Greetings, all! The advice on this forum has proven exceedingly helpful, and after reading Nutella's stream we thought we'd ask advice in relation to our own trip. My sister and I will be taking a vacation to China in late September. We will be in Beijing for about five days, and then would like to take a five day excursion to either Guilin, Xi'an, or anywhere else that comes highly recommended. We are not interested in city life (no Shanghai or Hong Kong), but are open to all possibilities other than that. What would you recommend given the time constraints and the season? Would Urumqi or Tibet be worth the effort? Would an itinerary that included Xi'an and Guilin be possible, or would it be too much of a stretch? Any advice will be warmly welcomed!

Lijiang is my favourite spot in China. Jiu Zhai Gou is another very very scenic area.

We just returned from Guilin and spent six days. We spent two nights in Yangshua, two nights in Guilin, and two at Lian Lodge in Longji Terrace. You could make it just one night in the rice terraces, or not even spend a night there, and just one in Guilin as well. Guilin is a city, but with its own charms. Lovely tree-lined streets and the night canal cruise through the lit up shore and buildings and fountains was magical. Also, though we did not take it, I heard that the boat ride to Yangshuo is beautiful. In Yangshuo we took a bamboo raft ride down the local river (Yulong, I think) and you don't mind a hike, you can climb to the top of Moon Hill for a grand view. Also, the Li Sanjie evening show is a spectacular spectacle set amidst the lit up karst cliffs. The rice terraced fields in Longshi (sorry about spelling, whatever it is supposed to be!) were amazing. You are up near only a village and fun to walk the paths around the hills. Lian Lodge is pricey, but the view from our room was absolutely breathtaking, the hotel is exquisite, comfortable and safe. However, I wouldn't plan a flight out of Beijing on the same day. Our original 5 hour layover on a flight from Guilin turned into a missed flight due to aircraft delay. Also, check into the seasons for the rice fields in the terrace, don't know if it will be harvested by then.

I spent a few days in Chengdu, and you could very easily combine it with another few days at Xi'an. Both Chengdu and Xi'an are (of course) cities, but the "action" lies elsewhere.

In Chengdu, we visited the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research center, where we saw everything from newborns in incubators to cavorting youngsters and snoozing adults. The center itself is situated as an attractive park.

We also took a trip to the Dofo Buddha at Leshan, about an hour drive south of the city. This Buddha is carved into the rock cliff over the convergence of two rivers, and is truly an amazing sight. You could also visit one of China's premier mountains, Emei Shan, which is nearby, dotted with temples and known for its quality tea.

We then drove up into the mountains to Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou, as Cilla mentioned. It's a rough 10-hour journey, and might not be what you need if you only have five days! Both areas are nature preserves and were quite gorgeous, but it is time-consuming to get there!

(Note: Flying out of the mountain airport, my flight was delayed by 3 hours due to cloud conditions; I was delayed another 3 hours for my connection at Xi'an to Beijing due to "air traffic congestion". So as travelinphotog said, don't try to do too many flights in one day - or at least plan *ample* time between them!)

Lastly, I will say that our original plans were to spend the week in Xijiang (Urumqi), but we decided on a less lengthy trip to maximize our time on the ground. I definitely didn't regret it!

does the lian lodge have a web site?