I travel to China several times a year mainly for fun but also to check out hotels and new tourist attractions for my book. The following information is not in my 2002 book. 

The following items are dated with the month the information was obtained. Everything is subject to change but this should give you a good idea of what to expect. Please also look at our collection of photos from some of these places.

Vertical Layout Slides   -   Landscape Layout Slides

The last time this page was updated was 12/31/08

Yinchuan
We thought that Yinchuan was the ends of the earth with very little to commend it. But we were excited with its recent archeological finds and new museums related to the Western Xia dynasty (page 50), the region's incredible irrigation system, and its Buddhist grottos in Guyuan. Ningxia is well off the beaten tourist track and is worth a visit for the adventurous.

A taxi from Lanzhou could cost at least Y1200, which is what a friend of a friend would have charged in his own car. We took the 8« hour train instead for considerably less. The train from Xi'an takes over 12 hours. The airport is 15 km from downtown.

The city is divided into Old City, New City and New District, all connected by a good road. The population, said one authority is 820,000 urban and 5.2 million urban and rural. The altitude is 1017 meters in Yinchuan, and 3200 meters on the top of Helan Mountain. The annual precipitation is 200-700mm from July to September.

We discovered that 20% of the taxi drivers are female, and the e-mail service is very good (at the Internet Cafe, China Telecom, Zhongshan Bei Street, Tel. 6092050, 6041235, Y9 an hour and Y50 deposit.)

Everywhere we saw new construction and were told that Yinchuan airport is one of the largest in China, and the region is building new highways. It is now the 23rd richest province or region in China, quite a step up from being among the poorest.

The Yellow River Festival is no more.

We stayed at the three-star International Hotel (Guoji Fandian) which is owned by the Ningxia Tourist Bureau and is attached to a trade center. It has a good buffet breakfast with great almond cookies and made-to-order eggs, no western food, no e-mail, and no CNN. It will exchange foreign cash only, but takes credit cards. Next door is a huge public swimming pool and park..
The published rate is Y280-Y380 for rooms and Y680-Y2800 for suites, negotiable.

The newer three-star Rainbow Hotel belongs to the Ningxia Post Office, looked better and is closer to downtown stores and offices, but most tourists are put in the International because the service is more experienced and better. The Rainbow is at 16 Jiefang Xi Street, 750001, Tel. 691- 8888, fax 691-8788, e-mail: Hongqiao@public.yc.nx.cn . Its published rate is Y276-Y382 for
rooms, and Y615-16800 for suites. Add a 6% surcharge. The International is only an eight minute taxi ride away and quite adequate. The center of town is Jiefang and Wenhua Streets.

Yinchuan has many good restaurants with cheap hot spicy food. We liked Moslem tea (Babao Cha) so much we brought bags home. It is made of tea, rock sugar, raisins, long an, jujubes, and local wolf berries. Wolf berries are those tiny red fruit found in many medicinal dishes and concoctions because they are good for the eyes. You might be taken to a farm here to pick your
own and celebrate the wolf berry festival in July-August.

We had great mutton noodle soup at the Bai Le Ji Fan Zhang at 133 Jiefang Xi Street, Tel. 503- 5586. At the Yang Zhou Shi Fu Restaurant we had mutton hot pot, lamb, and beef noodles. It's at 178 Jie Fang Xi Street, Tel. 5028797.

We got around, usually by tiny taxis, which cost us Y150-Y180 a day for out-of-town trips. Lanzhou taxis charge Y2 to Y2.50 per km for a return trip anywhere. It is cheaper if you negociate a price by the day.

The Drum Tower and Jade Emperor's Pavilion are impressive, but not worth stops. The Chengtian Pagoda and the Provincial Museum are together. Hours are 9am-12 noon and 2pm- 5pm. Tickets cost Y5. A good antique and arts store, the Yinchuan Relics Market, is across the street on Xin Hua Xi and Jinning Street, Tel. 855-6093. It has lots of carved Helan mountain
stones for sale.

The Western Xia Dynasty, founded by Emperor Wei Ming, originated with a hunter-gathering tribe who lived between Sichuan, Qinghai and Tibet. In the Tang dynasty, one of the tribes, the Dangxiong, was forced out and moved here. Inspired by the Song dynasty emperors and hiring some of its officials, it developed a similar culture, and had 12 emperors from 1038 to 1227. It
had its own writing with about 6000 words based on the Song characters, and the oldest example of moveable type printing found so far of the Buddhist culture. The provincial museum has some wonderful gilded copper statues and white porcelain. It has several sculptured column bases that look like woman with breasts but guides say these are male slaves. The museum also has an exhibit about the Hui people.

