China Travel Information Links

Body of Renowned US Climber Found in Sichuan
Xinhua News, July 23, 2007 - The body of Christine Boskoff, a renowned US climber, has been found on a remote mountain in southwest China's Sichuan Province, said local mountaineering association official on Monday. Chinese rescuers resumed the search for Boskoff in the Genyen Mountain this month after snow melted, and found her body near the site where the body of fellow climber Charlie Fowler was found in Dec.. Boskoff, 39, and Fowler, 52, disappeared in November. Boskoff was among the world's leading high-altitude women climbers and had ascended six of the world's peaks over 7,800 meters, including Mt. Qomolangma (Mt. Everest).

　

Old Shops to Reopen on Qianmen Street
Chinanews July 22, 2007 - The famous old style Qianmen Street in Beijing will be reopened in October. It is said that the 13 famous shops of long standing originality lining the street will resume their business. The 200 new shops will be located on both sides of the street, covering nearly 70,000 sq m, including restaurants, retailers and shops providing other services. The invitation will last till the beginning of September. The places of the 13 long-standing shops have already been reserved. The administration are planning to invite some international enterprises to open their business here. The buildings along the street will be restored to their original look in the 1920s and 1930s. The five traditional ceremonial archways on the street will be rebuilt. The street will be paved with slabs, and streetcars will be put in use again on the new Qianmen Street.

Guilin Scenery, Finest Under Heaven
Guilin is one of China's most picturesque cities, with a population of 670,000, situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China on the west bank of the Lijiang River (also called the Li River). Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city. Its scenery is reputed by many Chinese to be the "finest under heaven", or directly from Chinese: "the mountains and rivers in Guilin are the number one under the heaven." (Click the title of this news for picture show.)

Scenery of Siguniang Mountain
July 19, 2007 - Siguniang (Four Girls) Mountains Scenic Area is situated in Xiaojin County of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. The area consists of Mt. Siguniang, Mt. Balang and Changping, Haizi, Shuangqiao valleys, covering an area of 2,000 sq km. Featuring primitive ecological condition and exquisite scenery, the area is reputed to be the Queen of Sichuan's Mountains and the Oriental Alps Mountain. It is also a center of attention for scientists. (Click for picture show.)

Downpour strands thousands at Chongqing airport
July 17, 2007 - A downpour with roaring thunders battered southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Tuesday, stranding more than 5,000 passengers at the local airport. Thundershowers started to blow on the mountainous city early Tuesday morning, and precipitation in the downtown area reached 200 millimeters. (Click the title of this news for full report.)

China's craft master has many fans
July 17, 2007 - Owning an exquisitely handmade folding fan, especially one featuring refined paintings and calligraphy by famed literati, was a status symbol in ancient times. Today, a small population of fan fanatics still cherishes this tradition. And members of this clique flood the home of 75-year-old fan-making master Xu Yilin, in the Taohuawu area of Suzhou, in East China's Jiangsu Province.(Click the title of this news for full report.)

Palace chief: Potala Palace well preserved
Xinhua News, July 16, 2007 - The director of the Potala Palace, when responding to the concern of UNESCO about Potala Palace, said: "Potala Palace has so far enjoyed first-class preservation." UNESCO disagrees and has expressed concern at the palace becoming increasingly hemmed in by nondescript modern Chinese buildings. (Click the title of this news for full report.)

Hotels Told to Keep Temperatures No Lower Than 26 C
Xinhua, July 16, 2007 - China has ordered hotels in the capital not to reduce the temperature in air-conditioned rooms to less than 26 degrees Celsius in summer and not to heat them over 20 degrees in winter to save energy. The order comes just a month after the State Council said room temperatures in air-conditioned public buildings should be set at no less than 26 degrees Celsius, to save energy during the electricity demand peak in summer. (Click for full report.)

International Beach Festival to Open in Dalian
July 10, 2007 - An international beach festival will open in the coastal city of Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province on July 15. The festival will last until August 18 (Click for pictures and report.)

Airlines Change Ticket Refund Policy
July 10, 2007 - Chinese airline passengers may get more money back when they cancel domestic flight tickets as some carriers adopted new service fees.The fee for returning airline tickets is now determined by discounts rather than when the ticket is returned, said operators on customer service lines with China Eastern Airlines and Air China. Both carriers adopted the new standard on July 1. (Click for full report.)

An Oasis at Shichahai of Beijing City
July 9, 2007 - Strolling through Shichahai, it's hard to believe you are in the middle of a bustling metropolis.Whether you're out for your daily walk or you want a serene place to share a drink with a friend, you will leave Shichahai feeling content. (Click for full report.)

7 new wonders of the world chosen
July 7, 2007 - LISBON, Portugal - The Great Wall of China, Rome's Colosseum, India's Taj Mahal and three architectural marvels from Latin America were among the new seven wonders of the world chosen in a global poll released on Saturday (Click for full report on Yahoo! News)

Beijing Railway Station Sells Tickets in English
July 6, 2007 - Foreigners will find it easier to buy train tickets in the Chinese capital now that the city's major railway station has begun to provide services in English. Beijing Railway Station in the downtown area will staff two English-language information and ticket sales windows during the 62-day summer transport period starting Sunday....

Guangzhou-Yangon Flight to Open
July 5, 2007 - The China Southern Airlines Monday opened an air route from Guangzhou to Yangon, bringing the total number of air links between China and Myanmar to three. Becoming the third Chinese airline that flies Yangon using 120-seat Airbus A-319, the China Southern Airlines will have regular flights three days a week -- Monday, Wednesday and Saturday after a 30-day promotion period, officials of the airline said....

Transport bottleneck curbs tourism along Silk Road
July 4, 2007 - It was once the main route for goods and people across Asia and into Europe, but international experts in development are now lamenting the inadequate transport links on the centuries-old Silk Road. The lack of sufficient transport between China and Central Asia, especially air links, has become an obstacle to tourism development along the Silk Road, according to the United Nations Development Program. (Click for full report on ChinaView..cn)

Hiding in the Mountains
June 25, 2007 - Summer may well be the worst season in Beijing, when the weather is so sweltering that even the air you breathe sears your throat. It may be difficult to decide whether to leave the comfort of an air-conditioned room and to step into the strong sunshine and endure soulless skyscrapers, seemingly endless traffic jams, jammed buses and the short tempers which make the day intolerable...

Flights Added to China-Japan Route
China Daily June 26, 2007 - Additional daily passenger charter flights between China and Japan will commence in October, civil aviation officials announced Monday. There are to be two exchange flights between Haneda airport and Hongqiao airport every day.

China's First National Park Unveiled in Shangri-La
June 22, 2007 - Shangri-La, famed as one of China's most naturally beautiful areas, now has the added honor of holding China's first national park, the 2,000-square-km Potatso National Park which was inaugurated on Thursday in Yunnan Province. (Click for full report.)

Qinghai-Tibet Train Provides Translation Service
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company has hired 16 Tibetan and English translators as many passengers come from Tibet and abroad, according to the Ministry of Railways. Every service has been equipped with one Tibetan and one English translator to create an "obstacle-free" communication environment for passengers, said the ministry. The translators would be paid around 3,000 yuan (US$390) a month, said an official with the company.

