It’s no secret that environmental encroachment is the single biggest challenge facing the survival of the wild Giant Panda. Because bamboo is nutritionally poor, pandas consume an average 9 to 14 kilograms of bamboo daily. They roam vast swathes of mountainous terrain constantly in search of fresh bamboo shoots, and don’t hibernate because they can’t build up the fat reserves to go to sleep for months at a time. Wild Pandas live solitary, nomadic lives. They seldom see other pandas, except during their short mating season in late March and early April. In the wild, they communicate with other pandas by scent.

A common controversy across the world in sustainable tourism is that tourism to a protected area invariably degrades the environment–through new footprints in virgin forest, noise, and the bit of trash that escapes being packed out by guides or locals. At the same time, tourism leads to an appreciation of the beautiful variety of lifestyles and natural wonders in different parts of the world. This appreciation creates an awareness that humanity must protect the wonderful diversity of the world.

The wild panda is a case in point of this push and pull. In a far-sighted nod to conservation, the Chinese government began establishing wild panda reserves in the early 1960s. By 2005, the government has established 50 panda reserves, protecting 2.5 million acres and 60% of the remaining population of wild panda.

It is possible to track wild pandas in certain reserves, but the opening of the reserves to tourism come with the imperative to maintain the reserve’s pristine state and to encourage preservation of the wild panda. The solution is to limit tourism numbers to avoid environmental degradation of the reserves and to attract travelers who have the commitment and means to be avid proponents in favor of the preservation of China’s iconic animal, the wild panda.

Shanghai, China– Prior to living and traveling China, I’d never cooked a whole fish. My mother always bought whole fish then fried, baked, broiled, or boiled it for our family, but much to her dismay, I’ve been the sort who buys the fillet of salmon or halibut to grill on a pan. I’ve just always found the idea quite overwhelming – I could never get past the idea of scaling and gutting the fish. Thanks to fishmongers in the market, cleaning the fish leaves me no excuse to not try cooking a whole fish.

 

I took a train to Shanghai where I met Han Fifi’s family for a day of home-style cooking lessons. I’d lived and traveled in Shanghai but had only eaten in restaurants. To visit Han Fifi’s family was a treat for me as I’d never eaten a Shanghainese meal in a Shanghainese-family home.

 

The flavors her mother cooked are considered ‘light’, characteristic of Shanghai cuisine — little to no use of garlic and a frequent presence of sugar.  Han Fifi’s mother taught me a fish recipe that alleviated my silly fear of cooking an entire fish: Braised carp with spring onion (葱烤鲫鱼, cōng kǎo jìyú) uses carp (a fresh water fish), but I use sea fish and it is just as delicious!

 

Ingredients

• 20 stalks spring onion (小葱, xiǎocōng), cut into 3-inch pieces
• 500 grams carp (鲫鱼, jìyú), cleaned
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 pieces ginger (姜, jiāng)
• ¼ teaspoon salt (盐, yán)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine or Shaoxing cooking wine (黄酒, huángjiǔ)
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (老抽, lǎo chōu)
• ½ teaspoon salt (盐, yán)
• 1 teaspoon white sugar (白糖, báitáng)
• 1 cup water

 

Method

• Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a wok. Stir fry spring onions for 2 minutes over high heat then transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in the wok. Add ginger. Carefully slip the fish into the wok and fry both sides until golden. Add cooking wine, dark soy sauce, water, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil then lower flame and simmer for 5 minutes. Return the spring onions to the wok during the last minute of simmering.

 

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Interested in learning more about food in China? WildChina has launched China for Foodies, a food exploration journey throughout Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Shanghai and Hangzhou.  Join us to learn about the varied cuisines that exist throughout China and return home with recipes to share with friends and family.

Photos and post by Shanti Christenson

Tang’ Roulou was founded in Beijing in 2007 as a brand of clothes and accessories for children. French designers Amélie Peraud and Pierre-Yves Babin, have a passion for all things Chinese and this is reflected in their authentic, hand-crafted, unique creations. Together, Amélie and Pierre-Yves form a perfect creative symbiosis, they understand and complement each other and work harmoniously seeking perfection. Their products are a true reflection of their passion and love for beauty and craftsmanship. As I looked around their boutique shop in Sanlitun, Amélie told me the inspiration behind some of the items. Each design is created with patience and tender love and care, in an attempt to revive the timeless traditions that our grandmothers used to live by.

It all began when Amélie started making very personal gifts for her friends in France: She designed blankets for their babies, which she had sewn here in China by a local seamstress. Her designs were very well received and Amélie felt very encouraged, so Tang’ Roulou was born. The same attention to detail from the starting days is carried on to the present.

“Dragons, phoenix and goldfish from Asian imaginary dance joyfully in a setting of dots, stripes and flowers, enhanced with a retro touch – sometimes daring but always elegant”.

