#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Macau Travel Forum >  >  A guided package tour to Beijing and Shanghai

## Takeovers

Hi

I had a short trip to Beijing and Shanghai with the wife.

This was our first guided tour ever. And the first visit to China.

If we ever get back there we would do it on our own. But that doesn't mean we were disappointed, quite the opposite. We had a great time.

The tour was well organized but stressful. Doing this program by ourselves would have taken at least twice the time. But I could have taken my time for the photos instead of watching out where the tour group has gone.

The arrival at Shoudu Guoji Jichang International Airport



Immigration was thorough but quick with inspection of the passport. After passing we could evaluate the service of the immigration officer by pressing one of four buttons from very good to very bad. I don't know if the officer can see the vote but she smiled brightly after we had pressed very good.  :Smile:  Photos were not allowed in that area.

The chinese seem fond of flowers and grenery. They have put plants wherever possible in every place we have seen.



The carpark of the airport is quite futuristic.

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## Troubled

^ 




> The carpark of the airport is quite futuristic.


"Futuristic" in that they hope to have some cars in the future?

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## Takeovers

Less than two hours after our arrival at the hotel the first tour started. This tour was optional and additional to the booked tours but almost all of the group chose to go. It was cloudy but dry and warm compared to the coming days, just above 0 °C.

The entrance to Jing-Shan-Park. It is placed on a hill next to the Forbidden City and offers a good view.



Some detail



All the places are packed with people, mainly chinese tour groups. It is almost impossible to take a photo without people in it. So I tried to incorporate them in the scene.



A park or garden in China is always a matter of landscaping. The buildings and stones are vital parts of the design.

A pavillon




There was a place where visitors could dress up as royalty and take their photos.
I asked this young beauty if I can take a photo and she was happy to oblige. She is not as young as she looks on this photo I think. She was there with probably her boyfriend who was taking the photos for her.



A view on the Forbidden City. We visited there the next day.

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## Takeovers

> "Futuristic" in that they hope to have some cars in the future?


I thought the same but it was probably busier during the olympics.

I have heard also, that an additional airport is already in an advanced planning stage.

Beijing is now full of cars. Highways everywhere and traffic is barely moving during busy hours. Bicycles and motorbikes are still plenty but much more traffic with private cars. Those cars are of european and japanese brands but almost all build in chinese factories.

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## Takeovers

The tour continued into the evening with visiting a market and shopping area.

A large number of food stalls offered snacks. I tasted one and it was quite good.



KFC are endemic all over Beijing and Shanghai. 



Those shopgirls were also smiling brightly, when I took the photo and laughing when I showed them.



This is an old catholic church. Our tourguide said chinese brides love to have their photos taken in western bride dresses in front of this church.



Most Chinese don't celebrate Christmas, but they seem to like Christmas decorations.



A nice meal concluded the evening. For some strange reason not all of the tour group tasted this chicken dish. They missed out on it because it was really delicious.

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## bustak

this is a fantastic thread, makes me want to go back to China!

Nice job!

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## Takeovers

> this is a fantastic thread, makes me want to go back to China!
> 
> Nice job!


Thanks. To be continued but I need time to scan through a few hundred photos to find and prepare some that are presentable.

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## daveboy

Good start to your thread TO some great shots.

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## Loombucket

Nice pictures Takeovers and an excellent start to the thread.

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## Johnny Longprong

> A nice meal concluded the evening. For some strange reason not all of the tour group tasted this chicken dish. They missed out on it because it was really delicious.


Looks a real ring burner that one TO. Thanks for the nice photos.

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## kingwilly

great stuff

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## terry57

Nice pictures.

I  backpacked China 2 years ago,we had an awesome trip, traveled slow and at our own pace many times being the only whitey on the block.  :Smile:

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## sabang

That looks like ChonQing style chicken from Szechuan, which would scare many a southern Chinese away because it is traditionally fiery hot.

