Chinese New Year of the Horse

Are you always rushing around to get things done quickly? Are you flexible but stubborn? Is your lucky number 2,3 or 7? Is your colour brown and flower jasmine? You are typical of people born in the year of the Horse which starts on the 31st January this year and is celebrated for two weeks. The New Year is the most important part of the Chinese calendar and is called the “Spring Festival”.

While in the western world we celebrate Christmas mainly by eating, in China the meaning of the celebration of New Year is slightly different. They celebrate good luck and good health and as such the food on the table is different.  The Chinese eat long noodles for longevity in the coming year, dumplings typically wrapped in the shape of an ancient boat-shaped coin, and for good luck the food on the table should be red as it scares away evil spirits, so red spices are added to the food.

Preparations for the Spring Festival start seven days before the New Year when the house is cleaned from top to bottom in order to sweep away any bad luck accumulated in the past year.  Then the clean house is decorated with red lanterns, lots of flowers, especially lotus as it’s considered the flower of rebirth. Fruit bowls are dotted around the house, but there must be an even number for luck. When visiting relatives or friends you give red envelopes with money inside to encourage saving in the coming year.

It’s not a good idea to try to travel around China during the Spring Festival, it’s difficult to get seats on trains as it seems as if the whole country is on the move back home to celebrate with the family. But if you are planning a visit to China over the coming months, do check www.ReadyClickAndGo.com for a great range of private day trips and sightseeing tours in China!

Happy Chinese New Year of the Horse!

 Gong Hei Fat Choi!

The Perfect Sightseeing in China

When you book a group tour to China usually there is not much choice about what to see and when. Your day is packed from 8am to 7pm when you are taken to a restaurant where the menu is decided by the government. You are usually presented with a visit to the Great Wall of China without specifying which part of the Great Wall. To keep costs down most companies take you to the Badaling section which is close to Beijing and most of the time, very overcrowded.

If you are on a group tour your not able to see any current exhibitions in any of the cities visited, because there's just not time. In the evenings, you are booked to see a performance of Beijing Opera but without any explanation what is the significance of any of the colours or costumes or masks or dances, so you'll sit there out of sheer politeness and stay till the bitter end like most tourists do.You'll go to Shanghai but you won't have time to catch a world-class performance in the magnificent Shanghai theatre (the seats are so cheap too!). Nor will you be able to ride the fastest train in China, the Maglev, as there is no time, nor will you be able to go to the charming Taikang Lu district as buses can't park down the narrow streets.

However, on your group tour you will be taken on factory visits, so-called friendship shops, again earmarked by the government for tourists, in order to increase guides' commission. Most of the time clients are get annoyed that they weren't told about these visits (sometimes 3 a day) which can take up a considerable proportion of your time - for example, instead of spending some quality time at the Great Wall of China you have to go to the pearl shop and even if none of the group members buy anything, the will still guide get commission. On your group tour there will be at least 20 other people, sometimes 30 or 40, and just one guide - how many questions are you going to be able to answer? Are you going to be able to get close enough to hear them even?
For a perfect holiday in China, book your own guide and driver and set your own pace on a series of private day trips in each city, special discounts are available for more than 3 tours when booked together.

This is what you can see and do in China in just a week with ReadyClickAndGo!

Day 1 Beijing

AM: If you early starter get to the Tiananmen Square for flag rising ceremony. Later in the morning visit the magnificent Tiananmen Square bordered by Great Hall of the People and Mao’s Mausoleum. Later visit the impressive UNESCO site, the Forbidden City which was a home to a succession of Emperors for more than 500 years. Exit through the north gate of the Forbidden City and visit the Jingshan Park for panoramic views of the city.

PM: Visit another UNESCO site in Beijing, the beautiful Summer Palace, and the best preserved Imperial Garden in China.

EVENING: Spend the evening with the performers at the Beijing Opera learning about this uniquely Chinese art.

Day 2 Beijing

AM: Drive to the less-crowded section of the Great Wall of China at Mutiyunu for a gentle walk.