Air Canada Expands Service to China in July
June 18, 2007 Xinhua News - Air Canada will double its daily Beijing-Vancouver service and increase its Shanghai-Toronto non-stop flights in July, the carrier's Beijing Office said on Sunday. The added Beijing-Vancouver daily flight will operate between July 2 and October 1, using a 211-seat Boeing 767-300 plane. Effective on July 1, The Shanghai-Toronto service will increase to daily service starting for the summer peak and continue as a three-day-a-week service for the 2007-2008-winter schedule.

China S. Airlines to Open New Route to Fukuoka

June 18, 2007 - China Southern Airlines, the nation's largest carrier by fleet size, will on Friday launch a new service from the northeastern city of Changchun to Fukuoka in Japan.The new Airbus A319 service will depart Changchun Monday and Friday at 8:20 a.m., arriving in Fukuoka the same day at 12:00 a.m. local time. Return flights will operate on Monday and Friday afternoons, according to sources with the Jilin branch of China Southern. China Southern runs direct international services between Changchun and three Japanese cities of Tokyo, Sendai and Nagoya.

2/3 of Beijing's Hotspring Resorts Fail Bacteria Tests
Xinhua June 13, 2007 - Beijing's booming hot spring resorts have been ordered to raise their hygiene standards after health inspectors found two-thirds of them failed bacteria tests. The city health bureau took water samples from 22 resorts in the first inspection of its kind, and found just 27.3 percent passed the bacteria standards. (Click for full report.)

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Heavy rains in southern China kill at least 66
June 11, 2007 - Torrential rains that plagued southern China for days have killed 66 people and resulted in 12 missing by 6:00 p.m. (Beijing time) on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. "Floods caused by heavy rains have affected about 294,800 hectares of crops, completely destroying 53,000 hectares of them," said an official with the ministry, The floods have torn down 48,000 and damaged 94,000 houses in southern China, and forced about 591,000 people to evacuate from their homes, the official said. (Click for full report.)

Lured by Luxury Tibetan Rail
Shanghai Daily June 6, 2007 - Wing On Travel Holdings Ltd, Hong Kong's second-largest travel-service company, said it will pay US$52.9 million for a stake in a luxury train operator to take advantage of rising travel demand to Tibet. The company will take 72 percent of the enlarged shares in Tangula Group Ltd, which operates luxury tourist trains from Beijing to Tibet's capital Lhasa, via Qinghai Province. It also operates services from China's capital to Lijiang, Yunnan Province, Wing On said in a statement filed with Hong Kong's stock exchange yesterday. Tangula Group is a venture set up with a Chinese state-owned rail operator that has exclusive approval to run luxury trains from Qinghai to Tibet for 16 years, Bloomberg News reported.

Lonely Planet author missing in China
June 5, 2007 - A search has been launched for an Australian travel writer missing for more than a month in a mountainous region of China. Clem Lindenmayer, a 47-year-old man from Victoria, who has written for the travel guidebook company Lonely Planet, disappeared while hiking near Minya Konka mountain, also known as Gongga Shan. A contributor to Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum, who was described as a family member, said Mr Lindenmayer was believed missing in the area of Kangding, a city in the Sichuan province in south-west China. (Click for full report.)

No Lower than 26℃ in Air-conditioned Rooms
Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2007 - The temperature of all China's air-conditioned public rooms should be kept at no lower than 26 degrees centigrade, the State Council said on Sunday. The State Council, or the cabinet, imposed the limit in a circular to all central and local government bodies, as an effort to save China's limited energy resources and brace for the upcoming electricity demand peak in summer. (Click for details.)

3 killed as quake rocks Yunnan
China Daily, June 4, 2007 - Three people were confirmed dead and more than 300 injured when an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 hit the region surrounding Pu'er city in Southwest China's Yunnan Province early yesterday morning.  About 186,000 people have been affected by the quake, the strongest in Yunnan Province since 1996, when a temblor with a magnitude of 7 struck the tourist city of Lijiang. (Click for full report.)

Intangible Cultural Heritages Festival in Full Swing in Chengdu
China Daily June 1, 2007 - The ongoing 19-day festival on intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, is the first international event to promote the protection of intangible cultural riches. With the theme of "Inheritance of ethnic culture, communication of civilizations and promotion of a harmonious world," the festival is aimed at furthering China's efforts in intangible cultural heritage protection and enhancing its global influence in the field, said Ding Wei, assistant to the Minister of Culture. (Click for full report.)

Two Spots in Shanghai Listed in Top Scenic Sites

Shanghai's Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Wild Animal Park were crowned as two of China's top-grade scenic spot, according to a list today published on the official Website of the country's tourism watchdog. Among scores of China's tourist attractions, the two Shanghai spots are included in the first batch of five-A graded scenic spots. The winners on the list have advantages in 12 aspects, including traffic, security, sanitation, postal service, shopping, comprehensive administration and protection of resource and environment.  (Click for full report.)

Watertown Zhujiajiao
China.org.cn. May 24, 2007 - Zhujiajiao, established around 1,700 years ago, lies to the south of the Yangtze River and was created as a typical ancient water town. The ancient site is easy of access located as it is only one hour by bus to the west of downtown Shanghai. (Click for details and pictures.)

Yangtze River at risk of major flooding -report
China Daily, May 23, 2007 -  China's Yangtze River is likely to flood badly this year for the first time since 1998, when floodwaters from China's longest river killed more than 3,000 people, an expert was quoted on Wednesday as saying. Adding to the danger was the growth of rich cities along the river, such as Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing, making any floods potentially more disastrous. (Click for details.)

Sichuan hosts festival of intangible cultural heritage
The 1st International Festival of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province, May 23, 2007. The festival is the first one of its kind on the globe involving protection and conservation of intangible cultural heritage of the human world, according to the local government. (Click for picture show.)

Beijing Become Hot as Summer Near
Xinhua News, May 15, 2007 - Beijing experienced the hottest day so far this year on Monday after temperatures climbed to hit more than 35 degrees Celsius, according to the city's meteorologists. At Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing, the temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius, while temperatures near the airport reached 37 degrees Celsius.A shower is predicted for Tuesday evening. Temperatures are expected to stay below 30 degrees Celsius until the end of the week.

4m Flyers Through HK Airport

Shanghai Daily May 14, 2007 - Hong Kong International Airport, Asia's third-busiest airfield, handled four million passengers last month, a six percent increase from April 2006, the government-owned operator said yesterday.The airport set a record with more than 890 flight movements on April 5, as people traveled for the Easter holidays and the Tomb Sweeping Day, Airport Authority Hong Kong said.The airport handled 299,000 tons of cargo in April, up 1.4 percent from April 2006. Aircraft landings and take-offs increased 3.9 percent to 24,460 movements, Bloomberg News said.

Qianmen Street to Get New Life as Walking Street
Xinhua News, May 11, 2007 - Trolley buses are to return to Beijing after an absence of more than 50 years when they become the only vehicles allowed on a new-look Qianmen Street later this year. A major project to renovate and revitalise the area along the famous street, which is situated close to Tian'anmen Square, began on Wednesday. (Click for full report.)

Shaolin Kong-fu performances attract visitors
Xinhua, May 11, 2007 - Shaolin martial monks practise Kong-fu on a wall of embossments depicting martial arts moves at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province. (Click for full report.)

