Last week, one of my older guests came back from his first day of touring in Shanghai. He had been to the museums around People's Park and Square area. He told me about this tea ceremony he attended at the invitation of two students who struck up a conversation with him in the park. Right away, I knew he had been scammed, because last year, one of my apartment guests also got approached in a similar fashion. My guest said he kind of knew it was a scam toward the end as well, when they told him the bill was $1700RMB. He managed to talk the price down to $680RMB and was escorted to the ATM to withdraw money to pay. I asked him if he wanted to report them to the police (he had the biz card of the tea shop also) but he said other than the price tag, he had a wonderful time with the people, who spoke excellent English. He even took photos with the people who scammed him. I felt bad about not warning him ahead of time, so I'm doing this post now to help future tourists avoid it.
Given the price is reasonable (I think $100-200RMB per person including snacks is ok, and you really don't need to go for expensive teas if you are a novice at tea), attending a tea ceremony is really a pleasant thing. You get to sample and learn about the different teas from China -- the dragon well green tea from Hangzhou, the amber-color, semi-fremanted oolong or iron goddess (tie kuan yin), and the aged, earthy tasting puerh tea, among many many others. My personal favorite is the Yunnan black tea "dian hong", which is a lot milder than the Indian black teas and very aromatic. A good way to try out the teas is to find a neighborhood tea shop (ideally away from the very touristy areas) and ask the owner to let you do some tasting before you buy.
2008年11月19日 星期三
2008年9月5日 星期五
L-shaped shower curtain rod
I've always liked stand-alone clawfoot bathtubs, and now I get a chance to own four of them! Since the bathrooms aren't big enough to have both a tub and a shower stall (a glass shower stall probably doesn't fit the house anyways), we needed to also outfit the tub with shower curtains. Simple, right? Normally, a tub in a modern house/apartment is tucked in between two walls, so all you need is a straight rod and you're done. In our case, the free standing tubs needed L-shaped rod since there's no wall on one end. Thus began my endless quest for that perfect L-shaped rod.
The construction guy first put up some some white paint-coated aluminum tubes with a right angle connector, but the corner was too sharp that the curtain couldn't really make the turn smoothly. Also without a vertical support, the rod was droopy and would fall off eventually. I went on-line to see what Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware were selling and discovered that their designs, while good looking, were very unusable -- you'd need a vertical rod that is affixed to the ceiling to support the L-shape, which means you can't pull the curtain all the way through. Nowhere in their product descriptions did they explain how you're supposed to cope with that problem. However, in several of the L-shape curtain rod discussions I found on-line (yes, you can find anything discussed on-line!) said that you need a vertical support or the rod will invariably droop down the road. I was then convinced the only way to do that is to make use of a railing with under-track (normally used with fabric curtains) and run a wire through above the track for vertical support. Quickly, these new under-tracks were ordered and nailed to the wood strips on the bathroom wall, and then we found out that the ceilings were too weak to hold up the support wires; without the support wires, the under-tracks cannot hold up the weight of the curtains. As a result, these 2nd batch of rods dangled in mid-air for another few weeks.
Finally, I found on taobao.com, the eBay of China, that there's a manufacturer in nearby Zhejiang province who can custom make steel rods. To be on the cautious side, I ordered one first to see if this version would work. Initially, the construction guys looked at the 6cm expansion nails that needed to go into the walls and said that the old mud'n'straw walls cannot support the nails. I kept pressing them to come up other solutions, and finally the construction boss said he'll try to find 12cm nails and maybe those can hit the bricks deep inside the walls. I ignored the uncertainty in his tone and boldly went back to order more curtains rods. This is how things work here -- you need to leave them with no ifs and buts and they'd magically find a way to do it.
When these 3rd generation rods were nicely secured on the walls with those super long nails, I almost cried out of joy. They don't even need vertical support rods! Even the construction boss admitted that it was a lot better looking than the previous two versions (these guys normally have NO sense of esthetics). Before this struggle to find the perfect rod, I always deferred to Don or the construction guys for finding solutions. Now I do feel that I am the owner of this house and I have control over its destiny.
