site.chinafinds.com Blog

Flying in China, or anywhere in the world for that matter…

Over the past 2 weeks I had the interesting experience of having a bunch of flights between Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing. The reason I call them interesting is that I heard again the strange explanation of why flights get delayed. Over the years of living and working in China I saw the country’s air travel network being stressed more and more. At the same time I also saw the masterful capability by the various airlines (Air China, Eastern, Southern….) not to answer your question when flights get messed up.

There are many ways to let the passengers know that they will not get on time to their destination, but the “best” one I hear all the time in China is “We regret to inform you that the flight is delayed due to aircraft delay”

Does this statement really provide any information? No, it just tells you “the flight is delayed” Why is it delayed? No plane… Duh…But why is the plane not on time? Well that is a whole different question isnt’t :-) and no, we will not tell you why :-)

So, that is about it. Don’t worry when you travel — you flight could be delayed, and you will not know why, but on the other hand, does it matter :-) ? You just sit back and relax.

Oh, and by the way, my flight from Hangzhou to Beijing earlier today left about 10 minutes ahead of schedule. You better not be late for your flight :-)

The Most Famous Jade Art Piece — the Jade Cabbage

Well folks, you thought people are kidding when you heard (at least once in your stay or travel in China or Taiwan) that the most famous jade artwork in the world is the Jade Cabbage…. No, this is the case for sure — countless visitors to the Palace Museum in Taipei line up to see that piece of art. No photography allowed !!!!

I borrowed an image from Wikipedia so I can show that revered piece of jade shaped as a head of Chinese cabbage…

Taking a closer look while you are in the museum one can actually see also a grasshopper hiding in the green leafs… It is a quite amazing piece of work. The importance of the Jade Cabbage is also highlighted in recent article of Beijing This Month magazine.

So, the next time you have the opportunity to go to Taipei — visit the Palace Museum. This is becoming increasingly easy given the direct flights from the mainland to Taipei… Here are a few more photos from Taipei
LungShan Temple The Palace Museum

Looking back in history and current economic data

January 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic relationship between China and the US. In light of this anniversary I thought it will be good to bring in some interesting links about the recent history in the relationship between the two countries, as well as comparison data on statistics….

First a link to a summary on Nixon’s historic visit to China

Then if you want to really look way back into history, use the US Department of State good chronology - it goes back to 1784!

The US Embassy in Beijing has a brief look at the last 30 years here

And finally, I thought that the comparison statistics published in a March 19, 2007 issue of TIME magazine will show a good view of the current development of China (using the same statistics for the US as a reference). The image below shows the comparison. (It was also published by China Today also using the Time magazine data)
Interesting comparison…..

Of course what this table does not show is how the numbers (statistics) will look if we were to do that same comparison but for two sections of China’s economy - the prosperous coastal regions and cities (e.g. Shenzhen, Shanghai, Qingdao, Xiamen….) and Beijing vs. the Western (less developed although currently a focus for investment for the Chinese government) provinces….. Will look for such data in the coming weeks and see how the story may change.

At any rate, Happy New Year and hopefully this brief compilation of data points and links to historic events will help you discover some missing info (from your knowledge) about China and the US-China relations.

Update on travel logistics in Shanghai - Pudong (high speed rail and taxi fares)

It seems like the topic of transportation costs in Shanghai is constantly on the front of many people (travelers and residents alike). So I wanted to add a short paragraph on what I consider cost and time effective ways to move from Pudong airport to several points of interest in Shanghai. Keep in mind that I include in this summary the value of time — i.e. what may be a relatively quick way to get to those points around the city (I exclude using buses in this as they are a slow (in my opinion) way to get you where you are headed)

Once you arrive at Pudong airport (or using the same in reverse for heading out), you should consider getting on the Maglev (high speed) train. There are plenty of signs around the airport to get you to the train terminal. When buying a ticket for it, show your boarding pass from the flight you just took (or the one you will be taking, if on the way to Pudong Airport) and you will get a discount on the ticket. One way fare (to Longyang station) will be RMB40.

