A Review of "Genghis Khan" by James Chambers Reviewed by Guy Rubin "Seven hundred years ago a man almost conquered the earth. He made himself master of half the known world, and inspired mankind with a fear that lasted for generations. In the course of his life he was given many names – Mighty Manslayer, Scourge of God, Perfect Warrior. He is better known to us as Genghis Khan."  » Read more »

Finding commonality at Beijing's West Qing Tombs by Guy Rubin What is it that you, me and the last Qing dynasty Emperor, Puyi, could all have in common? Absolute power at the age of two? Two wives for our sixteenth birthday? A flawed come-back in our thirties? Or maybe it's that now we can all be buried together. A commercial cemetery is the latest addition to the impressive Western Qing tombs.  » Read more »

Why take home a taxi-load of anonymous self-assembly flat-pack furniture, when for much the same price you can fill your apartment with elegant traditional Chinese pieces? (This article is for information purposes only. Imperial Tours is not in involved in any capacity with the antique or reproduction furniture business. We advise caution when contacting these companies.) Opening the door to your astronomically-priced expat housing, you are appalled by the gaudiness of the furniture inside.  » Read more »

Two hours from Beijing, Baiyangdian in summer metamorphoses from a drab swamp into a colorful checkerboard of lotus patches and fish nurseries The sun may have taken the weather forecasters by surprise, but not the lotus flowers. Attuned to the barest climatic fluctuation, they are already on the threshold of their summer bloom. A gathering tide of flowering lotuses is now sweeping across China, transforming seemingly destitute marshlands into scenic tableaux of white,  » Read more »

by Peter Neville-Hadley, Editor-in-Chief  Send those friends and relations off on an unusual summer tour Despite repeated predictions that in a very short period China will overtake France as the number one travel market in the world, the opening up of China's travel industry to the creation of Sino-foreign joint-ventures last year has been met with little enthusiasm, not least because it has yet to be deregulated sufficiently to guarantee a reasonable return.  » Read more »