Traveling Volume Hits Record on May Day Holiday
CRIEnglish.com May 8, 2007 - It's estimated that the reception volume and total tourism revenue have grown by 10 percent in the past golden week holidays, contrasting with the previous year. The Xinhua News Agency reported. Inbound and outbound tourism as well as the domestic tourism all heated up during the week-long holiday. Hong Kong and Macao were the hottest travel destinations for outbound Chinese travelers. New travel patterns, such as traveling in rural areas, leisure travel and self-guided tours also emerged as favorite methods for tourists. The total volume of retail holiday sales reached 320 billion yuan or some 42 billion US dollars, an increase of 15 percent over the same period in 2006.

Record 4.86m Tourists Visit Beijing over May Day Holiday
May 8, 2007 - A record 4.86 million tourists from China and abroad flocked to Beijing over the week long May Day holiday, 8.4 percent more than last year. The Beijing Leading Group for Holiday Tourism on Monday said tourism generated 4.167 billion yuan worth of revenue, 6.2 percent more than last year. Ninety-three percent of the visitors said they were satisfied with their trip to Beijing, 1 percent more than last year. (Click for full report.)

Women to rule men in China's new tourist town
Newpaper, April 29, 2007 - If you don't obey your wives orders you might be whipped. No, this is not prison or a TV series. This might just become a tourist attraction in China. Chinese tourism authorities are seeking investment to build the world's first 'women's town,' where men get punished for disobedience, reported Reuters. The concept is based on the culture of the Longshuihu village in the Shuangqiao district of Chongqing municipality which is also known as 'women's town'. (Click for full report.)

Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian Most Inhospitable
Chinanews.cn April 25, 2007 - Horizon Research released its Livable Indexes 2006 of Chinese Cities on April 23, in which Shanghai, Beijing and Dalian were listed as the top-3 inhospitable cities, while Sanya, Chengdu and Shenzhen were the top-3 hospitable ones. Horizon started this survey in April, 2006, covering 2,553 respondents (all aged between 18 and 60) in 20 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Dalian and Jinan. (Click for full report.)

Record numbers to travel over Golden Week holiday
The number of people traveling during the coming Golden Week, May 1 to 7, is likely to set a new record, a senior official said. "People are also likely to spend more on tourism products," said Shao Qiwei, director of the National Tourism Administration, when forecasting the difference that the 20th Golden Week will make at a recent meeting. "The pressure of guaranteeing safety will also exceed that of previous holidays," he said. According to official statistics, the number of travelers during the last May Day holiday was 146 million. (Click for full report.)

36 Hours in Shanghai
New York Times, April 15, 2007 - On a cool autumn night, Shanghai is drenched in light. Billboards are flashing, highway lights are pulsing, and tall buildings seem to have been converted into giant television screens. China's showcase city appears to be showing off, decorating itself as though it's Asia's Las Vegas. This is China's financial capital, its fashion center and, clearly, its coolest metropolis. Be prepared for a city on steroids, and one banking on long-term hyper-growth. In a country increasingly populated by grimy, characterless cities, Shanghai is also far and away China's most attractive city, particularly after nightfall. (Click for full coverage.)

36 Hours in Hong Kong
New York Times, April 8, 2007 - HONG KONG's newest tourist attraction, a 25-minute cable-car ride over the rugged green hills of Lantau Island, says a lot about this former British colony. Ngong Ping 360 (www.np360.com.hk) demonstrates Hong Kong's fascination with travel and technology; the skyrail's hilltop terminus, an ersatz Chinese village, plays to local passions for eating, shopping and taking pictures. From there, it is a short walk to the Po Lin monastery's 112-foot-tall bronze statue of Buddha seated on a lotus throne, an expression of Hong Kong's fundamental Chineseness. This crazy mix of commerce and culture — plus sublime modern architecture, great food, nonstop nightlife and amazing views — makes Hong Kong, 10 years after its transition from British to Chinese rule, still one of the world's biggest tourist draws. (Click for full coverage.)

Tourists Drawn to Historical Water Town

China Daily, April 20,2007 - Crisscrossed by rivers and canals, Zhouzhuang is a famous tourist attraction in Suzhou. Located at the center of the regions south of the Yangtze River and situated near Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou, the millennium-old water town of Zhouzhuang is a must-see spot for tourists to the region. Crisscrossed by rivers and canals, Zhouzhuang has been called "the best representative of China's water towns" (Click for full coverage.)

Macao Sees New Gaming Boom
Xinhua, April 20, 2007 - Macao's pillar gaming industry is seeing a new boom as the gaming receipts witnessed a 43.5-percent year-on-year rise in the first quarter of this year.Statistics issued by the government-run Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau showed Thursday that the gross gaming and betting receipts, comprising casino games, horse and greyhound races and a string of lotteries, stood at 18.06 billion patacas (US$2.26 billion) in the quarter.Casino business alone dedicated 99 percent of the industry's gross receipts between January and March, the figures showed. The gaming industry's gross receipts saw a increase of 8.6 percent over the fourth quarter of 2006. (Click for full report.)

3.4 mln Passenger to Travel by Air in May Day Holiday
Xinhua, April 20, 2007 - China's airlines are expected to carry a total of 3.4 million passengers during the upcoming weeklong May Day holiday, up 12 percent year on year, the General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) forecast on Thursday. The priority is safe flights all over the country, said administration sources. Maintenance of aircraft and other equipment has been reinforced. Overtime work is prohibited for flight crews and air traffic control departments are required to closely monitor weather changes and provide accurate forecasts. The administration also vowed to crack down on illegal activities to ensure the safety of passengers.

Bullet Train Makes Shanghai Debut
A train designed to run at a top speed of 200 km per hour left east China's Shanghai for Suzhou early Wednesday morning, ushering in a high-speed era for the world's fastest growing economy.Nationwide, 140 pairs of high-speed trains will begin to hit the railways on Wednesday. The number will increase to 257 by the end of this year. "That length (6,003 km) exceeds the total amount of rail lines capable of accommodating trains at that speed (200 kph) in nine European countries," said Vice-Minister of Railways Hu Yadong. As of today, trains will be able to run at speeds of up to 160 kph on 14,000 kilometers of track and up to 120 kph on 22,000 km of track. (Click for Full coverage)

Travel Agencies in Beijing to Receive Star Rating
CRIENGLISH.com Apr. 14, 2007 - By this autumn, travelers in Beijing will be able to choose travel agencies as easily as they would a star-rated hotel, tourism authorities announced on Thursday. The first group of travel agencies to receive star ratings will be announced in September. Beijing's travel industry has grown quickly, now with 797 travel agencies offering 222 international travel services and 575 domestic. For 2006, total revenue for travel agencies in Beijing is 31.7 billion Yuan, an increase of 43% with a net gain of 2.4 billion, an increase of 64% during the same period last year. But behind the impressive gains, establishing a standard credit system of travel agencies has been in demand. With thousands of agencies to choose from, customers are hard pressed to make the best choice.　　　

