A guided tour of the city’s top attractions, accommodations and dining.
If your clients are visiting Beijing for the first time, they should take in top historical attractions but also get a sense of the city as it exists today. That’s exactly what Imperial Tours, an upscale operator offering FIT and small group programs, provides in its three-day program showcasing the city, which in this case was part of a 10-day program including Beijing,
A guided tour of the city’s top attractions, accommodations and dining.
If your clients are visiting Beijing for the first time, they should take in top historical attractions but also get a sense of the city as it exists today. That’s exactly what Imperial Tours, an upscale operator offering FIT and small group programs, provides in its three-day program showcasing the city, which in this case was part of a 10-day program including Beijing, Xian, Guilin and Shanghai.
Beijing itself is a modern capital city with wide boulevards lined by government buildings and corporate offices. It’s also one of the great repositories of China’s imperial past, with such iconic attractions as the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. Here’s a rundown of the sightseeing, accommodations, dining, guides and transportation offered during this Imperial Toursprogram.
SIGHTSEEING: On the first day in Beijing, the tour visited the Temple of Heaven (first built circa 1420 during the Qing Dynasty), the most famous of the four main temples in the city. A complex of courtyards and buildings for worship, all surrounded by trees and gardens, the Temple of Heaven is a popular gathering place for local residents seeking to socialize, exercise (Tai Chi), dance, and play music and games, and so it truly provides a way to interact with the locals.
From the Temple of Heaven, the tour then moves to Beijing’s antique market, a large outdoor emporium of statues, furniture, china, old phonographs and Chinese military uniforms. If your clients are into Chinese antiques, this is clearly a market they need to visit.
The tour then visits Tiananmen Square, the giant open space where the famous student protests occurred in 1989 and where massive rallies took place during the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. Visitors can see Mao Zedong’s Mausoleum and the Great Hall of the People, where the annual National Communist Party Congress is held. On one side of the square is the giant gate to the Forbidden City, adorned with a large portrait of Mao.
The tour proceeds through that gate into the inner sanctum of the Forbidden City, where over the centuries some 24 Chinese emperors resided. Visitors pass through a series of courtyards and gates to Chong Jing Dian (the Hall of Adoration), which was the throne reception room of the emperors. The highlight of the Imperial Tours visit is a private viewing of one of the many intimate palaces where the emperors actually resided—the Chong Hua Gong (Palace of Double Brilliance), which features exquisite sitting rooms and sleeping chambers, as well as small inner courtyards.
The second day of the Beijing program showcases the Great Wall of China, located a little more than an hour’s drive on a superhighway from the center of the city. The Great Wall remains one of the seminal wonders of the world, stretching as it does for more than 4,000 miles over steep hills and through five provinces of China. Construction began in the 7th century B.C. and continued on for hundreds of years as various stages of the wall were linked to keep out the invading Mongols.
Imperial Tours usually organizes a special lunch on the Great Wall, but winter weather forced cancellation of those plans on this particular trip. Instead, the tour group visited the wall at Mutianya, a highly developed tourist area where visitors take a cable car (four to a car) up the mountain, since the wall is located on a ridge high above the valley. There they can walk in either direction on the wall’s wide top as it climbs and descends steeply along the ridge. They also can take in spectacular views from ramparts of the structure as it undulates along its path.
On the third day in Beijing, the tour spends time visiting the famous Summer Palace in the outskirts of the city. This huge, park-like complex is located around Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake, which is entirely man-made. Construction was begun in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong. In 1888, it was given the name Yihe Yuan, and served as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, who reconstructed and enlarged it. In December 1998, UNESCO put the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List as “a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.”
Like many other parks in Beijing, including the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace also serves as a gathering place for the local residents, who use it for outdoor dancing, exercise and games. You can rent small pedal boats on the lake and see a giant stone boat (not one that floats) once used for ceremonies and now for parties.
ACCOMMODATIONS: This particular Imperial Tours group was housed in the Raffles Beijing, located on Chang’An Avenue just a short walk from Tiananmen Square. The 171-room Raffles Beijing was originally known as the Beijing Hotel and was the first official hotel in the city, dating from 1900. It has a long and colorful history (Mao reportedly enjoyed taking tea and dancing in the ballroom when he ruled in Beijing). Under Raffles’ management, the property has been transformed into a well-appointed luxury hotel with very traditional décor but modern conveniences. The old building flows into a newer addition that houses restaurants, a spa and several shops.
Another option offered by Imperial Tours is the Park Hyatt Beijing, which opened in 2008 as the tallest hotel in Beijing in a 63-floor building. The hotel’s 237 very modern and spacious rooms take up only floors 27-49, while the lobby, spa, pool and restaurant are located on other floors.
More bucolic but less convenient to the center city is the Aman at the Summer Palace, located in the park next to the Summer Palace. The property, which is built to look like the Summer Palace, has just 57 rooms spread out among buildings situated around nine courtyards. Accommodations include eight guestrooms, 10 courtyard guestrooms, eight suites, 17 deluxe suites, seven courtyard suites and an Imperial Suite. While the Aman property is very traditional in its accommodations, it offers a giant spa, pool and fitness center (a total of 300,000 square feet) capable of serving far more than its guest population. There are also squash courts and a large screen room with reclining chairs.