PM: In the afternoon visit another UNESCO site and the Ming dynasty masterpiece, the Temple of Heaven and try Tai Chi. Opposite the Temple of Heaven visit one of the biggest market of fake goods in China, the Hongqiao Market where you can try your haggling skills.

EVENING: In the evening enjoy a traditional Peking Duck Dinner.

Day 3 Beijing

AM: Start the day with a visit of the authentic Beijing hidden in the local Hutongs. Don’t miss the Lama and the Confucius Temple.

PM: Learn about modern Chinese art at the funky 798 street which was formerly a military industrial complex from the 50’s. What’s fascinating is that several of the factories within the complex are still operational.

EVENING: Spend the evening at the Hou Hai Lake among the modern bars and restaurants.

Day 4 Beijing, Xian

AM: Fly to the ancient city of Xian and transfer to the hotel for two nights.

PM: On the way to the hotel visit the excellent Provincial Museum of Shaanxi Province built on the site of a former Confucian temple.

EVENING: In the evening enjoy the Tang Era music and dance dinner performance.

Day 5 Xian

AM: Visit the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century – the Terracotta Warriors who were interred with the Emperor Qin Shu Huang, marvel at the 7000 individually crafted, life sized clay figures. Stroll around the Muslim Quarter and visit the magnificent Grand Mosque.

PM: If you are travelling to Xian between April and October 2011 try to visit the magnificent International Horticultural EXPO whose landmark is Changhan Tower which has the characteristics of a traditional timber-structure pagodas of the Tang Dynasty: every layer of roof overhang has a layer of supporting pedestals with a patterned layer-by-layer structure.

EVENING: Visit the illuminated Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

Day 6 Xian, Shanghai

AM: Fly to cosmopolitan city Shanghai for two nights and take the Maglev train from the airport to the city.

PM: Along with the usual visits to the Jade Buddha Temple and the Yuyuan garden. I suggest you walk to the fast-disappearing Jewish quarter around the Astor Hotel. You can even ask at the hotel reception and try to visit the room in which Albert Einstein received a phone call about his Nobel Prize. It’s still the same. Continue along the Bund and watch Chinese people performing tai chi. If you are hungry you can either go to the 8th floor of the Peace Hotel for a sumptuous Chinese meal at the Phoenix restaurant with fascinating views over the Huangpu River. If you prefer something more western why not visit Cloud 8 on the 88th floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel on the other side of the river. The views are breathtaking…

EVENING: In the evening visit Taikang Art Street, full of art galleries, sculpture workshops, photography studios, pottery and woodcarving workshops, etc. Stroll through Xintiandi Concession area where bars, cafes and shops are housed in typical old Shanghai houses.

Day 7 Shanghai

AM: Visit the world class Shanghai Museum. Check what's on at the Shanghai Theatre and continue through the People’s Park to watch the locals relaxing playing cards, performing tai chi…If you are hungry try the Barbarossa restaurant situated in the middle of the People’s Park.

PM: Continue through the famous Nanjing Road towards the Peace Hotel and listen to jazz there at the bar which has been playing there since 1923. Take the stairs to the famous Phoenix restaurant for panoramic views of the Huangpu River.

EVENING: Continue to the Bund and take an evening cruise on the Huangpu River.

For more information please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Tonight is the night to be in Belgrade

For the eighth year in a row Belgrade is organising a Museum Night! This will take place tonight on the 14 May 2011. Contrary to the movie “Night at the Museum” where Ben Stiller discovers that an ancient curse causes the animals and exhibits on display to come to life and wreak havoc, Museum Night in Belgrade is more havoc but in the sense that all these people who never had the time or money to go to a museum suddenly decide to go. The opening hours of the museums are 6pm-2am, and the best thing is that you buy one entry ticket for the price of RSD350 (approx. 3.5 EURO) and the ticket is valid for all museums and events open that night! Even public transport is free of charge with a museum ticket.

