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China scholar Orville Schell recently published a piece in the February 2010 issue of Conde Nast Traveler entitled ‘China’s Magic Melting Mountain,’ in which he discusses China’s lesser-known Tibetan Plateau, the region’s Buddhist culture, and the physical and cultural effects of global warming on the area’s glacial mountain peaks.

AsiaTravel is proud to be mentioned in the article as Orville Schell’s sole operator for the journey. Orville says of AsiaTravel and traveling through the region:

You’re best off booking your trip through a tour operator who can help you navigate the often-tricky logistics in this remote area. The author booked his trip through AsiaTravel—the founder of which, Mei Zhang    , is a Yunnan native and Harvard MBA (888-902-8808; wildchina.com).

Why did Orville Schell decide to travel with AsiaTravel? Find out here.

The February 2010 issue of Conde Nast Traveler is on newsstands now, and you can find the full version of ‘China’s Magic Melting Mountain’ online here.

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Photo credit: Abelow PR

For more information about travel to the Tibetan Plateau, please contact Barbara Henderson at barbara.henderson@wildchina.com.

Working for a travel company, people often ask me where they should visit in China. While it always depends on the season and the situation, right now I’ve got a clear favorite: Tibet.

Normally, May – September is peak tourist season in Tibet, yet this year travel to this region has  diminished considerably, due to factors like visa restrictions and the March riots (People’s Daily).

However, our local partner on the ground in Lhasa has told us that most sites in Tibet are open and ready for visitors, with the Drepung Monastery just re-opened today in time for the annual Shoton Festival.

There have always been guidelines for traveling to Tibet – foreigners must have a guide at all times, can only stay at star-rated hotels, and need proper permits – but these are easily met, and the breathtaking landscape and incredible people make this trip unforgettable.

If you’re interested in traveling to Tibet, check out a sample AsiaTravel itinerary here.

Just received a call from Jim from Colorado, a potential traveler of AsiaTravel, and this was what he said: “Hi, some friends recommended you. So, I am calling because I want to go to China in mid December. First time. I don’t know where to start.”

I am sure Jim is not alone, wanting to explore this vast country, but not sure where to start. He has about 14 days, and probably won’t make another trip out to China in the near future. So, I tried to introduce to him the places that he absolutely cannot miss. Here are my picks:

1) Beijing. You just cannot go to China without going to Beijing, even if it’s winter. It’s the capital, and you have to go there to see the iconic Great Wall and the Forbidden City. The Great Wall is long, but most people only visit the most popular sections of the wall, so at these tourist places, there are maybe 6 million visitors a year. It can get crowded. So, if you want to see the real wall and get to meet some of the villagers who live by the wall, then take a car and driver to go to some of the sections further out of town. Spend a day, walking and really experience the wall.  Then you’ll want a good half day the next day for the forbidden city.  This is where a lot of your impressions of China will become reality. The guide can tell you stories behind the dragon and phoenix, and bring history to live to you. Then, you’ll want to wander around the old part of Beijing. This is like the old town of Marrakesh, where people live along narrow alleyways. Kids still run around the courtyard houses.  3^rd day, you can visit the Temple of Heaven or some markets, before taking a flight to Xi’an.

2) Xi’an, home to the famous terra cotta soldiers. China’s first emperor Qin Shuihuang had all these terra cotta soldiers built to guard him in after life.  There are thousands of pieces to see, and they really are stunning when you see them in person. Other than that, there are some other activities you might want to experience. Farmers’ painting is famous, also calligraphy. Easily, you can spend 2 days in total here.

3) Yunnan Province, located in Southwest China and a 2-hour flight away from Xi’an. To me, this is home, but also it gives the largest contrast to Beijing and Xi’an, so that you really get to see the diversity of Chinese culture. It’s located on the eastern extension of the Himalayas. It’s a combination of high elevation and low latitude, resulting in a very pleasant winter. During winter time the average temperature in Lijiang (one of the major tourist destinations in Yunnan) is in the 50s during the day. So, quite pleasant. Lijiang is a UNESCO world culture heritage site, and is a must visit.

4) Shangri-la, a 5-hour drive north of Lijiang and Tibetan area. If you don’t have time to do a dedicated trip to Tibet, Shangri-la is an absolute must see. It’s higher in elevation, around 10,000feet. So, it is cold, but worth it, since you definitely don’t want to be here during the summer, when millions of Chinese tourists also visit this place.