Upon arrival at Longyang train station you have a couple of options

• Transfer on a subway line
• Get to where you are going via a cab

If your choice is the second — travel via cab (due to lets say having too much luggage with you), here are the costs to some notable areas/places:

• Hong Qiao Airport (yes, I know, you just arrived but what if you have to transfer to another flight, or take a flight a couple of days later…..) — the cost is approximately RMB80
• Xu JIa Hui (so you can visit friends, relax in a new trendy caffee….or just shop at Carrefour ) — RMB50
• People’s Square (you can get there via subway line #2 as well) — RMB40
• The Bund — RMB40
• Shanghai Railroad station — RMB60
• The Oriental Pearl Tower (in Pudong) — RMB30
• Renaissance Hotel (in Pudong) — RMB12
• International Expo Center (in Pudong) — RMB11
• Carrefour, Best Buy, and other shops area in Pudong — RMB12

Warning–Be Careful Changing Money at the Beijing Airport

On my recent trip to Beijing in October 2008, I needed to change a small amount of money at the airport in order to pay for transportation into town to my hotel. This was my first time changing money at the airport, so I didn’t want to change a large amount of money as I was wary of the exchange rates. As it turns out, I was right to be wary as not only was the exchange rate considerably lower than that offered at my hotel and at the local banks (6.65 versus 6.75) but I was charged a flat 50 yuan fee to change money–a fact I only realized considerably after the fact as I was befuddled from my long airplane journey. As I had only changed $20 USD, I should have received 133 yuan even at the poor exchange rate of 6.65. However, I only got 83 yuan back–an effective exchange rate of 4.15 RMD to 1 USD. Once I realized what had happened, I was far past the currency exchange booth and it was too late to go back. On my return journey to the airport, I saw a similar currency exchange booth. This one had a reasonably prominent sign stating that a 60 yuan fee (even more than the 50 yuan I had paid) was charged for all currency transactions. Perhaps the place where I had so disastrously changed money had also had a sign, but I was too sleep-deprived to see it. At any rate, be cautious when changing money at the airport. ATMs may be a much better way to go.

Beijing Subway - an Update

The Yikatong, or One Card Pass
Upon arrival in Beijing, in October of 2008, I decided to purchase a subway pass, called Yikatong, or one card pass, in Mandarin, to make my subway journeys more convenient.

A Yikatong costs 40 yuan upfront–20 yuan of which is stored subway ticket credit (the equivalent of of 10 one way trips) and 20 yuan of which is a deposit. (I had read that you were supposed to be able to get the 20 yuan deposit back if you turned the card back in, but the lady I bought mine from did not think this was the case.) At any rate, once you have purchased a yikatong, you can add credit to it in 10 yuan (or 5 trip) increments. It is definitely a time savings to use a yikatong, rather than purchasing a one way ticket each time. However, one complaint about the yikatong is that it doesn’t have a map of the subway system on it, as the regular one-use subway tickets do. In fact, as far as I could tell, there are no paper subway maps available at the subway stations at all–just the large maps painted on the walls.

If you are going to be using the Beijing subway system, I would recommend printing out one of the maps available on the internet–I found some quite good ones available at the following links

Metro Map of Beijing (English (PinYin) and Chinese)

Another Beijing Subway Map (English Only)

Beijing Subway - Part 1

On my most recent trip to Beijing, in October of 2008, I was very excited to find that the much-anticipated Airport Express Train was finally operational. The idea of being able to avoid a long taxi ride into Beijing, especially at high traffic times of the day, was very appealing, so I decided to give it a try.

I needed to get from the airport to southwest Beijing, so I knew that just taking the Airport Express would not get me to my destination–I would also need to get onto the regular subway line and transfer from line 2 to line 5. Alternatively, I could have taken the Airport Express to its final stop and taken a taxi to my hotel, but that seemed like cheating. So, after arriving at the new and glorious Terminal 3 in Beijing, my sister and I made our way to the Airport Express Train and purchased our tickets.

The fare of 25 yuan is much higher than the fare of any other subway journey in Beijing (a flat 2 yuan), but it was a new train and did go a considerable distance. Anyway, after buying our tickets, my sister and I waited about ten minutes for the train (I believe the maximum time between trains is fifteen minutes) and then boarded it. Although it was quite pleasant and clean, the Airport Express Train had remarkably little space for luggage. There was one tiny luggage rack at the end of our car, and a small amount of overhead space running along the length of the car on either side, but that appeared to be it. My sister’s one large bag and one small bag and my two large bags

(I justified my excessive amount of luggage by the fact that I was in Beijing to purchase inventory for my online store–www.chinafinds.com–and needed space to take stuff home in) nearly blocked the walkway at the end of our car.

I was able to fit one of my bags on the aforementioned end-of-the-car luggage rack, but that was it–the others spilled out into the aisle. Other than the luggage issue, the Airport Express Train was great. It seemed to travel very fast and the view from the train was interesting. Very soon, we were at the final terminus for the Airport Express–Dongzhimen Station. (It stops at the airport’s new Terminal 3, old Terminal 2, and the subway stops Sanyuanqiao and Dongzhimen.) At Dongzhimen, once we had purchased subway tickets (the 25 yuan tickets we had previously purchased were only good for the Airport Express Train), we began making our way to the Dongzhimen trains.