The construction guy first put up some some white paint-coated aluminum tubes with a right angle connector, but the corner was too sharp that the curtain couldn't really make the turn smoothly. Also without a vertical support, the rod was droopy and would fall off eventually. I went on-line to see what Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware were selling and discovered that their designs, while good looking, were very unusable -- you'd need a vertical rod that is affixed to the ceiling to support the L-shape, which means you can't pull the curtain all the way through. Nowhere in their product descriptions did they explain how you're supposed to cope with that problem. However, in several of the L-shape curtain rod discussions I found on-line (yes, you can find anything discussed on-line!) said that you need a vertical support or the rod will invariably droop down the road. I was then convinced the only way to do that is to make use of a railing with under-track (normally used with fabric curtains) and run a wire through above the track for vertical support. Quickly, these new under-tracks were ordered and nailed to the wood strips on the bathroom wall, and then we found out that the ceilings were too weak to hold up the support wires; without the support wires, the under-tracks cannot hold up the weight of the curtains. As a result, these 2nd batch of rods dangled in mid-air for another few weeks.
Finally, I found on taobao.com, the eBay of China, that there's a manufacturer in nearby Zhejiang province who can custom make steel rods. To be on the cautious side, I ordered one first to see if this version would work. Initially, the construction guys looked at the 6cm expansion nails that needed to go into the walls and said that the old mud'n'straw walls cannot support the nails. I kept pressing them to come up other solutions, and finally the construction boss said he'll try to find 12cm nails and maybe those can hit the bricks deep inside the walls. I ignored the uncertainty in his tone and boldly went back to order more curtains rods. This is how things work here -- you need to leave them with no ifs and buts and they'd magically find a way to do it.
When these 3rd generation rods were nicely secured on the walls with those super long nails, I almost cried out of joy. They don't even need vertical support rods! Even the construction boss admitted that it was a lot better looking than the previous two versions (these guys normally have NO sense of esthetics). Before this struggle to find the perfect rod, I always deferred to Don or the construction guys for finding solutions. Now I do feel that I am the owner of this house and I have control over its destiny.
2008年8月15日 星期五
The opening is delayed!
The construction was supposed to be done by 7/20 but by 8/1, it didn't look like it was anywhere near finished. I have to admit that I've been in La La Land and thought somehow things will just finish by themselves. So I cracked my whip for the first time and threatened the crew to have the rooms be ready for furniture delivery by 8/9 or else. I also made an project open item list to keep track of everything to bring up to the construction boss. For the entire week, I never saw the crew worked harder. The fabrics were put up on the walls, wooden floors were sanded, and walls were painted. The place was buzzing with machines, people -- the way it should've been last month. And then I went to work on scheduling the different deliveries -- first the bed frames and desks, then the antique tables and chairs, the mattresses and the appliances, and then finally the bedding and curtains. Some of the items were so big and heavy that I swore that they were to never leave this house again! There were even sweat marks on the hallway walls to prove how gruelling moving stuff up the narrow staircase was.
There were more things to buy and get into the house. Trash cans, teapots, cleaning supplies, trays and boxes, LCD TVs, DVD players, satellite boxes, arghhh~ standard items are easier to find, while deco items are scattered and harder to find, since we wanted stuff that bring in some Chinese elements but also work with the art deco styles of the house. Don cautioned against Chinese-kitch.
Short-term goal is to get the rooms into a photo-ready state so we can finish the website!
There were more things to buy and get into the house. Trash cans, teapots, cleaning supplies, trays and boxes, LCD TVs, DVD players, satellite boxes, arghhh~ standard items are easier to find, while deco items are scattered and harder to find, since we wanted stuff that bring in some Chinese elements but also work with the art deco styles of the house. Don cautioned against Chinese-kitch.
Short-term goal is to get the rooms into a photo-ready state so we can finish the website!
