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

Huangshan
(Pages 352-355 in my 1999 book).
Three of us took a turbo jet boat from Kowloon to Shenzhen for US$20, a 45-minute boat ride. Plane tickets are a lot cheaper into China from Shenzhen than from Hong Kong. I was told not to go to Guangzhou to catch a plane because the airport there is chaotic. Shenzhen's airport, like Hong Kong's, is a lot more orderly. 

The turbojet lands right by the airport and there is a complimentary shuttle bus to the terminal, only five minutes away. Planes in China are never on time (early or late) and gate numbers are always changing. You have to line up to pay for airport tax, to go through security, to check in, and then security again! You need plenty of time!

Our flight got into Huangshan and after an hour of waiting at the "dinky" airstrip that they call an airport, no one picked us up. We also found no hotels booked and no onward air tickets. This is a warning to all travelers: Be careful when using Huangshan China International Travel Service unless you are dealing with them in China or through a reliable travel agent. We booked with them through the internet as recommended by Ruth. When we finally connected, their excuse was that they had lost our itinerary. We even had a deposit with them, and we had communicated with them for over a month and had confirmed and reconfirmed our itinerary! 

When we did finally reach Zhang Cong after three phone calls - thank goodness we had a copy of your updates and had purchased a phone card in Shenzhen--did you know that 99% of public phones do not take coins!) Anyways, he did come down in a taxi. As soon as he got out of the taxi, he was just plain rude - accusing us of not returning his e-mail. I don't think he realized at first that I understand mandarin because he was saying things in mandarin that were not very nice about us to the taxi drivers around the airport. He tried to book us into the Huangshan International Hotel, but because our original plan was to spend the night on the mountain, we did not want to waste any time at Tunxi. We then had to insist on staying at the Peach Blossom Hotel partway up the mountain so we could get up early to be up in Huangshan without wasting anytime. He then basically shoved us in the taxi that he came in and told the driver to drive us to Peach Blossom Hotel and then he told me he will try to phone and book a room for us, but if we get there and there is no room, there are other hotels in the area that the taxi driver can drive us to. Thus, he washed his hands of us. 

When we did get to the Peach Blossom Hotel, there was a room waiting for us. We managed the rest of the trip on our own. We booked our own hotel and transportations after that. We had to ask around a lot but people were generally very friendly and helpful. We did also ask Zhang Cong about the flight to Shanghai. He said the day we decide to leave - to just show up at the airport, there are several flights out a day and we should have no problems getting plane tickets. We found out later that this was not true; our second taxi driver told us that we had arrived during a very busy season and drove us to buy tickets at a ticket office in Tunxi. We are not angry at the fact that there was a "misunderstanding" regarding our schedule - just his attitude was just plain rude, uncaring, and unapologetic. Not once did he apologize for the misunderstanding and made the whole situation seem like completely our fault. 

Unfortunately, CITS really does not have a lot of competition in Huangshan for English-speaking tourists unless you come with your own tour guide. So just be very cautious when dealing with them. 

Because of the cancellations, we missed one sunrise on Huangshan because the tram up the mountain stops at 4pm. The trip from the airport cost us Y300 (a rip off but we didn't have much of a choice). 

The next morning we took the cableway/tram up the mountain. PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE NO SPECIAL TOURIST TICKETS even though such is written on the board. The staff told us you have to book ahead to get them. They can't do it there and they couldn't tell us where we could do it. The trip up was short. We got there early (7:00am) and we were among the first people up. Even after you get to the top, there is quite a way to go to get to your hotel. TRUST ME - TAKE THE TRAM UP - THERE IS NOTHING TO PROVE BY CLIMBING. SAVE YOUR KNEES! There's tons of hiking up there. We were very fortunate that it was the rainy season. The views are just breath-taking. BUT BOOK AHEAD FOR HOTELS ETC OR YOU WILL HAVE TO SETTLE FOR WHAT THERE IS. Because we were unable to book ahead, we ended up staying in the Xihai Hotel's dormitory rooms with only the bare essentials (two very hard bunk beds, pillow and blankets), and don't sleep by the windows because they leak like crazy when it rains. A lot of construction was going on in front so it was quite noisy and dirty. Otherwise the rest of the mountain was just beautiful. We were there for two nights. 

After that, we came down the mountain and visited some of the smaller villages around. We hired a taxi driver to take us around. It's wonderful when you know a bit of mandarin and just work with the local people. It cost us Y250 /day from 7:00am to whatever time we wanted. He took us to the airline office. (That's another gripe I have with Huangshan CITS who told us we could just buy our plane tickets at the airport with no problem!) Fortunately, we were able to purchase tickets but the flight was completely full by the time we got on, and the airport was chaotic.

We stayed at the Huangshan International Hotel which was just heaven in comparison with the dorm rooms. The taxi driver took us to wonderful little family restaurants around the area. We went to all the UNESCO villages that Ruth mentioned on her website along with many other little ones. Of course the ones with more tourists are cleaner but definitely more touristy. I don't think I have anything else to add to what Ruth has mentioned in her book and website. You should be able to do all the villages in two full days. We did Shexian County on the first day and the second day we went to Yixian county (Xidi, Nanping, Hongcun). Shexian county is not as develop for tourism, but beautiful just the same. If we had come a month earlier, the trees/forest would have been filled with peach blossoms. They have signs everywhere announcing that it is the Peach Blossom Capital of China. 

Remember to get your permit in Tunxi to visit the villages. They cost Y80 each to go into the towns of Xidi, Nanping and Hongcun. You can get these at the public security office in Tunxi and we heard it takes forever there and it is only open from 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning. Our taxi driver took us to Xidi where (not a lot of people know) you can also get your permit although they tell you that they cannot give you an official receipt. They give you a ticket and write the names of the other villages you want to visit on there: we chose Nanping, Hong cun and Xidi. Nanping had the house where they filmed Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Our taxi driver said he could have taken us there without the permit if we did not have a Caucasian friend with us. I figure it was just their way of getting more money from us foreigners. Remember, after the purchase of the permit, you still have to buy tickets to go into the villages, and within these villages, you still have to pay admission into temples etc. In fact, you almost have to buy tickets to get into anything in China. 

Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful trip. We travel a lot, but China always holds a special place in our heart because it is our roots. It is rare in our travels that we encounter someone quite this rude and usually we don't let little things phase us because we realize we are travelling in countries in which the tourist industy is not as develop. Anyways, I hope this helps your other readers, and I am really looking forward to a Southwest China trip in the fall (haven't decided between Yunnan or Sichuan). 

Overall, it was another really good trip except for that glitch with CITS in Huangshan. And Ruth's book was a wonderful insightful guide into the areas we went to. --Joanna Wong, April, 2002. 

Note from Ruth: Zhang Cong sent me a message which unfortunately arrived after Joanna Wong had left for China: "Ms. Wong hasn't contact with me since last email in March. I need her group detailed itinerary. As I've already booked air tickets from Shenzhen. If she won't contact with me, I'll cancel the ticket bookings."
When I asked Mr. Zhang to comment on Joanna's report, he said, "Ms. Wong saved lot of money for her Huangshan tour. Without my help, she would have spent much more. I won't care whatever she will complain, or wherever you put her comment. Thank you."

Please note my reservation about CITS below. You should double check all arrangements by telephone or e-mail at the last minute. As Ms. Wong says, there isn't much choice for English-speaking tourists in Huangshan. OTC is another travel agency with English-speaking staff but it hasn't answered e-mails promptly. Travel agents should be able to book the tourist ticket on the cableway/tram up the mountain ahead of time. Cars booked through travel agents are usually more expensive than taxis. - RLM-May, 2002. 
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I spent three nights in Huangshan, primarily as a guest of Huangshan China International Travel Service. Even though it rained while we were on the mountain, I loved it and would have liked a couple more days on the top. The scenery was stunningly beautiful and constantly changing. The hotels were adequate, many directional signs were in English, and the whole site clean. The sedan chair carriers.

