I really didn't like the Forbidden City. Of course the burning sun had an effect on this but really the place was mostly about courts inside courts inside courts. It got boring after a while.

We traveled on the Yangtze River for about a week and I strongly recommend it, there are lots of places to see while traveling on the river.The Three Gorges Dam is one of those. It is the largest hydro-electric station in the world,an engineering wonder. Actually we started in Shangai and through the river we visited Chongqing,Chengdu,Nanjing and some other cities.

You should go see the Terracotta Warriors in Xian, the Bund,the Jade Buddha Temple and the Yuyuan garden(may take at least half a day)in Shangai, the Summer Palace in Beijing.

And of course,THE wall!! (Duh!)

What you shouldn't return before visiting is Lhasa. You must/ought to/have to go to that place. It is in Tibet but "technically" in China (unfortunately).

Damn! Now I want to go to China again!

Lucky u... u'll absolutely love it.

I can't add anything to Parad0xx. Maybe Kunming and Yunnan region is worth visiting, but if you fly Beijing - Shanghai - Hong Kong and you are short in days, probably you will skip it.

When in Hong Kong, I always recommend visiting Macau, the ancient Portuguese colony and the Chinese Las Vegas (only place in China where gambling is allowed). It's just 45 minutes by ferry from central HK.

It's crazy mix of Lisbon, Las Vegas and China... I found absolutely interesting the way that the "real" old town (colonial Portuguese streets, squares and even two cathedrals) and the "fake" resorts-casinos (there is even a fake Venice-mall in the biggest casino in the world) fit together... and all that packed with Mainland Chinese and HKers gambling like there is no end!

Zhuhai right next to the border with Macau is also interesting (one of the greenest towns in China), and 45 minutes from HK by metro is Shenzhen, that for years was the fastest growing city in the world... also Guangzhou is not very far either.

try reading a travel narrative they really opened my eyes to what exists in China outside the a banal lonely planet or fodors

"China Road" by rob Gifford or "Lost on Planet China" by J Maarten Troost are both good starts and quick reads.

when your in Hong Kong make sure to go to the top of the peak and to the Chungking Mansion in Kowloon.


The 2010 world expo is the year in Shanghai, and I've heard the tunnel from the Bund to the Pudong is a trip. The bar at the top of the Hyatt has some awesome views of the Pudong, when it's clear.

Yeah, go see where all our jobs have gone...

If you're looking for somewhere to go out at night in Beijing, definitely see Houhai- small restaurants, cafes, and jazz bars around the old summer palace lake. The surrounding hutongs (traditional alley neighborhoods) are also full of great places to eat.

I echo Zoolander. Go see actual job openings in architecture.

Check out the local grocery markets.

Make certain you bring lots of granola bars with you.

In Hong Kong, I'd reccomend you make sure to get off the Island and see Mong Kok, that is where the real life of the city is. It is great to go there early in the morning when the streets are still empty and then just wait for the eruption as the millions of people suddenly flood out into the markets and the lights turn up, the smells of food fill the air, and the energy, it is all amazing.

I took one of those jobs. Best decision I ever made.

I'm thinking about a trip to Shanghai in a few months (unfortunately before the Expo opens)... those of you who have been there/lived there - do you think a week is enough time to see the major sights and get a sense of the place?

bump and ditto-I might be there in a few weeks (fingers crossed)....any suggestions would be great....i am particularily interested in any "bomb-ass" residential neighborhoods.

guilin!!! and yes, terra cotta. also, xi'an itself is a beautiful city so spend few days there.

I'm back from a week in China... I definitely didnt have enough time to see everything I could have, but here are a few of my favorites from the trip:

Beijing
Olympic Park / Birds Nest - definitely worth seeing, even if the surrounding area is bleak. The stadium is worth the 50 yuan admission.

CCTV - just monstrous and awful, but impressive nonetheless

hutongs - southwest of Qian Men there are some nice areas of non-destroyed traditional neighborhoods, interrupted by occasional redevelopments.

Shanghai
the 'sightseeing tunnel' is a complete waste of time and money. I don't know why the travel guides all continue to list it....

the ticket to the top of the World Financial Center is definitely worth it. I think it's still the 3rd tallest building in the world... incredible view if you can see through the air....

yuyuan garden is fantastic, as is the surrounding bazaar (if you don't care about authenticity).

there are still some great residential zones you can wander around, but a lot of them are being demolished... there are two restoration/renovation/redevelopments that are worth comparing.

-Xintiandi - a kind of open-air mall/lifestyle center built in/around reconstructed shikumen housing. Nice, but a little too sanitized.

-Tian-zi-fang - more successful than Xintiandi, this is a 'creative industry zone' of some kind, populated by cafes, bars, restaurants, and artist studios and galleries. It's hard to tell exactly where the redevelopment ends and the adjacent neighborhood begins.

has anyone successfully visited the Jinhua architecture park?

I'm thinking of a weekend trip from shanghai, but can't find good directions/info on the place (just glossy photos from 2007).

i spent all summer in China it is so much fun get out into the country away from the big cities you may be the only white person they ever have seen but it is so cool to see how the chinese live in the small towns. I went along the whole coast with my friend from school that is from China go into the mountains they are sweet and the roads are nuts!!

i spent all summer in China it is so much fun get out into the country away from the big cities you may be the only white person they ever have seen but it is so cool to see how the chinese live in the small towns. I went along the whole coast with my friend from school that is from China go into the mountains they are sweet and the roads are nuts!!

evanc said (a while ago):

the ticket to the top of the World Financial Center is definitely worth it. I think it's still the 3rd tallest building in the world... incredible view if you can see through the air....

--

I think the public observation deck in the WFC is actually the highest in the world (the one in the Burj Dubai is only slightly more than 1/2 of the way up), so that much more worthwhile to visit if you're in Shanghai.

The Oriental Pearl tower also isn't bad, as far as observation decks go, incidentally, but I don't know how it compares or how popular it is now that the WFC is finished.

For my money the Jin Mao tower is the best deal - head up to the Cloud 9 bar (87th floor), order a martini and enjoy the view. On the way back down, check out the hotel atrium. You're out 70rmb, still less that the observation deck ticket at WFC, plus you've gotten a drink and seen a killer interior space....

Jin Mao:






Oh, now that I've been living in Shanghai for a while, I should add: 1933, the deco slaughterhouse-turned-entertainment district. Great great space, even if its sparsely populated:







(more here)

You're right about the Jin Mao. If I remember correctly (I was fortunate enough to see it too) the bar you mention had several steps up toward the center, all around the perimeter, so you get a slight two level, vertigo effect. I guess that's visible in your picture.

IIRC, there's also a Chinese restaurant up there -- another choice if you want to linger and enjoy the view.