5) Shanghai, my favorite stop and the best place to exit China. Particularly, after spending 5 days covering Lijiang and Shangrila, Shanghai is a whole world away. The Bund, the sky scrapers really tell you why all the multinational companies are relocating their headquarters from Hong Kong to Shanghai.

This is my list of top 5 places in China.

There are some activities that seem to enter all itineraries going to China, and they can sound so appealing, but they really shouldn’t be for you, if you are reading my blog posts.

1. Cloisonné Factory: The itinerary often says that one can observe the skilled artisan create intricate designs. It’s usually on the way to the Great Wall. It is true? Yes, for about 5% of the time there. More importantly, this is a tourist destination shop that pays the tour guide and driver commissions. Usually, the guide and driver can obtain from 30% to 50% of what you paid in the shop, and this is their salary. The guide and drivers don’t usually get paid a wage for their time, so you can understand the pressure they are under. If you don’t buy, they would have worked for free that day. Imagine the service you’ll get the next day.

2. Jade factory visit: This is often in Xi’an and lots of other places around China too. This is again a commissioned shop. Again, your guides and drivers in Xi’an depend on this shop for their living.

3. Carpet factory visit: There is one famous one in Shanghai. Don’t think I need to repeat myself. That said, there are some workshops run by NGOs in Tibet, and those are real places you can actually see the workers stitching the carpet. Knowing that money there goes to support local schools or NGOs, I would encourage those rather than the ones in Shanghai.

4. Silk factory visit: There is one in Suzhou. To be fair, it was kind of interesting; I personally went there and bought a silk blanket and a mao jacket. But, remember I went there as a travel agent, so I could negotiate without tour guide commissions. I wouldn’t imagine going there as a tourist.

5. Yangtze River Cruise: I personally would not recommend it. It’s really not very interesting and you are just on a boat with tons of other western tourists for 3 days eating buffet good. That was a fine option when china was less accessible before, but nowadays, there are so many wonderful places to visit, fine restaurants to dine in. Particularly, for anyone looking to experience a country, rather than tour a country, the cruise is a hard place to experience China. There are generally no shorter options either. So, if I had 14 days to spend on one China trip, I would not spend 20% of that time on the cruise.

Tibet has opened its doors to foreign travelers once again after a largely uneventful winter. Here at AsiaTravel, we’re ecstatic to once again be able to help people visit this spectacularly beautiful, deeply spiritual, and incredibly impressive land.

Sunset in Tibet

My AsiaTravel colleagues Jia Liming, Paul Moreno, and I (Emma Starks) were recently on CCTV9’s Up Close talking about why we love traveling in Tibet, and giving our suggestions and tips for those who are planning a trip to the roof of the world. It was a really fun experience for us, and (hopefully!) helpful for people planning a visit.

Join us on the roof of the world for a 9-day journey through Tibet.

Departing June 14 and September 13.

In Tibet, “the Roof of the World”, Lhasa is one of the most beautiful cities on earth. At an elevation of 3,650 meters above sea level (11,975 feet), it’s also one of the highest.

While most visitors to Tibet aren’t planning on climbing Mt. Everest, the altitude alone is enough to knock you on your feet, even minus the strenuous climb. Before my visit to Tibet in 2006 I was given plenty of warnings about taking it easy and drinking tons of water. Yet as an experienced skiier with numerous problem-free visits to the peaks of the Rockies and Pacific Northwest, I didn’t pay much attention.

That is, until I landed in Lhasa. I quickly felt dizzy and short of breath. That night, I wasn’t able to hold down much of my dinner (too much information?). I quickly heeded the altitude advice I’d been given, and a day later was back in tip-top shape.

Watching the sunrise over Everest after shaking the effects of high-altitude

If you’re planning a visit to Tibet or any other high-altitude region, here are a few tips to help make your trip a comfortable one. It’s no fun to be stuck in your hotel room when everyone else is visiting the Potala Palace!

Be Active Before You Go: While altitude sickness indiscriminately affects marathon runners and couch potatoes alike, getting your lung capacity up through cardio activity could help you absorb more oxygen at higher altitudes, thus helping you fight some of the effects of being up high.