DINING: One of the great pleasures of China is its cuisine—and this Imperial Tours program offered a wide variety of dining experiences. The tour begins with a Western-style meal in the Raffles Beijing at Jaan, which is decorated in 1920s style and offers a dance floor and crystal chandeliers. Breakfast was in East 33, another restaurant in the modern section of the hotel, which offers a buffet with a large number of selections.
Lunch on the first day was in the China Grill restaurant at the top of the Park Hyatt Beijing. The fare included a wide variety of Asian specialties, but the main reason for dining here is the great views of the city. Dinner that night showcased a very modern side of Beijing—a trendy restaurant called the LAN Club Beijing, located on the fourth floor of the LG Twin Towers. Designed by Philip Starck, the restaurant features framed paintings that hang upside down from the ceiling and different kinds of chandeliers over a large dining area. It serves a new wave version of Chinese cuisine.
Lunch on the second day was at a restaurant, spa and bath house called Green T. House Living Bath House & Spa. Located in the Beijing suburbs in a warehouse district, this restaurant serves modern Chinese meals all themed around tea. Guests dine on massive long communal tables and sit in designer chairs that have backs soaring to the ceiling. The tour group then visits the adjacent bathhouse and spa, which are in another building similar in construction but containing two loft rooms, where guests can book an overnight stay, and a giant in-ground tub that can be filled with tea for day spa treatments. There’s a full kitchen, bathrooms, a large fireplace and a hot tub on the roof.
Dinner that night was in a traditional Beijing courtyard house called the Cheng Courtyard Restaurant near the Forbidden City. The establishment is overseen by a young chef whose grandfather served as personal cook to Mao Zedong. The chef himself comes out during dinner to show photographs and tell stories about his grandfather’s experiences with Mao and other Chinese Communist Party officials. The cuisine is very traditional Chinese, but the exclusivity of the experience is what sets apart this dining event.
GUIDES: Imperial Tours provides a China Host, often an American or European who speaks fluent Mandarin, who acts as the tour leader but also is available to dine with guests and help them shop or interact with locals. The company also employs knowledgeable local guides, who provide a commentary on top attractions and insight into life in China today and in the past.
TRANSPORTATION: For ground transportation, Imperial Tours uses an 18-seat minibus for groups of six or more (plus the China host and local guide). It can also offer a private car or minivan depending on the size of the group. Guests fly into Beijing’s giant and ultra-modern international airport, which was upgraded for the Olympics in 2008.
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© 2010 Performance Media Group, LLC.
By James Shillinglaw
Shanghai – the very name evokes images of immense modernity, buildings touching the sky, and a center of commerce that is now one of the world’s great cities. Yet, Shanghai also has an ancient and colonial past; it was a city dominated by Western traders for a good part of the 20th century, at least until the Communist revolution swept capitalism aside — until today at least!
I finally got a chance to visit this amazing metropolis last month on a 10-day travel agent fam trip organized by Imperial Tours. We visited Beijing, Xian and Guilin, before ending our journey with three days in Shanghai. We flew from a modern airport near Guilin to the even more modern Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Indeed, the terminal we arrived at had just been completed, in time for the upcoming Shanghai World Expo, set for May 31-Oct. 31, which expects to attract 70 million visitors.
We arrived in the afternoon after a two-hour flight from Guilin, during which Imperial Tours had thoughtfully included a box lunch for our China Southern Airlines flight. We drove for 45 minutes on a traffic-filled superhighway into the city. Imperial Tours had arranged for us to take a brief tour of the Four Seasons Beijing (www.fourseasons.com), an elegant property that it uses for clients. So we took a look at the rooms and suites and had a drink in the lobby. One thing about Shanghai: There is absolutely no shortage of superb five-star hotels.
But then it was time to cross the Huangpu River to where we were actually staying – the Park Hyatt Beijing, located in the Shanghai World Financial Center. The Pudong district of Shanghai, the most modern of the city’s regions, is where many if not most of the massive new skyscrapers are located. And the 467-room Park Hyatt (http://beijing.park.hyatt.com) just happens to be in one of them, making it one of the tallest hotels in the world (with the property occupying floors 79 to 88). My room was located on the 82nd floor, several levels below the pool and spa (on 95), the lobby (on 87), the restaurant (on the 91st floor) and bar/nightclub (92nd floor). You can take an express elevator to the lobby in under a minute from the ground floor.
The Park Hyatt is extremely modern but provides great conveniences, especially if you are there to work, as I was. Indeed, I think I could get used to working at desk that sits at the “top of the world” overlooking a massive city like Shanghai from the 82nd floor.
My room also had automatic bedside controls for lighting, shades and entertainment systems; a very modern bathroom, complete with stone tiled rain shower, oversize fast-fill tub; and a separate Japanese toilet (if you don’t know what that does, I won’t describe it here). That evening we had a nice dinner in 100 Century Avenue, the eclectic restaurant upstairs, which not surprisingly has incredible views of Shanghai. The fare included Chinese, Japanese and Western food – all of which we sampled.
