China was not even on my radar as a place to visit - that is until our Hayward Chamber of Commerce made arrangement with a Chinese Travel Agency to sponsor a travel/shopping trip. The trip was a whirlwind of only nine days, two of which were travel days. But the seven days that we were there were filled with interesting places, product factories, and excellent accommodations. All this for the unbelievable price of only $1,599.00. The air fare alone was a discounted $1092.00 and the rest of the $1599.00 paid for all our food, hotels, and land transportation. What a bargain.
There were approximately 125 people who signed up for this remarkable trip. From my office, two other people decided to go. Also my wife, and my son and his wife were among the number. We flew on an Air China Boeing 747 and the flight, of course, was very long. We arrived in Beijing at about dinner time and after collecting our baggage and going through customs, our travel agent hosts escorted us to our first Chinese dinner at a fine restaurant. Then it was off to the Beijing Hotel and bed.
In the morning, we had a breakfast based on a western food menu, and that was the fare for each morning of the trip. After that, it was Chinese food the rest of the day. In true tourist fashion we began to see the sights and the various industries that are particularly Chinese. We went to a Jade factory, a Silk factory, Embroidery and Rug factories. We were shown how the things were made and then given the chance to purchase items - the main point of the low cost excursion as far as the Chinese were concerned. Our tour group did buy lots of items.
One highlight for many of us was the Great Wall of China. As many people as felt able climbed up and down the wall. It was really something. We were told that the Wall is the only man made thing that can be seen from the moon. The Wall has been re-built in various area, but much of it is in disrepair. After all, it is 1000 years old.
We also went to the Forbidden City. This was the Emperors’ palace area. It is huge, covering many, many square blocks. For the most part, that was where most of the life of the Emperor and his wives and concubines lived there lives. There was a summer palace on a beautiful lake that some went to in the hot weather. Just outside the Forbidden City is the huge square, the largest square in the world, Tiananmen Square. That is where the face off with the students took place a decade ago.
From Beijing we flew to Shanghai, a huge city with a population even larger that that of Beijing. Between these two cities there is a population that is equal to approximately the whole population of California. This is a very modern city and also an old world city. There are huge modern high rise buildings in the downtown area and this is also a major port city for China.
All in all this was a very enlightening and educational trip for we westerners at a very reasonable price. I would recommend this trip as a first exposure to mainland China. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce to see if they are sponsoring a China trip and if they are, by all means go.