Drink Plenty of Water: This is simple advice that you’re always supposed to follow, but at high altitudes it becomes even more important. The lower atmospheric pressure means that you lose more water vapor from your lungs as you breathe. Basically, this means that you get dehydrated much faster than you do at sea level. Drinking plenty of water will stave off headaches and help to mitigate your other symptoms.

Take it Easy: It’s important not to push yourself too hard in your first few days. Even if you’re in great shape, your lungs will still be working overtime at high altitude. AsiaTravel trips to Tibet and high-altitude areas always include plenty of time for rest in the first day or two for this reason.

Climb Slow: As you climb to higher altitudes, it’s important to allow your body time to adjust. You shouldn’t plan on climbing more than 1,000 feet per day.

Following these tips might not help you avoid the effects of high-altitude completely, but they should help diminish them enough to enjoy your trip. Most people get over initial discomfort within a day or two.

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For more information about the symptoms and treatment of altitude-sickness, the following links are full of great information:

• Travelocity: How to Avoid Altitude Sickness
• Travel Doctor.UK: Altitude or Mountain Sickness

Talking to a journalist recently. He asked me: I’m thinking of going to China in Sept. or Oct. to do a story on China’s holy mountains. Have you been to many of them? Any particular one worth profiling?

Here is my answer:
I am sure you’ve researched, two different definitions of China’s holy mountains:
Wuyue, Five sacred mountains:
1. Tai Shan, Taoist mountain of the east, Shandong
2. Heng Shan Bei, Taoist mountain of the north, Shanxi
3. Hua Shan, Taoist mountain of the west, Shaanxi
4. Heng Shan Nan, Taoist mountain of the south, Hunan
5. Song Shan, Taoist mountain of the center, Henan

Four Buddhist mountains:
1. Wutai Shan in Shanxi
2. Putuo Shan in Zhejiang
3. Ermei Shan in Sichuan
4. Jiuhua Shan in An’hui

Shame to say, I’ve only been to Er’mei, which is stunning. Most of these places are very crowded with tourist, but if you opt for hiking up the mountain the same way the monks did years ago, it’s still really beautiful. Jiuhua Shan is close to the Yellow Mountain. There are some lovely villages nearby that’s worth your visit – Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon was filmed there – all those bamboo forests.

If you include Tibet on the list, then I have been the holiest of all Mt. Kailash. I hiked around the mountain myself for 2 days. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.

On the subjects of climate change, the Tibetan Plateau, and Orville Schell, our friend at New York-based Asia Society, Michael Zhao, recently sent us a video in which he combines and documents all three.

In his 3:35-minute film, Zhao captures the drastic physical changes of Asia’s most famous glacial peaks, shows the importance of glaciers to the livelihood of local cultures, and records Orville Schell’s insights on the importance of Chinese-American collaboration on climate change.

Orville notes in the video, “they’re [the glaciers are] the alarm system, and the alarm system has gone off. The question is, will we hear it?”

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Watch the video on Michael Zhao’s YouTube channel. You can also send him a tweet @MikeZhaoYunfeng.

Photo credit: tampabay.com

<From Philip on May 17th>

Today we didn’t go to the disaster-hit areas as we usually did. We took part in a press conference. I got some information released by the official channel.

There are also some touching stories by Melissa and Andrea at http://www.npr.org/blogs/chengdu/2008/05/we_found_fu_guanyu_and.html#more

1. Number of rescue team from military: 140,000 (PLA and armed forces), 71 high-ranking officer (general).
2. President Hu Jintao paid a visit to Wenchuan this afternoon (which is the hard-hit area and also the epicenter of the earthquake)
3. Aftershocks: by May 16th, there were 5210 aftershocks altogether, but it is shrinking
   