But I didn't like the herds of tourists who were shepherded from scenic spot to scenic spot on the mountain. They made lots of noise. Meditation was impossible. They wanted mainly to have their photos taken in front of beautiful scenery. They did not care about absorbing the splendour of it.

There are areas where one can escape them, but the scenic spots they frequent are traditionally the best places to see the view. They also get up early to see the sun rise and we had to take turns to photograph it, while balanced precariously on the side of a cliff.

An article was published July 5, 2001 by John Pomfret of the Washington Post Foreign Service, (Privatizing China's Parks As Firms Take Over Scenic Treasures, Government Officials Occupy Executive Suites.) It explains that Huangshan is now mainly owned by Chinese and foreign stock holders. Huangshan City owns 48.5%.

"Forest cover has increased from 60 percent in the 1980s to 86 percent," it said. "...Before the firm was listed on the stock market, no more than 800,000 tourists journeyed to Huangshan. Last year, 1.1 million came... Three cable car runs, including the longest in Asia, crisscross the mountain cliffs. Foot traffic on the peak is higher than ever. Several trails have been closed because of overuse..."
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We had to pay Y82 to enter the scenic mountain area.

The most popular cable car is the one from Yungu, a little over an hour from Tunxi and the airport. Its top station is about a 20 minute walk uphill to the Beihai Hotel. Beyond that is another ten minutes walk to the Xihai Hotel or Shilin Hotel. In spite of a reservation, we had to wait at least 30 minutes to get on the Yungu (because of all the other tourists). Scott, our guide, said it normally requires a 10 minute wait (and we weren't in high tourist season!) The ride and the use of the V.I.P. waiting room cost Y81 one way. (Other passengers pay Y66 and they have to wait longer.) All cable cars operate from 6:30am to 4pm (except in storms) every day now .

A sedan chair from the top of this cable car to the Beihai Hotel costs about Y300 (prices are fixed). My friends tipped the two carriers about Y50 each. I gave a porter Y20 to carry my small bag plus a tip of Y10. This seemed to satisfy them.

A second cable car, the Taiping, is 3000 meters long and costs Y66 one way. The lower terminal is over two hours from Tunxi, closer to Jiuhua Mountain, and used also by passengers from cruise ships. Behind its upper terminal which is about a 30-minute walk from the Beihai, is a new scenic spot, Fantastic, devoid of crowds of noisy tourists but full of stairs. I found only a handful of people there while hundreds were hiking the beaten paths. It has newly-built wooden staircases set into the sides of vertical rocks, granting access to spectacular vistas.

You can also avoid other tourists by going onto side trails away from the main paths. If you stay in the more expensive sections of these hotels, you don't even hear them.

Where to Stay: No hotel has CNN. The best hotels on the mountain are the Shilin and the Beihai. Some hotels on the top do not change travelers' checks, but the Bank of China is across the street from the Beihai Hotel. None are air-conditioned. Some have heat.

It is difficult to make reservations directly with the hotels on the mountain by fax or e-mail. During low tourist season, CITS charges US$100 a room including service charge for the Beihai, Xihai, and Shilin. A buffet breakfast is an additional US$10 per room. During high season, October 1 to 7, it's US$150 per room. For the Huangshan International, it's US$50 ($60 for Oct 1 to 7). For the Guomai Hotels, it's US$45 generally, and $55 for high season.

At the base: The Huangshan International Hotel is the best hotel in the whole area. The Guomei is newer.

HUANGSHAN INTERNATIONAL HOTEL (Guoji Dajiudian), 31 Huashan Road, Huangshan City, 245000. Tel. 2526999, Fax 2512087. E-mail: hsihotel@mail.ahwhptt.net.cn   . Web: www.huangshanintlhotel.com   . Four stars. This is only a 12-minute drive from the airport and accepts credit cards and travelers checks. Rooms are US$80 and suites range from US$150 to $700. Hui style architecture.

The food here was especially good and over abundant. (We had to tell them to bring half portions.) It has television only in Chinese, bathroom scales, hair driers, and in-room safes. It has a small gym.

HUANGSHAN GUOMAI HOTEL is one km. from the railway station and eight km. from the airport. It takes credit cards, and is at 25 Qianyuan Nan Road, 245000, Tel. 2351188, and Fax 2351199. E-mail: hsgmhotl@mail.hs.ah163.net   .

On the Mountain:
The altitude at the mountain-top hotels is at least 1500 meters or over 4500 feet. The plateau is about 13 km. by 13 km. and allows no vehicles. Smoking is only allowed inside the hotels. None of the hotels have swimming pools nor gyms. ("The mountain is the gym.")

The main three-star hotels on the mountain have staff speaking very little English. During the August and September dry season, water in all hotels might be rationed. The high tourist seasons are the May 1 and October 1, seven-day holidays. Laundry must be done at the foot of the mountain (to protect the ecology) so prices are about double what you pay there. (You should get it back next day.) But a massage costs Y220 for 45 minutes. A foot massage costs Y80 for 30 minutes, a pedicure Y50, and a hair cut Y30.

All hotels here can lend heavy jackets to their guests free of charge. (You can buy cheap plastic rain coats for Y5 or Y8. You can buy cheap wooden walking sticks too.)

We stayed at the 214-room BEIHAI (North Sea) HOTEL (page 354) which is closer to the Yungu cable car station, and has a great view, especially from its Jin She VIP hall. The telephone is now 5582555, and fax 5581996. It was constructing a new three-star building next door and a dance hall to be finished in July this year. Rooms in the old building are 14 square meters. Those in the new building are 18 square meters, and in the Jin She building 20 square meters.

The Jin She building has bullet-proof windows, and is full of wood carvings, and body guard rooms. One suite had a separate wife's room. The best view from a room here is from number 6608 which is listed as Y1280 net. The presidential suite is even better. We found our cheaper rooms small, adequate and comfortable, but not luxurious.

A bed in a dormitory with no lockers costs Y50 to Y100. The breakfast buffet cost Y40; the lunch and dinner Y80. It has 24 hour tap hot water.

I visited the 142-room XIHAI (West Sea) HOTEL (Dajiudian) which is also three stars. It is 40 minutes walk from the upper Yungu cable station and 15 minutes from the upper Taiping cable station. The telephone number is now 5588987, 5588888. Fax 5588988. Rooms cost Y850 to Y1280, the higher price in peak season. Suites all year round are Y1730 to Y5888. It has 500 beds in dormitories for Y85 each. It has been discounting 20%. It takes credit cards and accepts travelers checks. It gives no discounts to walk-ins. Its restaurant charges for pork chops Y90, beef stroganoff Y90, frogs Y121, hamburger Y70, chicken sandwich Y69 and beef steak Y93. Coffee in its lobby bar costs Y30 to Y48; tea Y10 to Y20; beer Y15 to Y20, and water Y6.

The 142-room SHILIN HOTEL (Dajiudian) is a half hour's walk from both the Taiping and Yungu cable stations. It has mainly Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korean, Singaporean and Malaysian guests. Rooms are 18 square meters. Some of the Shilin's buildings are being upgraded, its cheaper dormitory buildings being replaced with 20-square meter, three-star standard rooms, each with a terrace, bathtub and shower. These should be completed in May, 2002. It was opened in 1998 and has e-mail. It says it will be hiring people who speak English. Its buffet breakfast is Y80. It has a piano bar and e-mail. It has a sauna for Y100. No Jacuzzi. Rooms have showers, no tubs, and are about Y850 to Y1280. It also has 24 hour hot tap water, and pay movies.

Seeing the Sights: (page 354)
The mountain of course. Good maps in English are available so ask for them. (See page
I will never forget the porters who carry food and construction materials up the mountain. They carry down the laundry. The porters take four hours to transport one load. If they are hired by a hotel, they make Y1500 a month, working seven days a week during high tourist season. If they are paid by the load, they make Y80 to Y150 a trip, depending on the weight.

Also unsung heroes are the 500 plus people who keep the place clean. If someone throws a bottle off the mountain top, Scott said, these cleaners are supposed to go to pick it up, risking their lives to do so. Give them a smile and a "Xie xie."