Hiring a taxi for Y150, we went across the desert northwest 60 km to Helan Mountain, following a road lined with shade trees, the only vegetation there. There was a Y5 entry fee and we did a bit of climbing. All we could see were some simple ruins and heard about a small Taoist Temple which had one lonely monk. We wanted to see the Twin Pagodas and the famous pictographs but
they are spread along a 200 km area, and the road was not good, said our guide.

On the way back to town we stopped at the Western Xia Mausoleums (Y20), which are 40 km due west from Yinchuan. These are in an area five km by 10 km and look like giant old-fashioned, earthen bee hives, some as tall as 26 meters. You can go under the canopy to see what was found in one of the tombs to the left of the entrance. The Mongols burned down the wooden structures over the tombs.

The small Western Xia Hotel is nearby here with a sign only in Chinese at its gate. Tel. 966-1668. Here is also the Western Xia Museum, built in 1998 to house relics found in these tombs and it is well worth a visit. Unfortunately there are no English-speaking guides nor titles. Number Eight Tomb was excavated 50 years ago but is not open to the public.

The next day we took our cheap little taxi and stopped 67 km south of Yinchuan at the 108 Dagobas in Qing Tong Xian county (page 522). They are somewhat like those in Borobudur in Indonesia and hardly any tourists were there. We had to take a small boat across to the western bank of the Yellow River five minutes to the site. You can climb 177 stairs to the top for the
view. (See my slide show.) It is open 8am-6pm and charges Y20 per person plus Y5 for the boat.  We learned that the 108 dagobas are actually 1983 reproductions, but interesting nevertheless.

The originals were flooded by a new dam. No food facilities are available and only tour groups are allowed entry. This would be impossible to get to by public bus. 

Ningxia is a Moslem region and mosques are everywhere. A particularly beautiful one is in a town about five km from the 108 dagobas towards Yinchuan. At one of these mosques, officials wanted to charge us Y3 for taking each photo.

Foreigners should use the Jiefang Xi Street address (page 523) for CITS Ningxia, and telephone - 504-5555. Ask for Chen Xiaodong, Marketing Manager for Europe and the Americas. E-mail:nxcits@126.com .

We want to thank Mr. Cheng Xi , Director of Marketing, of the Ningxia Tourism Administration, guide Frank of China Comfort Travel Service and the International Hotel for all their help.--RLM, August, 1999.

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Zhaoqing
Zhaoqing (page 610) is 263 km. by big highway bus or by train from Shenzhen, or 1.5 to two hours from Guangzhou. It has two long-distance bus stations: one is downtown near the Star Lake Hotel; the other, the Qiaoxi, is in the west part of town (Y7 by taxi to the Overseas Chinese Hotel). Zhaoqing is on the Guangzhou-Chongqing, Guangzhou-Kunming, and Hong Kong-Zhaoqing train lines.

It's a pity there is so little English spoken here; Zhaoqing is a wonderful place for a few days away from the big cities. I found one person in the CTS office who spoke English, no one at the Overseas Chinese Hotel, or in the Tourism Committee office. It is a good place for families. It is a terrible place for those wanting a romantic getaway because the accommodations and restaurants are not that great unless you're both into hiking and roughing it.

Where to Stay:
No international class hotels exist in this resort city. The best I found is still the STAR LAKE HOTEL The telephone number has changed to 2261188, but the fax is unchanged. The e-mail is bc@ZQ.Col.com.cn . This hotel is adequate if you're not fussy. It has a revolving restaurant which can give you a good view of the crags and lake, and it has billiards, sauna and bowling. Its 25-meter outdoor pool is open May to October. It has no CNN. Carpets were clean. Rooms now cost Y500-Y600, and suites Y880 to Y8888. There's a 13% surcharge. It gives 20-30% discounts but not on holidays, and it accepts credit cards. If you need someone who speaks English, ask for Jean in the Sales Department.

Aside from the lack of English, the OVERSEAS CHINESE HOTEL is okay if you're not fussy and don't mind peeling wallpaper and some carpet stains. It has no in-room safes, and no CNN, but it has a nice garden and a good view of the lake from the top floors. It is at 90 Tian Ning Bei Road, 526040, Tel. 2232952, fax 2231197. E-mail: zchcdc88@pub.zhaoqing.gd.cn  . Rooms now range from Y330 to Y440, and Y660 to Y3888, and it discounts 30% off "sometimes." The web-site is:.ems.zhaoqing.gd.cn/other/hd (English).

There are now two youth hostels affiliated with the IYHF and if you're not a member, you can join on the spot. The international web-site is www.iyhf.org   . SEVEN STAR CRAGS INTERNATIONAL YOUTH HOSTEL is in an old hotel where you have to order your dinner ahead of time. I found the food too salty, and the staff didn't know what to charge me. I seemed to be the only customer (in November). Breakfast, again ordered in advance, was Y17 and consisted of cold egg tarts, spare-ribs, good congee, and tea.