U.S. seeks increase in flights to China
Chicago Tribune, April 14, 2007 - The U.S. is discussing a deal with China to liberalize air travel and hopes for a framework "open skies" agreement by May, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Friday. Washington hopes to produce a formal agreement by the end of this year, said Peters, who was in Beijing to discuss the possible agreement with Chinese officials. "We want to at least have the basic framework in place by May," Peters said. The number of airline flights between China and the U.S. is sharply limited by international agreement, despite rapidly rising tourist and business travel that has left aircraft packed. (Click for full coverage.)

China Eastern to Join Oneworld Alliance
Shanghai Daily, April 4, 2007 - China Eastern Airlines has expressed interest in joining the Oneworld alliance and American Airlines, as its codeshare strategic partner, welcomes it to join, Theo Panagiotoulias, American's managing director, Pacific, said in Shanghai yesterday.As a founding member of Oneworld, American said China Eastern has to meet certain criteria before being a member. American said it's committed to strengthening ties with China Eastern in further expanding its network in China. American's Shanghai-Chicago service, which started in April last year, has seen load factors average more than 80 percent, beating its transpacific average in peak seasons, said Panagiotoulias.

Airlines to Launch Direct Vancouver-Beijing Flight in July
Xinhua News, April 2, 2007 - Air Canada, Canada's flagship airline, will operate a second daily direct flight between Beijing and Vancouver from July 2 to October 1 this year. The company will run 211-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft to meet increasing passenger demand over the summer tourist peak. The carrier will also increase the number of flights between Shanghai and Toronto from two to three times a week from April 13 to June 30, and seven times a week from July 1 before returning to three a week in winter.

Sandstorms hit north China April 2, 2007

Lighting Trial Run in Longmen Grottoes

Traffic accidents claim more than 18,000 in first quarter
Xinhua News, April 2, 2007 - More than 78,000 traffic accidents in the first three months of the year have claimed the lives of more than 18,000 people and injured 93,000 others, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday. The numbers of accidents were down 21.5 percent, deaths declined 13.2 percent and the number of people injured dropped 20.2 percent compared with the same period in 2005, said the ministry. Speeding was the main cause of the motor vehicle accidents, accounting for 14.4 percent of the death toll, according to the ministry.

Beijing-Washington non-stop flights start
China Daily, Mar. 30, 2007 - The maiden non-stop flight from Washington DC to Beijing arrived at the capital's airport at 1:55 pm yesterday after a 14-hour flight. Washington is now the 29th capital city directly linked to Beijing thanks to the United Airlines flight. (Click for full report.)

Beijing's dining streets
China Daily, Mar. 28, 2007 - Food speaks louder than god. This is true in Beijing, that's why the restaurants here are filled with people during dinning hours. To refresh your knowledge of Beijing's dining scene, here compiles a list of nine of the city's dining streets. Each has its own charm: one dedicated to seafood, one diners may come across Chinese pop stars, one features foreign restaurant. Let's explore. (Click for full report.)

Visa Safe, But No Use to Stranded Tourists
Shanghai Daily Mar. 28, 2007 - A group of French tourists arriving at Pudong International Airport on Monday narrowly escaped being sent back home after immigration police discovered their visas were 9,000 kilometers away - and locked in a safe. The 34 tourists, all aged over 60, including one in a wheelchair, were looking forward to a tour of China organized by a French travel agency. However, when the group reached immigration they were denied entry because they held only photocopies of their group visa. (Click for full report.)

Lufthansa to Fly More Fights to Shanghai
Shanghai Daily, Mar. 26, 2007 - Lufthansa German Airlines announced yesterday that it will fly to Shanghai from Germany three times daily with the introduction of its 2007 summer timetable, which starts from Monday. The carrier will raise its flights on the Shanghai-Frankfurt route by seven flights per week, creating a double daily service on this route. Lufthansa also operates daily flights between Shanghai and Munich.

Bamboo Mountains Seas and Shoots
Beijing Today, Mar. 21, 2007 - Early spring is the time to taste fresh bamboo shoots in Anji, a town dominated by bamboo forests in western Zhejiang, and have a Chinese poetic tour through one of the country's biggest seas of bamboo. (Click for full article.)

Expressway Pileups Kill 11 in East China
Xinhua, March 26, 2007 - Eleven people were killed on Sunday in six separate accidents caused by heavy fog involving 26 vehicles on an expressway in east China's Anhui Province, local police said. The accidents, taking place between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. near Anhui's Bengbu City, also left 30 other people injured, three seriously. All the injured have been hospitalized and the expressway have been re-opened to traffic, police said. (Click for full report.)

China's Mystery Mountain
Shanghai Star Mar. 23, 2007 - Nianbaoyuze, when translated from the Tibetan language, means the grand mountain of boulder. Located on the border of Qinghai and Sichuan provinces, it is composed of about 3,600 mountains and 360 lakes about 4,000 meters above sea level.(Click for full report.)

Tea festival in Hangzhou
Xinhua, Mar. 23, 2007 - Women sit in formation to play Chinese traditional musical instrument zither (Guzheng) during the opening ceremony of a tea festival in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province March 22, 2007. The festival will attract thousands of visitors from home and abroad. (Click for pictures.)

Mount Everest to go uncoated
China Daily, Mar. 23, 2007 - Mount Everest, world's highest peak, is facing the risk of exposing its rocks in the sun as ice and snow coating the mountains continue to melt down in global warming, a recent report by the World Wildlife Fund warns. (Click for full report.)

China to Enact New Flight Restrictions on Liquids
China.org.cn Mar. 21, 2007 - The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has released new regulations restricting passengers from bringing liquids on planes. As of May 1, 2007, each passenger on domestic flights in China will be allowed to carry liquid items of no more than one liter without alcohol, with any excess of liquids subject to being packed in their checked luggage. These liquid items cannot be carried on the plane unless they have been opened at the security checkpoint.(Click for full report.)

Chongqing Named Hotpot Capital
CRIENGLISH.com Mar. 21, 2007 - China's southwestern municipality Chongqing has been awarded a signboard naming it, in gold letters, the "Hot Pot Capital of China," at the opening ceremony of the 3rd Hotpot Festival.The China Cuisine Association announced the results on Monday at a press conference for the festival in Chongqing.(Click for full report.)

Exploring Beijing's Scenic Villages
Feb. 16, 2007 - The fact so many of Beijing's natural tourist destinations are located in its suburbs has given birth to a new kind of tourist phenomenon folk custom tourist villages. These villages started off providing food and lodging for tourists visiting nearby scenic spots. But visitors soon realized that the experience of staying in these villages was an experience in itself. (Click for full report.)

Serene beauty of landlocked Xiangxi
My trip to Xiangxi (western Hunan Province in Central China) was planned in haste. Like most city-dwellers, I had been expecting to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and take a trip to a small town where I could take a totally relaxing break, enjoy the beautiful scenery, fresh air, and above all, paint from natural scenes. I had planned a trip to East China's Zhejiang Province, but I was worried about the effects of booming tourism there. Later I happened to find out about Dehang, a small town in Xiangxi which is home to the Miao people and is famed for its natural beauty and intact folk culture. I eventually made up my mind, packed my bags and headed for Dehang. (Click for full story)

China to Begin Grand Canal Restoration Project
China Daily March 15, 2007 - A national organization will be established this year to better protect the world's longest and oldest canal, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, making it a top candidate for a world heritage site, a senior official said.(Click for full report.)

