Okay, maybe the New York Times doesn't hate Chinese food, but every time they come out with a new version of their "36 Hours" segments on a Chinese city, they tend to go a long way to avoid Chinese food. The most recent Shanghai edition does a better job than the last time they checked out the city, but it still comes up a bit short. The restaurant recommendations are pretty uninspired including 100 Century Avenue (mediocre, overpriced western food), Crystal Jade (mediocre, overpriced dim sum), and Citizen Cafe (more mediocre western food). I do give them credit for bigging up Yang's Fried Dumplings (shengjian bao) which are amazing and unbelievably addicting. Lost Heaven is another crappy choice, if you have only 36 hours in Shanghai, why wouldn't you want to try some local Shanghai cuisine? That said, Lost Heaven, the overpriced (and again mediocre) Yunnan fare on offer is popular with the Shanghai expat crowd, so its not a surprise.
I can get with most of their sightseeing tips, including the Bund/Peace Hotel, the CCP's 1st National Congress site and, the Shanghai Art museum. I also definitely love the suggestion of a massage at Dragonfly, a local chain at a decent price point and very comfortable set up. The nightlife suggestions are mostly "meh", though I can see tourists wanting to hit the Bund for a drink and a night at Shelter is usually a good choice.
What would your ideal 36 hours for a tourist in Shanghai be?
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
2008/12/30
Stuff Laowai Like 3 - Great Wall (Simatai)
Which one is Badaling and which is Simatai?*After a long hiatus, we're back on the laowai watching track, and what better to talk about than the Great Wall? The Great Wall is one of the wonders of the world, it is an absolutely amazing place to see that is a must for every visitor to Beijing. Laowai make it a point to visit the Wall, but in typical laowai fashion, just seeing the Wall isn't enough for them.
The Badaling section of the Great Wall is packed with tourists all times of the year, often including those "evil" groups of Chinese tourists in colored baseball hats. This is because Badaling is the closest part of the Wall to the city and the most accessible. Much of it has been rebuilt/renovated to make the climb a little easier and trams and rides make it even more touristy. You don't even need to be part of a tour, a city bus will take you from Dongzhimen to the foot of the wall in an under an hour for less than RMB20.
This is too easy for laowai, who deride Badaling (crowded, but still beautiful) as "inauthentic" and "boring" in comparison with the Simatai section in Miyun. To laowai, Simatai is the authentic and "genuine" Great Wall, all other sections are imposters. To get to Simatai, its an over 4 hour trip independently, but most laowai organize a tour through one of the many Nanluoguxiang hostels (as laowai love staying in hutongs). Further, they often do it as a hike from Jinshanling to Simatai, as laowai love to pretend to enjoy the outdoors. Plus, it gives them the chance to insult Beijing's air (as in "wow, it feels so good to see blue skies and breathe fresh air") making it an optimal choice.
Though any section of the Great Wall is sure to impress and amaze visitors and friends, if you want to become friends with a laowai, definitely propose a trip to Simatai.
*For those wondering, the first is Badaling and second is Simatai
2008/12/29
Getting Harder to Get to China
Northwest Airlines recently requested the FAA to delay 2 of its direct routes to China that were supposed to begin in early 2009, adding its name to a long list that already includes a number of its competitors, all due to the economic crisis.
Northwest's request was to delay the startup dates for its 2 routes up to a year, the routes in question are Detroit-Shanghai and Seattle-Beijing. The other airlines have all been given deferments of these routes already, and these will affect the following:
American: Chicago-Beijing
US Airways: Philadelphia-Beijing
United: San Francisco-Guangzhou
Continental: Newark-Beijing, Newark-Shanghai
Delta: Atlanta-Shanghai
Some of these are deferments and others are changes from daily service to seasonal service. All of these are consequences of the current economic crisis and the desire of the airlines to save fuel costs (this is, of course, despite the fact fuel costs have largely fallen to the cheapest its been in years). Airline penny pinching has travelers frustrated as the planes have been downsized as much as is safely possible (now 777's doing international service) and cutbacks have been taking place (charging for alcohol).
So much for flying the friendly skies.
Northwest's request was to delay the startup dates for its 2 routes up to a year, the routes in question are Detroit-Shanghai and Seattle-Beijing. The other airlines have all been given deferments of these routes already, and these will affect the following:
American: Chicago-Beijing
US Airways: Philadelphia-Beijing
United: San Francisco-Guangzhou
Continental: Newark-Beijing, Newark-Shanghai
Delta: Atlanta-Shanghai
Some of these are deferments and others are changes from daily service to seasonal service. All of these are consequences of the current economic crisis and the desire of the airlines to save fuel costs (this is, of course, despite the fact fuel costs have largely fallen to the cheapest its been in years). Airline penny pinching has travelers frustrated as the planes have been downsized as much as is safely possible (now 777's doing international service) and cutbacks have been taking place (charging for alcohol).
So much for flying the friendly skies.
2008/12/17
Riding the Rails for Crazy Prices
File this under crazy (h/t to Zhongnanhai). A couple weeks back we blogged about the announcement of the new overnight high speed D trains connecting Beijing and Shanghai and speculated that the price would remain similar to what it is now (or only be raised slightly). Well, today the price list came out and we're shocked, shocked I tell you.
Our guess on the times of the train were almost right on (the trains will all leave slightly before 10 pm and arrive slightly before 8 am). The price? As we mentioned, the Z trains (11 hours, 30 minutes) and T trains (13 hours) currently charge RMB499 (lower) and RMB478 (upper) for soft sleeper tickets. The new trains, like the Z trains, will be all soft sleeper, but will charge RMB655 and RMB730.