2008年6月21日 星期六
History of Old Shanghai and the French Concession
While the construction was taking place, I started digging into the history of so-called Old Shanghai. Shanghai went through a pretty fascinating hundred years, from the Opium War in 1840 up until end of WWII in 1945. As the resulting of a weakening Qing Dynasty, China lost a series of wars and was forced to open up Shanghai to western countries as an important international port of call. The French and British, among other European countries, set up concession zones in Shanghai and ran these areas according to their own rules.
The interesting thing about the French Concession was that the French population (no more than 2000 at the peak) was outnumbered by the Russians (who fled from the new communist Russia), British, Americans, and even the Germans. There were also a significant number of successful middle-class Chinese professionals who lived in the area. Nevertheless, the French ran their own municipal counsel and named all the streets after French generals, martyred soldiers, and other famous personalities.
By the 1930’s, Shanghai and the French Concession were at the height of their glamour and also decadence. I found this old Fortune Magazine article published in 1935 that described a day in the life of a “Taipan” (typically refers to a westerner who is a boss or an employee of a foreign trading company). It bears striking similarities to the expat life in Shanghai today (minus the dozen or so of the servants the typical old-day taipan kept) ;-)
For Quintet, I wanted to bring in names and places of that wild time in Old Shanghai; there was plenty of glitz and romance, but to be sure, there was also lots of shady business taking place, not to mention sorrow of the lost and deprived. Old Shanghai was like opium (ok, also like a beautiful woman) – you know it’s perilous to your health, yet you can’t get away from it…
The modern-day Shanghai is every bit as exciting as the old one to the rest of the world. You see the optimism and entrepreneur spirits in the eyes of every hopeful newcomer. I hope this time around, the good times are here to stay for a long time to come…
2008年6月8日 星期日
The B&B's got a name!
Ever since coming back from my guilty Vietnam trip, things have not been going well. The landlord hasn't signed the sublease agreement and I was back to working on the contracts. Kelley was not happy about the changes in the terms I promised (or we assumed). And coming up with a name for the B&B has been like pulling teeth. I realize that part of the reason for the difficulty was that I haven't found its personality yet -- and I'm a bit worried that I myself do not match the 5-star high-style decor that Don seems to be shaping towards. This is back the question of identity, and there's really no escape in it. I'll have to figure that out for myself eventually.
During the course of 2 weeks, I've written up 6 note pages of various names, concocted by yours truly and sympathetic friends. Special thanks for Cathy, who called me enthusiastically and contributed "Nightingale" at the end of a long work day. The first thing I looked into was ChangLe Rd's old French Concession name: Rue Bourgeat. Way too hard to pronounce. I don't speak French so can't even pronounce it properly, as I imagine most customers won't either. Ok, the Chinese translation is 蒲石路... what? pushy? Nah.. How about the beautiful Wutong 梧桐 plane trees that line the street? Both names sound bad (“no pain” and “plain tree”?). Hsun suggested that I look into fabric/touch or smell, since I'm into those things myself. She came up with Velvet Lane, but I shot it down since Velvet Lounge is around the corner. I tried out flower names but somehow the names were either too abused (rose, orchid, peony, mudan) or too much of a tongue twister (michelis alba 白玉蘭 huh??, osmanthus, cereus 曇花). How about just plain Lane House 808? "It's been done already..." Don said. Don liked "Trellis" since he's planning to put one up on the rooftop but I thought it was too random and not a major feature of the house. Also thought along the line of jewel box and gems, but got similar issues as with the flowers. Then there's the "oasis" cluster: Tranquility, Haven, Retreat, Hammock...sleepy... I thought about using "Opium Lane," but was afraid that my rich, baby boomer couples would be too intimidated and skip my B&B altogether. Tried easy-to-pronounce Chinese words that have deep and far-reaching meaning, like "Hui" 匯 and "Ju" 聚, which both mean “convergence”. The Summit across the street is called 匯賢居, which means the gathering or convergence of the respected. Darn, what a perfect name! I dare not dabble too much into Chinese names too much for I often jumble up my Chinese idioms 成語. Alice, being the English teacher she is, came up with "Au Contraire" (you said you want to be an alternative 5-star hotel right?) and "Diamondita" (Jewel and jewel box?).