20 mln Travel by Air in Spring Festival
Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2007 - China's airlines carried 20 million passengers during this year's 40-day Spring Festival, up 13 percent year on year, said sources with the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday.The number of people traveling by air rose 21 percent to 3.71 million during the week-long Spring Festival holiday that ran from Feb. 18 to Feb. 24.On Feb. 22, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, 519,000 people traveled by air. The figure soared to 620,000 on Feb. 24, the last day of the statutory holiday.The 40-day Spring Festival travel peak began on Feb. 3, 15 days before the Lunar New Year's Day, and ended on March 14.

Record Number Travel by Road in Spring Festival

Xinhua News, March 15, 2007 - A total of 2.05 billion intercity buses were taken in China during this year's 40-day Spring Festival, said sources with the Ministry of Communications on Wednesday. (Click for full report.)

Bibles offered in Games hotels

China Daily, Mar. 9, 2007 - BEIJING - Beijing should put Bibles at big hotels where foreigners are likely to stay during the 2008 Olympic Games, a Chinese political advisor suggested Friday.A large number of foreign athletes and tourists will swarm into Beijing for the Games, a majority of whom have religious belief, and providing Bibles at hotels will meet their religious needs, Liu Bainian, vice-president of the China Patriotic Catholic Association, told Xinhua on the sidelines of the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body (Click for full report)

Looking at Fish and Resting Your Soul

Wangyu is a small town located south of Ya'an in western Sichuan. Located upstream the Zhougong River, Wangyu was built on a huge rock on Wawu Mountain in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Since the rock looked like a cat eagerly staring at fish in the river, the town was named Wangyu, which means "looking at fish." In those days, it was an important post on the ancient Tea-Horse Road.(Click for full report)

Olympic Tours Set in Shanghai
Shanghai Daily March 7, 2007 - Some Shanghai travel agencies have started setting up tours for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and the earliest travel group is expected to head to the capital at the end of this year. Spring International Travel Service said it is now setting up an itinerary for the Olympic tours and tour groups to Beijing before the Game's curtain rises, which includes stops to the stadiums and other facilities newly built for the Games.The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games officially kicks off from August 8 to 24 next year. (Click for full report.)

Direct Flight to Link Beijing, Washington DC
Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2007 - United Airlines (UA) will launch a daily non-stop air route from Beijing to Washington DC on March 29.It will be the fifth air route operated by UA between China and the United States. The existing four routes are the Beijing-Chicago, Beijing-San Francisco, Shanghai-Chicago and Shanghai-San Francisco routes."The new air route will give people more choices when they want to fly to Beijing to watch the Olympic Games next year," Mark Schwab, UA's Vice President of the Pacific division, said. Sidney Kwok, general manager of UA China Operation, said they would use Boeing 747-400 planes to fly the new air route, and in late March, also on the Shanghai-Chicago route. "It means UA's air passenger seats in China will go up by 32 percent," said Kwok.

10 More Ferries Link Macao, HK as Casino Booming
Xinhua News, March 2, 2007 - Ten ferries are to be added to the Macao-Hong Kong route as more casino projects are under construction in Macao, the Macao Post Daily reported Friday. The new ferries will help bring more Hong Kong gamblers to Macao, said the newspaper. Hong Kong residents dominate some 30 to 40 percent of the tourist arrivals in Macao annually.

Chairman Mao Memorial Hall to Close for Maintenance

Xinhua News, March 1, 2007 - Chairman Mao Memorial Hall is to close from March 3 to September 20 for maintenance, according to the hall's administration. Located in Tian'anmen Square in downtown Beijing, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall was built after Mao Zedong died on September 9, 1976 and completed in May 1977. Since the hall opened on September 9 the same year, it has received 158 million visitors, who came to pay respects to the late Chinese leader. Mao Zedong (1893-1976), a native of Hunan Province in central China, was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of China. He served as chairman of the CPC Central Committee from 1945 to 1976, and he was also the first head of state of the People's Republic of China.

SE China Province on Alert After Human Case of Bird Flu Confirmed

March 1, 2007 - Local markets for live fowls and processed fowl products have been suspended of trading since a new case of human infection of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu virus was found in Jian'ou, a city in east China's Fujian Province, late last month.Local health authorities early on Thursday informed the public of the confirmation of the case.(Click for full report)

100m Passengers Travel by Train During Holiday

March 1, 2007 - China's railways transported around 100 million passengers during the 25-day Spring Festival travel rush, Wang Yongping, spokesman of the Ministry of Railways announced here at a press conference Wednesday. By 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, the travel flow by railway has reached 93.4 million, 2.56 million more than the same period of last year. With an estimated 4.81 million added Wednesday, the figure will press 100 million, according to Wang.

Last day of week-long Chinese New Year holiday sees record number of travellers
People's Daily, Feb. 25, 2007 A record 56.53 million people were expected to travel around the country on Saturday, the last day of the week-long holiday of the Chinese Spring Festival. The Ministry of Communications estimated the figure will be 7.5 million persons more than that on Friday. (Click for full report)

Snow disrupts air, highway travel in North China
Chinanews, Mar. 4, 2007 - Heavy snowfall in many parts of north China on Saturday night and Sunday caused some airports to close temporarily and affected highway traffic with many Chinese on the way home after their Spring Festival holidays. (Click for full report)

Capital Int'l Airport in Beijing cancels 190 flights for thick fog
Xinhua, Feb. 21, 2007 - Affected by thick fog that had been shrouding this Chinese national capital since early Wednesday, the Capital International Airport was forced to call off altogether 190 flights by 6 p.m. They included 91 in-bound flights and 99 outbound ones, but the exact number of passengers affected is not available. (Click for full report)

Festival hogs the global spotlight
Feb. 20, 2007 - Beijing college student Zhou Ji is counting the days before he goes back home to his family in Southwest China's Chongqing. But the 22-year-old finance major can't think of any particular Spring Festival celebration he enjoys: Firecrackers are dangerous and temple fairs are crowded.  "A big dinner? No, my mother is too tired to prepare one. Too much meat or fish is bad for your health," he said. The family has reserved a table in a restaurant. (Click for full report)

Hangzhou Citizens Swarm Temple on New Year's Eve
Feb. 19, 2007 - Thousands of local citizens and tourists burned incense at Lingyin Temple, or Temple of Hidden Souls, in eastern China's Hangzhou on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve on February 17, 2007.(Click for full report)

Beijing fireworks injure 125
Feb. 18, 2007 -  At least 125 people were injured setting off Chinese New Year fireworks Sunday in Beijing, where the noisy tradition has made a comeback after a ban was lifted, state media said. (Click for full report)

Guidebook to 2007 Beijing Temple Fairs, Feb. 17, 2007
Feb. 17, 2007 - In 2007 in Beijing, temple fairs will have many different themes, including the Olympics at Longtan Temple, traditional Chinese costume parades at Daguanyuan, a garden modeled after the garden in the classic Chinese novel A Dream of Red Mansions, and a spring festival folk culture exhibition at Yuyuantan Temple. (Click for full report)

24 Hours in Macau
Feb. 15, 2007 - In gambling circles they say the house always wins. If so, then with all of its chips on the table-a charming historic center, unique Portuguese influence, and a new generation of mega-gaming resort developments rapidly rising on reclaimed land-it seems a sure bet that once-sleepy Macau is poised to hit the tourism jackpot. (Click for full report)

