China--pre-Olympics or post-Olympics??
 

Some have said that hotel prices will go skyhigh next year and that Beijing will be packed for a month before the Olympics and a few months after....do you agree?? Should I go before or after????

HF

I'd say wait until the craziness has subsided after the Olympics.

Its a no brainer. Definitely after the Games. The benefits are virtually endless.

I agree with later, much later. Weather in Beijing in August is HOT HOT HOT! Even into mid-September it's hot, so I'd wait until after that. Hopefully hotel rooms will drop with the temperature, too.
K.

I plan to be there right when it's going down. I can't think of a more interesting time to visit.

http://www.travelsinasia.com

I agree that you might consider going TO the Olympics. If you have never been, the Olympics are a great event generally and I think these will be quite speical as the 1 billion poplation is taking them quite seriously and entirely personally. It will also be probably the only time when the air of Beijing, Shanghai and other cities will be compeletely clear (they will just temporarily shut down factories and power plants which they have not already forcibly relocated outside of the cites, ahh the delights of totalitarianism....)

If you don't want to go to the games, then I would wait until after as everything will be nicely spruced up, if you go before you may run into construction and tourist sights still under scaffolding getting ready for the games. I agree that August is not a great month in the PRC weather-wise(it is truly an awful month here in Hong Kong where the equistrian events are being held); they insanely picked 8/8/08 because of the lucky number association.

If you go after the games, don't go the fist week in Ocotber which is a public holiday week in the PRC, vitually the entire nation has off. Go mid-October, temps should be nice still. Third week in October temps are generally great in Hong Kong as well.