China must sees??
 

I have a ticket booked for China (flying into Beijing on the 22nd January and out on the 21st February).

Now I need an intinerary. So: what are your must sees?? What should I definitely not miss???

I have done some brief reading and here is a list of things I want to do:
Chinese New Year falls on February 7th, so be in a big city for that - probably Shanghai
Go on a Yangthze River Cruise
Great Wall
Terracotta Warriors
Yingang Caves
Forbidden City
Possibly go to Lhasa (but it seems to be expensive to fly there (about $700/800 USD) and the train takes a while)

Any information/critical evaluation of what I have listed, would be very very helpful!!!

Thanks a lot,
cookies!

*Summer palace in Beijing
*Guilin/Yangshuo area (if you have the time)
*Lijiang is very nice, but might be uncomfortably cold in mid-January.

Maybe plan to go through Chengdu (in Sichuan province) The flights to Lhasa are cheaper from there.

I second Lijiang and I've just returned a few days ago. Check out the pictures of the town and especially the "Impression" show.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35086545

For Chinese New Year most businesses will be close. You will get to see the celebration but expect the city to shutdown for a week or more. Might want to research about available activities during the CNY.

Actually, unless you have Chinese friends that take you in for the holiday (which can be a wonderful experience), it's best not to be in China at all during this time.

All types of transport is absolutely packed and many places are closed. A major center like Shanghai would probably be your best bet if you can't leave the country, but plan for at least 3 of those days to be downtime.

Yes, you do have to plan around Chinese New Year. Especially for transportation. I suggest getting on a Yangtze Cruise for those few days if you can get transportation to/from figured out.

Parks, parks and parks!!!! Yes, all the big tourist sights are wonderful. But spending time in the local parks is just such a fabulous way to meet Chinese people and to get a great insight into everyday life in China.

With four weeks maybe Beijing...Nanjing...Suzhou...Shanghai...Xian,
then back to Beijing.

Thanks for your help guys. It seems like Chinese New Year will be more of a hinderance than anything else... Will have to plan around that carefuly (the suggestion about going on the yangtze river then sounds good)

Do you know if the Lantern Festival (which falls on Feb 21st) causes the city to shut down as much? It is not strictly a public holiday but I believe it is a big festival.

Hanuman - loved the photos. It looked beautiful!

If you are going to Chongqing do not miss Dazu on the outskirts of the city. This UNESCO site is unbelievable. It dates back approximately 900 years. It was hhidden during the cultural revolution, therefore it was not damaged by the Mao guys. Look it up on the web. Also, also you can see Giant Pandas at the zoo there. We stayed at the Hilton Hotel in April-May, 2007. If you are a WW2 buff visit the Still Museum also.

The lantern festival won't have much effect on your travels.

The main ones to watch out for when traveling are: Chinese new years, the weeks of May 1, and October 1.

I could be wrong, but I believe the Lantern Festival is part of the Chinese New Year celebration -- I think it marks the end of the lunar new year period. In any case, I agree to avoid the three "golden weeks," but especially Chinese New Year -- and not just the day of Chinese New Year, but the week surrounding. I would try to do some on-line research to see if the Chinese government has released the official dates for the holiday yet.

Your are correct, pettepolis, but although this was traditionally part of the new year's celebration, it is business as usual in China on this day: people go to work, businesses all have normal hours, etc.

This day is usually just marked by families eating tasty sesame filled dumplings "tang yuar" together, to symbolize their bond. Recommended - if you get the chance to try it!

I want to second the comment about Dazu. It's incredible. We went to Dazu before the Yangtze cruise which started in Chongqing.

Can anyone comment on the weather for a yangtze river cruise during January/early february?
temp, visibility, rain, etc. I'm considering it as well, but am afraid it'll be VERY cold and unenjoyable.

It can be somewhat chilly, and it may drizzle, though heavy rain or snow unlikely. You won't be sitting on the deck for long, though, that's for sure.

Does anyone know what boats cruise during winter? I don't really want to pay 500 bucks for an american/foreign company, but not sure how i can get info for domestic companies

Now I see that most ships don't run between mid-December and mid-March. You may have problem finding one that match your itinerary.

Chinese New Year has me worried now. Will we virtually be shut out of everything, pay very high prices, find it difficult to move (because 1.5 billion Chinese are also on the go) etc. etc.?

What would you suggest for the week surrounding Chinese New Year - small city/big city? Which city?

Any other tips - like will we have to get out several days worth of $ to cover us for Chinese New Year or buy several days worth of bottled water/food?

Thanks everyons for the suggestsions about what to see and do though! Very much appreciated!

I too have run into many 'road blocks' by planning an end of Jan- first 2 weeks in Feb. trip. I have even tried to get a train by signing up for a tour but to no avail. Looks like our itinerary is now narrowed down to Beijing and Shanghai/Hangzhou.
All the comments about CNYear are true. It is a shame to go all that way and miss Xian, but it is just another reason to go back to China :)

marksfour - You don't have to skip Xian. Just stick with the planes, reserving tickets ahead, and not using the train this time.

Rkkwan,
I now must confess my fear of flying....so really, all these road blocks have been brought on by myself.
However, after reading your post, I searched for flights and they are wide open.
Looks like we will get to Xian after all...I just needed to be snapped out of my travel-by-train-only mindset.
Thank you for your post!