Beijing Introduces 'Tasty Restaurants' Ahead of Olympics
Beijing plans to develop a list of some 300 "tasty restaurants" featuring various types of cuisine that will be recommended to foreign guests attending the Beijing Olympic Games, a municipal official has said. Beijing has selected the first 148 restaurants to make the list including the Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant and the Moscow Restaurant, as part of a drive to meet different palates of foreign athletes and guests during the 2008 Olympic Games, said Wang Weiping, vice head of the city's Commerce Bureau. "These restaurants, mostly selected via online voting, are famous for providing distinctive Chinese cuisines, Muslim and foreign foods," Wang said, adding that Beijing will introduce another 150 "tasty restaurants" this year. (Click for full report)

Final Approval Obtained for Washington-Beijing Flight
Xinhua News,  Feb. 9, 2007 - The US Department of Transportation (DOT) confirmed yesterday that United Airlines has secured final approval for its daily non-stop flight between Washington DC and Beijing. "Today's action finalizes DOT's tentative decision to award the seven weekly frequencies to United, whose bid the department determined would serve the most customers and provide the best service to the traveling public," the department said in a statement. The new non-stop service will first take off on March 25 between Washington Dulles International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport. (Click for full report)

Visitors to HK Expected to Grow 4.6% in 2007
Xinhua News,  Feb. 8, 2007 - The board's Chairwoman Selina Chow said the projection aligns with the World Tourism Organization's forecast that global tourism will grow by about 4 percent in 2007. "As Hong Kong has already achieved a huge visitor base, we should not focus solely on the quantity, that is, arrival figures, but also the quality or yield of our investment," Chow said. To maximize the return, the board will adopt a three-pronged approach to promote Hong Kong. It will leverage the opportunities created by the Chinese mainland to attract more overseas arrivals; continue to concentrate on meeting, convention and exhibition business, and family visitors; and highlight Hong Kong's unique living culture.

China's Terra-cotta Warriors to Be Shown in London

Xinhua News, Feb. 8, 2007 - Over 120 loan objects from China's Museum of Terra-cotta Army will be shown this autumn in a major British Museum exhibition which features China's first emperor. Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, made the announcement on Wednesday at a press launch of the museum's major exhibition in 2007. This loan exhibition "First Emperor: China's Terra-cotta Army", scheduled to run seven months from Sept. 13 this year to April 6 of next year, will feature the largest group of material from the tomb of the First Emperor to be loaned abroad, he said. (Click for full report)

Shanghai Issues Special 'Tourist Passport'
Shanghai Daily Feb. 2, 2007 - Shanghai issued a batch of special "tourist passports" on Wednesday to provide discounts, ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent, on tickets to the city's tourist attractions.Shanghai tourism authority plans to issue more than 1.2 million of the "passports" to benefit tourists from foreign countries, neighboring provinces as well as local residents. People can get these "passports" for free at district tourism information centers. The authority will also hand them out during promotional activities. (Click for full report)

Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin
China.org.cn, Feb. 1, 2007 - The 8th Ice and Snow World opened to visitors in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on January 5 and continues until February 25. More than 2000 ice sculptures are on display at the annual event. The Harbin Ice Festival, established in 1985, is held annually from January 5 and lasts for over one month. This is China's greatest ice artwork festival and attracts hundreds of thousands of local and overseas visitors. (Click for full report)

Traditional Goods Favorites Among Foreign Travelers in Beijing
CRI Jan. 31, 2007 - According to the latest statistics from the Beijing Tourism Administration, travelers arriving China spent US$1,033, or about 8,000 yuan, per person last year in Beijing. In addition, the income of foreign exchange from tourism surpassed US$4 billion for the first time. According to the Beijing Evening News report, Ms. Li, An English tour guide with considerable experience, revealed that silk, pearl and cloisonne are the three favorite goods purchased by foreigners who come to Beijing. (Click for full story)

Foreign Tourists in Beijing Spend $4 bln in 2006
Xinhua News, Jan. 26, 2007 - Foreign tourists in Beijing spent a record US$1,033 each last year, involving a total of US$4 billion, local authorities said on Thursday. The Chinese capital received 3.9 million foreign tourists last year, 7.5 percent more than last year, who spent a total of four billion dollars, according to Fang Zehua, a spokesman of the municipal tourism administration. "The boom can be attributed to our promotion of Beijing in major source countries," he said. Tourists from Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea accounted for about 40 percent of the total number. Overseas arrivals from Russia, Sweden and Australia also saw a rapid increase, Fang said.Some 132 million Chinese visitors from other parts of the country came to the capital and spent 148.3 billion yuan (US$19.1 billion), 14 percent higher than in 2005, he added.

China Promises to Make Visa Application Easier for Olympics
Xinhua News,  Jan. 26, 2007China's public security authorities on Thursday promised to improve visa application procedures so foreigners involved in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing will find it easier to enter the country. "Anyone with valid Olympic Identity and Accreditation Cards (OIAC) will enjoy visa-free entry into China one month before and after the Olympics," said Li Changyou, deputy director of the Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration with the Ministry of Public Security. The OIAC is a personalized card granted by the International Olympic Committee, which gives its holder the right to attend the Olympic Games for participation or in a work capacity. Li said that China had already relaxed some requirements, including the granting of one-year work permits to people coming to work on the Games in the run up to, and during, the Games. "We will further improve relevant procedures according to the Olympic conventions and charter so that we can guarantee a successful Games," Li said.

Airlines to Add Singapore-Shanghai Flights
Shanghai Daily Jan. 22, 2007 - Singapore Airlines will add two direct flights between Singapore and Shanghai starting on March 25, further strengthening its eastern China network, the airline said yesterday. With the new flights, the capacity on the route will increase 11 percent to 31 flights a week. SIA will thus operate a total of 65 flights from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Nanjing to Singapore.

Delta Eyes Atlanta, Shanghai Flight
Shanghai Daily Jan. 22, 2007 - Delta Air Lines Inc, the largest American airline without service to China, has applied to fly non-stop between Atlanta and Shanghai in 2008. The carrier said it has submitted the proposal to the US Department of Transportation, which will award the new flights early next year. AMR Corp's American Airlines also plans to bid for more China flying, spokesman Tim Wagner said. A China route will give Atlanta-based Delta access to the world's fastest-growing major economy. Delta is recalling employees, ordering new regional jets and expanding overseas as it reorganizes and works to fight off US Airways Group Inc's US$10.2 billion hostile takeover bid.

China Received 124 Mln Inbound Travelers in 2006
Xinhua News, Jan. 14, 2007 - China received 124 million inbound travelers in 2006, ranking fourth in the world, according to statistics released by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). The figures include arrivals from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. According to the CNTA, China reaped US$33.5 billion in tourism income last year, ranking sixth in the world. Inbound tourism has become China's biggest service trade area. The number of travelers from Japan, the Republic of Korea and Southeast Asian nations grew steadily last year, and the growth of new markets such as Europe, North America and India has accelerated. The development of inbound tourism boosted construction of infrastructure, hotels, restaurants and shops. Officials from CNTA said inbound tourism will continue to increase in the next few years. The Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 will attract more travelers from all over the world.