What?!? RMB730? A difference of RMB75 for upper or lower sleeper?!? Wow! This is truly stupid and has already met with complaints from travelers. And if you want to go between Beijing and Hangzhou, its RMB820! Flights (pre-tax) between Beijing and Shanghai would currently run you RMB450 on qunar. It doesn't make sense that adding the D overnight train has taken this long, but for these prices, though at these prices, its doesn't make sense to take it.
Our guess on the times of the train were almost right on (the trains will all leave slightly before 10 pm and arrive slightly before 8 am). The price? As we mentioned, the Z trains (11 hours, 30 minutes) and T trains (13 hours) currently charge RMB499 (lower) and RMB478 (upper) for soft sleeper tickets. The new trains, like the Z trains, will be all soft sleeper, but will charge RMB655 and RMB730.
What?!? RMB730? A difference of RMB75 for upper or lower sleeper?!? Wow! This is truly stupid and has already met with complaints from travelers. And if you want to go between Beijing and Hangzhou, its RMB820! Flights (pre-tax) between Beijing and Shanghai would currently run you RMB450 on qunar. It doesn't make sense that adding the D overnight train has taken this long, but for these prices, though at these prices, its doesn't make sense to take it.
2008/12/05
The (Non) Story About Tourism
A story that tourism in China was down by almost 2% started out on China Daily and has spread recently. Beijing's tourism in August (the Olympics) was down 7% from last year. The statistic was reached by looking into the number of foreigners staying overnight (I'm assuming in hotels) around China during the first 10 months of 2008. First, it would seem like the most logical and accurate way to calculate this would be to base it on number of tourist visas granted.
Why is this a non-story? Shouldn't China be worried about the tourism downturn? The answer is a resounding no. It would seem to make no sense why tourism was down in August, but it was a purposeful plan of the government. These Olympics were for the Chinese and while foreign tourism was down, I'm sure the number of domestic tourists was way up. The article confirms that overall, domestic tourism "remained strong". Further, Beijing's shops and restaurants hardly suffered during the Olympics, if the news and anecdotal stories are accurate. Plus, while the number of tourists were down, that doesn't include the number of athletes, journalists, and business executives that came to China for the Olympics and Paralympics, who, after the Games (or their events), were basically tourists.
While Chinese tourism may suffer a bit during 2009 due to the global financial meltdown, the reality is that 2008 wasn't as bad as some are reporting.
Why is this a non-story? Shouldn't China be worried about the tourism downturn? The answer is a resounding no. It would seem to make no sense why tourism was down in August, but it was a purposeful plan of the government. These Olympics were for the Chinese and while foreign tourism was down, I'm sure the number of domestic tourists was way up. The article confirms that overall, domestic tourism "remained strong". Further, Beijing's shops and restaurants hardly suffered during the Olympics, if the news and anecdotal stories are accurate. Plus, while the number of tourists were down, that doesn't include the number of athletes, journalists, and business executives that came to China for the Olympics and Paralympics, who, after the Games (or their events), were basically tourists.
While Chinese tourism may suffer a bit during 2009 due to the global financial meltdown, the reality is that 2008 wasn't as bad as some are reporting.
2008/12/02
A Losing Battle
While I'm not in favor of going as far as John Woo and authorizing torture (mainly because torture rarely produces quality information), I've always believed that the freedoms that Americans love, so much a part of the nation, are the same things that condemn them to never winning the war on terror. Terrorists are often willing to die for their cause and don't care about things like the Constitution, the same can't be said (at least one would hope not) about the US police and FBI.
Why am I bringing this up? All these thoughts occurred to me when reading the recent "No shit, Sherlock" article in the New York Times on hotel security in the wake of the Mumbai attacks. The article is your typical, lowered standards at the NYT bs. It referred to the "fact" that hotels are "becoming magnets" for terrorist attacks, though it only refers to the Islamabad attack last month and Mumbai's recent troubles. The thing that really got me was this part:
Really? What makes hotels different than city streets, malls, train stations, stadiums, etc? The reality is that unless everywhere we go starts installing metal detectors, x-ray machines (and people trained to use them), and other security devices all over our cities, there is no way to stop these kind of terrorist attacks. Surveillance of suspected terrorists and other pre-attack measures are the best way to prevent these attacks. When attacks happen, a fast response from highly trained authorities is all that can be done.
It's sad, but if we don't want to live in a police state, there is little that can be done to completely prevent terrorism.
Why am I bringing this up? All these thoughts occurred to me when reading the recent "No shit, Sherlock" article in the New York Times on hotel security in the wake of the Mumbai attacks. The article is your typical, lowered standards at the NYT bs. It referred to the "fact" that hotels are "becoming magnets" for terrorist attacks, though it only refers to the Islamabad attack last month and Mumbai's recent troubles. The thing that really got me was this part:
Worse, hotel executives and security experts say that little can be done to stop
extensively trained gunmen with military assault rifles and grenades who launch
attacks like the ones that left this city’s Oberoi and Taj Mahal Palace &
Tower strewn with bodies.
Really? What makes hotels different than city streets, malls, train stations, stadiums, etc? The reality is that unless everywhere we go starts installing metal detectors, x-ray machines (and people trained to use them), and other security devices all over our cities, there is no way to stop these kind of terrorist attacks. Surveillance of suspected terrorists and other pre-attack measures are the best way to prevent these attacks. When attacks happen, a fast response from highly trained authorities is all that can be done.
It's sad, but if we don't want to live in a police state, there is little that can be done to completely prevent terrorism.
2008/11/25
Getting Between Shanghai-Beijing Faster
Currently there is only 1 high speed "D" train plying the Beijing-Shanghai rails, taking just under 10 hours (9 hours, 44 minutes), basically trimming the time of the overnight "Z" trains by 2 hours. The "D" train leaves in the late morning and gets in late in the evening, but rumor has it that before the end of the year, there will be an overnight "D" train making the trip.
