning a trip?

Maybe you’ve already been to China’s major cities and their respective attractions. You want a trip that is adventurous, off the beaten path, and enables you to experience a new side of China. Where do you go?

What if you want to travel by train from Beijing to Tibet, and want to know the ins and outs of domestic Chinese travel?

WildChina is here to help! Join us for WildChina’s Twitter Live Q+A Session on Wednesday, November 11, from 8 pm to 9 pm EST (United States), for an interactive question and answer session in which WildChina’s experts will answer your personal questions about any and all aspects of travel in China.

And, there’s more! The following week, WildChina will select 5 questions to post answers to on the WildChina blog. The followers who have posed these questions will have books donated in their name to a WildLibrary – a school or organization that works with children, which WildChina has deemed in need of educational supplies. 

If you’re thinking that getting expert advice on travel in China, coupled with donation books to children, sounds great (we sure do!), here is how to get involved:

  1. Follow us on Twitter at @WildChina. If you’re not yet a Twitter user, sign up here.
  2. On Wednesday, November 11 from 8 pm to 9 pm EST, send us a tweet with your question(s).
  3. One of our WildChina experts will reply to your tweet with advice.
  4. After the Q+A session, WildChina will notify followers of their selection to be posted on the blog.
  5. The following week (Monday, November 16 to Friday, November 20), check the WildChina blog regularly to see which questions have been posted to the blog. 
  6. Winners and the WildLibrary donations will also be posted on the blog.

Any more questions about WildChina Twitter Live Q+A? We are happy to help! Email us at info@wildchina.com.

China’s World Heritage

October 23, 2009 in Travel Tips, WildChina Experts, WildChina on the Web by Anita | No comments

China has 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a designation that can sometimes be both a blessing and a curse to these cultural and natural areas due to the influx of tourists. So how can we ensure responsible travel in these sites? WildChina Founder Mei Zhang and The Nature Conservancy (TNC)’s Lulu Zhou tackled this issue on air today during Let’s Travel!, a weekly, global radio talk show hosted by New York-based Susan Raphael.  

First Bend of Yangtze River, Yunnan

First Bend of Yangtze River, Yunnan

Lulu, who oversees sustainable tourism and environmental education projects in Yunnan’s Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage Site, pointed out a major difference between protected areas  in the U.S. and China: whereas in the U.S., no communities reside inside national parks, in China, it’s a different story. In the Three Parallel Rivers area (named after a mountainous region in southwest China where three of Asia’s mightiest rivers, the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween, run parallel), almost 300,000 people reside in the site, with 36,000 people within the core zone. Since relocation of these communities isn’t an option, it’s key to engage the communities themselves in conservation work to help preserve the site. 

Mei agreed, noting that a change in mindset and an education process are required. At WildChina, we hire and train local guides for our journeys, who benefit directly by providing high-end, sustainable travel services. This training allows us to practice green travel, particularly in hiking trips – for instance, we emphasize responsible outdoor practices, such as Leave No Trace, where travelers “pack it in, pack it out.”

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ExpatPackage.com: Secret (Travel) Agent

October 13, 2009 in In the News, WildChina on the Web by Emma | No comments

One of my new favorite reads is ExpatPackage.com. A weekly newsletter with info on lesser-known Beijing sites and activities, it’s a fun and humorous take on life in China’s capital.

Their latest issue is on traveling with WildChina, and it makes a great case for sending visiting friends and family out for a day (or 10) with a guide. Enjoy!

WildChina Named One of National Geographic ADVENTURE Magazine’s 2009 Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth

January 12, 2009 in In the News, WildChina on the Web by Emma | No comments

Everyone at WildChina is proud to have been included in National Geographic ADVENTURE magazine’s annual ranking of the Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth. This list of oustanding operators was compiled based on a survey that was sent out this Fall, as well as from customer feedback.

National Geographic ADVENTURE Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth WildChina

Our scores as posted (out of 100):
Overall: 92.83
Quality of Service: 95.50
Sustainability: 90.50
Spirit of Adventure: 91.00
Education: 90.50
Client Satisfaction: 96.67

WildChina is honored to be grouped in this distinguished list of operators, and is always working to execute distinctive journeys at a very high level of service. While we’re pleased with our score, there’s always room for growth and improvement – definitely one of our goals for 2009.

We hope you’ll join us to Experience China Differently!

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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WildChina on the Web – 08/21/08

August 21, 2008 in WildChina on the Web by Emma | 1 comment

One of our new associates, Sarah, happened to find this picture of  WildChina at work on the Great Wall at Mutianyu on the China Daily website.  China Daily is China’s English-language newspaper.

WildChina on the Great Wall at Mutianyu

For this event, WildChina brought costumed guards to the Great Wall at Mutianyu for our clients to take pictures with. I bet the China Daily photographer wanted one too – maybe next time?

We also had a yo-yo master, a taichi expert, and Imperial costumes for guests to wear for photos on the Wall. We’ve been doing similar activities in the Forbidden City recently, and it’s been really fun for everyone involved, especially for people who’d been to those places before. (OK, maybe not so fun for the guards wearing all of that armor in August Beijing sun, but they had great attitudes about it and didn’t complain at all. Really nice guys!)