Shanghai's Pudong Airport Has Most Passengers from Abroad
Xinhua, Jan. 9, 2007 - Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China's leading metropolis, handled 17.15 million passengers from overseas last year, up 9.4 percent year-on-year and besting other Chinese airports. According to the Pudong Entry and Exit Frontier Inspection Station, the figure included a record 9 million foreign passengers, up 8 percent year-on-year. Beijing's Capital National Airport handled 12.6 million overseas passengers, and Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou ranked third among mainland airports. Figures for Hong Kong were not available at press time. (Click for full report)

Heavy Fogs Close Highways, Disrupt Flights in N China
Xinhua News, Jan. 2, 2007 - Heavy fogs blanketed many parts of northern and northeastern China on Tuesday, forcing the closure of highways, disrupting flights and spoiling many people's New Year's travel plans. The fog cloaked the central and southern parts of north China's Hebei Province from late Monday, according to the provincial meteorological bureau, which said visibility in some areas was just 50 meters. Local traffic police said around eight highways were closed and almost a dozen flights had been cancelled or delayed. Heavy fogs were also reported in nearby city of Tianjin and several other cities in China's northernmost Heilongjiang province. Traffic police closed dozens of highways in Heilongjiang. The police said the fog caused a number of traffic accidents, but no casualties were reported.

China Approves 12,930 Star Hotels

Xinhua News, Jan. 2, 2007 - China had 12,930 star-ranked tourist hotels nation wide by the end of 2006, 5,572 more than in 2001, according to statistics released by the National Tourism Administration (NTA). According to the newly issued evaluation standard of hotels, there are 288 five-star hotels, 1,307 four-star hotels, 4,747 three-star hotels, and more than 6,500 one-and two-star hotels in China. China had 7,358 star-ranked hotels by the end of 2001, which had an average occupancy rate of 58.45 percent and total revenue of 76.3 billion yuan (9.54 billion U.S. dollars). Statistics show that China has 2,258 A-class tourist spots and destinations at the end of 2006, 128 of them are ranked "A class".

China Simplifies Border Entry, Exit Formalities

Xinhua News Agency Dec. 21, 2006 - All Chinese citizens, including Taiwan residents, will be able to enter China without filling forms from Jan. 1, 2007, the Ministry of Public Security has announced. "All Chinese citizens including mainland residents, Taiwanese and overseas Chinese will not be required to fill entry registration cards at border checkpoint. This will greatly shorten the processing time," said a spokesman for the ministry. The card includes personal information such as name, gender, birth date, passport number, purpose of visit and passport issue place. The ministry has operated entry and exit card procedures since March 1976. (Click for full report)

Direct Flight from Beijing to Saipan Launched

CRIENGLISH.com, Dec.  21, 2006 - Air China on Sunday launched a direct flight between the Chinese capital of Beijing and tourist hotspot Saipan, located in the Northern Mariana Islands. The carrier will fly from Beijing twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. The non-stop flight takes only six hours, three hours shorter than previous flights. In the past, travelers had to transfer in Shanghai or South Korea. Statistics show the number of Chinese travelers to Saipan is increasing at a steady rate of 15 percent every year. It is perceived that the new flight will help boost the local tourism industry during the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls in mid-February next year.

Luxury Train to Debut on Tibet Line

Shanghai Daily Dec. 21, 2006 - A luxury tourist train is set to debut next year on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway that opened in July, a high-ranking official of Qinghai Province has said. The train, the first of its kind on the railway, will be operated by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company in cooperation with foreign tourist agencies, said the official who declined to be named. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company is based in Xining, capital of Qinghai in China's remote northwest. (Click for full report)

Guiyang-Lijiang Plane Tickets Discounted for Christmas
China Southern Airlines will offer attractive discounts on airfares from Guiyang, capital of the Guizhou Province, to Lijiang, the famous tourist destination in the neighboring Yunnan Province. Guizhou Business News reports passengers who call the Southern Airlines Service Center (by dialing 950333) to book return flights departing Guiyang on December 23 and returning on December 27 will receive a 55 percent discount. Passengers who book return flights departing Guiyang on December 30 and returning on January 3 will receive the same discount. (CRI Dec. 12, 2006)

Ice and Snow Tourist Festival Starts in Beijing
The winter fun started when the 21st Beijing Yanqing Ice and Snow Tourist Festival was launched at the Shijinglong Ski Entertainment Resort on the outskirts of Beijing on Sunday. Xinhua News Agency on Monday reported that this year's festival focuses on relaxing in a world of ice and snow. As well as participating in the traditional ski program, visitors can feast their eyes on dazzling ice sculptures, relax their bodies in a hot spa and treat their taste buds to the unique Yanqing bean curb hot pot. The festival will run for 80 days until the end of February. (CRI Dec. 12, 2006)
 
Largest Theme Park in Southwest China to Open in 2007
The largest theme park in southwest China, Guosetianxiang Park, will open for free to citizens during the 5th Sichuan Province Tourism Development Meeting. The 5th Sichuan Province Tourism Development Meeting is scheduled to open on January 27, 2007. Guosetianxiang park, located in Wenjiang city, is to be one of the sub-venues of the meeting. Wenjiang city is located near Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. Over the past few years, the city has spent over 100 million yuan on the construction of the largest theme park in southwest China. The brand new park has over 20 world-class attractions, and hopes to gain more publicity by allowing free admission during the period. (CRI Dec. 12, 2006)

Air China to Launch Flight to South America

Air China will launch its first flight to Sao Paulo of Brazil via Madrid at 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning, marking the debut flight connecting China with South America. The Boeing 767-300 aircraft will be operating on the route. On Thursday and Sunday, the newly-launched flight will fly 12 hours and 45 minutes from Beijing to Madrid, then after 1.5 hours of stopover, it will reach Sao Paulo in 11 hours and 50 minutes. In recent years, the number of passengers between China and South America has been increasing. There were 53,000 passengers flying from China to Brazil last year, up 24 percent compared with the previous year.

Direct Flights Link Shanghai and New York

Xinhua News Agency Dec. 8, 2006 - China's Eastern Airlines will begin direct flights from Shanghai to New York on Friday. The maiden flight, MU587, will take off at 6:30 p.m. from Pudong Airport in Shanghai and land at 7:45 p.m. local time in New York. The airline will operate four direct flights from Shanghai to New York weekly and flights will be served by an Airbus 340-600 with a capacity of 400 passengers. According to the ticket sales, 90 percent of the tickets for the first flight have been bought. The new route will remove the need to travel via the cities of Tokyo, Seoul or Beijing flights. Shanghai is the second Chinese city after Beijing to offer direct flights to New York.

China Starts Pan-Asia Railway Construction
Dec. 7, 2006 - China will pour more than 50 billion yuan (US$6.3 billion) into railway construction in southwestern Yunnan Province by 2010, according to a top railway official.The massive investment will power several railway construction projects both inside the province and linking Yunnan to neighboring regions, said Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun. Yunnan now has over 2,300 kilometers of railways. As part of the country's drive to boost economic growth in western regions, the province is building and upgrading railways.(Click for full report)

Beijing Airport Launches Self-service Hotline
December 7, 2006 - Beijing capital airport launched the self-service inquiry telephone number at the beginning of December.Passengers can call 64541100, then choose buttons in order to check flight information, airline company telephone numbers and make complaints.