You have to make a date with someone who speaks English. But this hostel is beautifully located by the side of the main tourist attraction at Seven Star Crags Scenic Spot, 526040. Tel. 2226688, Fax 2224155. If you have a problem, ask for Chen Xin Yong or Lin Qi Le who speak English. Lin is at extension 2618. The hostel is north of the Star Lake Hotel and Paifang Square, and marked on the map as "Xingyan Hotel." You can take #19 bus and then walk into the park. Or take a taxi for about Y15 from the main bus or train station, or Y30 from the Qianxi Bus Terminal. On the way back, you can order a taxi to pick you up at the hostel's door.

The location is great for hiking and enjoying these lovely crags, but it is a relatively long way from stores. It has its own pool and people do swim in the lake nearby. The hostel has worn sheets and no shower curtains. My room came with a friendly roach. I would recommend spending one night in this hostel or the other two hotels so you can enjoy this park. I would then move to Mt. Dinghu to take advantage of all the oxygen and anions and greenery there.

The MT. DINGHU INTERNATIONAL YOUTH HOSTEL (Dinghu be shu shan zhang), is at Dinghu Shan, 526070. The telephone and fax are in my book. The e-mail is: gdzqyha@pub.zhaoqing.gd.cn . It has 100 beds. Do ask for Liang Bing Qiang (Ivan) who seems to be the only person around who speaks English.

Three receptionists took 15 minutes to read my passport. But it was worth it. Streams are clear. The foliage is lush, the waterfalls and panoramas are lovely, and the oxygen is invigorating.

The hostel is in two buildings and charges about Y38 per bed in a dorm with private bath. It has 4, 6, 8, 12 and 14-room dorms. Male and female are separate. There is air-conditioning but no heat and Ivan says you only need heat one or two days a year. This hostel is part of a very modest two-star hotel with rooms for Y308, but it takes no credit cards and cannot change money. Some of the wild life was running around in the ceiling above my room, but you have to expect this in a nature reserve. However, the lock on my second floor window was broken. Do not expect a Holiday Inn.

Breakfast at the hostel is Y5, and meals Y10. A couple of proletarian restaurants are nearby with only Chinese food, lots of wild mushrooms, and dirty carpets. One of these restaurants is open for breakfast at 7am with dim sum like cha shiu bau (barbecued pork buns) for Y3.50 a basket, steamed spareribs for Y3.50, and shui mai Y3.50, etc. At many outdoor stalls or in the restaurants, you can buy the local specialty "guo jun" which is rice, pork fat and beans wrapped in leaves and steamed for 11 hours. It is convenient to take on picnics and should be safe to eat. Unfortunately the hotel has no bicycles for rent. But there's a small swimming pool fed by mountain water. There's also ping pong and a small library. The rain is heaviest in April, May and June.

I liked this hostel better because of the sylvan setting and because of Ivan who is a hiking guide, a hotel manager, and has a motorcycle. He knows the best places to hike. Fascinating is the walk down a mountainside 700 meters through the sprawling functioning Qing Yun Temple (Buddhist and 17th century) down to the hostel; another trail goes across a lake, and up into the mountains along a paved meter-wide path with railing, to the giant "ding/tripod." These hostels are okay as hostels go.

Ivan also translated in English the many signs with information about the number of anions in the air and lover trees. (According to my Webster's dictionary an "anion" is the "negatively charged atom or radical in an ionic compound" and Mt. Dinghu has a lot, a good thing. It also has 15 peaks to enjoy. UNESCO has set up a Man and Biosphere Research Centre here.

To get to Mount Dinghu, take a number 21 bus between 6:30am and 11pm from the bus terminal on the lake across from the Star Lake Hotel. (The last bus leaves downtown at 10:30pm. The first bus leaves Mount Dinghu at 7:12am.) It should have a sign in English that says "Dinghu Mountain," costs Y3, and goes every 10 to 20 minutes. Be prepared to sit on uncomfortable stainless steel slotted seats. It helps to sit on a newspaper but it's only a 20 to 30 minute ride. The drivers were very friendly.

To enter the nature reserve you have to pay a Y30 entry fee the first time you go. Show your ticket on other occasions. At the terminal is the Dinghu Mountain Health Club which is a restaurant with medicinal foods, computerized body monitoring, and a qigong teacher who speaks no English. Here you can start looking for "Liang Bing Qiang" as Ivan works in this building too. Or you should be able to hike up the hill to the left a couple hundred meters. Motorcyclists at the bus terminal don't want to take passengers the short distance to the hostel. They also don't offer helmets. On the way, look for the Tourist Information Office (open 8am to 5:30pm) where you should be able to get a map (di tu) of the mountain in English. Look for the IYH sign.