Great stuff.  :Smile:

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## mediamanbkk

Excellent post, great pics and very interesting. I look forward to the rest of it.

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## Marmite the Dog

> I tasted one and it was quite good.


Betcha can't tell us what it was though..  :Smile: 




> KFC are endemic all over Beijing and Shanghai.


I think you mean 'are an epidemic'.

Nice piccies, keep 'em coming (especially if you manage to find a Chinky lass who wasn't a minger).

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## Takeovers

> I think you mean 'are an epidemic'.


Couldn't agree more.




> if you manage to find a Chinky lass who wasn't a minger).


No way. The Empress and the shop girl on the right were top of the line. None else I have seen would come close. But I'm scanning my photos.

I got the impression that around age 18-20 they have a quite thorough transformation of their looks. Older than that the chinese I have seen there really don't appeal to me. 

I have seen something similar with Filipinas. A complete transformation of faces for many in that age group. A Filiipina after the transformation can still be or become more beautiful but can look very different than few years before.

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## Takeovers

Here we go with the first location on day 2.

But first I would like to ask if I should make the pictures a bit smaller in size and filesize for the coming installments?


This day brought the major Beijing weather change that had been announced for a week. Before it was cloudy but warm, above zero. In the night a strong wind from Siberia had blown away the clouds and brought fresh and crisp but really really cold air. This strong wind and cold was to continue for two days. The days high was -6°C but felt much colder due to the wind and of course we didn't start off at the days high.
We had a chinese Tour Guide with very good german language skills. He did a very good job guiding us as well. He has learned his german in Beijing. But he has also visited Germany. He told us his group has been standing at a crossroad with a stop sign for 10 minutes, just looking at german drivers actually stopping at the stop sign.  :Smile: 

The first stop Tiananmen Square. 

All entrances are guarded with these nice tents. Inside was a baggage scanner.


A view on the Parliament Building with the Great Hall of the People you can see in pictures of the Conventions of the communist party.


The Flag. Our Tour Guide explained the four little stars as representing the farmer, the worker, the scholar and the soldier. He then said they should now add a fifth star representing the capitalist.  :rofl:  
I have checked in wikipedia and found there are actually two explanations of the meaning of these stars. The other explanation originally given by Mao himself, when he announced the Peoples Republic of China: the Workers, Peasants, Petty Bourgeoisie (i.e. Small Business Class), and National Bourgeoisie (i.e. Chinese non-governmental businessmen) which would include the capitalist.


The National Museum and the Monument of the Peoples Heroes


The Ming Gate. Entrance to the Forbidden City and the place where Mao announced the Peoples Republic of China. According to our Tour Guide Mao is still very much revered by the Chinese People for eliminating the influence of western powers on China. This photo shows the vastness of Tiananmen Square.


Another view of the Ming Gate showing the well tended greenery, not in the best shape due to 
winter, of course.

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## Takeovers

From Tiananmen Square we moved on to the Forbidden City

Entering the Forbidden City


The Meridian gate from where the Emperor inspected his troops



Harmony is the theme of many of the Forbidden City main buildungs. The emperor was responsible to maintain harmony between the earth and the needs of his people and the heavens. 


The Golden Stream with five Marble Bridges crossing it. The middle bridge was for the Emperor only the other bridges for Officials of the Emperor according to their rank.


There are really five bridges but I couldn't get them on one photo.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, where only the most important ceremonies like inthronisation of a new Emperor took place.


The Hall of Central Harmony where the Emperor woud rest and changes clothes during Ceremonies which would sometimes take a whole day.


Some posing girls


Those kettles were all over the place. They were used to keep water in case of fire. Since all of those buildings are made of wood, fires would break out easily. Burning buildings woud be abandoned.The water was used to protect neighbouring buidings. During winter the kettles would be heated to stop the water from freezing.