Prices Rise for Christmas Tours to Hong Kong and Macao
CRIENGLISH.com Dec. 1, 2006 - Christmas and the year-end shopping rush have hiked up tour prices to Hong Kong and Macao, reports say. China Travel Service (Hong Kong) has set the price of its "Four-Day Exciting Christmas Tour to Hong Kong" at around 3,000 yuan. China Youth Travel Service is providing customers with several itineraries at different price levels, ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 yuan. These itineraries are all designed for people who want a taste of Christmas or shopping excursion in Hong Kong and Macao in the year end. The prices of tours to Hong Kong and Macao at the end of the year have increased for about 400 yuan, according to a staff member at China Travel Service (Hong Kong).

China to get colder in next 10 days

China Daily, Nov. 21, 2006 - China will get colder in next 10 days with temperatures getting closer to or lower than the same period of last year, the Chinese central meteorological station said on Tuesday. (Click for full report)

Fog Delays 80 Flights at Beijing Airport

Nov. 21, 2006 - Heavy fog delayed more than 80 flights in Beijing Capital International Airport this morning, Xinhua news agency reported. Flights gradually resumed after the visibility began to clear at 8 AM. (Click for full report)

Nujiang River, Fresh for Exploration

China Internet Information Center, Nov. 21, 2006 - Nujiang is one of the rivers within the Three Rivers Natural Reserve, a world heritage site listed by UNESCO. It is located throughout southwest China's Yunnan Province and flows into Myanmar, where it joins the Salween River and ends its journey at the India Ocean.The Nujiang Gorge running from northwest Yunnan to Tibet lies in a narrow strip of land bordering Myanmar, sandwiched to the west by Gaoligong Mountain range and the Biluo Mountain range on the east. It runs through one of China's remotest areas, with carved canyons running through it. However, due to its inaccessibility, the Nujiang River has never been a popular tourism destination.

Employees Run 5-star Hotel After Manager Flees
Shenzhen Daily, Nov. 15, 2006 - The employees of the five-star Grand View Hotel in downtown Shenzhen have been managing the hotel since its former general manager disappeared in September. The hotel's 165 employees were owed more than 3 million yuan (US$379,746) in unpaid wages when Gao Lihui, then general manager, fled with an unspecified amount of money Sept. 27. The hotel, which owed more than 4 million yuan to water, power and gas companies and other suppliers, was on the brink of closure on Sept. 29 when its power and gas supplies were cut off and only 0.25 yuan was left in its bank account. (Click for full report)

Tang Dynasty-style Nan Lian Garden Opens
China Daily, Nov. 15. 2006 - A new public park in the Tang Dynasty-style and adorned with unique wooden structures, old and valuable trees and rocks, opens to the public from today. Called Nan Lian Garden and located in Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill, the 3.5-hectare park was yesterday inaugurated by Chief Executive Donald Tsang, President of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association, Ven Kok Kwong, and Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho. (Click for full report)

Overseas Tourist Arrivals Rises 2.86% in First 9 Months
Xinhua News,  Nov. 14, 2006 - China received 92.2 million overseas tourists in the first nine months of the year, up 2.86 percent on the same period in 2005, the China National Tourism Administration said on Monday. The country's revenue from overseas tourists totaled US$23.03 billion between January and September, representing a growth of 5.63 percent. Of the total 16.1 million were foreign nationals and the rest from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Arrivals of overseas tourists totaled 10.4 million in September, a rise of 5.56 percent. As in September, South Korea was the largest source of foreign tourists for China, with 334,169 arrivals. It was followed by Japan, Russia and the US. China is now ranked fourth in the world in terms of overseas tourist arrivals. The World Tourism Organization has predicted that China will become the No. 1 tourist destination and the fourth largest source of tourists by 2020.

Handbook Available for Easy Stay in Beijing
CRI,  Nov. 13, 2006 - The Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipality recently held a release ceremony for the Handbook for Foreigners in Beijing at Xidan Bookstore. Starting now, foreigners travelling to Beijing and local expats can benefit from the pocket-sized handbook, which provides useful information on a variety of issues, including entry, taxes, business, travel, religion, adoption, medical care and marriage. A detailed map of the 2008 Beijing Olympic's stadiums is also available on the last page of the book. The handbook is printed in both English and Chinese. Statistics from the Foreign Affairs Office show there are over 70,000 foreigners living in Beijing. The city also receives 3.5 million foreign travelers annually.

Air Fares Slashed for Newlyweds

Shenzhen Daily, Nov. 10, 2006 - Southern Airlines' Shenzhen office has launched major reductions in ticket prices for newlyweds flying from the city from November 5.It will cut fares by as much as 65 percent on its 34 domestic air routes.Newly married couples can enjoy the 65 percent discount if they book return tickets seven days in advance. The definition of newlyweds, according to the company, is those who officially registered their marriage less than 180 days before the flights. They need to present their marriage certificates to ticket offices to claim the discount.(Click for report)

China Reports 10 Bird Flu Outbreaks This Year

Xinhua News, November 10, 2006About 47,000 poultry birds died in ten outbreaks of bird flu in seven provinces on the Chinese mainland this year, said an official with the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday. Another 2.94 million fowls were culled, Jia Youling, chief veterinary officer and director of the the Veterinary Bureau of Ministry of Agriculture, told a press conference.A total of 3,641 migratory birds in west China's Qinghai Province and Tibet Autonomous Region had died of the disease this year, he said.The cases of human infection by bird flu numbered 13 this year, and seven last year.

Millions Suffer Drinking Water Shortages in S. China
Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2006 - More than 2.4 million people have been suffering drinking water shortages since late October due to severe drought in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The average rainfall in Guangxi amounted to 29 millimeters in October, down 65 percent from the previous year. The regional meteorological department said that eight cities and counties in Guangxi had seen no rainfall in the past month and the capital Nanning had been experiencing a serious drought for 37 consecutive days. High temperatures have also worsened the drought in the autonomous region. The department said the average temperature in Guangxi from October 1 to November 6 was 2.5 degrees centigrade higher than in recent years. The autonomous region's flood control and drought relief headquarters said the water storage in Guangxi's reservoirs had dropped from eight billion cubic meters after the flood season to the current 4.7 billion. Forty-six reservoirs in Nanning have already dried up.

Temperatures in N China to Drop by 8-12 C
Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2006 - Cold winds, rain and snow are forecast for areas north of the Huaihe River over the next three days, the Chinese Central Meteorological Station predicted on Wednesday. The station said temperatures in northern China and most of northeast China would plunge by eight to 12 degrees centigrade over the next two days as a cold front accompanied by strong northerly winds sweeps the region. There will be snow and rain in the eastern part of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and parts of Heilongjiang Province, it predicted. The station's weather forecaster advised people to wear heavy clothes and warned that cold windy weather can cause respiratory diseases. People with cardiovascular diseases should also take extra care. Overnight temperatures in Beijing are expected to drop to 1 degree Celsius on Friday.

S China Regions on Alert for Malaria, Dengue Fever
Xinhua News, Nov. $, 2006 - Eight southern Chinese provincial regions have issued a health alert for malaria and dengue fever coming from southeast Asia, following 11 cases reported in the past