Joan Jonat, a China travel specialist at Protravel International based in Harrison, N.Y., loves working with clients who already know the country and are ready to visit areas they haven't seen previously.  If they are experienced, she said, there is more flexibility, and "we will do some tourist sites and we will include something that is just fun."  "Just fun" for one family this June will be participation in the annual Shangri-La Horse Racing Festival in Yunnan province near the Tibetan border.  » Read more »

James Shillinglaw talks with Guy Rubin, managing partner of Imperial Tours, a Beijing-based upscale operator of customized small group and independent travel to China. Rubin discusses new destinations and top experiences in the country, as well as the emergence of a new, very modern and unexpected China for visitors. http://www.travelpulse.com/an-interview-with-imperial-tours-guy-rubin.html  » Read more »

By James Shillinglaw China remains one of the world’s most intriguing destinations – and one that Americans increasingly want to explore. To get an idea of the wide range of experiences this destination has to offer, we spoke with Nancy Kim and Guy Rubin, the husband-and-wife team who are managing partners of Imperial Tours, a high-end China tour operator based in Beijing but with an office in San Francisco.  » Read more »

This article by Imperial Tours’ founder about the tribes of Guizhou is for cultural informational purposes only. Imperial Tours does not offer services to these destinations as luxury faciltiies are not available. By Guy Rubin As cranes and bulldozers proliferate like ants across China, depositing cities and highways in their hammering trail, now is the time to venture inland in search of the more traditional side of China.  » Read more »

Before the introduction of the engine, trackers were an indispensable feature of transport along the Yangzi. These river people battled daily with the river, providing the muscle to drag 40-100 ton vessels 1500 miles from Shanghai to Chongqing up a series of treacherous gorges and against a current of 6-12 knots. Mostly men, they worked like cattle for 12 hours a day, nine days at a time, to earn enough money to feed themselves poorly and every so often escape to an opium-fueled Elysium.  » Read more »