The closest runner-up was "TBD". To be determined. To be developed. To be destroyed ;-p If reflects my indecisiveness toward the nature of this B&B. Credit goes to Monica. We somehow came up with the idea from her commenting about a Oakley knock-off "Oyay". How about "Oright", "Oshit", and "Omygod"? That's a hotel chain right there, lol. I slept on "TBD" for one night until today, when amidst thunder and downpour, Hsun, Monique, and me sat around after dinner and came up with "Quintet". "How about 5xxx?" "5 Senses?" "Quartet?" "How do you call quartet with 5 people?" "Quintet." Voila~ Hsun and I also agreed that our favorite instrument is the cello. Here's what I wrote to Don just now: "I think I came up with the name of the hotel -- Quintet B&B. It speaks to Shanghai being a place of variety, collaboration, and harmony (or dissonance if put together poorly). It's also classy and intimate which fit our little house and alludes to the five rooms we have. But no need to be so literal about Quintet's musical definition.
I'll wait a few days and see if Quintet sticks!
During the course of 2 weeks, I've written up 6 note pages of various names, concocted by yours truly and sympathetic friends. Special thanks for Cathy, who called me enthusiastically and contributed "Nightingale" at the end of a long work day. The first thing I looked into was ChangLe Rd's old French Concession name: Rue Bourgeat. Way too hard to pronounce. I don't speak French so can't even pronounce it properly, as I imagine most customers won't either. Ok, the Chinese translation is 蒲石路... what? pushy? Nah.. How about the beautiful Wutong 梧桐 plane trees that line the street? Both names sound bad (“no pain” and “plain tree”?). Hsun suggested that I look into fabric/touch or smell, since I'm into those things myself. She came up with Velvet Lane, but I shot it down since Velvet Lounge is around the corner. I tried out flower names but somehow the names were either too abused (rose, orchid, peony, mudan) or too much of a tongue twister (michelis alba 白玉蘭 huh??, osmanthus, cereus 曇花). How about just plain Lane House 808? "It's been done already..." Don said. Don liked "Trellis" since he's planning to put one up on the rooftop but I thought it was too random and not a major feature of the house. Also thought along the line of jewel box and gems, but got similar issues as with the flowers. Then there's the "oasis" cluster: Tranquility, Haven, Retreat, Hammock...sleepy... I thought about using "Opium Lane," but was afraid that my rich, baby boomer couples would be too intimidated and skip my B&B altogether. Tried easy-to-pronounce Chinese words that have deep and far-reaching meaning, like "Hui" 匯 and "Ju" 聚, which both mean “convergence”. The Summit across the street is called 匯賢居, which means the gathering or convergence of the respected. Darn, what a perfect name! I dare not dabble too much into Chinese names too much for I often jumble up my Chinese idioms 成語. Alice, being the English teacher she is, came up with "Au Contraire" (you said you want to be an alternative 5-star hotel right?) and "Diamondita" (Jewel and jewel box?).
The closest runner-up was "TBD". To be determined. To be developed. To be destroyed ;-p If reflects my indecisiveness toward the nature of this B&B. Credit goes to Monica. We somehow came up with the idea from her commenting about a Oakley knock-off "Oyay". How about "Oright", "Oshit", and "Omygod"? That's a hotel chain right there, lol. I slept on "TBD" for one night until today, when amidst thunder and downpour, Hsun, Monique, and me sat around after dinner and came up with "Quintet". "How about 5xxx?" "5 Senses?" "Quartet?" "How do you call quartet with 5 people?" "Quintet." Voila~ Hsun and I also agreed that our favorite instrument is the cello. Here's what I wrote to Don just now: "I think I came up with the name of the hotel -- Quintet B&B. It speaks to Shanghai being a place of variety, collaboration, and harmony (or dissonance if put together poorly). It's also classy and intimate which fit our little house and alludes to the five rooms we have. But no need to be so literal about Quintet's musical definition.