You can hire a moto-che (motorcycle) to take you around or you can take one of the 20 green buses a day to the Big Tripod Park (Bao Ding Yuan), or to Ding Hu Lake Island (Yuan Wan Dao.) These buses will continue at least until May 1, 2001. A fair price would be Y5 by motorcycle per person, or Y20-Y30 per car from the Ding Hu bus terminal. It is about two kilometers to the tripod/ding or lake. Look for the 300 year old camellia tree.

Warning: it is easy to get a taxi near the two downtown hotels in town, but elsewhere, there are few taxis. You might want to ask your taxi to wait while you sightsee.

The museum in Zhaoqing is small, pleasant, in a former monastery, and open 8am to 5:30pm. It is south of the Star Lake Hotel, about two kilometers, on the bank of the Xijiang River, to the west of the Chongxi Pagoda.

Practical Information:
--China Travel Service is behind the Overseas Chinese Hotel at 90 Tianning Bei Road, 526040. Tel. 2229908. The fax is in my book. Ask for Miss Xu.
--Travel Complaints: Tel. 2262296.
--The tourist information offices are in the Railway Station (Tel. 2835114), Paifang Square on the lake near the Overseas Chinese Hotel, as well as at Mt. Ding Hu. While I found no one who speaks English, at least you should be able to get a local map in English. - RLM,Date: November, 2000.

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Zhuhai (Guangzhou, page 621)
This is one of my favorite cities in China, and if I decide to retire in China, Zhuhai is one of the places I would seriously consider. I love the Mediterranean feel of the place, the clean air, and the spaciousness. It makes me think of Hong Kong 50 years ago, but with more modern buildings. I love being only an hour by ferry away from the dazzle of today's Hong Kong (about 12 ferries a day, costing HK$150 to HK$160. Ferries to Shenzhen cost Y65). It is only a few minutes on foot from Macau, and its European flavor. It is still close to "old China," to the watchtowers and black brick farm houses around Taishan (my father's home area).

Several bus stations in the city have direct buses with Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, etc. Shenzhen airport is one of the busiest in China and it's only about two hours away by bus. Zhuhai Airport is much smaller with fewer options. The proposed bridge to Hong Kong from here is still only in the talking stage and might not even materialize.

Around Gongbei Customs House are a lot of stores and restaurants. In the basement as you enter from Macau, there's even one on the left with clean table cloths and a menu in English which offers bortsch for Y10, sizzlers for Y15 to Y25 (the frog is Y22 and the camel Y25), congee for Y8, sandwiches for Y9 to Y12, fried rice for Y18, coffee for Y8 toY18, and beer for Y10 and Y12. I had noodles which weren't bad at all.

A second border point is at Hengqing but few people use it. It connects with Macao's offshore islands and is less convenient with no taxis and no porters on the Macao side, and just the occasional public buses. I found porters at the Gongbei/Macau border however with lots of buses and taxis on both sides.

A sightseeing bus leaves the Zhuhai Hotel every 20 minutes and stops at the major tourist attractions but has no English-speaking guide. It is cheap.

(I took a bus from the Zhuhai Hotel that went directly to Guangzhou for Y55. It took one hour and 10 minutes along a six-lane expressway above rice paddies to reach the edge of that city. It took another 60 minutes to reach the Garden Hotel, and another 20 minutes to the China Hotel.)

Where to Stay:
Hotels here add a 15% surcharge. A Holiday Inn should open late September or early October, 2001. You can take the Yindu Hotel off my list (page 623) even though it is being renovated: it is too dark and depressing and the newer hotels are more cheerful.

Paradise Hill is now the best four star for English-speakers, probably until the Holiday Inn is established.

On this trip, I stayed two nights at the five-star 383-room HARBOUR VIEW HOTEL, my first choice because of its English, good service, and sunset ocean views. It is in a residential-resort area close to the sea, and is beautiful. The address is now: 47 Middle Lover's Avenue, 519015. Tel. 3360888. The fax has not changed. E-mail: hvhbc@pub.zhuhai.gd.cn  or resvn@zenithhotels.com  . The website is: www.zenithhotels.com  . Rooms are still Y880 and Y980, and suites Y1380 to Y28880. It has been discounting about 40% off some of these. Its guest rooms are good with data ports. I was able to plug in my computer to access mail from my home computer for Y0.05 a minute. Its most popular bar is the third floor Seaview Lounge. It has a helpful business center.

The 84-bed Youth Hostel (page 623) is a good deal for backpackers if you don't mind a 10 minute walk to get a bus or taxi (and of course no private bath). Occupying one building of the five-star ZHUHAI HOLIDAY RESORT HOTEL, the Youth Hostel can be reached sometimes by a shuttle bus. It is on 350,000 square meters of land. The Youth Hostel has dormitories with beds costing Y60 each and is clean. You can swim in its huge pool. Hostellers pay Y5 for a simple breakfast which they eat with the staff. They can use a washing machine for free. To book the Youth Hostel, go to the website: www.iyhf.org   .