At the base of the mountain:
The "Old Street" is relatively close to the Huangshan International Hotel. Old Street has several blocks of shops in the old architecture, lots of gilded wood carvings, and for sale, curios and antiques and cockroaches encased in plastic. The mildly interesting Tangyue Archways (Tel. 559/6573333) are a short drive away and bespeak of old Chinese traditions and values.

Very interesting was the heritage village especially because we had a superb lunch there in one of the elegant old rooms -- all to ourselves. 800 year old Hong Cun is one of several UNESCO heritage villages and some of the scenes from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were shot here. (Remember the fighters flitting over a pond.) It has a moon bridge, narrow streets, water wheel, and houses with fire walls, ornate wood carvings, and murals. Another heritage village is Xidi which is over 940 years old. It has 124 Ming and Qing style houses and has no indication that the movie was filmed there.

Practical Information: CITS here (see below) can handle your arrangements but you should go over all details extra carefully with it. Manager Zhangcong usually answers e-mails promptly. We liked our guide Scott Cheng Yong. His e-mail is qiushui6341@sina.com   . His mobile telephone 13956269127 .

OTC did not answer my e-mails for two weeks so I didn't have a chance to try it.
Date: RLM, April, 2001.
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More recent information on Huangshan will be in Ruth Malloy's next guide book, due out in the spring of 2002.
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See also CITS' web-site, full of photos, maps (that need enlarging) and links to Huangshan travel agents: www.huangshanguide.com .

Getting there and back: Flights with other Chinese cities to Huangshan are infrequent so it's hard to fit a visit to this must-be-seen mountain area into a tight itinerary. Summer 2001's schedule of Chang An Airlines won't be known until March 10. The most frequent flights are from Shanghai with two or three departures a day. Guangzhou has several flights a day but not daily. Other cities might have two or four flights a week.

A CITS van for five passengers with driver could cost US$150 from the cable car terminal at the foot of the mountain in Huangshan to a hotel in Hangzhou. At the moment, there are no flights or trains between Huangshan and Hangzhou. Only buses. Express train No. 218 leaves Shanghai daily at 8:05am and arrives in Huangshan at 7:32pm all year round.

Trains from Huangshan to Guilin cost about US$90 plus $10 booking fee for each adult. At the moment, they leave Huangshan at 5:30pm and arrive next day in Guilin at 5:15pm with departures every two days. These trains actually start from Nanjing but you cannot get a soft sleeper on them from Huangshan. You have to pay the price from Nanjing even though you get on at Huangshan. Travel agencies can make bookings. It is too far to drive to Guilin from Huangshan.

Warning: The cost of a sedan chair on Huangshan is US$50 each trip (for example, from the top of the cable car to a hotel, or a return trip to a nearby peak from the hotel). This outrageously high price could vary depending on your or your guide's negotiating ability and is payable in RMB. The money goes to the team leader of the porters, and "gifts" of $10 each to the two porters. It does not go to your local travel agent.

Zhang Cong of Huangshan CITS who supplied most of this information, says: "If you refuse to give a gift, the porters will stick with you asking, begging and pestering for more. You have to give more to get rid of them. The best choice is not to take a sedan chair at all."

Where to Stay:
On Your Own without a package tour from a travel agency: At the Xihai (West Sea) Hotel, one of the three-star hotels suitable for foreigners on the mountain, a standard double room costs $100. There are no four and five star hotels there. A suite with four beds costs $240. All three-star hotels on the mountain have expensive presidential suites.

The Beihai (North Sea) Hotel is also three stars, with the best view of the scenery and the sunrise. You can see a photo of the view. It's the last one on the left of the Huangshan Photos section of the Huangshan home page. The rate is the same as the Xihai (West Sea) Hotel's but the North Sea is closer to the cableway terminal. The Xihai serves better coffee and better American breakfast.

Zhang Cong explains, "Commodities at the hotels on the mountain are much more expensive than those at the foot as everything is carried to the top by porters. We do not use the cable car for cargo. The cheaper two-star hotel costs $80, but conditions are terrible. There is really no other choice at the top."

All the hotels recommended by CITS take credit cards and travelers' checks for payment, but they prefer cash. You can go to the Bank of China to change travelers' checks.

If you don't speak Chinese, be aware that no cable car staff and porters can speak English. I don't know about the English in the hotels yet.

I expect to be going to Huangshan in April so will be finding out more about this and other logistics. Do come back to this site later this year.

Prices and Itineraries:
Tour agency package price rates depend on the number in your group. The following prices are based on double hotel room occupancy.

CITS' tour prices include all meals, hotel accommodations (double occupancy), English-speaking guide, entrance to scenic attractions, cable car tickets, and transportation in one bus, but not in a sedan chair on top of the mountain. You have to pay extra for that.

CITS' suggested three day, three-night tour:
Day 1: Arrive at Huangshan City, stay at Huangshan International Hotel (4 star).
Day 2. Go to the mountain by bus, and get to the top by cable car. Go sightseeing on foot on the top. Stay at West Sea Hotel (three star)
Day 3. Watch the sunrise. Get down the mountain by cable car. Take the bus to Yi Xian County to visit ancient Hong Tsun village and see typical traditional houses, and ancient clan halls where the whole village is surrounded by green
hills with pines and bamboo bushes. Lunch is in the clan hall. In the afternoon you go to Tunxi for a stroll on the ancient commercial street. Then return to the International Hotel for the night and retrieve your left luggage.
Day 4. After breakfast, leave Huangshan City either by air or by land.

For a group of four people for two nights on the mountain (which would mean little or no time for the bus tour above, this would cost $350 per adult, $300 per child.

For four people for two nights (one on the mountain, one in a hotel at the foot), it would cost $300 per adult, $250 per child. Double occupancy.

For four people for three nights with two nights on the mountain, it would cost $400 per adult, $300 for the child.

Payment: Huangshan CITS says a deposit should be paid in advance to CITS' American account. If you cancel your trip even one week before your promised arrival date, you can get the deposit back. The balance of the payment to CITS should be in cash, bank check or money order, before or upon your arrival in Huangshan. You can get cash at the Bank of China in Huangshan from your credit card for a fee. Payment by travelers' check is also possible but a larger bank's check is preferred.

Practical Information:
CITS can be reached through zhangcong@chinahuangshan.com   or citseu@huangshanguide.com . Zhang Cong's telephone is 559-2526184 (Office) 2523198. ( Home) mobile 13013126690. (see page 352 for address). -- RLM. Date: January, 2001.
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Jinan
John Ma (Ma Fengjian), listed below with the China Shandong Tourism Corporation is now working for Laurus Travel in Beijing. This is a China tour company based in Vancouver, Canada. John’s e-mail is now beijing@laurustravel.com. John travels between Beijing and Jinan frequently. Laurus’ web-site is: http://www.laurustravel.com  . DATE: December, 2005.
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For some tourists, Jinan with the area's only five-star hotels, is the base for day trips to Qufu and Taishan (60km away). An expressway from Beijing was finished in 1999. Jinan itself is primarily for business people, an economic boom town based on minerals, agriculture and trade. It used to have a major tourist attraction of its own, but a lowering water table due to over-use has emasculated its once famous springs beyond repair. Only one still exists and tourists no longer are encouraged to see the remains of its past glory.

The airport's extension should be finished in 2001. Measures such as banning motorcycles, coal burning and limiting vehicles downtown has reduced Jinan's air pollution.

Where to Stay: (page 356) Hotels here add a 10 or 15% service charge. The best hotel is indisputably the Sofitel. The Qilu (page 356) used to be the best and is recommended for its good location and second best service. The four star Zhonghao Grand Hotel and Hua Neng are good. The Minghe is a good three star. Forget about the Pearl Hotel and the Gui Du now. These others are better.