The Hall of Preserving Harmony and an inside view



A closeup on some glazed roof tiles


Finally a look on the Ladies Quarters. Good pictures of the inside were not possible, unfortunately.
In these quarters lived the minor wives and concubines of the Emperor. For the evening one was selected by the eunuchs or requested by the Emperor. She was stripped naked and bathed and then delivered to the Emperor wrapped in a carpet. This was to avoid them carrying weapons or using pieces of clothing as weapons against the Emperor.

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## reinvented

made the same trip last year, minus shanghai :Sad: 
will post the pics in new year if i ever learn how to

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## Takeovers

> made the same trip last year, minus shanghai
> will post the pics in new year if i ever learn how to


The TeakDoor photoalbum is not difficult but a bit awkward on upload. I switched to photobucket after the first series.

The incremental cost for Shanghai was not very high. So we decided to go for it. We don't reget it. Shanghai is very different from Beijing and a good addition to have.

And then there was the weather. Beijing absolutely freezing and Shanghai was sunny like Beijing and highs around 18°C. Beautiful to be outside.  :Smile:

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## keda

Good thread, great pics, been wanting to visit there for a couple of years but will definitely go in 09...thanks.

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## kingwilly

I loved the forbidden city, but early, after 11.00am or so it became an absolute nightmare with the crowds.

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## Takeovers

> I loved the forbidden city, but early, after 11.00am or so it became an absolute nightmare with the crowds.


So our Tour Guide said, but this day with app. -10°C plus strong gusty wind  :Sad:  the crowd was unusually small.  :Smile:  Still a lot of people.

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## kwai73

> That looks like ChonQing style chicken from Szechuan, which would scare many a southern Chinese away because it is traditionally fiery hot.


My wife and I had that the other day, and even just having come from Bangkok and being used to sapicey food, it fucked us right up!

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## kwai73

> Beijing absolutely freezing and Shanghai was sunny like Beijing and highs around 18°C. Beautiful to be outside.


Nice to know it's that warm down south, as the family and I will be heading south for a trip soon (currently up near the Korean border - it's farkin freezing!)

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## Takeovers

> My wife and I had that the other day, and even just having come from Bangkok and being used to sapicey food, it fucked us right up!


It was hot, yes, but not excessively. I have eaten way hotter than this in restaurants and food stalls in Germany.





> Nice to know it's that warm down south, as the family and I will be heading south for a trip soon (currently up near the Korean border - it's farkin freezing!)


According to our guides the temperatures are jumping up and down. First a strong wind from Siberia bringing the cold and then a gradual warming until the next gush of cold wind. The same pattern in Beijing and Shanghai, but generally warmer in Shanghai because it is much more to the South than Beijing. At least Shanghai usually doesn't get below zero.

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## kwai73

> I have eaten way hotter than this in restaurants and food stalls in Germany.


Interesting. Turkish food? German Indigenous nosh wouldn't be that hot would it? (just heavy on the sausage and pickle).

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## kwai73

> At least Shanghai usually doesn't get below zero.


Where I'm at it sunk to -15 (-27 apparently with the windchill factored in) recently. I figured that after sweating my plums off all day, every day in BKK I'd try somewhere CRAZY cold.

And now that I have I wo't be hanging about longer than is necessary!

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## Takeovers

> Originally Posted by Takeovers
> 
> I have eaten way hotter than this in restaurants and food stalls in Germany.
> 
> 
> Interesting. Turkish food? German Indigenous nosh wouldn't be that hot would it? (just heavy on the sausage and pickle).



It was Serbian, called Yugoslav at the time. Guess I provoked the waiter. It stated "hot" on the menu and I asked him "Is it really hot or do you just write it on the menu?". He probably told the cook.
 :Smile:   :Firedevil: 
And a mexican Chili-Soup. Food for fire spitting dragons!

There is no hot german food that I know of.




> Where I'm at it sunk to -15 (-27 apparently with the windchill factored in) recently.