The next day our group – which included three agents, two of their companions, two Imperial Tours China hosts and me – got back on our tour bus to meet our local guide Patrick, an American expatriate who has lived in Beijing for a number of years. Our goal, with Patrick’s help, was to visit what used to be the most modern city in the world on the other side of the river. I’m referring of course to Shanghai’s famous Bund, the strip of ornate bank, insurance and corporate buildings constructed early in the 20th century as the headquarters of Shanghai’s Western elite – the British, French and Americans who truly ruled this city between the two world wars. Nowadays this district is being refurbished and given a new sheen as a tourism zone in time for the Shanghai World Expo.
Patrick proved to be an expert in Chinese politics, the history of Shanghai and the architecture of the city. He gave us a quick summary of the city’s history on the bus ride to the Bund. Each of the colonial powers had their own districts, so the city was divided into the different “concessions” (the French Concession, the British Concession, the American Concession, etc.). In fact, the city is still somewhat divided by those old colonial boundaries. We drove by what had the Shanghai Race Course in the 1930s, but is now People’s Park; the Shanghai Museum; the Museum of Urban Planning; City Hall; the modern Grand Theater; and the Shanghai Art Museum.
We finally arrived at the Bund, where we took a walking tour with Patrick as he described each historic building in turn, including what they formerly housed. We saw the British Consul General’s residence, the newly opened Peninsula Beijing (more on that hotel in a future column) and the former headquarters of the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), with two impressive stone lion sculptures guarding the entrance.
For me, however, the most moving sight was a building on the corner of the Bund and Nanjing Road. The art deco style edifice was formerly called the Palace Hotel (and also the Peace Hotel at certain times). And it just happened to be where my father stayed as a young U.S. Navy lieutenant back in 1945 just after the war ended. He was there to help train the Chinese Nationalist Navy. Naturally I took about a zillion photographs to give to my dad. But I’ll also have to tell him that it will soon house a giant Swatch store.
As Patrick told us, Shanghai has always been about being modern, whether it’s the skyscrapers of Pudong or the colonial edifices of the Bund. On the other hand, Shanghai also can be very old as well. Next week I’ll detail our explorations of that “older” Shanghai, as well as the remainder of our visit to China with Imperial Tours.
James Shillinglaw is editor in chief and editorial director of Performance Media Group, LLC, parent of TravelPulse.com, Agent @ Home magazine, Vacation Agent magazine and Virtual Travel Events.
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© 2010 Performance Media Group, LLC.
By Elite Traveler Magazine
October 14, 2009 – Enjoying a savory meal at some of the most elite and historical venues in China is now a reality thanks to Imperial Tours!
Specializing exclusively in luxury programs to China, Imperial Tours has launched two new culinary inspired "Imperial Moments" that can be incorporated into travel itineraries visiting Beijing:
-A private meal in the Cheng Courtyard where menus from famous meals of Chinese modern history can be replicated
-A spectacular banquet in an exclusive section of the Forbidden City
"Our 'Imperial Moments' are distinguished as activities that allow travelers to discover China in exceptional ways and highlight the spirit of each destination," said Guy Rubin, Managing Partner of Imperial Tours. "They add a culturally enriching dimension to a China itinerary for an unequalled set of experiences – and indelible lifetime memories," he added.
Dinner at Cheng Courtyard
Guests of Imperial Tours now have the opportunity to dine at Cheng Courtyard, an aristocratic home bequeathed to Chairman Mao's personal chef (Chef Cheng), who prepared meals for the visiting Viscount Montgomery, the Dalai Lama and the last Emperor of China among other dignitaries. Presently, the chef's grandson, himself also a Master Chef, oversees meals during behind-the-scenes ministerial level meetings in this exclusive retreat. Now, Imperial's guests can be treated to the culinary wizardry of eleven chefs, who skillfully recreate menus shared in the past by important political figures at this small, exclusive venue. Cheng Courtyard is located across the street from Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of Chinese leadership and one of the most exclusive addresses in Beijing.
Forbidden City Banquet
Imperial Tours has been granted the privilege of arranging spectacular banquet dinners for its guests in a recently renovated, three-floor palace (not open to the general public) within the Forbidden City. Views from the palace's third floor are among the best available in the entire 178-acre complex! Commissioned by Emperor Qianlong in 1740, this private palace consists of nine ornate buildings within a maze of walkways, courtyards and gardens. Recently restored to full splendor (following a fire in the early 20th century), the palace provides a magnificent setting for a memorable banquet.
© Elite Traveler Oct. 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2009
Contact :
Hilari Graff at Strategic Vision
Tel: 914-881-9056/9020
hgraff@strategicvision.org
Two New Culinary Inspired “Imperial Moments” in China to Enhance a Travel Experience
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 5, 2009) – Enjoying a savory meal at some of the most elite and historical venues in China is now a reality thanks to Imperial Tours (www.imperialtours.net)! Specializing exclusively in luxury programs to China, Imperial Tours has launched two new culinary inspired “Imperial Moments” that can be incorporated into travel itineraries visiting Beijing:
“Our ‘Imperial Moments’ are distinguished as activities that allow travelers to discover China in exceptional ways and highlight the spirit of each destination,” said Guy Rubin, Managing Partner of Imperial Tours. “They add a culturally enriching dimension to a China itinerary for an unequalled set of experiences – and indelible lifetime memories,” he added.
