China - Reflections
China – reflections
I was invited to attend CMIT, a tourism trade show in Shanghai in November last. The trip was a showcase of what the country has to offer. My task was to seek destinations that were both interesting, had a reasonable infrastructure but were not too difficult to get to.
The trip included a cruise on the Yangtze river passing through the magnificent Three Gorges, something I last did 23 years ago when I spent 3 months travelling in China. How times have changed. Originally, I sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai, a journey of 60 hours aboard ship that doubled as a cargo and a passenger vessel. I had no copy of the Lonely Planet guidebook. On arrival in Shanghai I saw people dressed in “Mao” suits, green, blue, brown or grey each head covered with a peak cap matching their tunics. I discovered there was a choice of two hotels where foreigners were permitted to stay where now there are several hundred. There were almost no cars and it was almost impossible to get a meal after 6 PM.
There were no luxury cruise ships on the Yangtze either. The ship that took me between Chongqing and Wuhan offered a rudimentary cabin and I shared my boat with traders and a cargo of foul and rice. The “Victoria” ship we travelled in on this trip offered cabins with en suite facilities, picture windows, balconies, shore excursions and lectures.
I titled this piece “China – reflections” because that is precisely what constantly flowed through my mind, the comparisons between then and now. China is changing; it has changed and will change again. Whenever you visit there will be comparisons to make. I was making comparisons with the past but for most of the group I travelled with in November it was their first trip. It was an amazing adventure for them because it was so different and dynamic. Over 10 million people have been relocated to new towns along the river as a direct result of the Three Gorges Dam project. For most it has been a vertical move rather than a move to a new area since the water level has risen by over 200 metres. Although the Yangtze Three Gorges dam is now complete creating a reservoir 400 miles long, the Three Gorges are still majestic. Whilst old towns have been lost to the turbulent waters, new travel opportunities are being created as previously inaccessible tributaries are opened up.
Broadly speaking, China breaks down in to four separate areas; the Silk Road, Tibet, the southwest and the central and eastern area including the south.
Many people will only visit the country once and most will travel to one region or the other although of course combinations are possible. For a first time visitor a classic tour of China will usually appeal because it is what they are familiar with; Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, The Yangtze and Guilin. Travellers would be disappointed if you did not include these centres but how can your itinerary be made more interesting whilst keeping the core elements. The secret is to include the less visited but no less interesting centres, weaving these into the fabric of the trip so creating a lasting memory of why your trip was different. Listening to the client is paramount.
Tourism is changing. The nature of our business is changing. The internet has provided the traveller with the vision to be more adventurous but what it cannot do is speak from experience. People can, and this is why we travel so that we can pass on our experiences to you, the client and speak frankly about what we are creating for your journey.
I was invited to attend CMIT, a tourism trade show in Shanghai in November last. The trip was a showcase of what the country has to offer. My task was to seek destinations that were both interesting, had a reasonable infrastructure but were not too difficult to get to.
The trip included a cruise on the Yangtze river passing through the magnificent Three Gorges, something I last did 23 years ago when I spent 3 months travelling in China. How times have changed. Originally, I sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai, a journey of 60 hours aboard ship that doubled as a cargo and a passenger vessel. I had no copy of the Lonely Planet guidebook. On arrival in Shanghai I saw people dressed in “Mao” suits, green, blue, brown or grey each head covered with a peak cap matching their tunics. I discovered there was a choice of two hotels where foreigners were permitted to stay where now there are several hundred. There were almost no cars and it was almost impossible to get a meal after 6 PM.
There were no luxury cruise ships on the Yangtze either. The ship that took me between Chongqing and Wuhan offered a rudimentary cabin and I shared my boat with traders and a cargo of foul and rice. The “Victoria” ship we travelled in on this trip offered cabins with en suite facilities, picture windows, balconies, shore excursions and lectures.
I titled this piece “China – reflections” because that is precisely what constantly flowed through my mind, the comparisons between then and now. China is changing; it has changed and will change again. Whenever you visit there will be comparisons to make. I was making comparisons with the past but for most of the group I travelled with in November it was their first trip. It was an amazing adventure for them because it was so different and dynamic. Over 10 million people have been relocated to new towns along the river as a direct result of the Three Gorges Dam project. For most it has been a vertical move rather than a move to a new area since the water level has risen by over 200 metres. Although the Yangtze Three Gorges dam is now complete creating a reservoir 400 miles long, the Three Gorges are still majestic. Whilst old towns have been lost to the turbulent waters, new travel opportunities are being created as previously inaccessible tributaries are opened up.
Broadly speaking, China breaks down in to four separate areas; the Silk Road, Tibet, the southwest and the central and eastern area including the south.
Many people will only visit the country once and most will travel to one region or the other although of course combinations are possible. For a first time visitor a classic tour of China will usually appeal because it is what they are familiar with; Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, The Yangtze and Guilin. Travellers would be disappointed if you did not include these centres but how can your itinerary be made more interesting whilst keeping the core elements. The secret is to include the less visited but no less interesting centres, weaving these into the fabric of the trip so creating a lasting memory of why your trip was different. Listening to the client is paramount.
Tourism is changing. The nature of our business is changing. The internet has provided the traveller with the vision to be more adventurous but what it cannot do is speak from experience. People can, and this is why we travel so that we can pass on our experiences to you, the client and speak frankly about what we are creating for your journey.
posted by Paul Craven at 1/11/2007
