This mash-up of “Avatar,” “Gladiator” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” all thrown together in a Chinese hot pot, is the vision of a film-obsessed real estate magnate, Jon Jiang, who says his life mission now is to make movies, video games and theme parks. It is also the boldest effort yet by businessmen here to establish China as a global moviemaking powerhouse, one that can create big-budget English-language spectacles to rival those of Hollywood.

Read the full June 16, 2010 New York Times article by clicking here

Dunhuang Mogao Caves, Silk Road

The June 2010 National Geographic magzaine has a great article and photos about the Buddhist caves of Dunhuang on the Silk Road in Gansu province.  The Mogao caves have preserved thousands of sculptures and paintings of Buddha for over 1500 years in the arid climate of the Gobi Desert. Click here to read the story. Our Silk Road and Middle Kingdom tours visit Dunhuang and its unique desert environment.

Pictured here are members of the committee with Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper standing in front of a bronze peacock statute presented to Denver as gift by Kunming.

Also pictured is John Yee, founder of the sister city relationship who worked as an interpreter for the US Flying Tigers fighter squadron based in Kunming during World War 2.

Besides meeting with the Mayor of Kunming staff, the delegation will visit the late sculptor’s workshop and academic institutions. The trip, arranged by Access China Tours, will visit Shanghai, Kunming, Lijiang, Dali and Beijing. Click here to view the complete trip itinerary.

Chuan Chuan at the Shanghai Zoo, 2010

Chuan Chuan, housed at the Shanghai Zoo, has passed away at the age of 30. Chuan Chuan was a wild born panda who fathered Le Le of the Memphis Zoo and Ling Ling of the Chongqing Zoo among many, many others. He was also the grandfather to Hong Kong Ocean Park resident Le Le.
With only around 290 pandas in the captive breeding program it is an especially hard loss to the species. Our partner Pandas International has started a memorial fund in Chuan Chuan’s honor. You can make a donation at the PI website

Alpine Lake, Jiuzhaigou

Although the unique ecosystem of Jiuzhaigou has been a UNESCO World Heritage site protected landscape since 1992, few people outside of China are familiar with this area of sublime alpine beauty. The name means “nine village valley” and it is in the lush mountains of northern Sichuan province, near the Gansu border inhabited by Tibetan and Qiang peoples.

Many natural enthusiast consider the waterfalls, crystal clear aquamarine alpine lakes and towering snow covered jagged peaks to rival the beauty of Yosemite or Banff National parks.

Despite receiving large numbers of annual visitors Jiuzhaigou keeps the park pristine by barring vehicles except for park buses and utilizing elevated wooden walking paths that do not damage the environment.

Easy access to the region is provided by the modern mountaintop Huanglong Airport, which at 3,450 meters (11,315 feet) altitude is one of the highest in the world. There are numerous 40 minute flights to the provincial capital of Chengdu each day.

Our Heaven Earth Tour vistits Jiuzhaigou and other areas of supreme natural beauty.

China Shanghai World Expo 2010 Flags, here are the flags of participating nations from the opening ceremony

It is believed that China is spending even more on this year’s World Expo infrastructure (over $60 billion US) than the highly successful 2008 Beijing Olympics, promising a grand experience for the expected 70 million visitors. The futuristic pavilions will feature exhibiting nations’ art, culture, and technology.

Almost all of Access China Tours include a stop in Shanghai where the Expo can be experienced.

To find out more about the Shanghai World Expo 2010, visit this link.

Although many governments around  the world have urged China to allow its currency, the yuan, to appreciate to address trade imbalances, they neglect the exceptional value a fixed rate provides tourists traveling in China.

Travel consumers have enjoyed  the predictable and favorable exchange rate for many years. Since 2007 China has kept its currency pegged to 6.82 yuan to the US dollar. Thus currencies such as the Euro, Yen and Pound which have appreciated against the dollar, provide an even greater value for European and Japanese tourists traveling in China.

While some governments complain the fixed currency is artificially low to make Chinese export goods cheaper, they neglect the value travelers receive when touring the country.

As long as the currency stays pegged to the dollar, China will remain an exceptional travel value. This will not last indefinitely, however, change is likely in the next 6-12 months. An April 9 New York Times article discussed when China might allow the yuan to appreciate.

The 30 kilometer (19 mile) elevated rail line takes just over 7 minutes to traverse at the cruising speed of 431 kph (268 mph). The experience is near frictionless, since the train floats above the rail on a magnetic field.

Several of Access China Tours such as the Tang and Shan Shui packages include the Maglev train experience. The train is expected to see record ridership in 2010 as the World Expo runs in Shanghai from May through October.

To find out more about maglev trains, click to read Wikipedia’s content.

Beijing Airport

In 2009 Beijing’s Capital airport surpassed Chicago O’Hare to become the third busiest in the world, serving 65.3 million international and domestic passengers.  The airport, which uses the international code PEK, served only 700,000 passengers fewer than London Heathrow, the world’s second busiest airport. With a 16% increase in traffic from 2008 ton 2009, it is projected that PEK will become the world’s 2^nd busiest in  2010, but it is unlikely the 88 million passengers Atlanta Hartsfield airport serves will be surpassed anytime soon.

Beijing Capital airport completed a dramatic expansion in time for 2008 Olympics, the vast Terminal 3. Over a half mile long, this terminal is filled with modern retail and eating amenities as well as traditional Chinese decorative elements. Despite the huge volume of traffic, security and baggage service at the airport run swiftly and efficiently. A convenient and inexpensive high speed train connects the suburban airport with the center city.

Access China’s tours make extensive use of the excellent facilities at PEK

Of China’s dozens of scenic and sacred mountains, Huangshan (“the Yellow Mountain”) is perhaps the most picturesque and aesthetically pleasing. It has been designated UNESCO World heritage site since 1990. Located in the Yellow Mountain range of Eastern China’s Anhui province, Huang Shan receives over a million tourists and pilgrims every year. They come to climb the summit and to appreciate the unique natural beauty of this mountain of misty rocky summits and gnarled pine trees.

The rocks and trees have been the focus of poets and artists for millennia, by end of the  Qing Dynasty over 20,000 poems survive  describing the natural beauty. The Taoist poet Li Bai  wrote some of the most famous odes to Huang Shan around 740 AD.

Although only 1,864 meters (6,115 feet) tall, the mountain  contains three distinct climatic and vegetation zones giving the visitor diverse topography to savor. One can climb the thousands of steps to the summit or use the cable cars.

The humid lower elevations are ideal for tea plant production and are the home to several troops of macaque monkeys.

A highlight on a visit to the Yellow Mountain is to spend the night at one of the summit hotels and view the sunrise over the “sea of clouds” that form each morning below the summit.
Access China Tours offers trips to Huang Shan and the nearby timeless villages of Anhui Province.