Dinner at Cheng Mansion
Guests of Imperial Tours now have the opportunity to dine at Cheng Mansion, an aristocratic home bequeathed to Chairman Mao’s personal chef (Chef Cheng), who prepared meals for the visiting Viscount Montgomery, the Dalai Lama and the last Emperor of China among other dignitaries. Presently, the chef’s grandson, himself also a Master Chef, oversees meals during behind-the-scenes ministerial level meetings in this exclusive conclave. Now, Imperial’s guests can be treated to the culinary wizardry of the eleven chefs, who skillfully recreate menus shared in the past by important political figures at this small, exclusive venue. Cheng Mansion is located across the street from Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of Chinese leadership and one of the most exclusive addresses in Beijing.
Forbidden City Banquet
Imperial Tours has been granted the privilege of arranging spectacular banquet dinners for its guests in a recently renovated, three-floor palace (not open to the general public) within the Forbidden City. Views from the palace’s third floor are among the best available in the entire 178-acre complex! Commissioned by Emperor Qianlong in 1740, this private palace consists of nine ornate buildings within a maze of walkways, courtyards and gardens. Recently restored to full splendor (following a fire in the early 20th century), the palace provides a magnificent setting for a memorable banquet.
About Imperial Tours
The leading luxury tour operator based in China, Imperial Tours offers customized private tours and scheduled departures that combine local expertise with the high levels of service and quality expected by sophisticated Western travelers. For the ultimate escorted journey in style, bi-lingual, China-based Western hosts accompany each group and private tour. Through its portfolio of programs and themed excursions, Imperial Tours provides the ‘best of the best’ in China encompassing accommodations, dining, sightseeing, experiences and much more at unrivalled prices. Founded by Westerners in 1999, Imperial Tours has offices in Beijing, San Francisco, Frankfurt and the UK.
A testament to its unrivaled knowledge and experience in planning luxury customized programs to China, Imperial Tours has been awarded the distinction of a ‘top travel specialist’ by Condé Nast Traveler for the last two years and has been named to Travel + Leisure’s ‘A’ List of Super Agents from 2002 – 2008. In addition to top accolades, Imperial has been privileged to bring celebrities and royalty to China including Anthony Edwards, Natalie Portman, Michael Phelps, Sara Lee, Baroness Katherine de Rothschild, Katie Couric and the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
Contact Information
For more information on these two new “Imperial Moments” or to book one of the company’s monthly scheduled departures or a customized private journey through China, please call (888) 888-1970, send an e-mail to margot@imperialtours.net or visit www.imperialtours.net. Become a fan of Imperial Tours on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/imperialtours.
Note to Editors
High-resolution digital images of Imperial Tours/China are available upon request.
©Imperial Tours, 2009
Imperial Tours has launched two new culinary inspired "Imperial Moments" that can be incorporated into travel itineraries visiting Beijing:
A private meal in the Cheng Courtyard where menus from famous meals of Chinese modern history can be replicated [and a] banquet in an exclusive section of the Forbidden City.
Dinner at Cheng Courtyard
Guests of Imperial Tours now have the opportunity to dine at Cheng Courtyard, an aristocratic home bequeathed to Chairman Mao's personal chef (Chef Cheng), who prepared meals for the visiting Viscount Montgomery, the Dalai Lama and the last Emperor of China among other dignitaries. Presently, the chef's grandson, himself also a Master Chef, oversees meals during behind-the-scenes ministerial level meetings in this exclusive retreat. Now, Imperial's guests can be treated to the culinary wizardry of 11 chefs, who recreate menus shared in the past by important political figures at this small, exclusive venue.
Cheng Courtyard is located across the street from Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of Chinese leadership and one of the most exclusive addresses in Beijing.
Forbidden City Banquet
Imperial Tours has been granted the privilege of arranging banquet dinners for its guests in a recently renovated, three-floor palace (not open to the general public) within the Forbidden City. Views from the palace's third floor are among the best available in the entire 178-acre complex. Commissioned by Emperor Qianlong in 1740, this private palace consists of nine ornate buildings within a maze of walkways, courtyards and gardens. Recently restored to full splendor (following a fire in the early 20th century), the palace provides a magnificent setting for a memorable banquet.
Imperial Tours offers customized private tours and scheduled escorted group departures with bi-lingual, China-based Western hosts who accompany each program. Founded in 1999, Imperial Tours has offices in Beijing, San Francisco, Frankfurt and the UK.
© October 2009, Luxury Travel Advisor
Imperial Tours is offering an eight night luxury Culinary Tour of China, covering Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai. Highlights include a white linen banquet atop a little known section of the Great Wall, an exclusive meal in the home of Chairman Mao's personal chef, a private cooking lesson given by the Executive Chef of the prestigious Whampoa Club, a traditional tea ceremony and tasting, a visit to one of China's largest seafood markets, amazing meals at world class restaurants, and accommodation in China's best hotels. This private tour is accompanied not only by a local tour guide in each city, but guests will also be escorted through the country by an Imperial Tours China Host – essentially a traveling concierge who makes sure that every request is met and every expectation exceeded.
Price: $11,350 per person (based on two person private tour)
Offer Expires: 11/30/2010.