Rooms in the main Holiday Resort building are quite good. They are 26 to 38 square meters with CNN, green marble desks, sprinklers, kettle, and in-room safe. They were renovated in 1999. Rooms cost Y680 to Y1180, suites Y980 to Y1680, and villas Y2280-Y4980. Discounts have been 30% except on weekends and holidays when the discount is 10%. Regular guests with a VIP card get a 60% discount. It has 89 villas. The Holiday Resort has two western and two Cantonese restaurants. Rooms have data ports. Its western buffet breakfast costs Y38 and its dinner buffet Y88. Its western restaurant charges Y50 for pan fried garoupa with champagne sauce, Y68 for US T-bone steak, and Y68 for 180gm or Y88 for 250gm US sirloin steak. You can get a medical massage and play in its four outdoor tennis courts. It has a golfing shop.

It is 1.5 km. from the Jiouzhou Ferry dock which has ferries to and from Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Alas, only a few staff speak English. Guests are mainly domestic, or from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, so the atmosphere is Chinese rather than international. The telephone number is now 3333838 and fax 3333311. The address is now: 9 Shi Hua Dong Road, Ji Da. The e-mail is: rsv@zhuhai-holitel.com   ; the web: www.zhuhai-holitel.com   .

Teaching English: I visited the Peace Club/Gateway Language Village and was favorably impressed by the idealism behind it. It started in 1998 as a club teaching English and Chinese to foreigners by Hong Xiu Ping who lived in the US for five years, and liked its diversity. Back in China, he is trying to widen horizons for Chinese people and foreigners through language training.
His teachers are mostly native speakers of English who live in apartments near the school. He has a core of a dozen foreign teachers and four Chinese teachers, some part time. His teachers get food and accommodations as well as a salary of Y4000 to 4500 a month, depending on hours and experience. At the end of one year, they get a travel bonus of Y6000, part of which can be converted to foreign currency. His teachers need TESOL or ESL training and experience. However the club does employ short time visitors from time to time to fill some urgent needs. The school has a hostel and it is open to foreign visitors for a small fee. Foreign visitors can help with the evening programs in exchange for accommodation and food. Gateway Language Village also offers short term intensive Chinese courses for foreign visitors.

Ping can also arrange for native English-speaking travelers to stay for free in private homes in exchange for English lessons. Many Chinese want to learn English before they go abroad and many of these are willing to act as tour guides and teachers of Chinese cooking or whatever for their visiting teachers. I visited one of these homes and found it very modern, clean, and the people eager and friendly.

The Gateway Language Village's address is: P.O. Box 935, Ningxi, Zhuhai, 519001. Tel. 86-756-2291934 and 2291935. The Fax is: 2294934. E-mail: peaceclub@usa.net  . Web: www.glvchina.com  .

Visas:
Hong Ping says that visitors can get a three months visa at the Zhuhai-Macau border or Zhuhai Ferry Port for a fee of HK$150. Please bring an ID photo for the visa application form. Zhuhai is the easiest and cheapest place to get a visa for China. The visa is good for the whole of China and visitors can leave China from any exit point. In Shenzhen, many visitors only get five day visas which allow you to exit only from Shenzhen and not from any other location.

Shopping:
For buyers of refinished antique Chinese furniture and reproductions, there's the huge Gu Hok Old Furniture Market with about 200 stores just over the border from Zhuhai in Zhongshan county. The first asking price for one of those fancy carved beds was Y18,000 and the choice is vast. They can be taken apart and shipped. Most of the stores do not take credit cards, and are open 9:30am to 7pm daily.

A 2001 Zhuhai Guide for Foreign Residents and Visitors is available from author Susan Andert Hansen, at Connect China Consulting, Zhuhai, 519070. Telephone in Zhuhai 8630820, fax 8630821, or e-mail: zhsah@pub.zhuhai.gd.cn   . This has a lot of addresses of stores, restaurants, hotels, and places helpful for people spending more than a few days here.
Date: RLM, April, 2001.

More information on Zhuhai will be in Ruth's upcoming guide book "China Guide" to be published in Spring, 2001 by Open Road Publishing.

The Peaceclub@usa.net is trying to start homestays in this lovely little city. It also hires teachers of English above. Its website is: www.peaceclub.org.   While I haven't had a chance to visit it yet and find out how legitimate it is, you might want to do your own research on it. -- RLM, Dec., 1999.

    * * *
While Taishan still is a charming old city, Zhuhai, about two hours by expressway east, looks new and modern in comparison. It has Hong Kong's beehive feel and lots of new high-rise apartment buildings. But it also looks Mediterranean, with its clean air, clean appearance, and ocean views.

