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
 

WildChina just received news that Travel+Leisure has nominated WildChina in the World’s Best category  for “Tour Operators & Safari Outfitters.”

To complete the 2-minute voting process, please complete the online survey for a chance to win some fantastic prizes, including the grand prize of a $10,000 trip to a destination of your choice.  Sounds like a pretty sweet deal for two minutes of your time.

If you win the 10,000 prize, you might want to visit this courtyard restaurant in Beijing

Voting ends 3/31/12.

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For official Travel +Leisure Award rules, more here.

This year from January 22-28, China celebrates Chinese New Year. We will say goodbye to the Year of the Rabbit and ring in the Year of the Dragon. You might be thinking, “Fantastic– Get me on the next plane to witness this important festival!”  Before getting on the plane, we’ll give you the inside scoop on Chinese New Year and if you should visit China during this time…

Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival (or chun jie in pinyin),  is based off the lunar calendar, and  occurs in late January/February each year.  The celebration is a joyous occasion to ring in the new year and spend time with friends and family. This festival is by far and away the grand dame of Chinese holidays and each Chinese New Year Eve, families gather and bao jiaozi, or stuff dumplings, and light off fireworks in front of their homes.

For many expats and foreign travelers, the most surprising aspect of this holiday is the Chinese New Year fireworks. For two weeks, large firework kiosks are set up throughout the cities where anyone can purchase professional fireworks to light off at anytime of day. It’s an absolute scene.

Let’s move on to domestic travel during this period. Take a look below. How does this look?

Pretty stressful, no? Traveling during Chinese New Year is not impossible, but isn’t for the faint of heart. Tickets are harder to purchase, some restaurants will be closed and many of the sites will be crowded with domestic visitors. While you will be able to witness China’s greatest celebration, it will be a bit more work getting around the country.

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More questions about Chinese New Year? Drop a line at info@wildchina.com and one of WildChina’s Chinese travel consultants would love to answer any of your questions.

Last month in Beijing’s Opposite House, WildChina Founder Zhang Mei sat down with Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor for CBS News and regular guest on The Early Show.  Known as the “consummate insider when reporting the travel business as news, Peter was named one of the most influential people in travel by Travel Weekly, along with Al Gore, Bill Marriott and Richard Branson.”

 
Mei and Greenberg discussed Beijing’s dramatic change since his inaugural trip “many years ago.”  During his visit, The Great Wall Sheraton reigned as the only “it” hotel , but oh, how times have changed! Beijing is now spoiled with a long list of fantastic hotels, including the Opposite House where Greenberg stayed.
 

Opposite House in Beijing

Mei and Peter delved into their experiences in visiting the  Great Wall.   During the same initial visit, he “left the hotel at 4:30 AM to be the first one there,” which many thought crazy.  However, when Greenberg arrived and found the sun creeping over the Great Wall and a lone group of Chinese men performing early morning taichi, he knew he had made a good decision– even if it meant having less sleep.

Mei points out that “finding the right locals is key to opening doors” in China and gives some insider tips on how WildChina likes to visit the Great Wall.  Here’s a clue–  it doesn’t invovle sitting in morning traffic and you’ll find yourself with a glass of wine in hand!

Interested in listening to the live recording? Take a look here, including other speakers such as John Pomfret, Washington Post journalist and author of Chinese Lessons and Meg Maggio of Pékin Fine Arts.
 
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Interested in learning more about Peter Greenberg? Take a look here.

Photos by: Peter Greenberg, Opposite House, WildChina

 

Earlier this month, Zhang Mei was featured in China Daily in “A walk on the wild side.”

The article tracks Mei’s “Cinderella” story of growing up in Yunnan province, her transformative experience at Harvard Business School and working at McKinsey & Company. Journalist Mark Graham also discussed Mei’s pivotal moment when she began thinking about starting WildChina in the late 1990s. After several years in the corporate world, Graham reports, “Zhang began to formulate a plan to turn her favorite hobby, exploring the wilderness regions of China, into a viable business.”

Zhang Mei and her son in Argentina

Graham not only followed Mei’s professional life, but about how she spends her time when she is not in the office. “I love going back to Yunnan; I find living, breathing real villages more interesting. I take these amazing hikes; I still feel an adrenaline rush on every trip I go on,” Zhang says.

Outside of Mei's hometown, Dali, Yunnan

Mei also hinted at her favorite hidden treasure in China– Guizhou Province. The upcoming Sisters’ Meal Festivalis not to be missed (early April 2012) and the rich minority culture, warm people and colorful Miao villages are unlike anywhere else in China.

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Did Yunnan or Guizhou perk up your ears? Interested in having Mei as your travel consultant? Send an email to info@wildchina.com to learn more.