Getting through the turnstiles was truly tricky given all our luggage, but that was nothing compared with all the stairs we had to navigate. Some of the subway stations have escalators, but many do not, or not in all areas. Fortunately, this gave us an unparalleled opportunity to witness the kindness of strangers in China. On each and every stairway that we encountered, Chinese people helped us with our bags. Sometimes they asked if we needed help, but most of the time, they just smiled and took a hold of a bag. Given our advanced level of exhaustion, we were exceedingly grateful. At any rate, we did eventually make it to our hotel, but it took about two hours–far longer than a taxi ride would have taken.

If you are unencumbered by luggage or are staying in a hotel that is very close to one of the Airport Express stops (Sanyuanqiao or Dongzhimen), then the Airport Express is a fine method of transportation. Otherwise, I would recommend a taxi.

Word of Caution for Travel and Security Checks at Chinese Airports

Recently I found that some of the Chinese airport security personnel have changed their view on what is allowed and what is not in your carry-on luggage. In the US you are aware that 3oz bottles of liquids are OK through security as long as you can place all the containers in the required Ziplock bag. Not so in China. At a recent flight from Xian to Shanghai I was asked to leave behind my hand sanitizer liquid (a 2 oz bottle). In the previous days and weeks I have flown through many airports (I had not been to Xian for at least 1 year) in China and my hand sanitizer gel has never been a problem. I use it frequently as a way to quickly wash hands before meals etc. and when you are in a rush for the next business meeting, it does come handy….

Well, the security folks at the Xian airport decided that it is flammable and dangerous liquid as it was alcohol based :-) –> I wonder why they allow all these cans of beer on the planes then :-) and confiscated it. I tried to have a conversation and ask WHY, but in the usual manner I was told “Shi Guiding” — “it is the rule” — nevermind, there was no rule that I was aware of (or any of the other airports like Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, that I fly through relatively frequently)…. Oh, well, live and learn.

So, for those of you who plan to travel next, you may want to keep your liquids in your checkin luggage (even if they are of the required size).

Happy travels!

More on JiuFen and JinGuaShi Towns - a Day Trip From Taipei City

It took me a while to get back to writing about the trip to JiuFen and JinGuaShi areas. Work has been very busy and this has had an impact on how much time I can spend on the blog. But today, Saturday, I finally got to it… So here I go:

I mentioned about going to JiuFen. Yes, this is a worthwhile day trip from Taipei. There are many options on how to get there:

* Of course your own or friend’s vehicle :-) is a good one. Although be careful — parking in the area is quite challenging. A lot of people take the weekend drive into the mountains. There are some parking lots in the town and 4-5 hour stop will cost you around NT250-300

* Bus service from Taipei;

* Take the train — to Rueifang Station — here is a link to TRA: http://www.railway.gov.tw/index/index.aspx

What do you do in JiuFen? Well there are many options:
* Hiking — there are tons of trails some of which pretty steep (see the photos of the hills surrounding the town in this and the previous posting; You can see also Tea Pot mountain — interesting hill in the shape of a tea pot as the name would suggest;

* Visit the small museums:
- The Gold Ecological Park — in the town of JinGuaShi (next door to JiuFen), where you can see
a museum of all-wood Japanese architecture: The Four Joined Japanese Style Residence;
the museum of Gold;
The Crown Prince Chalet - associated with a strange story — the Chalet was built in 1922 during the Japanese occupation in expectation of a visit by the Japan Crown Prince (later he became emperor Hirohito) — oddly enough he did not visit, but the chalet was built nevertheless….Oh, well. Nice place to visit anyway :-)
Visit one of the Benshan gold mining tunnels;

* Shopping: there is a pretty big shopping (ornaments, food, clothing, etc.) — here is a link to some of the shops
http://www.9sale.org/en/store_list.php

Another idea to consider is a weekend stay in the area. There are many single family bed and breakfast like hotels. I took a picture of one of them on this photo you can see the building on top of the hill on the left hand-side. This bed and breakfast place is owned by a lively 85 year old Taiwan lady who was very eager to give us all sort of pointers about the locale….

Here are some more images from the shopping street in JiuFen:

And then some more of JiuFen:

Enjoy your trip!

Visit to the Gold Ecologica Park and JiuFen area - Taiwan

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to visit an interesting outdoor museum in Taiwan. Friend of mine and his family invited me to join them in a visit to JinGuaShi and JiuFen. JinGuaShi is an area where in the early 1920s -1940s-1950s there was an operation focused on mining gold and copper. JinGuaShi was a booming town at the time and also a town where today one can see remnants of Japanese style wooden houses (special type of construction) and check out old mining tunnels. I will write more about this in a later post, but at this time wanted to at least post some photos… Enjoy.