I'll wait a few days and see if Quintet sticks!
2008年6月1日 星期日
Choosing from a hundred toilets
As the proprietor of this future B&B, I felt that it's important for me to partake in the selection of certain key materials that will go into the house. So when Don invited to go shop at Yishan Rd (think Home Depot but many times bigger and less organized) for toilets and tiles, I was elated. I was like a kid on field trip, touching everything and asking all kinds of questions. But pretty soon, I realized that I simply do not have the trained eye that's required for the job. Our first task was to pick out a toilet that would fit our deco-style house and bathroom. Don stressed on the simple lines and curves that I must look for when picking out our candidates. Everytime I thought I found something, I was instantly shot down by Don: "No, that's too modern. We're looking for modernist." "That's too round." "The proportion is off." "That's too..." Ten shops into our search, I became very sullen and quiet. My eyes also became blurred with white visions of toilets flashing in front of me. At the end of a four-hour rummage, we (or Don) settled on only two choices. Don wanted me to be the final judge but honestly, they looked pretty much the same to me!!
2008年4月25日 星期五
Close to getting the house!
A perfect house fell from the sky into my lap
After running Fay's Rooms for 8 months, I decided that I should look for a single location with multiple rooms rather than trying to look for more apartment units scattered around the city. While the demand for short-term rentals is high and growing, I see that my major bottleneck is in acquiring more units. I thought, wouldn't it be great if I can find an old house with character and run a bed and breakfast from it? Then, the whole thing came together miraculously. Everything started when I casually mentioned to my Shanghai relatives that I wish I had a lane house from which I can run a B&B. Surprisingly, my cousin Weiwei mentioned that his college friend's family owns a house on the same block as where I live and has moved out last year. I urged him to contact his friend for me and he did.
6 bedrooms with 2 1/2 bathrooms
The following week, I met with his friend Jim to see the house. This house has belonged to his mother's family since it was built in 1939, and was given to his mother as a wedding present. However, the house was confiscated during the Cultural Revolution, when strangers moved in to the house and shared the space with Jim's family for nearly 20 years. They finally got the house back in the 80's and continued to live in it until last year. After years of heavy usage and minimum maintenance, the house is understandably run down. The house is a 3-story garden lane house with 2 bedrooms facing the garden plus a bathroom on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and 2 "tingzijian", or mezzanine rooms on the 1.5 and 2.5 floors. The ground floor has a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a half bath, which is a classical double-width lane house layout. There's a sizable garden facing Changle Rd with some beautiful Japanese maple trees.
I liked the house a lot but the immediate problem I saw was that there were 6 bedrooms but only 2 bathrooms -- not ideal for an upscale B&B where most guests would probably want to enjoy the privacy of having their own bathrooms. I left the house thinking: too bad. A couple weeks went by, and I was still thinking about the house. Then, when I talked to my architect friend Ken about it, he mentioned that he has a former colleague, Don, who's done several renovation projects on old houses and may be able to help me take a look. So I eventually met Don and took him over to the house to take a look. He thought the house was in great condition structurally, and it wouldn't be very costly to do it up. We then discussed the possibilities of adding more bathrooms to the house, as it was key for me to decide whether I can take up the house or not. We first wanted to add a big communal spa tub and a couple showers/toilets on the rooftop, but felt that the house would still feel like a hostel rather than a nice B&B. We then came up with a interesting solution: why don't we convert one of the mezzanine rooms into 2 bathrooms, and connect the 2 bedrooms 0.5 floor above and below to each of the new bathrooms? After some excited sketching and validating, we decided that it was doable! This gave me the confidence to pursue the project further.