With the current price for the "Z" and "T" overnight soft sleeper trains at RMB499, it will be interesting to see if the price for a "D" sleeper berth will remain at RMB499 or go higher. If the price remains the same, it will definitely be an attractive option, most likely leaving around 9-10 pm and arriving at 6-7 am. While plane tickets can sometimes be had cheaper than the soft sleeper train tickets, this option is far more convenient, dropping you off in each of the city centers.
Of course, the "bullet" train that will make the trip in 5-6 hours is still a few years down the line.
With the current price for the "Z" and "T" overnight soft sleeper trains at RMB499, it will be interesting to see if the price for a "D" sleeper berth will remain at RMB499 or go higher. If the price remains the same, it will definitely be an attractive option, most likely leaving around 9-10 pm and arriving at 6-7 am. While plane tickets can sometimes be had cheaper than the soft sleeper train tickets, this option is far more convenient, dropping you off in each of the city centers.
Of course, the "bullet" train that will make the trip in 5-6 hours is still a few years down the line.
2008/11/20
Bylines at Customs: The $40 Billion Disconnect
The Wall Street Journal's China Journal posted results from a survey yesterday regarding the "brand values" of countries and saw China only ranked 56th out of 78 countries while only 29% of respondents around the world rated China as "excellent" or "very good".
I'm not sure why the Wall Street Journal attempted to tie it in to the Olympics, but to me there seems a major disconnect between the two. This Olympics, more so than anything, was not meant as an external statement, but a necessary moment of pride for the Chinese people, it was about domestic nationalism just as much as portraying the image of a modern power abroad.
Further, almost as a throwaway, at the end is the paragraph:
Unlike a lot of countries (including fellow Asian destinations Singapore, Malaysia, and Korea) China does no international marketing/ad campaigns in an attempt to promote tourism and a more positive image. Perhaps a more proactive marketing campaign would be helpful, but China is well aware that the world knows the major tourist sites in China and no marketing is needed to bring people to the country. While that is true, there are many amazing natural sights and tourist gems that don't get enough international attention beyond the limited focus of most tourists on Shanghai, Beijing, and Xian. When issues like T!bet and food safety were in the news a lot over the past year it is understandable why the "Chinese brand" would not meet with overwhelming positive responses. Not to mention the fact that among most travelers, China's absolute foreignness is, unfortunately, a deterrent to visiting.
The results, to me, don't mean that the Olympics were a waste, it just means that it may be time to start doing more promotion and showing more of what China is about to foreigners, especially now that the nation is still in the limelight after the spectacular Olympics. However, with the global financial meltdown, people aren't spending as much on vacations and the one big hurdle to traveling to China, the expensive airfare, is sure to deter many from visiting. Considering how the government is PR-stupid, it makes such a campaign extremely unlikely.
I'm not sure why the Wall Street Journal attempted to tie it in to the Olympics, but to me there seems a major disconnect between the two. This Olympics, more so than anything, was not meant as an external statement, but a necessary moment of pride for the Chinese people, it was about domestic nationalism just as much as portraying the image of a modern power abroad.
Further, almost as a throwaway, at the end is the paragraph:
The survey data is more or less what one would expect. Further, reading the survey further, China is deemed a country "in vogue" which means that it is becoming the "new 'it' destination" and "establishing itself as the new place to be." The survey is also centrally focused on the tourist industry above all, something that WSJ fails to mention. What frustrated me about the blog entry was that somehow the Olympics were less of a success or that China should regret the huge price tag due to this one survey.The Futurebrand survey did toss China a bone. The country beat out United Arab
Emirates to place first in a category called “Most Impressive Last Year” – given
to the country with the “most noteworthy performances.”
Unlike a lot of countries (including fellow Asian destinations Singapore, Malaysia, and Korea) China does no international marketing/ad campaigns in an attempt to promote tourism and a more positive image. Perhaps a more proactive marketing campaign would be helpful, but China is well aware that the world knows the major tourist sites in China and no marketing is needed to bring people to the country. While that is true, there are many amazing natural sights and tourist gems that don't get enough international attention beyond the limited focus of most tourists on Shanghai, Beijing, and Xian. When issues like T!bet and food safety were in the news a lot over the past year it is understandable why the "Chinese brand" would not meet with overwhelming positive responses. Not to mention the fact that among most travelers, China's absolute foreignness is, unfortunately, a deterrent to visiting.
The results, to me, don't mean that the Olympics were a waste, it just means that it may be time to start doing more promotion and showing more of what China is about to foreigners, especially now that the nation is still in the limelight after the spectacular Olympics. However, with the global financial meltdown, people aren't spending as much on vacations and the one big hurdle to traveling to China, the expensive airfare, is sure to deter many from visiting. Considering how the government is PR-stupid, it makes such a campaign extremely unlikely.
2008/10/14
I'm Not Seeing It
I love lists and even though its not really a true "top 5" list, Shanghaiist pointed me to this article that listed 5 of the best cities around the world for expats, though each get their moniker in a specific category.
Shanghai is listed as the "Best Hot New City." Come again? First off, Shanghai is hardly new on the world travel map or as a "hot" city and isn't Beijing the "hot" city of 2008? If you go through the rest of the list, you see how laughable it is.
Let us look at why the writer lists Shanghai as a great "hot new" city. He states, "Shanghai’s dynamism can be seen in the layering of the futuristic skyline, colonial facades, and the teeming, gritty street life. This energy is percolating down to Moganshan Road’s gallery and warehouse studio scene, regarded as the epicenter of contemporary Chinese art."
