reported by Debbie Mason Book now, avoid Olympian challenge later Three decades ago, the word "luxury" was a six-letter word that in China could land you in jail-or at best in the deep, dark countryside for a dose of "re-education" in a paddy field or wheat mill. Just 30 years after late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping kick-started economic reforms to save the flailing Communist giant, moneyed Beijingers whose grandparents would have been garbed in drab blue Mao suits now shop at Gucci and Chanel.  » Read more »

China has always been an intriguing destination, but the buzz accompanying the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics has pushed the country to the top of many travelers' wish lists. With an English-speaking staff split between San Francisco and Beijing. Imperial Tours specializes in creating Western-friendly tours that showcase parts of the country not easily accessible to first-time visitors. Honeymooners can enjoy a white-linen banquet on a secluded section of the Great Wall, float down the Li River past local fishermen and grazing water buffalo,  » Read more »

China has always been an intriguing destination, but the buzz accompanying the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics has pushed the country to the top of many travelers' wish lists. With an English-speaking staff split between San Francisco and Beijing. Imperial Tours specializes in creating Western-friendly tours that showcase parts of the country not easily accessible to first-time visitors. Honeymooners can enjoy a white-linen banquet on a secluded section of the Great Wall, float down the Li River past local fishermen and grazing water buffalo,  » Read more »

40 trips of a lifetime You can delve deeper into an unfamiliar culture when you're able to gain access to places, events, and people that are normally off-limits. Below are 40 examples of such extraordinary experienced worldwide, ranging in price from $80 to $12,000? Because of their nature, these opportunities are subject to change and even cancellation. Not all are available every day, some only in limited quantities, and most cannot be booked á  » Read more »

Imperial Tours, a company based out of San Francisco, Calif, takes connoisseurs of Chinese cuisine and history on a trek through the Pearl of the Orient. While the company offers several different tours catering to different lengths of stay, size of groups and interests (including a photography and family tour), guests of Imperial Tours are assured luxury accommodations at five-star hotels and guides knowledgeable about the country. Among the epicurean delights of Imperial Tours are a white linen banquet atop the Great Wall of China and lessons in dumping making,  » Read more »