Chinese Embroidery

China is full of beautiful art and so much to choose from including traditional Embroidery which slowly is becoming a lost art. Many embroideries are now made by computerized machines still beautiful in many cases but seldom original or handmade. In the countryside as well as some large cities you can still find women making embroidery pieces by hand without patterns to follow. Pictured here is a hand made silk embroidery that I purchased in a remote village of China outside of LiJiang.  It is a family venture for a few of the women in their home. One piece I saw was 10 feet wide and 5 feet high commissioned by a hotel. It took 6 people 3 years to make it. The piece shown here took the woman almost three months to make this piece so you can see why the art is becoming rare. She had hundreds of silk threads that they dyed themselves with a fantastic array of colors. When a light is shined on it the colors jump out at you as if they were alive. There is also the two sided embroidery that can be seen at the Embroidery Institute in Suzhou outside of Shanghai. They embroider both sides at one time making the same pattern on both sides at the same time. It takes six years of learning to do this type of embroidery and of course is very expensive. For more traditional Chinese art continue to read my blog as well as earlier stories that I have written. I continue to visit China year after year having made over 50 trips in 25 years and never fail to find new art to bring home.  Click on the photo for a full screen view!

Taking Gifts to China

Clients are always asking me about what gifts to take with them to China. It all depends on the circumstances. Gifts for hosts are different from gifts for guides or for children. A gift for a host family or friends should be useful and fairly inexpensive as your host or friend may be obligated to return the favor with like value. Perhaps something that represents your area and should be something useful rather than decorative. Be careful that it may read somewhere on it that it is 'Made in China" like so many products these days. For children wrapped candy is good but should be something from your country and not available in China like from the U.S. Tootsie Rolls and fruit Life Savors are well received. For guides or service people, I like to use the new U.S. $1.00 gold colored coins. Gold is symbol of wealth and many Chinese are avid collectors of coins. Otherwise pens, caps with your local baseball or football team emblem on it and other small items are good too. DO NOT give anything that cuts like knives, scissors, razor blades etc. That is a symbol of wanting to cut the relationship off. Do not give any watches or anything that keeps time.....as it is a symbol for a short life. When wrapping it in paper, make sure it is either red or gold paper. Red is the symbol of Good Luck and gold is the symbol of Wealth. Never wrap anything in white paper as it is the symbol for death. Many Chinese are superstitious so it is wise to think of this when purchasing gifts. For more information on travel in China read other blog stories or contact us at interlak@eskimo.com

Laundry in China

As a Tour Operator to China going into my 25th year, I am asked many questions before clients leave on their tour. Although I have a very large tour packet of information I am also glad to answer specific questions. Laundry is covered in the packet but I still get many questions about it. In the cities with most hotels, there is a laundry list in your hotel. Laundry generally left in the morning is returned by evening. Special fast service is available at a 50% additional charge. Laundromats as we know them are almost non-existent. Prices can be expensive and are generally more in 4 and 5 star hotels. A pair of jeans can be as much as $5. Socks, underwear and other small items can often be washed in your room and hung up to dry. Synthetic materials dry much faster than cotton. Synthetic shirts, pants and skirts can be washed, rung out and rolled up in a towel to absorb water and later hung up and are often dry by morning. For more money saving tips, contact us for your specific interests. interlak@eskimo.com

Where Have All the Bicycles Gone?

These photos are from a by gone past just 15 years ago.   Today, the millions of bicycles that we use to see are now mostly replaced by cars as well as millions of motor scooters and motorized bikes that we refer to as Mopeds. Someone riding a bicycle in Beijing is now rare. I walked 5 blocks down a main street in Beijing and only counted 5 pedal bicycles this past year, where one just 15 years ago could have counted hundreds. Gone are the bike parking areas like you see here replaced by scooter parking lots. More Pollution? Probably but most of them are run by battery.  When the battery starts to wear down they just pull into a station and swap it out for a charged one.  One can lease a battery rather than needing to buy one and there is no charging time.  Pictured here is an old bike from the 1980's which could have been bought for just $12 U.S. back then as one of the standard means of transportation. Be Warned however, the battery operated scooters and Mopeds run silent and one needs to watch out when crossing streets.   For more information on Travel in China contact me via email at  Interlak@eskimo.com   This year will be my 25th year of travel in China and over 50+ trips through out the country as a Tour Operator to China and Tibet.

Which One is Your Buddha?

In China you will always find something interesting including some Temples.  The Temple here was a new one I discovered in the countryside one day.  The Temple is round and contains statues of over 100 Buddhas.  There are four entrances to the Temple.  The idea is that you may go in any entrance that you wish.  You then turn to the right and then start counting  Buddhas until you get to your age and that is your Buddha.  Being a bit heavy at 230 lbs, the Buddha at my age is pictured here and was quite realistic and my Chinese friends had a good laugh about it with me.  A well planned tour can give you many experiences and wonderful memories of a visit to China.   We have been doing tours to China for almost 25 years and I personally work with my local Chinese associate partners developing great tours and checking sights and hotels to insure excellent tours to my customers needs and wants.   Check out our web site at www.interlakechinatours.com    Private customized tours to your interests are our specialty.  You may only go to China once in your life so you might as well see what you are interested in since you can't see everything in just one trip.  Over 25% of our customers go back again and we hope you will be one of them.  

China Tour Prices

I teach a class here in Seattle on Saturdays one day a quarter on Travel in China.  As a tour operator I understand how difficult it is to compare tours and find out which one is the best value as well as a good tour.  Travel is expensive today so most people want to compare tours but many people really do not understand the difference in costs.  Hotels in the central area are best for tourists so they can freely walk around and see sights during their free time.  Some tour companies put people either in the suburbs or neighborhoods outside the central area which are cheaper but very inconvenient as you must take a taxi every time you want to leave.  The cost difference and time spent is not worth the savings but it makes the tour company look good with the lower cost. The best way to compare tours is contacting the tour company and asking for a reference list of former customers so you can get an independent assessment of their tours.  You get what you pay for in China.  There are deluxe tours and budget tours and your budget needs to be met as well.  5 star hotels have a wide range in China in costs.  The best values are 4 star hotels.  Within the hotels there are rooms usually at 4 or 5 different levels in cost.  Tour operators generally book the cheapest of course unless you are on a private tour and request a Superior or Deluxe room.  For more information contact us with your questions.  We are always glad to give you advice whether you are a customer or not.  Email me at
interlak@eskimo.com     Our web site is  www.interlakechinatours.com   Our 25th Year of China only.

China Today Magazine

The Visa requirements for entering China just changed August 1st of 2012. New documents must be obtained from your tour operator either in your country or in China as well as your international air carrier. You can down load a visa application and instructions from many sources. I use CIBT Visa Service for my clients. CIBT.com For more information contact me at interlak@eskimo.com
My friends call me "ChinaDave" I am always glad to share information on travel in China having traveled all through China for the past 24 years and 50+ trips and been in the tour business for
20+ years. My web site is www.interlakechinatours.com My specialty is doing Private Custom Tours for individuals as well as Custom Tours for Groups with Special Interests. There are new requirements for entering Tibet now too. You must be in a group of 5 or more people from the same country   For more details contact me also. Policies change from time to time so these may not stick and need to be checked before you apply for your visa. I can send you the visa kit with the forms and instructions via email at no cost if you contact me giving me your email address and state in which you live. (applications go to 5 different places in the U.S.)