At the SOFITEL SILVER PLAZA JINAN (Sofite), rooms range from US$100 to $150, and suites from $150-$500. Its presidential suite price is "upon request." Separate rooms for children are 50%. Its opening special rates for its superior and deluxe rooms respectively have been Y498 and Y598. It has weekend specials. This 324-room, 48-story hotel is at 66 Luoyuan Avenue, 250063, Tel. 6068888; fax 6066666. E-mail: sofires@public.jn.sd.cn  (reservations) or sofitel@jn-public.sd.cninfo.net  . Web: www.accorhotels-china.com  ; www.accorhotel.com  ; www.sofitel.com  . It has a shuttle bus to and from the airport for flights from Shanghai and Beijing. The CAAC bus stops two blocks away. (Later note: It had its grand opening on December 18, 2000.)

It is located in the downtown financial commercial district, south of Daming Lake, and adjacent to the Silver Plaza, Jinan’s largest shopping mall. Its business center charges Y1 a minute for e-mail, and also has periodicals in English.

All its facilities should be available for the grand opening in December, 2000. Live classy chamber music fills the lobby in the evening. 

Rooms are 26 and 32 square meters. It has non-smoking floors, and ladies' rooms and suites with a few different amenities like a dressing table and copies of Cosmopolitan in Chinese. (There's no mistaking the photos of Leonardo and Brad.) All rooms have two telephone lines and by January 2001, should have CNN, HBO and the Discovery Channel. Each room has a panic button, scales and kettles.

The decor is predominantly beige, tending to light, with lots of airy whites, and brass trimmed. It is restful, elegant, and the service should improve with experience.

It has Japanese, Mediterranean, Asian, and Cantonese/Chaozhou/Shandong restaurants, Its revolving restaurant and lounge has a dance floor and band. Its fine dining western restaurant has an open barbecue, grill and French food, and a choice of 80 wines. Its ballroom and vestibule can seat up to 1000 guests banquet style. There's a wine and cigar lounge.

The Y98 breakfast buffet was ready at 5am and was good with especially great pastries (except for the chocolate donut which was a little tough). Two waitresses however didn't know the word "newspaper" in English and there was no wasabi with the sushi. The lunch and dinner buffets cost Y85 each. The coffee shop did have the IHT, Asian Wall St. Journal and China Daily. The western and southeast Asian set menu costs Y58, and you have a choice for dinner: international buffet Y98; dessert section Y45; cold dish section Y55; cold dish and dessert Y75. The menu listed nicoise salad Y35, quiche lorraine Y35, Korean barbecue beef ribs Y55, dumplings Y35, beef fajita Y55, wiener schnitzel Y45, and beef steak Y45. We had a late night dinner in its Cantonese restaurant, all good: seafood noodles, beef with onions and oyster sauce, and broccoli.

It also has a Japanese restaurant with teppanyaki, sushi, tempura, sashimi and hot pot.

The health club equipment wasn't in place during my visit. It should be high-tech, have a heated year-round indoor pool (round and 150 square meters) and offer reflexology.

The QILU HOTEL'S address hasn't changed. It's e-mail is: Qilu@ji-public.sd.cninfo.net . It has renovated its lobby and looks good. Its 1998 five star section has a big green jade boat in its lobby. Its gym is small but good.
No one knows when its new extension will be finished.

The ZHONG HAO GRAND HOTEL has the same address but its fax is 6968899. The e-mail is: zhgh@jn-public.sd.cninfo.net (but it didn't work). This 1998, 343-room hotel accepts major credit cards. Rooms are Y780 and Y1180; suites are Y1280 to Y6680 and it has been discounting 40%. It is in a residential area and its staff speaks a little English. It has a 24-hour coffee shop with Y38 breakfast buffet, free with room. It has dirty carpets. It has a bowling alley, 18 meter- long heated indoor pool, steam room, jacuzzi and sauna. It also has a small gym with good equipment.

The 1997 HUANENG HOTEL has the same addresses. The postal code is 250011. The e-mail is: Hnxxyxxy@163.net but I received no answer. Rooms range from Y520 to Y660 including breakfast. Suites are Y960 and Y1200. It has been discounting 25% and accepts credit cards. This 147 room hotel started out as an office building. Rooms are 27 square meters and will be renovated soon. It has CNN and BBC, surge protectors, safes, makeup mirrors, and mini-bars.

The breakfast buffet costs Y30, lunch buffet Monday to Friday Y40. The e-mail costs Y30 an hour. For recreation it has billiards, ping-pong, six bowling alleys, sauna and a year round indoor pool. The gym is adequate. The English is poor to non-existent. I found people sleeping in the lobby.

MINGHU DAJIUDIAN, 398 Beiyuan Road, 250033. Tel. 5956688, Fax 5948888. I e-mailed: minghu@jn-public.sd.cninfo.net and got a reply from Larry Joseph in English at larry95@hotmail.com. Three stars. Rooms in this 22 story, 230 room hotel range from Y298 to Y580 but it has been discounting 20% off this. It accepts international credit cards for payment and can change foreign travelers' checks into RMB.

It started renovations in May, 2000 and has CNN, billiards, a 24 hour restaurant with Chinese food, sauna and massage. It will have a pool. It also has poor grouting, and no in-room safes but it's okay for a budget hotel.

Where to Eat: in addition to the main hotels, the Jingyu Restaurant, is good for seafood, Tel. 2720298, 2720268. The Seoul Club is good for Korean food. 4, Shanshi Dong Road, Tel. 6420734. E-mail: vivianne-park@yahoo.com.cn (but I didn't get an answer). It is cosy, has small rooms and dirty carpets, and was opened in 2000. It offers stainless steel chopsticks and a menu in English. We had appetizers (orange-flavored lotus root, spiced peanuts, kimchi and fresh orange slices), sea weed soup, grizzly bulgogi beef. Every other Saturday from 2 to 5pm, it has an international party for Y60. It should be a good place to meet other foreigners.

There's an Italian restaurant at the Lakeside Hotel, outside and south of Daming Lake Park.

Seeing the Sights - The Qianfo Hill and its cableway are now open only during daylight hours. On Yangtouyu is the 10-meter-high cave with the head of a buddha. Tours no longer go to the carpet factory nor the Shandong silk store. Foreigners frequently gather at the big bar in the Shandong Sports Centre stadium.

Practical Information:
The price of air tickets in the business center of the Huanneng Hotel after the Nov. 15 increase: Jinan to Shanghai Y700, to Yantai Y210; to Urumqi Y2050, to Xi'an Y810, Guangzhou Y1442, to Hong Kong about Y1900.

A 24-hour internet service is at 3 Qianfoshan Road (near the Qilu Hotel.) It has 32 computers and charges Y2.50 an hour. Tel. 2910430.

Travel Agents and Tourism Bureau:
China Shandong Tourism Corporation's fax number is 6025290. Ask for John Ma (Ma Feng Jian), Deputy Manager, English Dept. The e-mail is: sdotcu@public.jn.sd.cn .
John has always been a great help to me and is one of the best travel agents and guides I've found in China. His train fares: from Jinan to Shanghai US$52(soft berth), $34(hard berth); from Jinan to Beijing $25(soft berth), $17 (hard berth), $15(soft seat); from Jinan to Yantai US$12(hard berth. There are no soft berth and seats on this train.) A service charge is additional.

For individual guests, CSTC charges for a standard room at the Sofitel: US$80 with breakfast, Zhong Hao $60 with breakfast, Qilu: $65 with breakfast, Hua Neng $50 with breakfast, and Minghu $45 with breakfast.

China Shandong Travel Service, 185 Lishan Road, 250014. Tel. 2607659, Fax 2608558. E-mail: csts@public.jn.sd.cn  or sdta.gov.cn or csts@sdta.gov.cn . Web: www.csts.sdta.com  or www.sdcsts.com  or www.u.net.cn/csts  .

Shandong Tourism Bureau, 86 Jing Shi Road, 250014. Tel. 2965858 X 6311.

Office hours: 8:30 or 9 to 11:30am or 12 noon. In summer 2 or 2:30 to 5:30pm or 6pm. In winter from Nov. 1 to end of March, 1pm to 5pm.

RLM. Date: November, 2000. RLM.

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Jing Hong (Kunming and Laos )
See page 698 to 700 in China Guide and "Kunming" in this web-site for this city in southern Yunnan province

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Jiuhuashan (Hefei)
The highest peak on this mountain (page 351) is 1600 meters. It now has over 80 temples and a second cable car which goes 2000 meters. The Julong Hotel is now rated three stars. Anhui Tourism Officials, June, 1999.