The new five-star Harbour View Hotel and Resort looks very good. It has a beautiful location overlooking the sea, islands, sail-boards, and a hugh 100-meter public swimming pool. (The Bayview Hotel's view is more interesting.) The food, service and quality of English are probably the best in town.

The Harbour View is at Haijing Road, Zhuhai, 519015, Tel: 756/3322888, Fax: 756/3371385, E-mail: hvhbc@pub.zhuhai.gd.cn . It has 380 rooms, two restaurants, lounge, swimming pool, bowling centre, sauna, billiard room, mahjong room, gym, etc. The published rate is Y880 +15% for rooms and Y1,380 +15% and up for suites. The special package until the end of the year is Y498 nett for weekdays and Y598 nett for weekends, said Stella Chan of Zenith Hotels in October, 1999..

The best bargain shopping in Zhuhai is around the Customs House in Gongbei, next to Macau. We went looking for pirated soft-ware and cassettes but didn't find any we liked, probably because we weren't close enough to the Customs House. There were lots of Hush Puppies and Nikes about 10% of US prices, CDs for Y5, clothes, and eyeglasses. Locals talked about the HK$1000 fines and confiscations if you're caught with pirated goods by Hong Kong Customs. RLM, July, 1999.

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Zhongdian/Zhongxin/Gyalthang

See Shangri-La

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Zhengzhou
Where to Stay
Hotels here might add a 15% service charge plus 5% government tax. . (The Yuda Palace charges no service charge for guests who make a reservation in advance.)

This city of almost no tourist attractions has three five-star hotels aimed primarily at business travelers. Other high class hotels are being built, most notably a Shangri-la
due in March 2003 with 280 guest rooms and suites, and located within the central business district, at the intersection of Nan Yang Road and Dong Feng Road.

Travelers should take advantage of this situation and haggle. There's also a good four star Holiday Inn. (I found a lot of stained carpets in the competing Weilai Conifer.) The recommended three-star hotel has no English, but has access to interpreters during the day and is next door to the Sofitel.

The proximity of five hotels almost adjacent to each other makes for great conference possibilities. In addition, because the hotels are not as good in Luoyang (two hours and 170 km away), Anyang (2 1/2 hours and 230 km away), Kaifeng (one hour away), and Dengfeng (Shaolin Temple two hours and 90 km away), fussy tourists should consider staying in Zhengzhou. New expressways can get you to these cities for day trips.

Three of the international hotels are almost adjacent so you can get a quick look at each before you make up your mind. Nearby is the three star if you're on a tight budget. These four are 34 km. from the airport in the eastern part of the city, eight kilometers from Liu Cheng Huangchang (Grand City Square), and four km. from the railway station.

The three five stars are very good (but not perfect) and the problem is choosing. All three are international standard and beautiful. The Yuda is the most beautiful and luxurious. The Crowne Plaza has the best service. The Sofitel is also comfortable and recommended. .

The YUDA PALACE HOTEL (Yuda Guomao Dajiudian, see also below) is in the western part of the city near the city hall and the city museum. It has palm trees in its 8th floor lobby, a basketball court, and it should have a gym and pool this year. It is in the tallest building in the province and has 388 guest rooms. Rooms range from US$150 to $220 but its has been discounting about 50%. Suites range from $250 to $1500. Rooms range from 48.6 to 56.8 square meters and some are non-smoking. Rooms have safes, kettles, scales, data ports, and irons.

This 2- story hotel has continental, Asian, Japanese, and Chinese cuisine, an old English style bar, and a lounge. A dance troupe performs every evening. Assorted sushi costs Y80, noodles Y20, tempura Y50, and sashimi Y50. Its jazz and dinner buffet performs every Saturday from 7 to 9pm and its Wednesday seafood buffet costs 188 net and includes a glass of champagne. Set executive lunches are Y88 net per person. Its gym and pool should open this year. Its biggest banquet room accommodates 300 people at tables. Rooms have voice mail, data ports, and BBC, CNN, and HBO among its 42 television channels. Some rooms are non-smoking. I found it a little disorienting because the lobby is on the eighth floor and elevators were in unexpected places. But that's not a big problem. The Yuda Palace Hotel is at 220 Zhongyuan Zhong Road, 450007. Tel. 743-8888. Fax 742-2539. E-mail: yudaeo@public2.zz.ha.cn  It is in the same building as the Central China International Exhibition Center.

The 222-room, five story, CROWNE PLAZA ZHENGZHOU doesn't look as luxurious as the Yuda but it has classy gold Corinthian pillars and strongly marbled white marble walls in its lobby. It has a few duplex rooms. All rooms have a safe and two telephones lines, HBO, CINEMAX, CNBC, CNN, BBC, Japanese, European and Asian channels. The bathrobe in my closet smelled like it needed some bleach. There are some non-smoking rooms. (In October, 2001, it was offering rooms from US$79 (special) to $118, and suites from $200 to $670).