Cafe + B&B: Win-win proposition
While Don and his contractor set out to put some estimates together, I started thinking about how I'm gonna provide breakfast for my guests. Also, with only 5 rooms and a handful of guests at any given time, the ground floor dining and living rooms will be empty most of the time. Immediately, I thought of my friend Kelley, who runs iiiit cafe nearby in the Summit Clubhouse. I gave her a call to see if she'd be interested in running a cafe out of the ground floor and the garden. Guess what, I found out that her lease is up end of June! I described the house to her and right away she took interest and wanted to see the place. She's been looking around the area for a new spot and hasn’t' been able to find a suitable one. The next day, I took her to see the house, and voila, I've got myself a partner.
So, things happened quickly in the last 2 weeks, with me running around talking to people, working out rental agreements and cost estimates, even buying some pieces of furniture already! Really looking forward to signing the lease this weekend!
After running Fay's Rooms for 8 months, I decided that I should look for a single location with multiple rooms rather than trying to look for more apartment units scattered around the city. While the demand for short-term rentals is high and growing, I see that my major bottleneck is in acquiring more units. I thought, wouldn't it be great if I can find an old house with character and run a bed and breakfast from it? Then, the whole thing came together miraculously. Everything started when I casually mentioned to my Shanghai relatives that I wish I had a lane house from which I can run a B&B. Surprisingly, my cousin Weiwei mentioned that his college friend's family owns a house on the same block as where I live and has moved out last year. I urged him to contact his friend for me and he did.
6 bedrooms with 2 1/2 bathrooms
The following week, I met with his friend Jim to see the house. This house has belonged to his mother's family since it was built in 1939, and was given to his mother as a wedding present. However, the house was confiscated during the Cultural Revolution, when strangers moved in to the house and shared the space with Jim's family for nearly 20 years. They finally got the house back in the 80's and continued to live in it until last year. After years of heavy usage and minimum maintenance, the house is understandably run down. The house is a 3-story garden lane house with 2 bedrooms facing the garden plus a bathroom on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and 2 "tingzijian", or mezzanine rooms on the 1.5 and 2.5 floors. The ground floor has a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a half bath, which is a classical double-width lane house layout. There's a sizable garden facing Changle Rd with some beautiful Japanese maple trees.
I liked the house a lot but the immediate problem I saw was that there were 6 bedrooms but only 2 bathrooms -- not ideal for an upscale B&B where most guests would probably want to enjoy the privacy of having their own bathrooms. I left the house thinking: too bad. A couple weeks went by, and I was still thinking about the house. Then, when I talked to my architect friend Ken about it, he mentioned that he has a former colleague, Don, who's done several renovation projects on old houses and may be able to help me take a look. So I eventually met Don and took him over to the house to take a look. He thought the house was in great condition structurally, and it wouldn't be very costly to do it up. We then discussed the possibilities of adding more bathrooms to the house, as it was key for me to decide whether I can take up the house or not. We first wanted to add a big communal spa tub and a couple showers/toilets on the rooftop, but felt that the house would still feel like a hostel rather than a nice B&B. We then came up with a interesting solution: why don't we convert one of the mezzanine rooms into 2 bathrooms, and connect the 2 bedrooms 0.5 floor above and below to each of the new bathrooms? After some excited sketching and validating, we decided that it was doable! This gave me the confidence to pursue the project further.
Cafe + B&B: Win-win proposition
While Don and his contractor set out to put some estimates together, I started thinking about how I'm gonna provide breakfast for my guests. Also, with only 5 rooms and a handful of guests at any given time, the ground floor dining and living rooms will be empty most of the time. Immediately, I thought of my friend Kelley, who runs iiiit cafe nearby in the Summit Clubhouse. I gave her a call to see if she'd be interested in running a cafe out of the ground floor and the garden. Guess what, I found out that her lease is up end of June! I described the house to her and right away she took interest and wanted to see the place. She's been looking around the area for a new spot and hasn’t' been able to find a suitable one. The next day, I took her to see the house, and voila, I've got myself a partner.