The Beijing Temperatures I stated were without windchill factor. But there was definitely quite a lot of windchill.

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## Takeovers

After visiting the Forbidden City we had lunch. Good to warm up a bit.

The Guide told us not to miss the restroom of that restaurant. Going there I found this




But after lunch it was out into the cold again.

We visited the Temple of Heaven and the park that's part of it. Now a place popular with old folk.


Old folk visit to dance, play music or play cards.


But the taking photos was not onesided. This guy of our group was quite popular with the chinese ladies. He has been asked frequently to pose with them and their husbands would take the photos. Probably the beard makes him attractive. Here he was posing for a father and daughter.


The Hall of prayer for a good harvest. This building is entirely made of wood and assembled without using nails.


The inside, the Imperial Vault of Heaven


Recycling and Waste bins everywhere


Some glazed tiles at the Altar of Heaven


The Altar of Heaven. The material is white marble.  According to our Guide the Center Stone is supposed to be the Center of the world but I didn't find a reference to that.


The Altar of Heaven and Earth. The Heaven is round and up. The earth is square, as you can see in this photo.


This concludes our first full day of sightseeing in Beijing.

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## Takeovers

The main item on the list of the second day in Beijing was a visit to the Great Wall. It almost didn't happen because the Winter-Diesel Fuel sold in Beijing is made for -10°C only and the night had been much colder. The bus just barely started this morning.
Of course the Wall is a few hundred meters up in the mountains so it got a little cooler up there. :Aargh4: 

On our way the Tour Operator had scheduled a "commercial break". So we visited a government run store for freshwater pearls.


Pearls for sale


First view on the Great Wall


Along the trail and some Chinese posing as well


The olympics ever present


This is not one of the steepest parts of the wall but still steep


Looking up but I didn't go all the way up, the wind was really strong there.


That's all for day two.

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## kwai73

> Going there I found this


Classy!  :cmn:

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## Raffles

> That looks like ChonQing style chicken from Szechuan, which would scare many a southern Chinese away because it is traditionally fiery hot.
> 
> Great stuff.


I had that dish about two weeks ago in a famous Sichuan restaurant - lots more Chili and a lot less chicken in ours though - my mouth was numb

Great thread BTW

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## mancon

Thank you for the lovely pictures and the nice trip report!

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## Takeovers

Hi 
It's time to continue my trip report now that the holiday season is over.

On the day we left Beijing for Shanghai I made a quick tour through the Hotel.

Actually I was glad to leave Beijing. The icy wind had stopped and immediately the infamous Beijing smog built up. I think I coundn't live with that air for long. I would rather breathe the air in Bangkok or Manila.

First a view from the top floor. Next to the Hotel there is a University. That's probably why there is "Science Park" in the address.

This is a small part of the student dormitories for the Uni.

By the way, making the browser window small in height and scanning this photo up and down
made me almost dizzy with the perspective shift. An effect like a TV-camera making a swift shift.


Their means of transportation, a huge stand for bikes




The Hotel Lobby



Their Christmas Decoration


While waiting for our transfer to the airport I discovered there were preparations for a 
Wedding Reception. The Family were quite happy to offer us to take more photos from inside.


They arrive, of course in a Stretch Limousine.


Bride and Groom with the parents.

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## Takeovers

Our first destination in Shanghai was the Jade Buddha Temple. It's a large complex of buildings and it is still a very well visited temple, not just a Tourist attraction. 
Our tour guide told us the Abbot of the Temple has not only studied Buddhism but has finished University grades in Business as well. He runs the Temple like a business and the Temple is quite rich. Since there are no religious taxes every devotee has to pay an entrance fee for every visit.



Lots of green, especially Bonsai on the Temple Grounds. On the question if Bonsai is Japanese or Chinese our tour guide said, on many things the Japanese claim it is theirs and the Chinese claim its theirs ---- but China is older. :Smile: 


Our guide didn't know how a banana tree looks like and was a bit surprised when someone pointed at the banana.