Restrictions: Prices based on two person private tour and excludes international airfare & gratuities.
Subject to availability and blackout dates. Restrictions apply.
© Saveur, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2008
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Contact : Heather Caufield |
Amy Benson |
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Dumplings & Dynasties
The James Beard Foundation Celebrates the Evolution of Modern Chinese Cuisine with Annual Gala Dinner/Auction and Two-Day Conference.
New York, NY (November 18, 2008) – The James Beard Foundation celebrated the evolution of modern Chinese cuisine last Thursday at Dumplings & Dynasties, a gala dinner and fundraising auction. The exceptional banquet of modern Chinese fare prepared by guest chefs from China and North America for over 240 people at The Edison Ballroom raised funds for the James Beard Foundation. Following the gala, the Foundation hosted a two-day conference featuring experts on the food and culinary culture of China.
The evening began with a dim sum reception created by Terrence Chan of Lai Wah Heen at the Metropolitan Hotel in Toronto. The banquet dinner was prepared by Chen Jun of Peninsula Restaurants in Shanghai; Richard Chen of Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas; Chow Chung of Chow Chung Restaurant in Hong Kong; JBF Award Winner Susanna Foo of Susanna Foo in Philadelphia; Susur Lee of Madeline's and Lee in Toronto and Shang by Susur Lee in New York City; Patrick Lin of Metropolitan Hotels in Toronto and Vancouver; Terrence Chan and Ken Tam of Lai Wah Heen at the Metropolitan Hotel in Toronto; with support from Joe Ng of Chinatown Brasserie in New York City. Wine and beverage pairings for each course were chosen by guest sommelier Joshua Wesson. The event's décor was created by Marc Wilson of Marc Wilson Design.
Notable guests included Ming Tsai, B.D. Wong, Vivienne Tam, Daniel Boulud, Joe Bastianich and Gael Greene. The event featured once in a lifetime live auction packages, including an auction lot sold for $26,000 that included dinner for 12 at Shang by Susur Lee with Champagne pairings by Nicolas Feuillatte and Oysters from Taylor Shellfish Farms of Shelton, Washington, plus a dazzling pearl and diamond necklace from Mikimoto for the hostess. The top selling package of the evening was a seven-day gourmet excursion for two to China, provided by Imperial Tours and courtesy of Valerie Wilson Travel with Delta BusinessElite airfare for two to Shanghai, which sold for $30,000. In all, the silent and live auctions raised more than $160,000 to support the James Beard Foundation's mission and programs.
The James Beard Foundation's 2008 Conference on Cuisine and Culture on Friday, November 14, and Saturday, November 15 featured a day of presentations, panels, and discussions with experts from around the world on a wide range of topics, followed by a day of experiential learning activities designed to give participants an opportunity for hands-on education.
Sponsors
The Dumplings & Dynasties events were sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Metropolitan Hotels, Lee Kum Kee, Saveur Magazine, Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water, Mikimoto, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water with cultural partners Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU and Asia Society, and event partners Astor Center, Chinatown Brasserie, Savory Productions and TMI Trading – Chef.
About the James Beard Foundation
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and nurturing America's culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today, the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships to culinary schools, and publications, and by maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City's Greenwich Village as a "performance space" for visiting chefs.
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, noodle pulling and dim sum creation.
Imperial Tours' Culinary Tour won't be available in 2008, but according to Margot Kong, the company's director of sales and marketing, private tours can be tailored to focus on cooking activities, and will still feature dining at world-class restaurants in China.
© December 2007/January 2008 Hi Luxury Magazine
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Contents Luxury Travel News Hotel/Restaurant News Calendar Odds N' Ends – David Spindler Interview Discovery – Sanxingdui |
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Dear Guy, From our founding, Imperial Tours' Monthly Group tours and FITs have challenged the notion that there are no sophisticated venues in China. Seven years later, it is widely accepted that China boasts some of the world's most avant-garde architecture, restaurants and contemporary art. Now, Imperial Tours is challenging the presumption that China provides few sophisticated venues outside the major cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. In our last two broadcasts, we publicized a new and incredible contemporary art park near Guilin. We dedicate this broadcast to re-gearing your expectations ofChengdu, the thrilling capital of Sichuan province. Home to one of China's most famous cooking traditions, this town's top restaurant is currently hosting Prince Charles' personal chef! With a history of thousands of years, Chengdu is home to much more than the famed Panda Research Institute. Sanxingdui is a nearby tourist site that in artistry and mystery surpasses the Terracotta Warriors. In addition to a review of Chengdu's wonderful restaurants and top hotels, this broadcast contains:
First, some luxury travel news: |
Virtuoso's China Onsite Traveling China…in style Phone us at 888 888 1970 |