So, things happened quickly in the last 2 weeks, with me running around talking to people, working out rental agreements and cost estimates, even buying some pieces of furniture already! Really looking forward to signing the lease this weekend!
2008年4月16日 星期三
Shanxi 山西: the less-traveled back garden of Beijing
Shanxi is a province with special meaning for me. My dad was born there in 1943 during WWII, and his uncle Yan XiShan (阎锡山）was the de facto ruler of Shanxi for 38 years before retreating to Taiwan with the KMT in 1949. This part of my family history has always seemed fascinating to me, so visiting Shanxi is like a root-finding journey for me.
map from pinyin.info
The area now called Shanxi, or the West of Mt. TaiHang (太行山), was where the Chinese civilization began. Shanxi is sometimes confused with Shannxi (陕西), where the world-famous terracotta soldiers (兵马俑) from the Qin (秦始皇) Dynasty were discovered near Xian (西安). However, there's a saying about China's history: look at Shenzhen for the last 10 years, look at Shanghai the last 100 years, look at Beijing for the last 1000 years, look at Shaanxi for the last 3000 years, and look at Shanxi for the last 5000 years (十年中国看深圳，百年中国看上海，千年中国看北京，三千年中国看陕西，五千年中国看山西). So if you want to see really really old stuff about China, Shanxi is the place to go. Even though its tourism industry has taken a back seat to the massive coal mining industry that's supporting the province's economy, Shanxi's myriad of cultural artifacts and historical sites, as well as its down-to-earth people and delicious food, will make your trek out there worthwhile.
Highlights of Shanxi:
I first toured the Shanxi Province in Oct of 2006 but only visited the more popular north and middle parts of Shanxi: Datong's Yungang Grottoes (大同云冈石窟), Wutai Mountain (五台山), Qiao's Family Courtyard House (乔家大院), and Pingyao Old Town (平遥古城). This time around, I visited the harder-to-reach Hukou Waterfalls (壶口瀑布) and Overcome Hill (克难坡) in the southwest JiXian (吉县) and the lesser known but well-preserved Residence of Emperor's Teacher (皇城相府), WangMang Peak (王蟒岭), and XiYa Ditch (锡芽沟) near southeast city of Jincheng (晋城). I also visited my family's hometown-- Riverside Village (河边村) near Wutai Mountain, where Yan Xishan's old residence has been transformed into a Shanxi Folk and Culture Museum (河边民俗博物馆).
See my notes on the above mentioned sights in Shanxi here.
Transportation to Shanxi:
By air- the main hub is the capital Taiyuan (太原), which pretty much sits at the center of the province. Direct flights from Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and other nearby major cities are available. You can also fly into Henan's Zhengzhou (河南郑州) or Shaanxi's Xian airports and then drive into Shanxi from the southeast and southwest borders respectively.
By train - to and from Beijing, Xian, or Zhengzhou, you can take a sleeper train (~10 hours one-way) to Taiyuan.
Traveling within Shanxi:
Within Taiyuan, it's easy to get around by either bus ($1-3RMB) or taxi (starting at $8RMB). Long distance buses are also relatively comfortable although many are not non-smoking, so ride at your own risk. Tour buses or hired cars with guides are easier if you don't have any Chinese speaking people in your travel party. Tolled highways running north-south have been up for quite awhile now. Several tolled highways that run east-west are getting built esp. in the south, and when they're finished in the next couple years, travelers will be able to hit more remote sights on a single trip.
Accommodations:
Shanxi is under-developed in terms of hotels. Except in Taiyuan and Datong, 4-5 star hotels are hard to find. In most towns, 3-stars are the best you'll get. Check with local travel agencies for the newer hotels. Around the Hukou Waterfall area, you can try to stay at one of the cave (窑洞) hotels. These are domed rooms that are dug into the steep dirt cliffs, which are relative cool during the summer time and warm during the winter time. The traditional cave rooms have "kang" 炕 beds, which are heated from underneath by warm air that runs through from the in-room coal-burning stoves. Cave rooms tend to be damp during the winter/spring time, so the best time to try these are in the summertime. The modernized ones have AC and toilets in the rooms as well. A modernized cave hotel we checked out near JiXian is called TanZhuangYaoDongBinGuan 谭庄窑洞宾馆 0357-7927285, Ms. Lian.