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Kaifeng
I was disappointed in Kaifeng. I had been there about three times over the years but not recently. I knew it had a new theme park based on that wonderful 11th century painting of Kaifeng during the Qing Ming festival. I think I expected something like the Hong Kong version of the same thing with beautiful wooden buildings and a feeling of being transported to another era - after all, this city was the inspiration for that painting.

In the painting are hundreds of people playing ball, shopping, driving animals, worshipping, selling, buying, and carrying baskets on shoulder poles -- a typical festival day in the life of the old capital. But alas, I couldn't find very many of these in this new theme-park version. A few people were trying to look Song dynasty-ish. Some of the buildings did look genuine. But I felt there should be more people in costume. I think I was expecting too much.

The Qing Ming Shang He Yuan (Riverside Scene Park) is open from 9:00am to 6:00pm. At 9:00am daily there is an opening ceremony officiated by "Mayor Bao." This park should be of interest to children, and to people who have just arrived in China and haven't seen the hundreds of other attempts at the same thing. The park has English, German and French-speaking guides for hire, dancers in costume and some on stilts, and an evening show on weekends and holidays. It has a wonderful "sugar blower" Ma Qian Tang who makes charming horses, goats, monkeys, and snakes out of sugar and honey. We found him at the foot of the bridge in a little stall by himself.

The park also has goat and camel and sedan chair rides and is aimed more at domestic tourists than foreigners. Don't expect the frequent surprises of an American theme park nor the assertiveness of actors in character confronting visitors. There is a map in English with a schedule of events like acrobats, cock fighting, story telling, and "play music with Bian bell and dance." There's also "gas-skill spray fire." Count on at least two hours in this park. And there's some interesting shopping: for example, reproductions of Van Gogh paintings for Y5000 and a famous oil portrait of Napoleon for Y18,000. Hand-woven goods and other crafts too. Tel. 5663928, 5663586.

Shopping is also interesting on Song Du Yu, Imperial Dynasty Street. Made locally are embroideries, porcelains, and New Year's pictures from Zhuxian Township printed from wood blocks.

The city seems to be increasing its percentage of Song dynasty architecture though it has a long way to go to rival Suzhou or Quanzhou. No new high buildings have been built inside the wall since 1995. Factories have moved to the suburbs. Roads have widened. The total population of Kaifeng is now 4.6 million, including the rural areas. The urban population of Kaifeng is around 700,000. Kaifeng plans to rebuild the Mayor's Mansion. Work on this project has already begun and will be completed in three years. The mayor's mansion (not the official name) will be another theme park, featuring local folk culture and the story of Lord Bao, the most upright official in Chinese history and a symbol of justice.

The Iron Pagoda (Y15), Lord Bao's Memorial Hall (Y20), Dragon Pavilion (Y25), and the Guild Hall (Y10) are still there of course, looking genuinely ancient as they have for hundreds of years. You can learn a lot of interesting history and enjoy the unusual architecture. (page 538). Pedicabs cost Y5 or Y10 to carry you between monuments inside the walled city. The Jewish relics are still there. The Kaifeng Museum is now open 9:30am to 11:30am and 2:30pm to 5:30pm, and the telephone is 3933624. The entrance fee is about Y10.

A part of the old city wall, formerly just tamped earth, has been restored. There's now a renovated city gate, Da Liang Men, on the west wall. There are plans to link the lakes with canals and boats to the Dragon Pavilion in the north west and to the Iron Pagoda in the northeast of the walled city soon.

The Shanshangan (Guild Hall of three Western Provinces) is worth a 20 to 30 minute stop. Guan Yu is the god of merchants as well as war. Tourists can play reproductions of the chime bells here. And an exhibition here soon should include photographs of Jewish history. It's on Xufu Street downtown, built in 1776, and is open 8am to 6:30pm and costs Y10.

The best time to visit is the spring, or September-October. There's a good map in English with bus routes.

Where to Stay:
The best hotel is the three-star Tian Zhong Hotel in the city center. The old Dongjing Hotel is dirty and stuffy now but we still felt comfortable having lunch there. Its telephone number is now 3989388. Forget about the Dongyuan.

TIAN ZHONG HOTEL, 41 Gulou Street, 475000, Tel. 378-5958888, Sales 5988568. Fax 5952185. Three stars. Not only is this the best hotel in town, but its downtown location is great. Its 108 rooms are bigger than the Dongjing's, and it's air-conditioned. An interesting night food market is outside. Unfortunately, there's no English.

Where to Eat:
At the Dongjing Hotel, we had fried chicken, shao bing sesame buns, stir-fried celery, onions and garlic. They were good. We also had good steamed dumplings, and carp with noodles (like you've never seen before.) Other local dishes included fried bean jelly, spiced dried bean curd, and peanut cake.

Practical Information:
Wrote Dr. Wendy Abrahamson of Jewish Historical Tours of China. "Yes, I still run tours to China. My toll-free telephone number in the U.S. is now (888) 731-3388.

"The synagogue hasn't been rebuilt. I recently received an e-mail from Kaifeng saying it was now to be a Synagogue 'Museum.'

"The BIG news, however, is that we've been able to get one of the younger generation of Jewish descendants, Shi Lei, to study at Bar Ilan University in Israel this year. He's the grandson of Shi Zhongyu, whom I highlighted in my 1987 Hadassah Magazine which can be found at: www.kashrus.org ..

Anyway, Shi Lei is now in Israel and is set to visit New York and San Francisco on his way back after his year there is up (around July 2002). We're hoping he will be the first Jewish descendant to get an advanced degree in Judaic Studies perhaps in the States. As it is, he's the first descendant ever to study Jewish-related topics and go to Israel to do so. I wrote an article about him and this historic event in the Sino-Judaic Institute newsletter..."

CITS is at 98 Yingbin Road. Its telephone is 3980084, fax 3934830. The e-mail is: kfcits@public.kfptt.ha.cn  . It has five English-speaking guides. Ask for Liu Wenqing. Date   May 2001

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KASHI / Kashgar

We stayed a total of six nights here.  After several  days of driving, the thought of  enduring another 700km drive to our next scheduled stop Kuqa was not inviting and CITS our travel agency said we could make a change.  We were happy to spend two more days in Kashi than originally planned. It is indeed a  pleasant and interesting city.   

Kashi as it is called in Chinese has a 2000-year history. It is at the junction of trade routes  south to India and west to the Mediterranean.   It was an especially important town,  an entrepot for Silk Road trade.  If you see the film The Kite Runner which was shot in  Kashi prefecture and city, you will get an idea of the architecture and flavour that is still here especially in the countryside.   

We spent our time exploring.  Its famous Sunday Market was well worth seeing especially if you like animals. You can take pictures of cattle struggling to get away from  their owners,  circles of  live, sheered sheep with fat tails like tiny tutus, and their heads tied together.  You can watch people buy and sell donkeys, a glance at the teeth, and a hand shake at the end. Whole families, children and all, herd their cashmere goats for sale while sheep arrive in double-decker trucks.  We saw a farrier with  a donkey trussed up to a brace, ready for new shoes. We also saw a cart pulled by a man carrying rebars three times as long as the cart itself. Forget about a red flag at the back to warn people behind.   

In other parts of the market, cobblers were repairing shoes on very ancient sewing machines.  Sellers with mounds of watermelon sat enjoying a taste of their wares. Under colourful cloth awnings, merchants laid out neat boxes of spices, nuts and dried fruit,   rows of  embroidered caps, and stacks of  brocade and brightly hued ikat cloth.  Men in circular caps carried on their business of buying and selling and ignored the camera-carrying foreigners. No one seemed to mind being photographed or asked for money, and many poised for us. It was a photographer’s dream.  If you want to compare this Sunday Market with the one in Hotan, see “Silk Road South.”  