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Luxury Travel News Imperial Tours is delighted to offer passengers on its Monthly Group tours and FITs the opportunity ofan exclusive, private visit to the turbine generator room and hi-tech control center at the Three Gorges Dam, the largest dam project in the world. This tour finishes with a walk along the top of the dam. Normally these areas are restricted, off-limits military areas, so Imperial Tours is thrilled to be able to offer this unique opportunity. Imperial Tours Announces Partnership With Viking River Cruises Customers on Imperial Tours' Monthly Group and FIT tours are now able to book Viking River Cruises' boats on the Yangzi River. Viking's superior facilities and cuisine have established it as the Yangzi River's leading cruise provider. Preparation for 2008 Olympics Affects Beijing's Tourist Sites Renovation of the temples on Longevity Hill at the Summer Palace is scheduled to soon finish. However scaffolding has gone up around the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven, where it will remain until May 2006. Similarly, many of the side corridors in the Forbidden City are covered in scaffolding and are off-limits. Booking the 2008 Beijing Olympics Many of you are wondering about hotel bookings and tours for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The situation is that the Beijing Olympic Committee is still finalizing plans to reserve up to 23,000 hotel rooms for the Olympics Games period. This will account for up to 80% of the city's total guestroom inventory for three-star and above hotels, giving it near monopoly control of bookings. Only when such arrangements are finalized can the remaining 20% capacity be allocated. Until that time, the best you can do is have your bookings placed on waiting lists that the better hotels are keeping. We will keep you abreast of further developments. China Becomes World's Fourth Most Popular Destination In 2004, China became the world's fourth most popular destination (42 million arrivals) after France (75.1 million arrivals), Spain and the United States. Italy fell to fifth position. Meanwhile, Hong Kong climbed in the rankings to become the seventh most visited destination in the world. Similarly, speaking at the 10th Annual Institute for Travel Writing and Photography, Arthur Frommer noted that China would rank first as Americans' most popular overseas destination this year. Imperial Tours runs Educational Tours in March and November each year. Please contact Margot Kong at 888 888 1970, to book your place on the Educational trip for March 2006, so that you can learn more about selling China. New Flight Routes
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Restaurant News May 2006 Culinary Tour We congratulate Jereme Leung, chef and owner of Shanghai's Whampoa Club on being described as a culinary "genius" by author Patricia Wells in the "International Herald Tribune" this May. Imperial Tours used Jereme's fabulous restaurant as soon as it opened last year, and is delighted to announce that Jereme will be demonstrating his skills on the Shanghai portion of Imperial Tours May 2006 Culinary Tour. Please click here for details. Chengdu Restaurant Review Gingko Restaurant has long been home to Sichuanese dining excellence in Chengdu. Their fashionable new restaurant on Renmin Street, designed by the company responsible for the interiors at Shanghai's Grand Hyatt (a Virtuoso property), really puts them on the map. Currently, Prince Charles' personal chef is the guest chef at the Western section of this restaurant, which also offers Japanese and Cantonese food. My Humble House is the brainchild of award-winning Singaporean restaurateur Andrew Tjoie. Although his Beijing restaurant is equally well known for its excellent cuisine, the ambiance of the Chengdu restaurant within a bamboo-lined park is more scenic. The cuisine at Han She is not typically Sichuanese. The menu, as exciting as the interior design, reaches out also to Hunanase, Cantonese and South-East Asian traditions. No visit to Chengdu is complete without indulging yourself to a Sichuanese Hot-pot. We would recommend Huangcheng Laoma Restaurant. Its wonderfully-designed restaurant offers a highly enjoyable experience. Additionally, this restaurant is sensitive to foreigners' palettes and can tone down the spiciness of its soups on request. Hotel News Peninsula Hotel, Beijing Opens Its Presidential Suite At last! The Peninsula Hotel in Beijing has finished a long series of renovations to its 6,000 square feet Presidential Suite. Most stunning is the false Chinese traditional roof that spans the entire length of the suite. Equally successful is the delightful fretwork of the wooden screens that accompany the baths in both bedrooms' ensuite bathrooms. The intricate mosaic in the smooth, marble floor is beautiful. These features accompany hi-tech features such as a short-wave radio center and an impressive array of entertainment and business equipment. New Luxury Hotels In China
Review of Chengdu's Five Star Hotels Chengdu's Kempinski Hotel makes up for a lacklustre lobby with the most modern and spacious bedrooms in the city (a standard room is 340 square feet large). While the design of some of the public areas could be improved, this hotel offers good service in the bedrooms, restaurants and at the front desk. Although the Kempinski is not situated in the very center of the downtown area, it is in a highly gentrified part of the city close to some of the city's best restaurants and bars. The glass-fronted lobby at the Chengdu Sheraton provides a bright entrance to the reassuringly calming tones of its well-designed lobby. Its bedrooms, which are now looking a little worn, are generally smaller (300 – 330 square feet) than those at the Kempinski and the bathrooms, though serviceable, feel a little tight. For example, they do not have a separate shower stall. The hotel is well-located in the center of the downtown area. |
