Trip to China :)

[PEC]

I will be going to China in May (Bejing) and am thinking of extending the trip to Chengdu to shoot the pandas.

Has anyone been to China? Any suggestions on place to go and things to shoot?

[Troy]

Never been, but I've wanted to go for some time. I have friends that have gone for different reasons, and they all come back with lots of great photos. Expect a warm welcome where ever you go.

[Angelo]

Originally Posted by PEC

...Has anyone been to China? Any suggestions on place to go and things to shoot?

PEC, I was there last year and you'll come back with tons of images. One thing which I enjoyed was the street movement - you see a modern Mercedes alongside a rickshaw waiting for a street light. Night photos are incredible.
The Great Wall of China was the only thing I missed because I arrived and left from Shanghai. Keep your camera ready at all times.

[LoungeLizard]

I was in Beijing back about '99 or so. You'll love it. I want to go back. About one hour from the Great Wall. If you can do it, go to the less crowded areas.

I go to Shanghai regularly (about 3-4 times a year). You can see some of my images I shot there last year at http://loungelizard.smugmug.com/gall...59177#69601720

I don't have any shots from Beijing as I took a film camera and somehow my negs and prints got lost. I've also visited Tianjin (not as nice) and Hong Kong (lovely city.)

Try to get off the tourist path. May be worth to inquire at the hotel for a local driver/guide to take you to the less tourist places.

Oh, and be ready for the MASSES of people!

[Allen]

I was in Beijing a couple of years ago. The air pollution there was HORRIBLE. I didn't have time to take many photos, but here's one of the Great Wall.

[popawalker]

I was in Bejing 3 years ago at Christmas. I agree, polution is bad there, and they are getting geared up for the 2008 olympics. Like mentioned, try for a less crowded section of the great wall. With the Nikon 5700 and it's swing screen I was able to get a lot of candid photos on the street. Go out early some morning to one of the local parks, people will be working out, and you might even see some doing ball room dancing. Tienimen square, Forbidden city, Palace of heaven, Summer palace. Lots to do and see just around Bejing. My daughter who went as a teacher 5 years ago is still there. If she's still there in a couple more years, I'll go back.

[RandySmith]

I traveled to many places throughout asia over the past 20 years, including PRC. One suggestion I would make is to travel with some pepto-bismol tablets. I would chew one before I ate a meal so it would "coat" my stomach and it prevented some discomfort. On the box, they do caution it could discolor your tongue. There were some times that I was eating some strange food and I was very glad I took this preventative measure. I haven't been back to Shanghai or Hong Kong since 1997 during the change-over, so suspect there's been a lot of changes, and also at the same time, no changes.

It's a wonderful place, I'd go back again in a NY minute. (of course loaded with lot's of memory cards)

Randy

[Duffy Pratt]

I've been to China several time. In Beijing, for tourist shooting you definitely want to hire a car to go to the Great Wall. Unfortunately, the Wall itself has become a huge tourist trap, and you will be constantly approached by people trying to sell you stuff. But you will still be able to get amazing pictures from the wall. You also should go to the Summer Palace which is just north of the City. It has a nice lake, and some very nice buildings there. The Forbidden City is also an obvious stop. When I was there, Tiennamen Square was closed.

Definitely extend the trip to go to Cheng Du. It takes about 3-4 hours to get to the Pandas, but it is well worth the trip. When we were there, you could pay an appox. $100 donation to go inside an area with about 14 8 month old pandas, for about 10 minutes. I got some really nice pictures of my wife playing with the baby pandas.

There is a giant buddha near Cheng Du. It overlooks a river and is a couple of hundred feet tall. Its well worth going to the park to see this. Another nearby stop that I liked was Emei Shan, a mountain that has great views when it is not totally covered in clouds. You climb from the base station about a mile up to a chairlift. Along this path there are wild monkeys and great views. Then the chairlift takes you to the summit where there is a golden temple.

In Beijing, get the duck, and go someplace good for hotpot. In Cheng Du, if you like spicy food, you will be in for a real treat. Seafood is great there, spicy hot pot is amazing, and I had some pork dishes that were as good as any food I've ever had.

Duffy

[darktiger]

You too. Cool I will be there in May also. I am spending 2 weeks there.

[justin-branam]

learn a few phrases, but most important of all of them will be "NO". be prepared to be bombarded by 10 people at any given time, wanting you to buy, hats, books, postcards, t-shirts, you name it. other than that, evryone covered most of the stuff. i liked the wall, the forbidden city, and the statue park the best. also be sure to check out the pearl market and the silk market, but be very catious on what you buy. (ex. the 8GB usb drives they sell are only 64MB once they have been formatted correctly, and the memory cards are ussualy half of what they say, sometimes less).

[PEC]

Thanks, everyone!

Duffy Pratt, how did you arrange your visit to Cheng Du? Did you stay at the Wolong hotel? Is one day enough? I am assuming you can get good shots without cages or bars, right?

[Torrey]

oops!

[Duffy Pratt]

We stayed at a hotel that belongs to a friend of ours. It was very nice, and seemed to be pretty centrally located for shopping, etc... It also had a decent breakfast, and a fairly good restaurant. (Of course, we were eating at the boss' table, so I bet we got better than average quality and service.)

If you want, I can get you the details about his hotel, and even alert him that you will be coming on my recommendation, if you decide to stay there.

One day is enough for just the pandas. If you want to see anything else, you will need more than one day. We stayed for 3 1/2 days, and that seemed about right. After the pollution and crowding in Beijing, Chengdu should seem positively refreshing, especially when you get out to the mountains.

There are a few pandas that are behind glass. But mostly bars and cages are not a problem. These were taken with a 70-200 f/4.

Duffy

[Allen]

While in Beijing I was approached by a couple of girls on the street. They told me they were art students and wanted to show me their art. I don't know why, but I believed them and followed them into a building, all the while thinking, "uh oh, what have I gotten myself into". They took me into a room and there was another young woman in there with a room full of art. They showed me many paintings and claimed they painted them. I ended up buying a couple. I have no idea if they were telling the truth, but I liked the paintings anyway. It was a watercolor and the price was very cheap.

Here's a photo of the gals in the art room:

[PEC]

Another option is to extend the trip to Lhasa (Tibet for 4 days)...

hmmm Tibet or Panda's...why are there soooooo many choices and too little time and money?