Blah, blah, blah, a great mix of old and new, blah blah blah. Shanghai the epicenter of contemporary Chinese art? Has the writer ever even been to China? Has he been to Beijing? He further states "Shanghai already provides a good mixture of affordability, opportunity, nightlife, and culture."
I'm sorry, I'm not seeing it, especially when compared to the affordability, nightlife, and culture in Beijing. Nice try, though...
Shanghai is listed as the "Best Hot New City." Come again? First off, Shanghai is hardly new on the world travel map or as a "hot" city and isn't Beijing the "hot" city of 2008? If you go through the rest of the list, you see how laughable it is.
Let us look at why the writer lists Shanghai as a great "hot new" city. He states, "Shanghai’s dynamism can be seen in the layering of the futuristic skyline, colonial facades, and the teeming, gritty street life. This energy is percolating down to Moganshan Road’s gallery and warehouse studio scene, regarded as the epicenter of contemporary Chinese art."
Blah, blah, blah, a great mix of old and new, blah blah blah. Shanghai the epicenter of contemporary Chinese art? Has the writer ever even been to China? Has he been to Beijing? He further states "Shanghai already provides a good mixture of affordability, opportunity, nightlife, and culture."
I'm sorry, I'm not seeing it, especially when compared to the affordability, nightlife, and culture in Beijing. Nice try, though...
2008/07/25
Does All This Visa Stuff Make Sense?
There were two interesting news stories that greeted me this morning, one talked about Chinese police claiming they foiled an international terrorism cell that was planning to attack Shanghai (and possibly the soccer venue) during the Olympics. At the same time, China has also announced further restrictions on business visas and the government will stop issuing invitation letters until after the Paralympics are over.
A lot of people are angry and frustrated about the visa changes and there are some with valid complaints, though most problems are simply due to the individual's (or their company's) own irresponsibility. While it's easy to blame it all on the Olympics and China's heightened fears, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out there is a reason why the Chinese government should be afraid.
These are only the second Summer Olympics in the Post-9.11 era and with so much terrorist inactivity over the past year or so, one could assume many may be targeting these Games. While China has reason to fear domestic terrorists in Xinjiang, my biggest fear are international terrorism cells. Unlike Athens in 2004, China wants nothing to do with the FBI, though they gave the FBI Director a tour of preparations a few months back and he deemed himself satisfied with China's security.
The Chinese have not faced any threats from international terrorists over the years and its unlikely Chinese security has followed or paid much attention at all to any of those organizations. In any case, they don't have the experience of organizations like the FBI and Interpol in dealing with and stopping terrorists. However, China is always very weary of allowing representatives of other governments on its soil in even the most dire of situations (like after the Sichuan earthquake), let alone allowing a large number of US and European security departments to be on the ground during the Olympics.
Therefore, China's trying to go at it alone and believes that these tightened visa restrictions will help prevent a terrorist attack. If the end result is that fewer foreigners come to Beijing and the Games go off without a security hitch, China will be satisfied. The Chinese seem to believe that the embarrassment of losing visitors is a lot easier to deal with than the embarrassment of a major attack during the Games.
A lot of people are angry and frustrated about the visa changes and there are some with valid complaints, though most problems are simply due to the individual's (or their company's) own irresponsibility. While it's easy to blame it all on the Olympics and China's heightened fears, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out there is a reason why the Chinese government should be afraid.
These are only the second Summer Olympics in the Post-9.11 era and with so much terrorist inactivity over the past year or so, one could assume many may be targeting these Games. While China has reason to fear domestic terrorists in Xinjiang, my biggest fear are international terrorism cells. Unlike Athens in 2004, China wants nothing to do with the FBI, though they gave the FBI Director a tour of preparations a few months back and he deemed himself satisfied with China's security.
The Chinese have not faced any threats from international terrorists over the years and its unlikely Chinese security has followed or paid much attention at all to any of those organizations. In any case, they don't have the experience of organizations like the FBI and Interpol in dealing with and stopping terrorists. However, China is always very weary of allowing representatives of other governments on its soil in even the most dire of situations (like after the Sichuan earthquake), let alone allowing a large number of US and European security departments to be on the ground during the Olympics.
Therefore, China's trying to go at it alone and believes that these tightened visa restrictions will help prevent a terrorist attack. If the end result is that fewer foreigners come to Beijing and the Games go off without a security hitch, China will be satisfied. The Chinese seem to believe that the embarrassment of losing visitors is a lot easier to deal with than the embarrassment of a major attack during the Games.
2008/07/24
More on Visas...
Yesterday in the comment's section to the post on visas, a commenter named Peter left a link to an article written by Meg of the Violent Eclipse blog. Meg was an occasional commenter on this blog and at times we commiserated about being bloggers in China using blogspot. Her blog showed an interesting insight and outlook on China and I enjoyed reading her entries. Having not paid a lot of attention to chinalyst as of late, I was unaware of her situation and it was disheartening to hear about it.
I'm one of the Chinese faces at this blog and before I wrote yesterday's posts, I talked it over with some of the other contributors. We all agreed that we were sick of hearing about visa complaints from people. When I was an undergraduate, I had the chance to intern at the Foreign Ministry and at that time, I met a lot of people who ended up in embassies and consulates around the world. A number of my classmates accepted positions with the Foreign Ministry as well and while I considered it, in the end I decided to attend a prestigious Masters program in the US.
From my classmates and former coworkers, I've yet to hear anything about tourist visas being down. In fact, more people have been granted tourist visas than usual (perhaps based on the fact too many people are getting tourist visas instead of the proper visas).
The visa issue is a problem, but its something that's needed to be cleaned up. For every unfortunate case like Meg's, there are 10 cases of lazy slackers or psuedo "teachers" at "schools" who've been around for a long time and do nothing. For every legitimate businessman who is complaining about not being able to get an F visa, there are 10 who should have gotten Z visas long ago and who just didn't want to go through with the hassle of it all.
