going to china....advise needed

[thelightofsound]

well my wife and i are pulling the trigger on the trip to beijing. her brother is living over there for the next couple of years and we do not want to pass up the opprotunity. i would love some input from those familiar with the area. obviously want to hit some of the "tourist" spots, but want to get off the beaten path as well.
thanks in advance

[ZGMF-X20A]

If you got the time, don't spend it all in Beijing.. get some travel arrangement within China. There are a lot of nice natural beauty in China.

[stargazer556]

Congratulations on your trip! I have been to China 3 times for business and loved every minute of it. The only negative for me were the rock hard hotel beds, Diet Coke tastes different, and you have to carry around your own T.P. as most restrooms don't supply it.
If you have any questions, please let me know - I will be happy to help!

[Collin85]

Got your PM, but I'll reply here.

Firstly, the Great Wall is a place you'd want to see atleast once if you're going to China, which is around 2 hours drive from the city center. I'm referring to the Badaling entrance, which is usually packed with tourists however. So if you're there to take photos, you may want to travel to more distant segments where there are less tourists.

Other places which are popular in Beijing include Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden Palace, Summer Palace and the Tian Tan temple. I'm quite a fan of the CCTV tower too, for it allows spectacular views of Beijing, provided it's a good day (air pollution is a problem in Beijing).

There are some less obvious attractions, such as old 'Hutongs', which simply ooze the essence of Old China. These kinds of places make for excellent photo opportunities.

Western travellers who like to shop may want to visit places like Wangfujing (around 3 minutes East of Tiananmen Square, on Chang An Jie - the main road which runs West to East passing Tiananmen Square) and Xi Dan (another big shopping area).

If possible, you want to be visiting places like Sichuan, Hangzhou etc. which are the REAL places of natural beauty in China. But of course, these places are a fair way away from metropolises like Beijing.

[thelightofsound]

thanks all. i appreciate your input.

[yogestee]

Head west onto the Tibetan Plateau.. Outstanding scenery,,clear skies and no pollution..The people (Tibetans) are wonderful people..

We spent some time on the Sichuan/Tibetan border late '07..

Safe trip Michael..

[thelightofsound]

thanks but i don't think we will have enough time to travel that far. i really wish we could make it over there, but that will have to be another trip.