Inspired by their travels and observations – from Beijing’s traditional hutongs to remote rural villages – Tang’ Roulou translates their designs into the most adorable children’s clothes and accessories: Shanghai traditional Qipao dresses, crochet handmade jewelry, cuddly blankets, Lama-monk-style reversible bags and my personal favourite: embroidered notebook covers. These products are special: They are not mass produced items that you will find in a supermarket or department store. Each garment and accessory is made individually, making sure that even the last polka dot in the seam matches perfectly. They are made mostly of cotton prints, personally chosen by Amélie and Pierre-Yves, not only in Beijing, but also on their travels around China.

Tang’ Roulou has two workshops in Beijing where their products are hand-made by local seamstresses The embroidery details come from Baihua (Hundred Flowers), a women’s cooperative in North West China. Excellence and elegance are the key elements in Tang’ Roulou’s precious treasures.

Now Tang’ Roulou’s retro-chic products can be bought online on www.tangroulou.com. There is an ordering hotline if you don’t speak Chinese.

And you can also find them at the following outlets:

BEIJING:
Tang’ Roulou – Sanlitun North Road No. 30 – Phone: 010-6416-9761
Brand New China – Sanlitun North Road – NLG-09a –
The Orchard – Cuigezhuang – Hegezhuang village –
Wuhao curated shop – Maoer hutong n˚35
SHANGHAI:
L’Atelier Mandarine – Tai Kang Lu 210 / n˚3 Room 318 – Phone: 021-6473-5381

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Are you a keen shoper? There is definitely more to shopping in Beijing than the Pearl Market and Silk Street.  Antiques, gorgeous Tibetan rugs, funky up-and-coming Chinese designers and gorgeous cashmere scarves abound. Want some more tips? Get in touch at info@wildchina.com.

Photos by Chelin Miller (1&3) and Tang’ Roulou (2)

 

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

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.

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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Fortune Heights Snow Polo World Cup 2012 was hosted at China’s coastal city of Tianjin from 4 -12 February. The final, won by Hong Kong (China) against South Africa was played at the luxury resort Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club. Twelve of the best teams in the world took part, including England, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and Brazil.

With this year’s Snow Polo World Cup in St Moritz being cancelled due to thin ice on the lake, this World Cup in Tianjin acquires even more importance. And, as the organisers stated: no sport can enjoy comprehensive development without the participation of China.  As we all know, the lack of natural snow in Tianjin is no impediment for the tournament to go ahead, the Chinese will guarantee an abundance of it by making a total of 4,000 cubic metres of snow over the arena, a process that started in late December.

Regular services by bullet train from Beijing South Station take you to Tianjin in under 30 mins, and from there a 25 min taxi drive to the luxurious Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club, the largest polo club in China.

The emerging sport of snow polo was first introduced in 1985 at the resort town of St. Moritz, Switzerland, by a handful of men attracted by the passion and excitement of polo and the extremity of the conditions. Since then it has grown from strength to strength into a recognised winter sport enjoyed among the elites worldwide.

Snow polo is very similar to traditional polo: but games are played on a snow-covered arena. The teams are made up of three players and each game consists of four six-minute chukkas (periods). The horses wear special cleated shoes to provide better traction. The ball is larger and lighter than in grass polo, and bright orange, to make it easier to see against the snow.

Polo has always been synonymous with the finer things in life, attracting affluent, sophisticated high-achievers. Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club provides an exquisite location for impeccable wine dinners through its close relationships with world famous winemakers and chateaux: Chateau Latour, Mouton Rothschild and others. The resort boasts indoor and outdoor training facilities for both the young and adults and comes with a dazzling Clubhouse, spa and leisure facilities on par with any top international resort. Staffed by well-known names in the equestrian and polo world, the Club offers a luxurious venue to relax and entertain.

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Is riding a passion? Take a look at the WildChina product Tibetan Yushu Horse Festival in Qinghai province.

Content + photos by WildChina’s Chelin Miller

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

It has been an exciting year for WildChina. In the past 12 months, we pioneered hiking routes in the Abujee region of Tibetan Yunnan with WildChina expert Jeff Fuchs, led our inaugural program, Taiwan Treasures, in Taiwan, and helped to arrange a champagne engagement proposal on top of the Great Wall.
 

 
In our industry, hours are long and cell phones are never off so we can answer any questions our guests might have for us.  As such, the +1,000 emails we received telling me how WildChina helped you experience a ‘real’ China let us know that we are doing our job well–and nothing could make us happier.
 

This year, WildChina is thrilled to be nominated for Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards.  I would love it if you could help spread this news to let readers of Travel + Leisure know that WildChina is the company to travel with in China.  I owe it to my guides and wonderful team to show them that people around the world think that they are doing an exceptional job.

Many of you have asked how you can help.  One way would be to vote for WildChina before March 31, 2012.  To do so, just follow these simple steps:

1. Go to http://tlworldsbest.roiresearch.com/home.aspx?OJZrlUYH=1
2. Select YES or NO; then click ENTER.
3. Fill in the Tell Us About You
4. Select Tour Operators/Safari Outfitters
5. Select WildChina
6. Complete the survey & submit!

 

Of course, if you feel that WildChina can improve our services, we would still love to hear your thoughts so that we can work to address problem areas.  Please send your comments to feedback@wildchina.com.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Mei Zhang

Founder of WildChina

 

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.

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.