China's visa situation has been a problem and required cleaning up, the Olympics served as a great motivator to go about cleaning things up. It's just extremely unfortunate that the process has impacted innocent individuals as well as the slackers and the sketchy business types.
I'm one of the Chinese faces at this blog and before I wrote yesterday's posts, I talked it over with some of the other contributors. We all agreed that we were sick of hearing about visa complaints from people. When I was an undergraduate, I had the chance to intern at the Foreign Ministry and at that time, I met a lot of people who ended up in embassies and consulates around the world. A number of my classmates accepted positions with the Foreign Ministry as well and while I considered it, in the end I decided to attend a prestigious Masters program in the US.
From my classmates and former coworkers, I've yet to hear anything about tourist visas being down. In fact, more people have been granted tourist visas than usual (perhaps based on the fact too many people are getting tourist visas instead of the proper visas).
The visa issue is a problem, but its something that's needed to be cleaned up. For every unfortunate case like Meg's, there are 10 cases of lazy slackers or psuedo "teachers" at "schools" who've been around for a long time and do nothing. For every legitimate businessman who is complaining about not being able to get an F visa, there are 10 who should have gotten Z visas long ago and who just didn't want to go through with the hassle of it all.
China's visa situation has been a problem and required cleaning up, the Olympics served as a great motivator to go about cleaning things up. It's just extremely unfortunate that the process has impacted innocent individuals as well as the slackers and the sketchy business types.
2008/07/23
Why I'm So Sick of Hearing About Visas
There is so much talk among expats and foreign newspapers these days about the lack of visitors to Beijing for this year's Olympics. Almost everyone is blaming things on China's heightened visa requirements as the thing that's keeping everyone away. There are a lot of things to blame for the lack of visitors, but visa issues are one of the last ones that should be talked about.
The visa tightening has effected a lot of the long-term expats and small-time businessmen who have always found it easy to renew their tourist visas or make a quick run to Hong Kong and come back in. It's become a hassle for tourists traveling from abroad, requiring them to show their incoming and outgoing flights as well as hotel reservations, but it's not a major stumbling block. The majority of people who are applying for tourist visas are still being granted their tourist visas.
So why aren't people coming to Beijing?
1. Distance
I'd expect if you look at the numbers for the Seoul Olympics, the number of visitors was probably lower than for the Games in LA and Barcelona. Europe and America have the largest population of individuals with expendable income and these are the people that usually go to the Olympics. It's a lot easier for someone in the UK or France to get to Barcelona than to get to Beijing. Much like the World Cup when it was in Asia, the number of visitors goes down because of the distance and the cost. There's also the distance in culture, for many Americans, considering a trip to China is something far greater and daunting than a trip to Barcelona or Athens due to the cultural and language barriers that exist as well as the huge time zone differences.
2. The Economy/Costs
Ahh, the cost. Going along with 1, since Asia's far away, it also costs more to get there. Gas prices are rising and therefore so is the price of airfare. Prices this summer are between $500-1,000 more than they were last summer and that has nothing to do with the Olympics (if you look at prices in say, October, they will also be well above the price in October of last year). I've always said that the airfare is expensive, but once you get to Beijing, everything's cheap, including hotels; that's not the case this year. Hotels are priced US$100-500 or more than what they'd usually cost and the rumors were that they'd be very hard to come by (this has proven to not be the case). We have expensive airfare and hotel rooms and on top of that, there's the tanking US economy, where even white collar mid-management types have concerns about how long they'll have their jobs for.
3. Irrational Expectations
The Chinese made a lot of "promises" about these Games and predicted a huge amount of tourists would flock to Beijing, despite the above 2 issues. Yet most articles are now stating that the number of tourists is down this year and that when all is said and done, the numbers will probably match or just barely exceed the number of tourists that visited Beijing last year. What the Chinese didn't realize is that a lot of regular tourists don't want to come due to fear of the Olympic masses taking over the city and making a hassle out of everything. Olympic tourist expectations were probably far too liberal as well, due to the above 2 factors. China didn't help itself with the T!bet controversy and the torch relay, though this probably was, if anything, a minor factor. Further, all the problems are somewhat connected, the bad economy means people are willing to spend less on a vacation, due to irrational expectations hotel owners raised their prices to outrageous proportions, therefore the tourists decided to stay away instead of coming.
Visa issues and changes have created a lot of headaches for businessmen and have had a major impact on the business community, but they've had minimal impact on Olympics travelers. If crowds are down, it's easy to blame it on visas, but other factors should be looked at first.
The visa tightening has effected a lot of the long-term expats and small-time businessmen who have always found it easy to renew their tourist visas or make a quick run to Hong Kong and come back in. It's become a hassle for tourists traveling from abroad, requiring them to show their incoming and outgoing flights as well as hotel reservations, but it's not a major stumbling block. The majority of people who are applying for tourist visas are still being granted their tourist visas.
So why aren't people coming to Beijing?
1. Distance
I'd expect if you look at the numbers for the Seoul Olympics, the number of visitors was probably lower than for the Games in LA and Barcelona. Europe and America have the largest population of individuals with expendable income and these are the people that usually go to the Olympics. It's a lot easier for someone in the UK or France to get to Barcelona than to get to Beijing. Much like the World Cup when it was in Asia, the number of visitors goes down because of the distance and the cost. There's also the distance in culture, for many Americans, considering a trip to China is something far greater and daunting than a trip to Barcelona or Athens due to the cultural and language barriers that exist as well as the huge time zone differences.