In Belgrade there will 95 events at 67 locations scattered around the city, and 58 other towns and cities in Serbia will host similar events. In order to see as much as possible you would need to plan and prepare, but the best way to start is at the official website of the Museum night - the only problem is that the site is in Serbian but at least with Latin script rather than Cyrillic! http://www.nocmuzeja.rs/

Expect a lot of crowds but not the regular ones like the usual strikers on the streets asking for their jobs back, but happy crowds, running from one part of the city to another and in passing exchanging tips on where to go and what to see. This is an excellent opportunity to find out more and learn about little secrets in this city with a uniquely fascinating history. The last time I went on a Museum Night stroll in Belgrade I visited the Bank Museum which I didn’t even know existed even though I was born in the city. We had a fantastic time learning about money in Serbia since the Tsar Dusan, the first Emperor of Serbia, whose coinage was on display.

Except for the unusual opening times at the standard museums such as Konak of Kneginja Ljubica, Art Museum, Natural Museum, Jewish Historical Museum etc, there are some exhibitions open just for this night, Museum night.

At the Kalemegdan Fortress near the impressive Military Museum boys will be able to see a workshop for forging iron swords and try their skills at making a sword themselves. Not far from them, the girls will have unique opportunity to see the art of making hats and to try and make one too.

The Faculty of Philosophy will have an open door and show how old Romans played social games, the National Tourism Board of Serbia has an interactive exhibition called Danube Adventure where you can see how to cycle along the Danube river on the famous Eurovelo 6 route which goes all the way to the Black Sea. At the Educational Museum there is the possibility to learn about the process of making wine in Serbia. At the Villa of King Peter Karadjordjevic you will be able to see for the first time hundreds of photos of the king, his family, contemporaries and events. Brazil will be represented at the night of Museums at Kalemegdan Fortress with different dances, concerts and readings of Brazilian stories. There will be an excellent opportunity for train spotters at the Railway Museum with an exhibition of the Blue Train which was Tito’s official train and carried a huge number of foreign dignitaries such as Indira Ghandi and Queen Elizabeth. For the first time the exhibition will display the original features from this period: busts and paintings, official stationery, models, emblems, charters, badges and schedules of the Blue Train.

Lots to see and experience but not enough time to squeeze everything into 8 hours. Definitely an excellent opportunity to get to know Belgrade and Serbia!

For more information what to see and do in Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Chinese New Year in London




  We went through Christmas here, then New Year here and there with a time difference of one hour, then Christmas there, the one called Orthodox, and now to round the celebrations off we will finish it with Chinese New Year, here in the UK. If you can’t celebrate it in China the best place to experience Chinese New Year is in London and I do apologise to all people in Singapore, Toronto, Sydney who claim their celebration of Chinese New Year is the best. It is not!

My friend, Jenny Chen, a girl from Beijing, is excited as she is flying home on Friday to spend the holidays with her elderly parents who she hasn’t seen for the last two years. She is in a shopping mood and austerity measures brought on by Mr Osborne don’t apply during Chinese New Year. And why should they? I never thought about spending less on my parents when I was getting them a present for Christmas. And with my background they get two presents for the two Christmasses as well! Jenny’s credit card is redder then the lantern in our office that she put up to mark her contribution to the celebration of the Chinese New Year in London. She is sorry that she is not going to be here but also happy at the prospect of seeing her parents.

This year celebrations in London are the biggest since they began in London. Apart from celebrations at Trafalgar and Leicester Squares, where colorful Chinese dragons, lions and acrobats will dance followed by loud music, you can mark the Chinese New Year at different establishments around London.

The Victoria and Albert Museum set the exhibition of Imperial Chinese Robes to coincide with Chinese New Year in London. Among the many garments on show are gowns designed for everyday life as well as rituals, banquets, travelling, hunting and official royal visits. The Imperial Chinese Robes exhibition takes place from 10am – 6pm, Tuesday 7th December 2010 – Sunday 27th February 2011 at Victoria and Albert Museum. Tickets are £5.00 or £3.00 concessions. For more information please click here.

You can celebrate Chinese New Year at the National Maritime Museum with a spectacular evening of stargazing which takes place from 5.25pm, on Saturday 12th February 2011. Tickets cost £16.00 per person. For more information and to book tickets, click on the link below. For more information please click here.

The Wallace Collection contributed to the celebration of the Chinese New Year by arranging a special silk painting workshop hosted by artist Caroline Dorset.