I spent a lot of time looking for traditional footwear for my museums and found sidewalks full of used but modern, machine-made shoes. We did find some old traditional hand-made specimens in two of the antique stores behind the Grand Mosque.  In a village outside the city, a cobbler and his two sons still make boots with wooden pegs instead of metal nails on the soles “because wood lasts longer. The metal rusts.” He invited us to dinner with the local imam and his family. It was a thrill and we learned that they cut short the hair of little girls because they believe it grows back thicker and better.  

For such family visits, our guide suggested hostess gifts of sugar cubes, tea bricks, and candy or biscuits for the children.    

Not to be missed is the   Folklore Museum near the Grand Mosque.  It had a good  English-speaking guide explaining the customs and exhibits. Real humans demonstrated silk and pottery making, and ikat weaving. And a reproduction of a rich Uighur house drew gasps of amazement at the excellent wood carving and the opulence of the decorations. 

Silk Worm Cocoons  Kashi Folklore Musuem

Image copyright Ruth Lor Malloy 2008.

We were to see a real, similar rich Uighur house in the making while we walked around the Old City neighbourhood, another essential place to visit .  In this real house (not a museum exhibit), we saw how  artisans make  decorative plaster molding,  Very similar in quality to the exhibition in the museum, that house should be finished now but there might be others being made there during your visit. In that interesting old neighbourhood, we also saw a farrier shoeing a horse, and we visited a house behind a high wall to find the owner’s horse, black and white cow, and innumerable pigeons sharing the home with his family. 

There is also the private Silk Road Museum, but it is more a repository of old things than an educational museum.  It is worth seeing if you are interested in old boots,  carriages, saddles, gramophones, ceramic lamps, cameras and computers.

Kashi is a wonderful place to show children how things like textiles and knives are made. The markets are full of people making  giant samovars, jewelry, tandoor ovens, and furniture. Another good place to visit is the Grand Mosque, a real oasis of green in a dusty city.  It is easy to understand why the locals and travelers were drawn to this and other mosques.  They are peaceful places with trees and ponds. Foreigners of either gender allowed in this mosque. (Foreigners are not allowed in mosques in Urumqi).

We also visited the mausoleum of the Fragrant Concubine – actually the mausoleum of a local noble family. Apak Hoja Mazar was built in 1640, but repaired later in 1760 and given an additional story about one of its daughters, a favourite of  Qing emperor Qianlong.   This lady seems to have acquired her sweet fragrance from bathing in camel’s milk.   The variety of architecture and décor here are worth studying and the remains of old paint jobs on wooden pillars  and on old gates throughout Kashi, give a genuine antique quality that is truly beautiful.  The mausoleum also has a camel to ride and is  attached to a genuine Moslem cemetery.  You might find something interesting in the  surrounding souvenir shops.

Kashi has other impressive mausoleums with different variations of  Islamic   architecture. A Ferris Wheel was prominent downtown, but it wasn’t operating. Do take a drive up to  the snow mountains and glaciers on the way to Karakul Lake.  It’s a long drive but it’s beautiful – and can be a day trip (take your own lunch and toilet paper).  The road is good.  See Karakorum Highway.  You can also take a day trip to Hotan. See South Silk Road.

 Our schedule put us into the Qiniwak Hotel – which I remembered from previous visits  as being historical, yes, but old and run down.  The 19^th century-built British Consulate is in the compound.  Fortunately for us, CITS put us into the much newer and better International Hotel  at 6 Renmin East Road, 844000. Telephone 998-280-1111. E-mail: wahotel@mail.126.com .  The Qiniwak is okay, but not as good.

The International Hotel was more modern, clean and comfortable. But it had  no safe deposit boxes in the rooms.  We had to pay a Y50 deposit before we could use the telephone but the internet was very cheap.  Noises from the square and a nearby disco might keep people awake until the wee hours so try to avoid that side of the hotel. The hotel had good air conditioning and hot water, rain forest shower heads, and new fixtures.   

The International was next  to the city square with its giant, 18 meter-high Chairman Mao waving to the masses, one of the few such statues left in China. The square also had taiji and dancing people in the morning and evening, and a convenient ATM in a Bank of China.  The money machine was good because the hotel couldn’t change foreign cash or travelers’ checks. The International was also about five blocks from the Grand Mosque. This mosque is now on one side of another vast square, and surrounded by antique, souvenir and glitzy jewellery stores and a huge video screen. For tourists, it has a camel and fancy horse carts.   Many recent visitors have complained about the changes here from a neighbourhood of narrow, crowded streets.  I liked the openness of the square, but didn’t appreciate the glitzy new stores nor the giant video screen.  

However, I did find the neighbourhood behind the mosque still full of earthen over-the-road  houses, family factories,  and the same antique store I visited before.  It has not been completely changed.  

The three of us had a delightful regional guide named Mahira and an excellent local guide named Akbar.  They did however order us too much food, and a couple times took us to really grubby and smelly restaurants that we didn’t appreciate.  They did take us to some good ones, including a Chinese restaurant in the Qiniwak Hotel.  Most of the food was Uighur – one of my favourite cuisines – which alas was not as spicy as I liked.  Maybe the chefs held the chilis for foreigners.  But after eating Uighur food for two or three meals a day for over a week, we got tired of lamb  kebobs, noodles, dumplings, and cabbage,   John’s Café at the Qiniwak Hotel was a god-send.  We could get pizza and spaghetti there.  (The lovely Caravan Café, alas, was recently closed.)  For Uighur food, we liked the Orda Restaurant and the Ak Altun Restaurant, both of which had a lot of variety in attractive settings.   

Our local arrangements were made by Kashgar  CITS. You can contact Akbar by e-mail at:  arkam317@126.com . His office is in the Qiniwak Hotel compound at 144 Seman Road,  Kashgar, 844000. Telephone 998-282-2173.   There are many daily flights between Kashi and Urumqi, and twice a week between Islamabad and Kashi.  For other destinations on the Silk Road, see also Karakorum Highway, South Silk Road, Urumqi, and Dunhuang.  – RLM,  DATE, July, 2007.

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Korla/Kuerla
This is an attractive new city, built in 1979 because of oil and natural gas in the Tarim Oil Fields. International companies have projects here.

It can be reached by a daily flight from Urumqi and four times a week from Qiemo. Buses leave Urumqi every two hours for the 461 km. trip on new highway 312 which goes southeast via Turpan and then southwest. The overnight train from Urumqi K882 leaves at 9:54pm and arrives at 8:30am. Train K881 from Korla to Turpan (383 km) or to Urumqi leaves at 10:38pm and arrives in Turpan at 6:18am.

From Korla to Kuqa is 285 km and it's a three-day trip sightseeing trip.

Korla receives about 100 mm of rain a year, mainly in June and July. Without rain, the temperature can sometimes reach 40 C/104 Fah in mid-June through August.

What to See
The main attractions are the five 3000 to 4000 year old mummies in the museum here which are thought to be Celtic. They are so well preserved that it's easy to see them as real people. From their clothes, features, and light colored hair you can imagine their stories. Three people were from the same tomb. One woman has the look of nobility, her hair in braids, her hands tattooed and her feet in fur boots. A ribbon is on her nose to keep her soul inside her body. She is believed to have been 40 years old.

Nearby is another woman, thought to be 20 years old, her lower arms and legs removed with blood on her clothes. One can only guess that she was a servant who had fought to keep herself from being buried alive to serve her mistress. Her mouth is open as if she were gasping for air. In a third glass case is a baby, mouth also gasping for breath. Perhaps the child was the reason why the mother wanted to live. Maybe the noblewoman's family thought they were doing her a favor by dispatching the baby with her.

You can just as easily make up your own gruesome story. But how they got from Austria where some researchers say they're from, and what happened to them is a baffling mystery. Important also to see are the textiles, said to be similar to those of Austrian salt miners. See Loulan below.

The museum (bo wu guan) is in the Zhou Yu Ji Cultural Ministry and Education Building on the opposite side of People's Square (Renmin Guang Chang) from the Prefecture Hall. Unfortunately, no signs are in English on the door. There are several buildings attached together. The "Loulan Xue Hui" is on the sixth floor (no elevator) of one of them. The telephone is 2210656. It is open 9:30am to 1:30pm, and 4:30pm to 7pm. While it is closed on Saturdays, it can be opened on request. No guides are available. The entrance fee is Y5 for foreigners, and Y3 for Chinese. Please don't quibble about the difference because the staff sometimes doesn't get paid. They depend on this fee. But things are looking up. A new museum should be built in 2004.