2. The Economy/Costs
Ahh, the cost. Going along with 1, since Asia's far away, it also costs more to get there. Gas prices are rising and therefore so is the price of airfare. Prices this summer are between $500-1,000 more than they were last summer and that has nothing to do with the Olympics (if you look at prices in say, October, they will also be well above the price in October of last year). I've always said that the airfare is expensive, but once you get to Beijing, everything's cheap, including hotels; that's not the case this year. Hotels are priced US$100-500 or more than what they'd usually cost and the rumors were that they'd be very hard to come by (this has proven to not be the case). We have expensive airfare and hotel rooms and on top of that, there's the tanking US economy, where even white collar mid-management types have concerns about how long they'll have their jobs for.
3. Irrational Expectations
The Chinese made a lot of "promises" about these Games and predicted a huge amount of tourists would flock to Beijing, despite the above 2 issues. Yet most articles are now stating that the number of tourists is down this year and that when all is said and done, the numbers will probably match or just barely exceed the number of tourists that visited Beijing last year. What the Chinese didn't realize is that a lot of regular tourists don't want to come due to fear of the Olympic masses taking over the city and making a hassle out of everything. Olympic tourist expectations were probably far too liberal as well, due to the above 2 factors. China didn't help itself with the T!bet controversy and the torch relay, though this probably was, if anything, a minor factor. Further, all the problems are somewhat connected, the bad economy means people are willing to spend less on a vacation, due to irrational expectations hotel owners raised their prices to outrageous proportions, therefore the tourists decided to stay away instead of coming.
Visa issues and changes have created a lot of headaches for businessmen and have had a major impact on the business community, but they've had minimal impact on Olympics travelers. If crowds are down, it's easy to blame it on visas, but other factors should be looked at first.
2008/05/29
Zagat Goes to the Olympics
Zagat, the ever famous restaurant and hotel guide, will be releasing its first ever Beijing edition that will be ready for all those who will be traveling to the capital city for the Olympics, according to the New York Times.
According to the reader reviews, Beijing's most popular restaurant is Alameda, top food goes to Made in China (no way!), and best hotel goes to the Peninsula Palace (ahh???). Alameda is always popular among expats and regularly wins awards, but Made in China? I've eaten there and had great meals, but its far from the city's best and the prices are just flat out outrageous.
As for the Peninsula as Beijing's best hotel, I'm a little surprised. Beijing has many high end hotels and it seems they are adding five star establishments exponentially. The Grand Hyatt is arguably the city's best, but is hampered by relatively small room size. The Peninsula was the spot in the early 90s, but now it just seems to have lost its glamour and the rooms are just okay. With all the other new hotels like the Ritz Carlton, The Regent, and the ones that have yet to open like the Shangri-La's and the Park Hyatt, its going to be tough for the Peninsula to keep its top spot.
Oh yeah, the top tourist destination was the Forbidden City, what a surprise, right?
According to the reader reviews, Beijing's most popular restaurant is Alameda, top food goes to Made in China (no way!), and best hotel goes to the Peninsula Palace (ahh???). Alameda is always popular among expats and regularly wins awards, but Made in China? I've eaten there and had great meals, but its far from the city's best and the prices are just flat out outrageous.
As for the Peninsula as Beijing's best hotel, I'm a little surprised. Beijing has many high end hotels and it seems they are adding five star establishments exponentially. The Grand Hyatt is arguably the city's best, but is hampered by relatively small room size. The Peninsula was the spot in the early 90s, but now it just seems to have lost its glamour and the rooms are just okay. With all the other new hotels like the Ritz Carlton, The Regent, and the ones that have yet to open like the Shangri-La's and the Park Hyatt, its going to be tough for the Peninsula to keep its top spot.
Oh yeah, the top tourist destination was the Forbidden City, what a surprise, right?
2008/05/26
Thank Goodness the Pandas Are Safe
I'm not going to criticize the foreign media that much for their coverage of the Sichuan earthquake, but there have been a number of "special interest" stories that focus on Sichuan's panda reserves. The AP even brought it up in an all-inclusive article about the dangerous state of Sichuan's dams, the very large aftershock that struck over the weekend, the miracle 80-year old survivor, and of course, the pandas. At the end of the article where it referred to the pandas, it talks about bamboo being trucked in for them to eat and includes the quote: "The road conditions are very bad and transportation takes much longer than normal. But thank goodness, the worst food crisis is almost over," Zhou said. When people are struggling to find places to sleep and food to eat, this comment about the pandas looks a bit callous, though I know its something on the minds of many foreigners who know Sichuan as the home of the pandas.
We have a lot more to say about the quake and will do it in the next few days, but for now, the NY Times had an extensive article about the "tofu buildings".
We have a lot more to say about the quake and will do it in the next few days, but for now, the NY Times had an extensive article about the "tofu buildings".
2008/05/15
Bar Review: Yin
Having announced the charitable intentions of Yin Bar at the Emperor Hotel a few days ago, I figured I should at least check it out and give to the victims of the earthquake. Walking in to the hotel, you quickly see why it is part of the Design Hotels group as it has a very stylish, modern lobby area.
The bar is on the hotel's roof which is on the 4th floor, but there is no elevator (strike one, this is a brand new hotel, its failure to pay attention to accessibility is striking). It is an outdoor wood deck and the seating area is relatively small, however there are stairs that lead to 2 decks and more seating. Even with the upper decks, it seems they are trying to maintain a degree of exclusivity by keeping the number down and even at its fullest, it still felt very peaceful. For atmosphere, they had a live Dj spinning chilled house music.