The Y88 breakfast at the Crowne Plaza had more variety than that at the Sofitel. It had four kinds of yogurt, four cold cereals, three canned or dried fruits, three puddings, six types of dim sum, sushi, six toppings for congee, and 16 hot dishes including chicken curry, and eggs to order. Among its restaurants is a pizzeria with 50% discounts on pizza on Mondays, and a set pizza menu for Y58 on weekends. Rooms are 35 to 38 square meters. Its ball room can seat 300 people at tables for a banquet.

The HOTEL SOFITEL ZHENGZHOU (Sofetel) is the least luxurious of the lot and still needs a little work. But it is very good too. Its rooms range from Y996 to Y1245. Its suites were Y1660 to Y5810. It has been giving about 30% discounts but look at its packages. It has non-smoking rooms. It has a beautifully-designed atrium over its coffee shop. Its front office English is poor. The breakfast buffet had no cold cereal and no yogurt - at least I couldn't find any. Its breakfast buffet costs Y98. Its dinner buffet costs Y138.

My standard room had a conveniently-located electrical outlet and data port by its marble-top desk, but the data port didn't work. (I had to use the less convenient one by the bed.) And my bathroom telephone kept falling off the wall as I used it. The room had CNN and a couple of movie and sports channels in English, kettle, in-room safe, drier, three luxurious towels, four pillows, smoke masks, and emergency flash light. The service was eager. The gym has 12 good machines and its year-round indoor pool is 18 meters long. The address is the same as in my book. Tel. 5950088, fax 595 0080. The e-mail is the same. Http://www..accorhotels-china.com . North America, 1-800-2214542. 241 rooms and executive floors.

It has a free airport shuttle to the hotel at 12:20noon, 3:30pm and 10pm daily. From the hotel to the airport, the shuttle leaves at 10am daily @ RMB 40 per pax.

The 130-room HOLIDAY INN ZHENGZHOU is the best four star. It has now added 79 more rooms. Rooms are 28 square meters and were US$98 and $113. Suites were $160, and deluxe apartments were $260. It has been giving 40% discounts. It has its own coffee shop but guests can use the restaurants in the Crowne Plaza. It has 24-hour room service. Rooms have an iron and ironing board. It has a complimentary airport shuttle. .

In the three star category, there's the tiny 40 room, HAITIAN HOTEL (Dajiudian), beside the Sofitel at 288 Chengdong Road, 450004. Tel. 5959988, 5961399, fax 5961603. E-mail: hthotel@public.zz.ha.cn . While English at this hotel is non-existent, it has the advantage of being in the same building as its owner, Henan Tourism Group. If you have a problem, one of the HTG guides can help you. Rooms range from Y590 to Y950 plus 13%. It has been giving 30% discounts and accepts credit cards. Suitable for individual travelers because it is too small for groups, it has a good Chinese restaurant and a business center which offers an hours' free internet service to guests. It has CNN, air-conditioning, hair-dryers, and wide in-room safes.

Practical Information:
The Henan Tourism Group Company Limited (HTC), is now at 288 Chengdong Road, 459993, Telephone 5961302, Fax 5952273. E-mail: hntc@public.zz.ha.cn.   Web-site: www.hntg.com . Ask for Lucy Wang, Manager, European, North American and Oceanic Department.

Some local web-sites are: www.travelchannel.com.cn   ; www.henantourism.com.cn  ; www.e-travel.com.cn  ; www.hnly.com.cn  .

Beijing to Zhengzhou only take eight hours by train leaving about 22:38 from Beijing, and arriving next day about 6:30am, says Danny Tang, Director of Sales, Sofitel Zhengzhou. --RLM, DATE May, 2001.
* * *
On Tour: Mr. Li Shengjiang, the manager for Europe and America for Henan CITS, was our guide and has good English. He told a lot of corny jokes and gave us wonderful whistling recitals and songs. He knows lots of dynastic history. Our IST/Concepts East tour group loved him.

The new five-star YUDA PALACE HOTEL was wonderful and had us all wondering how it can make money. It is next to the Trade Center and its offices, but it is competing with the Sofitel and the Crowne Plaza, both also five star hotels. The English in the Yuda Palace is also very good, and the staff is eager. For dinner, we were given the seafood buffet listed at Y188 without paying extra. The 8th floor lobby has a beautiful five or six story atrium with lots of plants. This hotel is privately owned "by various investors" said the staff. The rooms have good marble. My single had a big bathroom, no tub but a huge shower stall, and a sitting room. It has electrically-operated curtains.