The silk painting workshop for Chinese New Year at the Wallace Collection runs from 11am – 4pm, Saturday 5th February 2011. Tickets cost £25.00. For more information and to book tickets, call the gallery on 0207 563 9500 0207 563 9500. Fo rmore information please click here.

Find out more about Chinese culture through arts and craft activities as part of the Chinese New Year at the Museum in Docklands celebrations which will take place on the 5th and 6th February 2011. For daily activities please click here. The Grand finale to end the Chinese New Year London celebrations will take place at Leicester Square with a huge (and free!) fireworks display.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

恭禧發財

For Private Day Trips to China email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com  or check our website at http://www.ReadyClickAndGo.com/

The best place to see Giant Pandas in China

Since the earthquake in Sichuan Province there are two good places to see pandas – one in the Panda Research Centre in Chengdu itself and one in Ya’an Bifengxia Panda Base. Wolong centre was destroyed by the earthquake and by sheer luck only the pandas survived and they’ve been transferred around Chengdu. Some of them are "rented" to zoos around the world.
Ya’an Bifengxia Panda Base is located in Bifengxia Town, Ya’an City of south-west Sichuan Province. The distance from Chengdu to Ya’an Panda Base is 140km and takes around 2 hours drive to get there. The drive is very scenic, through forest, waterfalls, river and breathtaking landscapes. The mountain weather is changeable, so wear layers for warmth and rain protection. Wear comfortable/waterproof walking shoes. It can rain anytime of the year, particularly June, July, and August (also sunnier during this period) and snow is most prevalent from November through to March. Although there are more Pandas here, you’ll get to see Pandas more in their natural habitant, than in the Panda Research Centre in Chengdu . You can spend around at least 1.5hrs here - subject to conditions you can have your picture taken with a baby Panda for 1,000 RMB (approx £100) . Also you can do some voluntary work which includes feeding pandas, cleaning the enclosure, monitoring their habits but you have to be in extra good health as the forms which you need to fill in ask for very personal information such as: "Do you have mental issues?" Within the park there is the Ya'an Wild Animal Zoo where you can see golden monkeys, tigers, hawks and so on.
Afterward, take a short drive to see Shangli Ancient Town - situated along the river it’s easy to walk around by yourself. Its very interesting for tourists as it looks like an old traditional Chinese town still unspoiled by the mass market. Within the town you can see traditional shops selling homemade Rice Wine, Foods, Handicrafts etc. I found very nice antiques for a very good price and even if it's fake it does look good on my window sill! The Panda Research Centre in Chengdu is located almost in the city centre, but its much more professionally run and controlled. I had a feeling that the Pandas are in a more sombre mood here and in very limited enclosures. But in this centre you would be able to see Red Pandas which you can't in the Ya’an Centre. For those of you staying few nights in Chengdu I would suggest that you go to see the pandas at the Ya’an Bifengxia Panda Base. For those with less time I would suggest you visit the Pandas in the Research Base in the city center of Chengdu. If you haven’t got either the time or the money to go to Chengdu then go to a zoo in China but please be prepared. The Panda enclosures may look very clean, big and well-kept but in order to get to the Panda enclosure you have to pass Siberian tigers and see live chickens thrown to them. Or pass dirty and unkempt monkey cages. By the time you get to see the Pandas you feel a bit sick.
For more information please email Tara@ReadyClickAndo.com or check our website at www.ReadyClickAndGo.com

The World Heritage Sites, China

The World Heritage List includes 38 properties in China from which are following featured with ReadyClickAndGo:

Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Mogao Caves

Mount Taishan

Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian

The Great Wall

Mount Huangshan

Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains

Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa

Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde

Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu

Lushan National Park

Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area

Ancient City of Ping Yao

Classical Gardens of Suzhou

Old Town of Lijiang

Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing

Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

Dazu Rock Carvings

Mount Wuyi

Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun

Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Longmen Grottoes

Mount Qingcheng

Yungang Grottoes

Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas

Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

Historic Centre of Macao

Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries – Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains

Yin Xu

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages

South China Karst

Fujian Tulou

Mount Sanqingshan National Park

Mount Wutai

For more information please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

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