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Beijing July 23: Real Madrid, the world's most expensive soccer team sporting stars of the caliber of David Beckham, Luis Figo, Zidane and Ronaldo amongst others play an exhibition match against Beijing Hyundai at the Worker's Stadium. Price; RMB 180, 380, 680, 1080, 1580, 3000, 5000 July 26: Manchester United, the world's most famous soccer club, brings its star-studded team to play Beijing Hyundai at the Worker's Stadium. Players such as Rooney, Giggs and Ronaldo will delight Chinese fans. Price: 80, 280, 480, 780, 1180. July 30 – 31: With the assistance of French Director, Daniel Mesguich and conductor Francois-Xavier Roth, the Chinese National Opera puts on a suitably surreal performance of Offenbach's "Les Contes De Hoffman" at the Poly Theater. Price: RMB 80, 180, 280, 380, 580, 680. August 2 – 7: Jungle Adventures, Disney's On Ice Show that combines tunes from The Jungle Book, The Lion King and Tarzan will be on at the Workers Gymnasium. Price: RMB 80, 180, 280, 360, 380, 500 August 12: leading Celtic instrumentalists, the Battlefield Band, dazzle Beijing audiences with their bagpipes and fiddles in a Scottish musical extravaganza at the Century Theater. Price: RMB 280, 380, 580, 880, 1280, 1680 August 20: The First IBA World Boxing Championship takes place in China at the Capital Gymasium, culminating with a Man's Heavyweight Championship bout. Sep 10 – 26: Marat Safin, Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal will be amongst the competitors for the 2005 China Tennis Open takes place at Beijing's National Tennis Center. Price: Not yet available. October 2: Acclaimed Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa leads the Japanese National Orchestra for a performance of "Il Barbiere Di Siviglia" at the Poly Plaza Theatrer. Price: RMB 180, 280, 380, 580, 880, 1280 Shanghai July 19 – 24: Jungle Adventures, Disney's On Ice Show that combines tunes from The Jungle Book, The Lion King and Tarzan will be on at the Workers Gymnasium. Price: RMB 100, 200, 280 July 22: Los Angeles Children's Chorus performs a wide variety of songs at Shanghai Concert Hall . Price: RMB 60, 80, 120, 160, 200 July 26: Bloc Business, the deep house Austrian band combining live music with dj-line, perform on the Shanghai Grand Stage. Price: RMB 80, 120, 160, 220. Sep 30 – Oct 1: "Ode to the Autumn Modern Dance Series III" collects contemporary Chinese dancers from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in an exciting, avant-garde series at the Shanghai Oriental Art Centre. Price: RMB 80, 120, 260, 320, 380, 580 October 16: 2005 Shanghai Formula One Grand Prix takes place at the Shangahi International Circuit. Price: RMB 160, 330, 370, 450, 970, 1080, 1880, 2880, 3580, 3980. Please note that you must book as early as possible to be assured of getting hotel rooms in Shanghai over the Formula One Weekend. |
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Great Wall Specialist David Spindler has more achievements under his belt than most of us dare to dream of: he followed his Dartmouth College degree in Asian Studies with an M.A. in Han dynasty history (in Chinese) at Beijing University. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he joined the consulting firm McKinsey & Company in Beijing. Since leaving consulting in 2002, he has dedicated himself full-time to researching the history of the Great Wall of China. We caught up with him in Beijing. 1) How did you become interested in researching the Great Wall of China? I went on my first overnight hike on the wall in the fall of 1994: being in the outdoors, visiting remote places, getting away from a crowded city have always been attractive to me. Hiking on the Great Wall allowed me to do all of these things at once. Over the next six years, my wall hikes continued with increasing frequency until in the summer of 2000, I started work on a book about the history of the Great Wall in the Beijing area. 2)Surely this is a crowded area of academic interest. What do you aim to add to it? Actually, it is a surprisingly uncrowded field. I do not know of a single academic anywhere whose major field of interest is the Great Wall, leaving open the possibility that I may be able to make a real contribution to our understanding of the Great Wall. I hope to explain how Mongol action shaped and changed China's defenses against its northern neighbors through the use of border fortifications during the course of the Ming dynasty. 3) People think of the Great Wall as one continuous fortification stretching across the breadth of China. Is that right? The idea you mention is a common myth, both inside and outside China. First, the "one wall" issue. Many different dynasties built walls, in different places, and at different times during each dynasty. The result is a web of roughly parallel walls stretching across China's northern border, from points as far east as Pyongyang in Korea to as far west as the region of Xinjiang in northwestern China. Next, the "continuous wall" myth: none of these northern border walls, later collectively termed "the Great Wall," are, or ever were, continuous, unbroken structures from their origin to their terminus. They were only continuous in the places most susceptible to attack-flat areas, valleys, mountain passes. Outside of these areas, in more rugged, mountainous terrain, builders of border fortifications commonly built a series of signal towers with no wall connecting them. 4)How would you describe the Great Wall of China? I like to use three concepts when thinking about "the" Great Wall. The first, and most inclusive, I term the "Great Wall Line." This delineates the border that defenders were trying to prevent raiders from crossing. It may or may not have border wall or any other structure on it. The second, narrower concept is "Great Wall Structure," which I view as encompassing both walls and signal towers, whether or not there is continuous wall between them. The third concept refers to continuous walls termed "Border Walls" in places deemed likely to be raided. All three of these concepts are important in describing what I like to call a "Great Wall Defense Line." 5) In your opinion, did the Great Wall work or was it a waste of manpower, time and money? First, let's talk about what the Ming rulers were trying to do in defending their northern border and what resources they had at their disposal. After the 1420s, the Ming army no longer had the capability of going on campaigns far north of their territory to engage and defeat powerful Mongol groups. They were thus left to defend their border by deploying troops along it. In doing so, they needed to choose a border whose natural features like passes, ridges, and mountains made it most easily defendable. Once they had determined where they were going to defend against raiders, the Ming had to permanently station soldiers along the border to fight and send along signals of enemy movements. The Great Wall, with its towers and parapets, provided a way to house troops and serve as a permanent, fortified, line of defense. If one wants to consider