Other rooms have both bath and shower. Li says we stayed there because he gets a good deal from the hotel. The hotel sells copies of the International Herald Tribune.

The group loved the museum in Zhengzhou. It now gives a daily concert of the chime bells because "The Chu Kingdom was partly in Henan province." The concert is free. The jade suit has gold wire, not thread..

Henan CITS is now at 8/F, Haitong Building, No. 50 Jingqi Road, 450003. The telephone has changed to 3927758, 3927768, and fax 3811753, 3927758. The e-mail remains the same but it now has a web-site: www.henan-travel.com  .

Henan Tourism Bureau is now at 1 Zhengsan St. 450043, Fax. 5909345.

Henan Museum now has e-mail: museum@public.zz.ha.cn   The address and telephone number have not changed.

Excursions:
Dengfeng. (page 532) After a good buffet breakfast at the Yidu Palace Hotel, our IST/Concepts East group went by bus to Dengfeng. I had requested a stop at the tombs in Mixian (now renamed Xinmi City) which they loved. The guide pointed out the carvings and etchings. It is worth a stop and we didn't have to pay extra. We also had a pit stop at a good souvenir shop where we bargained down to a quarter of the first asking price. This shop has a carving workshop at the back which was working on water agates from Brazil. Without the water, the stone is of lesser value so carvers can't make a mistake. The work room is small with lots of noise. Workers had no ear plugs, no safety glasses, nor masks. 5 Xi Street, Xinmi City, Tel. (0371) 9889068. Manager Gao Chao, Tel. 13938298568,

Lunch at Dengfeng at the Martial Arts Training Centre was simple, the meat a little tough and hard but edible. The vegetables were good as usual. Our group was fascinated by the demonstration and the hundreds of kids preparing for the First National Annual Kung Fu Competition. The weather has turned seven degrees colder than usual and I had to buy a sweat shirt (Y30) from a stall near the temple.

CITS Dengfeng now has an e-mail address: CITS@df.intertour.com   . The web-site is www.df.intertour.com   . Ask for Wang Yu Min who speaks English. RLM, DATE, October, 2000.

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Zhongwei
From Lanzhou we went south 167 km to Zhongwei, on the old northern Silk Road. On the way we stopped for lunch at Zao Yuan at the Mo Shi Chicken Restaurant on the west side of the highway. Chicken soup with noodles is the only dish served by this tiny dumpy restaurant with outdoor tables and stools. They make it in a pressure cooker and it's cheap and yummy. Zao
Yuan is 200 km from Yinchuan and 60 km from Zhongwei.
.
Zhongwei is on the border of the A La Shan Grasslands and the Tenge Li desert. We stayed at the three-star Yi Xing Hotel, which was cheap and not bad, and right downtown near the fancy Drum Tower. Rooms ranged from Y168-Y388, with a three-bed dorm going for Y150. It's at 2 Gulou Bei Road, Tel. 953/701-7666, fax 701-9993. Shapotou travel agency in its lobby can arrange train tickets and camel treks into the desert.

From this hotel it was a 300 meter walk past the street market to the 15th Century Gao Temple (page 522). Statues here were destroyed by the Cultural Revolution and it was renovated in 1982. This temple was first dedicated to three religions but the Buddhists have taken over, and it is now an elaborate building with fancy red eaves and many curved roof corners and a mysterious side door. If you look hard, you'll see Taoist mirrors and symbols too. Thirteen Buddhist monks now live here and operate a small restaurant in front. The temple opens daily from 8am-6pm but you can bang on the door and ask to be let in at other times. Chants and prayers are at 4am, 5am and 6-7pm daily. The Gao is architecturally wonderful and unique.

Camels and desert are the main reason for coming here. Travel agents organize overnight tours with tents, food, guides and camels. These might include floating 50 km on a sheepskin raft for three hours down the Yellow River, an uncomfortable experience. The camels look healthy but their saddles have no stirrups.

Developed mainly for tourists is Shapotou where you can slide down sand dunes on a toboggan or spend Y10 on the cable car, ride a raft (Y50) made of sheep-skin on the Yellow River for about ten minutes, and go camel or horseback riding. Shapotou has 12 horses @ Y5, and 105 camels @ Y20. The riding is available 6am-8pm and camels can pick you up down river after the
raft ride.

This is not an international class tourist attraction unless you've never seen a sand dune or a camel before. We found no one who spoke English and consider this a tourist trap. It does have miles of interesting waffle-like nets keeping the sand from blowing. And at Shapotou is a forestry farm (Zhong Wei Gu Sha) away from the beach that you can visit for a Y10 entry fee, closed on Sundays. I wanted to visit the Desert Research Institute which unfortunately for us was also closed on Sundays. It is on the way back from the end of the raft ride near the river. See also Yinchuan. RLM, August, 1999.

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