Attractions also include 25 X 55 km. Lake Bosten where a ride on a boat here is highly recommended for those who need a green fix after being surrounded by beige desert scenery for days. Your high-speed boat, which costs Y300, and can seat about seven people, races through canals lined with two meter-high reeds to a place where you can spend the night away from civilization in a fake yurt with a real television set, and feast on what looks like catfish. We saw 10 different kinds of wild birds and ducks and innumerable water lilies. The Hong Kou boat landing is about 90 km from Korla. A taxi can cost Y120 for a return trip and waiting time.

You can also visit the ruins of 2100 year-old Iron Gate Pass, 8km from town on the Peacock River. While this is the "last pass" on the Silk Road to what is now Pakistan, it is not important enough to make a special trip to see. But you can hike from here about 800 meters to the power station in interesting mountain scenery. From Korla to the edge of the Taklamakan desert is about 100 km.

The altitude in town is 990 meters. At Bosten Lake, it's 1048 meters. The population is 360,000 in the city, and over a million in the prefecture. The best time to visit is May to October, although sand storms blow occasionally from March to May. There are usually 300 sunny days a year.

If you can afford the Y40,000 and are desperate to see it, Loulan has a 2000 year old history and was an important town on the Silk Road similar to Dunhuang. It is about 400 km. from Korla and the roads are not good. There are the ruins of Buddhist buildings, three rooms, and dwellings, and a 10.5 meter high stupa. The walls were 333.5meters by 329 meters. Travel agent Liu Heping of CBITS in Korla has been there at least 15 times. Groups pay at least Y64,000 to visit the site which was abandoned in the fourth century.

Where to Stay:
The four-star 168-room Tazhi (Petroleum) Hotel is best. It takes credit cards and travelers check, and charges Y480 to Y880 for rooms. This 1997 hotel gives no discounts on its cheapest rooms, but could knock off 10% on its more expensive ones. Rooms have CNN and HBO. It has a small, somewhat antiquated gym, and no pool. It offers safe deposit boxes on request. It is 13 km. from the airport and seven km. from the railway station and is on Shi Hua Street, 410000, Tel. 996/217-3170 or fax 217-3167.

The three-star 207-room Ba Yin Guo Leng Hotel (Binguan) is second best, and accepts no credit cards or travelers' checks. Rooms are Y188 to Y218 and it has been giving 15% off and breakfast. English is a big problem here, and there are cracked tubs and chipped toilets and dirty carpets. It has no room safes and some rooms have only showers, no tubs. B Building is better than A Building. Carpets are dirtier than those at the Tazhi. The Ba Yin Guo Leng is at East Peoples Road, 841000, Tel. 996/2022248, fax 2024007.

Where to Eat:
I liked the food at the noisy Abudu Reyimuagi Restaurant on Tuange Road, Tel. 2029911. It is a typical local Muslim restaurant where pilaf costs Y10 and monta (dumpling) cost Y1 each. You can watch the food being cooked. It's open 7am to midnight and you just tell the cashier what you had, and he'll tell you what to pay, an interesting honor system. It's at the other end of the building from the Maiquer Cake House and Bakery, across from China Telecom. The food in the two hotels should also be okay.

Practical Information:
The only international travel agency here seems to be CBITS, G/F, Tourism Administration Building (Lu Yiu Ju Dalou), Bayin Dong Road, 841000, Tel. 996/2024341, Fax 2036477. E-mail: cits-bz@163.net . Or loulan@neteasy.com  . Liu Heping says it charges Y1.50 per kilometer times two for a car that takes four people outside the city. That means Y1600 to Kuqa from Korla and back. It charges Y2.50 a kilometer times two for a 12-seat mini-bus. You have to pay for the return of the vehicle.

During my one day in town with no hotel, I left my luggage in the CBIT office to avoid carrying it around. I was very lucky to get Cathy Fan as a guide. She went beyond the call of duty, urging me to visit Bosten Lake when it didn't sound interesting to me at first, and making sure I was comfortable while waiting for the evening train. She kept helping me save money. She usually works with Japanese people so considering that English is her third language, she did very well. She can be reached through CITS-bz@163.net  also.

See also Kuqa and Urumqi. --RLM DATE: June, 2001.

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Kuqa/Kuche/Kucha
This important archaeological town has a mosque and the Subashi Ruins (two Buddhist temples from the Sui and Tang dynasties 23 km northeast of Kuqa). More important are the Kizil/Qiucil Grotto Temples which are 76 km. from Kuqa on a new road. These are one of the four largest such temples in the country. It has 236 grottoes from the Wei to the Jin dynasties, about 2000 years old. Many of the murals are well preserved, but many are not. Thirty km. away are the Kumtura Grottoes, with 112 grottoes which were built later in the 4th century. Look for the mural on the ceiling in No. 2.

Xinjiang Nature International Travel says that only the train between Urumqi and Kashi can stop in Kuqa. Train K886 leaves Urumqi at 13:22 and arrives at (ugh) 03:51 am. The same train leaves Turfan at 15:50. Train 5806 leaves Urumqi at 16:16 and arrives in Kuqa at 08:01am. The same train leaves Turfan at 20:06.

Train 5807 leaves Kashi at 20:30 and arrives in Kuqa at 06:33am about 10 hours.
Train 5806 leaves Kuqa at 08:01am and arrives in Kashi at 18:45.

The grottos and Subashi are historical monuments protected by the State Council. The Qiutz Hotel and the Kuqa Hotel are both two-star hotels in Kuqa and cost about Y290. The Puti Hotel (Binguan) charges Y200 a room and is in Kizil.

The airport should be opening in October, 2001. By train, it takes about six hours from Kashi to Kuqa and a ticket is RMB 276 +50 (service charge) per person for soft sleeper and RMB 183+50(service charge) per person for hard sleeper. Kuqa is 750 km from Kashi but there aren't any interesting ruins in between them.

CITS Kuqa, Tel. 997/7122400, fax 7122324. - RLM, DATE, June, 2001.

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Kunming (and Laos)
Our comfortable 2200 km. flight from Beijing to Kunming on Air China 4172 took three hours and 15 minutes, arriving 35 minutes earlier than expected. It showed kung fu videos with subtitles in English, too tiny to read. It offered a choice of beef or seafood with rice. This came with a salad, a bun and cake. My scallops were quite good, the first time I’ve had scallops on a flight anywhere in the world.

On the way back to Beijing, travel agents said we were allowed two pieces of free checked luggage at 70 pounds each because we were connecting with an international flight the same day. If we were staying over in Beijing, it would only be a 20 kg. total check-in allowance.

I was in Kunming as part of a delegation of buyers to the China International Travel Mart, China’s largest travel trade fair. I was delighted to find the usual lively, colourful and efficient CITM welcome at the airport. The air was polluted, alas, though it was not as bad as Beijing’s.

At first it was cold enough at 5C to wear several layers of clothing. It was November after all. But towards the end of our four days there, the temperature during the day was a comfortable 19C with only a light sweater. If we went out in the evening, we needed a wind-breaker also. Kunming is famous for its year-round spring weather and it did not disappoint us.

Our guide was delightful Karen Fang (Tel. 13529155285) who warned us that Kunming’s average altitude was 2000 meters. We should use sun block and drink lots of water. It was good advice as a couple who ignored this suggestion got sick later at higher altitudes in Lijiang and Shangri-la.

The fair was as exciting as usual with travel agencies, resorts, and hotels represented from all over China. There were also booths from the likes of the Russian Federation, Brazil, Cuba, and Mongolia, the U.S. and Vanuatu, and from the major hotel chains. Drummers and dancers in exotic costumes made for an exciting atmosphere.

This time, at least a dozen Canadian booths publicized destinations like the Yukon and Quebec in anticipation of China granting permission next year for tour groups to visit Canada.