the question of whether building and operating border fortifications was justified, one has to think of the Ming empire's alternatives, which were to pull back from its northern border or simply to defend people by enclosing them in small forts. Given the Ming dynasty goals of territorial control and protection of the livelihood of its population, there was really no alternative to a permanently fortified line of defense. Empires and nation-states tend to defend their territory at all costs, and the Ming is no exception. States throughout history have nearly always viewed a loss of territory as an unacceptably high cost. Your question also brings up another frequently mentioned, though I believe misguided line of inquiry about the Great Wall, by focusing on whether "it" worked. In fielding this question, I like to borrow a line from gun rights lobbyists in the United States: "Guns don't kill people, people do." I change that slogan around a bit to say, "Walls don't keep raiders out, people do." By that I mean Great Wall fortifications were simply a capital asset, that when used in conjunction with a well-informed, well-trained military, could be a significant deterrent to Mongol raids. 6)What types of sources do you use in your original research? Source materials about the Great Wall for the pre-Ming period are quite limited. The Ming dynasty is an entirely different story. The challenge for the researcher is that materials are scattered widely. The types of sources I find most helpful are official petitions and proposals (called memorials by Western sinologists), specialized Ming works on the Great Wall, and a day-by-day history of the Ming dynasty compiled after the reign of each Ming emperor called the Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty. Some of these works have been photographically reprinted within the past fifty years and are available in libraries worldwide. Others have not been reprinted, and it is necessary to visit the library (and it may be just one!) that holds any extant copies of the work. To that end, I have visited libraries in China, Japan, and the U.S. as part of this project. 7)Your guided tours and lectures teach visitors how to view and understand different sections of the Great Wall. Which section of the Great Wall do people most enjoy? People frequently ask me what my "favorite" section of the Great Wall is. I don't have one-I simply like them all, though for different reasons. Where you should visit the Wall depends on how much time you have, your level of interest in seeing the sites of important Ming battles along it, your interest in hiking, and your level of aversion to seeing other people when you're there. I find that people who have the opportunity to learn about the history behind the Wall and why most of the popularly-held conceptions about it are false, and who make an informed choice based on the above factors thoroughly enjoy their visit. My own interest is in history, so I certainly prefer to take visitors to spots along the Wall where there were important raids and wall construction projects during Ming times. For the Beijing region, that usually means going northeast, where a major river valley provided attractive access for potential raiders to the city of Beijing. 8) As interesting as the Great Wall may be to some people, history can be pretty dry. What do you do to bring the Wall alive for your audiences? During my research, I pay particular attention to collecting interesting tidbits about vice, cruelty, corruption, and natural resource overuse along the Great Wall. I share these nuggets with visitors in the form of anecdotes, direct quotes from Ming officials about the Wall, and ballads composed by ordinary (and therefore illiterate) soldiers that reflect their own experiences on the Wall. David Spindler is available to accompany guests to the Great Wall on FIT itineraries. |
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Sanxingdui is a stunning archeological site close to Chengdu, the capital of China's westerly Sichuan province. The first artifacts to be discovered at Sanxingdui were 400 different colored jade pieces, dating as far back as the fifth millennium BCE, hence contemporaneous with the earliest Egyptian relics. These were serendipitously uncovered by farmer Yan Daocheng while he was out digging an irrigation ditch with his son in 1929. Authorities were quickly informed of this find, but excavations begun in the early 1930's were interrupted by China's civil war. It was not before 1986 that China, now under a Communist government, again had the academic stability and financial resources to fund a major archaeological dig. In light of known Chinese archeological evidence of the time, the results of these extensive digs, which unearthed two sacrificial burial pits, went well beyond the highest expectations of the most demanding of the gathered academics. Who could have dreamed of finding a six foot high cast bronze shaman figure dating back to the late Shang dynasty – over 3,000 years old (pictured left) – or a series of three foot by three foot cast bronze human heads covered in gold leaf? These have since become an emblem of Sanxingdui. Perhaps the most remarkable set of objects are a series of cast bronze "sacred trees" on which stand molded bronze singing birds! All these stand apart from the 100,000 earthenware pieces, and hundreds of bronze, jade and lacquer wares. Nor do they include the 400-piece gold scepter, jade tablets, jade dagger axes or various ivory objects, including over 60 elephant tusks. Compounding the archeological wealth of Sanxingdui is the silence of any historical record positioning this self-evidently, advanced civilization within the context of China's pre-history. The collision of archeology with history – of discovered artifacts of obvious cultural sophistication with a totally unexplained provenance- has wrapped the stunning Sanxingdui site and museum in a shroud of mystery. It is an enigma as perplexing, intriguing and compelling as that of the Egyptian pyramids. To view a Chinese national website showing photographs of Sanxingdui artifacts, please click here. Imperial Tours includes a visit to Sanxingdui in its FIT itineraries to Chengdu. |
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