The drink menu has one of the city's wider selections of top shelf liquor and some interesting cocktails with names all beginning with Emperor, except you quickly find out they just include HuangJiu. The Emperor Mojito was an interesting concoction, a regular mojito with the aforementioned edition of huangjiu and while I found it incredibly sweet, being an absolute huangjiu hater, I still found it drinkable, the flavor of the huangjiu masked by the lime. The regular mojito was a bit weaker than what I'd expect, especially having just sampled a mojito at The Saddle a few days prior (when The Saddle says the drinks are strong, they mean it!).
It's time to mention the prices, because this is important. To drink here, you don't need an expat's package, you need an Emperor's package. All the drinks are basically double or more what you'd pay anywhere else (bottled beers around RMB50, the mojito was RMB87). The drinks, however, aren't any better than what you'd get at one of the fancier places (Q Bar, Suzie Wong, etc) and in some cases, are worse. They are also some of the most expensive I've come across in China, even outdoing places like CJW or Shanghai's Barbarossa. US$12 for a mojito would be high in New York, in Beijing its downright offensive, especially when the quality isn't there.
For the price you are paying, you'd expect excellent service, but after sitting for 10 minutes without a single wait person stopping by and without a menu, I had to go find one. After that, service was somewhat spotty at best. When they could be found, they were excellent, even offering to switch the Emperor Mojito if it wasn't to our liking, but they often couldn't be found. Also, rarely found in the capital, Yin offers free snacks to all patrons, their offerings are nuts and breadsticks, a nice touch (referring back to The Saddle, they also offer snacks, though they choose (incredibly salty) popcorn to match with your margarita).
The view is what sets this place apart, you sit eye level with the Forbidden City and can see Jingshan and BaiTa off in the distance, its a unique experience from that standpoint. The location on Beichizi is dead at night, so its going to be hard to draw patrons and the prices will push a lot of customers away, except those out for a special night. It's a unique new edition to the Beijing scene, but who's going to go?
2008/05/09
On the Subway 3: Will Free Transportation Turn Out to be a Nightmare?
Having picked up the Olympic tickets I was (luckily) able to purchase in Phase 3 and, being a lawyer, I flipped one over and read the "fine print" (otherwise known as the Terms and Conditions) on the back of the ticket. There were 12 Terms with the most interesting of them being the last one:
That is, until I came across a post on Zhongnanhai's great blog which warns of heightened security in all subway stations, including x-ray machines, by July. If this turns out to be true, it could make the daily commute bad enough on an average day, but I can only imagine how insane it will be come the start of the Olympics. Please, say it ain't so?!
You may use your Ticket to travel for free on the date marked on your TicketWow! This will make things very nice for anybody with tickets to an event and this also represents a huge, HUGE loss in profit for the city. It is really a wonderful gesture that Beijing is making and I tip my hat to them.
(until 4 a.m. the next morning) by public bus and subway within the Beijing
Municipality (excluding passenger transport to suburban districts and counties,
and the airport express. You are responsible for checking transportation
information and setting aside enough time for security inspection.
That is, until I came across a post on Zhongnanhai's great blog which warns of heightened security in all subway stations, including x-ray machines, by July. If this turns out to be true, it could make the daily commute bad enough on an average day, but I can only imagine how insane it will be come the start of the Olympics. Please, say it ain't so?!
2008/04/29
100 Days, 100 Restaurants
Today marks 100 days until the Opening Ceremonies to the Beijing Olympics and activities abound around the city. To honor this day, we at Modern Lei Feng have decided to launch a new feature as alluded to the other day, 100 Days, 100 Restaurant.
It won't be one restaurant per day, but will probably be broken down by style of food and other themes I can come up with, yet by August 8th, I will have reviewed 100 Beijing (and some in Shanghai, as its also an Olympic city) restaurants.
Realistic? Perhaps not, but its always good to have a goal.
It won't be one restaurant per day, but will probably be broken down by style of food and other themes I can come up with, yet by August 8th, I will have reviewed 100 Beijing (and some in Shanghai, as its also an Olympic city) restaurants.
Realistic? Perhaps not, but its always good to have a goal.
2008/04/27
Where Beijing Falls Short...
In the past one of my aunts was always complaining about how early things closed in Beijing and I always said that it wasn't quite as bad as she made it out to be, closing hours for a lot of the bigger malls was typically around 10 pm, which seemed reasonable. However, after spending a night at Wangfujing not too long ago and being in Tokyo now, I've come to agree with her, Beijing closes down way too early.
For a major, happening international city, its sort of disconcerting when so many places seem to turn off the lights at such an early hour. Now, I'm not advocating the entire city stay open all night, but when I was walking down Wangfujing on a Saturday night at 9:20 pm, it was shocking to see most of the stores were already starting to close down for the night. What??? This is the most famous shopping street in Beijing, and probably in all of China, and everything closes at 9:30 on a Saturday night and 9 pm during the week? Its not like the masses of people who shop in that area go away either, the street was still packed with people who had very few choices for a late night snack or to satisfy their desire for retail therapy. I'm pretty sure this will change during the Olympics, but it should stay open another hour later in general, considering the crowds that it draws.
I think 10 pm during the week and 10:30 on the weekend would be a lot better and would actually help the shops make some more money. Let's keep Beijing open!
And one more thing, it is really, really time to close Nanluoguxiang off to cars. Such a nice peaceful area is hard to come by in Beijing, so its annoying to regularly have to dodge cars as they go rumbling down the road. It's a pain for pedestrians and disturbs the tranquil environment.
Beijing, my beautiful Beijing, your problems certainly aren't limited to these, but these are two small things that won't be difficult to change and that will win you some points in the eyes of locals and visitors alike.