Kunming alternates every year with Shanghai as the site of this fair because Yunnan is dependant on tourism. The Yunnan fair is smaller and less hectic and noisy but still, two days there was not enough time to visit all the booths I wanted. I also had to turn down the wonderful offerings of brochures, books, maps, silk scarves and dolls that were given away there. My baggage was filled with shopping.

Hotels: All of these add a 15% surcharge to their prices which are subject to change.

We stayed at the five-star 1999 HORIZON HOTEL (Cian Mang Dajiudian), which Kunming CITS listed below as its fifth best hotel in town. Like other downtown hotels, it is only 20 minutes from the airport (if no traffic jams). The Green Lake and Harbour Plaza Hotels are a little farther away – but they are around a lovely little lake surrounded by tourist stalls and restaurants. Close also to the Bird and Flower Market and temples, these two hotels are better for tourists, though they are not too far from downtown for business people.

The Horizon was only about a 20-minute drive from the Exhibition Centre. It is within two blocks and across the street from a group of antique stalls, and only a block away from a peddler selling 8-inch western-styled dolls with beautiful hair and costumes – for Y39. (It would be hard to pack these to keep them from being crushed, alas.) It is also close to a supermarket, department stores and the Bank Hotel, another domestic five-star. We walked back one day from the Bird and Flower Market along a pleasant pedestrian street full of stores, restaurants and banks.

Room 1115 had hot and cold drinking water, fluffy robes, a small safe and fresh flowers. The shower was powerful but I couldn’t figure out how to unplug the bath tub. I also had a problem with the room safe – but a staffer came quickly and opened it on three occasions. The room had a sprinkler as well as a smoke alarm, CNBC and CNN, and China Daily. Only one western-style electrical outlet was by the desk and I had to disable a lamp to use it. The wake-up calls were on time and we got a weather forecast daily.

The room service menu listed fish and chips for Y45, lamb chops for Y68, Hainan chicken rice Y36, sandwiches Y40, burgers and fries Y45, spaghetti Y30, New York cheese cake Y40 and ice cream Y30. We had the good dinner buffet twice but it was not international five-star standard. On one day when we had to leave for the airport early, the hotel provided a decent buffet breakfast with eggs to order at 5am. All our buffets here were delicious, though the pancakes and French toast were cold.

There is a sauna, pool, gym, bowling and tennis. Friends said its massages were great. In fact, this hotel was generally very acceptable and staff tried hard to please though the English was poor. It did have a few staff members with a good command of that language. It has a revolving restaurant on its 29th floor and members of our group who dined there said they enjoyed it. But it was hard to get a bell man at 10am on the day we were leaving.

The Horizon Hotel is at 432 Qingnian Road, 650021. Tel. 871-3186666. Fax 3192118. Rooms start at US$137 less a 20 to 40% discount and this price includes breakfast. A manager said a better rate is on the internet. Some rooms are non-smoking and executive rooms have high speed internet access.

The five-star HARBOUR PLAZA was 100% full with CITM guests so no show room was available. The lobby and coffee shop looked spiffy. This is my favourite Kunming hotel, though I would happily stay in any of the hotels listed here. Its rooms start at US$125 and if you can get a discount, you’re lucky. The breakfast buffet is Y95, lunch Y68 and its seafood buffet is Y128. It has no ATM but says a Bank of China is nearby.

The five-star GREEN LAKE HOTEL’S new building is now its main building. Its doors now face Green Lake. Its breakfast buffet at 6:30am looked fine with a good selection of dishes including noodles and eggs to order, bran cereal, and yogurt. etc. A Bank of China with an ATM is close by. The telephone and address remains the same but its fax is now 871-5153286 and its e-mail is: glhbcd@public.km.yn.cn . Web-site is: www.greenlakehotel.com  . (Be patient. It’s slow and it has English.) I found a 4th floor room full of fresh flowers and e-mail was Y1 per minute. To telephone Canada was Y9 a minute. It has tennis, a pool, a gym and bicycle rentals. (A tandem bicycle rents for Y220 for 12 hours). Rooms on its business floor start at US$143 with a 30% discount. International credit cards are accepted. The English of the few staff working at 6:30am was poor.

We ate really spicy hot food in the Thai Restaurant at the four-star SAKURA HOTEL and it was very good. The menu was beautifully illustrated with its dishes in English and Chinese. Fish was Y70-Y120, salads Y28-Y35, sea foods Y75-Y120, curries Y28-Y48, poultry and meat Y26 to Y75 and beer Y21-Y75. Not all dishes were fiery hot.

This hotel used to be a Holiday Inn and Adeline Qin who worked for that international hotel showed me around. She is now the sales manager for its successor, and was very helpful, with excellent English. The Thai Consulate and the Kunming Hotel are still across the street. While it’s not as polished as the Holiday Inn was, it’s still comfortable. Standard rooms are Y688 and Y788. The one I saw had an iron and ironing board, a safe big enough for a small lap top, and its television had CNN, Cinemax, and HBO. It had a couple of smoke hoods, and broadband access. Ms. Qin said there’s wireless access on the ground to fifth floors. The gym and pool look okay. The breakfast buffet is Y60 and is usually included in the room price. Its ATM is domestic only but its cashier can give a maximum US$200 equivalent in cash from a credit card with a 5% processing fee. The address is: 29 Dong Feng East Road, 650011. Tel. 871-316-5888; fax 871-313-5189.

The KUNMING HOTEL (Fandian) looked a little old-fashioned and needed more polishing too even though it was recently renovated. A local travel agent says his European clients are happy there. Rooms started at US$78. On its executive floor, they were $116. This price included breakfast which was otherwise Y50. Its lunch buffet was Y58 and its dinner buffet Y88. The breakfast offered noodle soup, eggs to order, congee, salads, breads, oil sticks, two fresh fruits, yogurt, cold cereals, etc. In the room I inspected on its 9th floor, I found condoms for sale, a small safe, and high speed computer connectivity. It has CNN and HBO but no pool.

A Beijing-based travel agent said the NEW CENTURY was newer and good.

The Bird and Flower Market is close to the Green Lake and Harbour Plaza Hotels. This market has now expanded with a building four storeys tall, full of minority costumes, jewellery, tourist novelties, and of course birds and flowers. The minority costumes were mainly from neighbouring Guizhou even though Yunnan has 22 minorities of its own but Miao embroidery is popular and famous in textile circles. I found more expensive but better quality pieces for sale in the Yunnan Provincial Museum.

See also Lijiang and Shangri-la. DATE: RLM, November, 2005.

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We promote Harbour Plaza Kunming Hotel as our first choice for five star hotel for foreigners since it's well located in the Green Lake Park area with lots of western restaurants and cafes nearby. The second choice for five star hotel is the Green Lake Hotel and Bank Hotel. Third choice is Kai Wah Plaza International Hotel. And the last choice is Horizon Yunnan Hotel and Green Land Hotel.

As for four star hotels, we suggest Kunming Hotel, King World Hotel and Golden Dragon Hotel, and New Era Hotel and Green Land Hotel.

CITS also has a 20-day itinerary that sounds absolutely fabulous – my type of rugged, out-of-the-way tour through high mountain passes – like 4390 meters: Kunming, Zhongdian, Deqin,Yanjing, Zuogong, Bangda, Changdu, Jiangda, Dege, Ganzi, Daofu, Litang,and Xiangcheng). This is in the Yunnan-Sichuan-Tibet Triangle. Contact Mr. Ma Xiaowei, Kunming China International Travel Service, 285 Huan Cheng Nan Lu, Kunming, Yunnan 650011. Tel: 86-871-356 6647, 356 6645. Fax: 316 9240, 356 6646. Cell: 86-130 6426 2647 (off business hours). Working hours: 09:00-12:00; 13:30-17:30, Monday to Friday. Personal e-mail: maxiaowei@kmcits.com.cn   , MSN: kmcits_om05@hotmail.com   , Public e-mail: ynkmcits@public.km.yn.cn  . -- RLM DATE: April, 2005. 
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