A worshipper


The burning incense is then put into one of these containers to burn out.



A courtyard


Some roof ornament


A copy of the Jade Buddha, made of marble. The original must not be photographed.


Two of many other Buddha statues

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## Thaiguy

> made the same trip last year, minus shanghai
> will post the pics in new year if i ever learn how to


I know what you mean - I'm trying divine intervention at the moment.

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## Thaiguy

*Oh Man- great post and good pics - loved it - makes me want to try it myself.-Top marks.*

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## Takeovers

Next day in Shanghai

We visited the Yuyuan garden built in 1559 by an old high ranking official of the chinese emperor and rebuilt to its present appearance in the 1950ies.

A chinese garden is something very artificial, a piece of landscaping with rocks and ponds and Pavillons and there are also a few plants.

On the way to the entrance we passed a few buildings recently erected to show old style Shanghai houses.


Lots of chinese tourists here.





Now we come to the Yuyuan Garden


The garden entrance


Even the plants look almost artificial, Bonsai style



Some wood carving in a Pavillon


A look out of the door to a pond


Guardian lions
There are countless Lion statues guarding entrances. There is always a male lion on the right and a female lion with bowed head on the left.


Our guide with the male


The Chinese Dragon


At the end of this part I couldnt miss this

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## phuketbound

^  :Smile:  

-
Your pics are wonderful, and so clear. What type of camera are you using? 

I really like the great wall pics. Did you go to the part of the great wall near Beijing? How far a drive was it? 

I'll be doing a similiar tour myself, later this year. 

How long was the tour, and how much did it cost you?

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## Takeovers

> Your pics are wonderful, and so clear.


Thank you. 




> What type of camera are you using?


It is a Dynax 5D DSLR with set lens  18 to 70 zoom. I like the camera and its handling.

That's my first digital camera and I have no comparison to others. Actually I am very much disappointed and consider to have the lens checked because of the poor performance. Even though this set lens is not known for quality I believe it is under par. The sharpness comes mainly from postprocessing and of course from selecting the best of over 1300 photos.




> How long was the tour, and how much did it cost you?


It was three days four nights in Beijing and three nights two full days in Shanghai. The program was relly very intense and exhausting but very exciting. The same program and two or three days more would be a more relaxed experience.

We paid 1150 Euro per person with flight from Germany including the tours and flight Beijing-Shanghai and one meal during the tours plus breakfast in the hotel.

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## Takeovers

This is the last installment on this China tour. It has become rather lengthy.

These are some miscellaneous impressions on the side from Shanghai and the watervillage Shouzouang.

This village is genuinely old but now it has become a tourist spot.

The entrance to the Village - Lions Mane


A boat ride Venice style complete with the singing  :Smile: 


The young chinese Lady was our Tour Guide for the day. Not a beauty but looking at her face made me want to laugh, so I like her.


Two views of the canals





That's it from the Water Village

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## Takeovers

Miscellaneous Shanghai pics

The Skyline 


A detail


High Street.


A group of Police marching


Then waiting for the green light


Just off High Street



Preparing street food. When I showed her the photo, she laughed!


Early morning gymnastics with swords
Photo taken from the bus


Laundry Shanghai style

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## Takeovers

After a few beautiful but exhausting days it is now time to go home.

On the way to the airport we used the Maglev-Transrapid Monorail. Developed in Germany but built and used only in Shanghai. It is more of a prestige project than something really useful in my opinion. But to my knowledge it is the fastest ground based transportation mode available in the world. 

And I can claim I have traveled with it.  :Smile: 



The Train


Need for Speed?



Thats it. No more pics for this thread.

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## Hardy99

Hey nice pictures. I think i'll try it out ones too.. Now after the olympics are over it hopefully has less foreigners and possibility to see whats real happen there..

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