For a major, happening international city, its sort of disconcerting when so many places seem to turn off the lights at such an early hour. Now, I'm not advocating the entire city stay open all night, but when I was walking down Wangfujing on a Saturday night at 9:20 pm, it was shocking to see most of the stores were already starting to close down for the night. What??? This is the most famous shopping street in Beijing, and probably in all of China, and everything closes at 9:30 on a Saturday night and 9 pm during the week? Its not like the masses of people who shop in that area go away either, the street was still packed with people who had very few choices for a late night snack or to satisfy their desire for retail therapy. I'm pretty sure this will change during the Olympics, but it should stay open another hour later in general, considering the crowds that it draws.
I think 10 pm during the week and 10:30 on the weekend would be a lot better and would actually help the shops make some more money. Let's keep Beijing open!
And one more thing, it is really, really time to close Nanluoguxiang off to cars. Such a nice peaceful area is hard to come by in Beijing, so its annoying to regularly have to dodge cars as they go rumbling down the road. It's a pain for pedestrians and disturbs the tranquil environment.
Beijing, my beautiful Beijing, your problems certainly aren't limited to these, but these are two small things that won't be difficult to change and that will win you some points in the eyes of locals and visitors alike.
2008/04/23
What's Hot in China?
Yesterday I mentioned the Conde Nast Hot List (which rates the top new spots in the world) would be out soon (or at least up on line), and today that promise is fulfilled. China does alright in restaurants, but not so well in nightspots. Beijing's version of Whampoa Club makes it on the list, as well as Shanghai's Franck, Pure, and Hamilton House (are they taking credit cards yet?), with Hong Kong's Zuma (also on the Best 50 list) rounding it out.
5 places is respectable, but its still down from last year's high of 9. One wonders if Beijing's current pre-Olympics preparation turmoil caused the city to take a hit as a number of new establishments are only just getting up and running while costs have caused many to delay plans for a year or so. Perhaps, that's why there is only 1 spot on the nightlife list, Vue Bar in Shanghai.
Yet if you're in to spas, China takes the cake with 7 of the hottest new spas in the world. Beijing's Chi Spa, Jing-Chen Spa, Quan Spa, and Serenity Spa make the list as well as Shanghai's outpost of Quan and the Yuan Spa. From outside the Beijing-Shanghai-Hong Kong stronghold is Guilin's Homa Espirit Spa, also making the list.
5 places is respectable, but its still down from last year's high of 9. One wonders if Beijing's current pre-Olympics preparation turmoil caused the city to take a hit as a number of new establishments are only just getting up and running while costs have caused many to delay plans for a year or so. Perhaps, that's why there is only 1 spot on the nightlife list, Vue Bar in Shanghai.
Yet if you're in to spas, China takes the cake with 7 of the hottest new spas in the world. Beijing's Chi Spa, Jing-Chen Spa, Quan Spa, and Serenity Spa make the list as well as Shanghai's outpost of Quan and the Yuan Spa. From outside the Beijing-Shanghai-Hong Kong stronghold is Guilin's Homa Espirit Spa, also making the list.
World's Top 50 and Nothing For China
The yearly World's Best 50 Restaurants list has been released and no love for any restaurants in China, not that this is an overwhelming surprise. Pierre Gargnaire's self-named restaurant takes number 3, whereas his Hong Kong outpost comes in at 88 (the highest rated restaurant in Asia is Bukhara in India, at 55). All 4 L'Atelier Joel Rubochon's make the list, while the Hong Kong version Rubochon a Galera clocks in at 98, one ahead Zuma, another Hong Kong restaurant, at 99. Last year, lots of love was shown to Indian and Singaporean restaurants, but most of them are off the list this year and the above represents all the Asian dining spots on the list.
China's dining scene is still not quite ready for primetime, but the number of high end restaurants and outposts of foreign favorites is growing. Jean Georges gets on for his New York restaurant, will the Shanghai version be far behind? What about the amazing creations from the likes of Frederic Meynard (Le Pre Lenotre) and Paul Pairet (Jade on 36)? Will they get some international recognition in the years to come, especially after the Olympics, when the world visits Beijing? Restaurants like SALT, The Courtyard, and Jaan are putting out some great food, but their prices are still, compared to Tokyo, London, Paris, and New York, reasonable and perhaps this accessibility is what keeps them from these lists. Bloggers love lists and so I always go for this stuff, but is it unrealistic to think that a spot in China could compete in a few years (or even today)?
It will be interesting to see what Conde Nast Traveler's Hot List includes in its 2008 edition, as it regularly has a number of Chinese spots and is currently on newsstands. The website currently only has hotels and not the "hot" tables or clubs, China is well represented with Hotel Cote Cour SL in Beijing at 18, Shanghai's Jia (29) and Mansion Hotel (41), and the Kayumanis Nanjing (31).
China's dining scene is still not quite ready for primetime, but the number of high end restaurants and outposts of foreign favorites is growing. Jean Georges gets on for his New York restaurant, will the Shanghai version be far behind? What about the amazing creations from the likes of Frederic Meynard (Le Pre Lenotre) and Paul Pairet (Jade on 36)? Will they get some international recognition in the years to come, especially after the Olympics, when the world visits Beijing? Restaurants like SALT, The Courtyard, and Jaan are putting out some great food, but their prices are still, compared to Tokyo, London, Paris, and New York, reasonable and perhaps this accessibility is what keeps them from these lists. Bloggers love lists and so I always go for this stuff, but is it unrealistic to think that a spot in China could compete in a few years (or even today)?
It will be interesting to see what Conde Nast Traveler's Hot List includes in its 2008 edition, as it regularly has a number of Chinese spots and is currently on newsstands. The website currently only has hotels and not the "hot" tables or clubs, China is well represented with Hotel Cote Cour SL in Beijing at 18, Shanghai's Jia (29) and Mansion Hotel (41), and the Kayumanis Nanjing (31).
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