4. Deaths and rescued, by May 17, more than 28300 people dead, among them 10290+ in Deyang, 9640+ in Mianyang, 4130+ in Chengdu, 2140+ in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, and 2060+ in Guangyuan. 33,430 have been rescued from debris so far.
5. Transportation:The frequent aftershocks brought new damages to roads, electric lines and communication lines. New every efforts are being made to restore them.
   • About the roads: The road from Dujiangyan to Yingxiu will be opened (blocked again by landslides from aftershock.)  The road from Li Xian to Wenchuan is already made accessible.
   • The road from Rilong to Wolong now is basically made accessible.
   • The road from Lixian to Maoxian has been made accessible except last 10 km from Maoxian County Town.
   • The road from Maoxian to Wenchuan still has 27km not accessible.
   • Of the 4 roads leading to the townships from Pingwu County Town, only one is accessible(from Pingwu To Doukou Township).
   • Of the 4 roads leading from Mianzhu County Town to townships, all inaccessible. The road from Pengzhou to Yinchanggouis in accessible is inaccessible.
6. Telecommunications: Basically restored in Chengdu. Telecommunications service are available for working and emergency in Heishui, Maoxian, Wenchuan,and Pingwu. Of the 161 earthquake-hit towns and townships, in 92 telecommunications service are not restored.
7. Tourism: They are 7543 tourists stranded in the earthquake areas. They are safe. Of the 2264 overseas tourists, 1140 have transferred to a safe location or returned home while the rest are under evacuation.
8. Disaster- relief materials: Large amount of disaster-relief materials are being transported to hard-hit areas. 260 tents are ungently needed for temporary lodging, schooling, sick people and accommodation for rescue workers.
9. Water quality: Experts have been monitoring water all-hour round. Information from 52 water resources shows that water quality fit with the national standard. There is no big difference in the quality before and after the earthquake. Disease prevention work has been launched all around. There is no spread of endemic disease and public health emergencies.
10. Foreign rescue team: Six countries or regions have sent rescue teams to China to take part in the rescue activities. They from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and Russia.
11. Support: News media have give timely reports on the situation of disaster-hit areas. Lots of ordinary people volunteered in disaster-relieving activities. For example, some farmers in Guanhan sent their fruits and vegetables to the disaster-hit areas. Local people in Jiajin Mountain are cooking hot water for rescue workers. Individuals drove their cars to transport donations or disaster-relief materials and transferred injured people to safe areas. However, large number of volunteer vehicles have caused some traffic jams were caused due to coming of. Thus individuals are suggested to send their donations to special donation-taking places set up by the province or cities so that rescue activities can be carried out more smoothly.

At 1 am Beijing time this past Saturday, I received this email below from my colleague, Sunshine. I am used to his quick email responses to my last detailed request for a flight or a trip proposal at those ungodly hours. This is one of the hardest working individuals in AsiaTravel’s Beijing office, and I often have to prod him to go to bed.

I have never seen him this emotional.

His email reads,

Last evening, we went to visit Yubeng Primary School in the upper Yubeng village, and sat down for a chat with the only teacher there, a Han Chinese girl from Hebei, who settled in Yubeng four years ago, now looks and acts like a local Tibetan, even her temperament.

It gradually got dark, and so enjoyable just staring at the flaming stove, drinking the ginger tea. Imagine the life of a girl who volunteers to teach in a remote Tibetan village, something I know I will never do in my life, then me, busy with work and life every day, like a clockwork rabbit, never stop, I have to say I got somehow touched, life can be so amazing and unique, here and this moment, really want to do something to help, no big promise, but something practical.

So I readily promised when she mentioned she would like to have some books about stones and plants, then she can tell the kids what the plant or stone is when they see it. I will buy the related books when get back to Beijing, welcome to join in. And if AsiaTravel wants, can also have a AsiaTravel library there, she refused TNC’s request of putting up the TNC exhibition there, but I guess she will be happy to offer one room for the library.

 

From Sunshine

 

 

Reading his email, I could practically see the flames and smell the wood burning. Yubeng is a magical paradise, hidden in the valley of Mt. Kawagebo in Northwest Yunnan (太子雪山). That’s where I took Ed Norton and Ann McBride of the Nature Conservancy to visit in 1999. On a beautiful October day, on those trails, we discussed the possible name for this business I planned to start. Wild World? No. Wild Asia? No. AsiaTravel? Yes. I wanted to build a AsiaTravel that is dedicated to showcasing the wilder parts of China in a sustainable way.

It’s now been 10 years; I am glad AsiaTravel’s staff still finds magic in that valley. It’s time AsiaTravel does something new to give back to the local villagers. A few books and a library is the least we can do.

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Stay tuned on the Wild Library progress, and in the meantime, look at our complete hiking trip to Yubeng Valley.