“中国人一定要购物，不愿意在酒店，餐饮和服务上花钱！” 这是一个WILDCHINA的资深导游告诉我的。她特别期望WildChina开始做不同的出境服务，但是又很善意的警告我：

“中国人还是和外国人很不一样。我带过一些国内素质很高的客户，至少他们不再随地吐痰，大声喧哗，他们都已经不愿意参加那些欧洲10天8国游了，都 在等着找点新的。但是，他们也还是要去大家都去的地方，买大家都买的东西，只是想别那么赶那么累，罢了。咱也别太新了，比如去了美国不去拉斯维加斯是不行 的。而且，购物还是要有的，否则，等他们回了家，没买到什么珍珠粉，维他命，或者去趟德国，没买到德国的菜刀，他们还怀疑是不是去错了地方。为什么别人都 去了的地方，我错过了？”

“我替朋友带团出国做领队，国外当地的导游都骂我，让我不能对中国游客那么好，对游客太好了是管不住团的。他们都说，一定不能听游客的意见。WildChina的客户第一的服务精神拿来伺候中国客人，一定是不行的。“

她的这一席话让我感慨了很久, 主要有几点

1. 我觉得这里描述的中国游客要参团，一定要在自由女神前拍照，一定要最实惠地多走几个地方，不是中国人特有的，而是世界特有的。这叫旅游的大众市场，是旅游金字塔的最强大的基石。世界上的很多发达国家曾都有这个市场，而且仍然存在。 美国1969年有一部人人皆知的电影叫：If it’s Tuesday, This must be Belgium. 翻译过了叫“今天是星期二的话，那我们一定是在比利时。”电影描写的就是60年代，美国人刚刚开始到欧洲去旅行，因为好不容易出次国，所以一定要好好利用 这个机会，多走几个地方。他们当时的团才448.5美元－18天9国欧洲游！咱们中国人更不怕苦，所以可以10天8国 （当然梵蒂冈也算一国吧。）。 是随着时间的迁移，大家旅游经验的增加，才慢慢意识到，这种旅行真累！还可以参团，但是别那么赶。
2. 旅游购物也是人之常情。 人旅行时喜欢买东西也是很可以理解的，买家乡买不到的。我自己就在乌兰巴托买了差不多一万元的羊毛衫，给家人朋友都买了一件。为了买东西，把去博物馆的行 程都取消了。为什么，他们的羊绒质量特别好！昨天一个朋友说在美国发现了一个商店叫 WHOLE FOODS, 里面的东西好极了，全是质量可靠的有机产品，什么婴儿洗发水，维他命，之类的，一定得排到行程上。（其实这家店就是美国中上层人士的京客隆，以有机蔬菜水 果肉类而出名。） 是啊，中国有机产品没人相信，也难怪大家都愿意在国外消费，LV 店里的包总假不了吧。
3. 但是，我反感的是零团费的进折扣店购物。 我坚决相信，零团费的团，永远不能为高端市场服务。这个经济模式有一个最根本的问题，它本身在刺激导游引导你买不该买的东西，或者出更多的钱看什么无聊的秀。如果一个导游总在心里攒着怎么让客人多购物，那他很难把心思用来客服上。就好像不给医生付诊断看病费，而让医生从卖药来挣回扣一样。结果如何？有病 没病，先开500块钱的药，打打点滴再说。感冒也打点滴？不该开的药也得给你开一大堆，不该照的X光也让你多照。 从此，因为大家都照了X光，而我不照就是亏了。美国的医疗体系，尽管有她自身太多的问题，但是医生收取高昂的诊费至少保证了他没有必要让我吃不该吃的药。当然，这也不仅仅是中国的问题。在很多国家，比如埃及，游客购物，导游拿回扣也是常事。在美国，导游从大峡谷imax影院拿到折扣票，全价卖给游客，也是常有的。旅游没有涉及到生死的那么大问题，但我觉得旅游行业过于激烈的低价竞争最终受苦的是消费者。

   再者，购物和附加演出都是很容易规模化，佣金化的旅游项目。这无疑产生了更大的经济动力鼓励旅游行业朝丽江模式发展吗？那么，对环境和资源消耗小一些的生态旅游和其他的可持续旅游，自然而然地就处于劣势。

4. 最后一点就是对服务的态度。中国人太多，愿意提供服务的人很多，所以人工便宜，大家都对服务提供者不用太尊重。大家都不觉得导游有太多的技术含量，所以在 美国，可以把中餐馆里洗碗的叫出了，换件衣服，开个车，就是司兼导。其实，很多这样的导游完全生活在一个美国社会的华人圈里，对很多美国社会怎么运转并不 是很了解。但问什么不能有一些对美国社会更了解的人做导游呢？价钱！又回到零团费或低团费的团，旅行商不可能按照美国的基本工资付导游费。中国的游客也接 受不了按劳动小时付费的情况。结果，才会出现，导游和游客常常对立，对服务不满而纠纷。客导双方都有责任。

整个行业有改的希望吗？其他模式的旅行有存在空间吗？

In Mark Graham’s late September South China Morning Post article, “On the inside track,” the author quotes a Chinese couple expressing their changing thoughts on tourism at home: ”We want to explore [China] more and more; it’s something my parents’ generation could not do.”

The couple’s comments are reflective of a generational shift in Chinese travel. As the mystery, grandeur and beauty of China’s many diverse areas becomes increasingly accessible to its own people, the Chinese are choosing domestic travel over international – and at a rapid rate.

Chinese tourists are looking more to inbound tourism, but away from the crowds of popular sights. (Photo from Shanghaiist.com)

However, these tourists aren’t choosing cookie-cutter tour buses and factory shops – wealthy Chinese now want to explore their roots in an authentic, eco-friendly way, with customized ‘green’ travel.

Read what WildChina’s Mei Zhang has to say about the direction of travel for domestic Chinese tourists and how it’s shaping the industry. Download the full article from the WildChina website (listed in ‘WildChina in the News’ under ‘September 2010′), or read it on the South China Morning Post website if you are a subscriber.