Food:
Shanxi's staple items are made of wheat, maize, millet, and potatoes. Shanxi is also famous for it's black vinegar, white liquor "fenjiu" (汾酒), red dates, black mushrooms called "heimuer" (黑木耳). You'll also see various kinds of noodles, among which is the most famous shaved noodles (刀削面). You have the best shot at tasting delicious locally-grown food when you're in the countryside. You almost cannot go wrong with ordering noodles. Also remember, Shanxi is far, far away from the sea so don't order seafood, unless it's something from the local rivers.
Special thanks to the Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese in Taiyuan, Lifen, and JinCheng, as well as the county government of JiXian and Hukou, for graciously providing us transportation, escorting our tours, and treating us to delicious meals that busted our bellies. Contact me if you want to get in contact with these great folks for your trip to Shanxi.
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Noteworthy sights around Shanxi
Here's my personal quick take on the sights. I included links to their official websites where available, but most are in Chinese (or poorly translated English).
Culture and History
Shanxi Traders' family courtyards 晋商大院- the better three are the Qiao's 乔家, Wang's 王家 , and Chang's 常家. These are former mansions of the Shanxi financiers/traders who did business with the Qing government and also abroad. They are the Chinese version of the JP Morgan and Rockefeller families. Qiao's got famous because Zhang YiMou's movie Raise the Red Lantern. There was then a popular Chinese TV drama called "Qiao's Family Courtyard" which really opened up domestic tourism for the place in 2006. However, a lot of scenes in the drama were actually shot in Chang's Courtyard, which was 16 times bigger than that of Qiao's. Wang's is also 4 times bigger than Qiao's but less "touched up." I'd recommend going to the Chang's so you can really get a feel for how rich these families must have been; the Qiao's is packed w/ tourists and vendors which make this place feel like a Universal Studio. Chang's is about 2 hours by taxi from Taiyuan, while the other 2 are further down south.
Pingyao Old Town 平遥古城- about 1-2 hours by bus south of Taiyuan, it's one of the best preserved walled ancient towns in China (the other well-known one is Lijiang Old Town in Yunnan). The town thrived in the Qing Dynasty, when the Shanxi financiers/traders set up shops here. There are still town people living inside, which makes the touring experience somewhat more authentic. It's worth staying a night in town at one of the traditional Chinese guest houses. When I visited in 2006, there were talks about dressing tourists up Qing dynasty clothing and giving them ancient coins for spending in town...
Overcome Hill 克难坡 - this is a hill of special personal sentiment -- my dad was born there during WII, when Yan XiShan's (阎锡山, my grandfather's cousin) Chinese troops stationed out here on the border of Shanxi and Shaanxi near Hukou Waterfalls fighting the Japanese. At its peak, the military and civilian population on the hill reached 120,000 people. Tens and thousands of cave rooms were dug during that time, and most of them are still well-preserved today. You can learn more about Yan XiShan and his 38-year rule in Shanxi at his old residence (now a Shanxi folk museum - 河边民俗博物馆) in Hebian Village 河边村 near Wutai County, about 2 hours by bus from Taiyuan.
HuangChengXiangFu 皇城相府 - located near the southeast city of JinCheng 晋城, this is a unique example of a mansion with a combo of late Ming/early Qing period style architecture. It belonged to the Chen family, whose owner was Emperor Kangxi's teacher. The guy oversaw the compilation the famous Kangxi Dictionary 康熙大字典, which contains over 120,000 Chinese characters and was the most complete collection at the time.
Religion
Hanging Monastery 悬空寺- amazing petite structure that hangs off of the cliff in the Heng Mountain 恒山 by fragile-looking beams that were pounded into the wall. Because it was built cleverly, sheltered from rain and sun, this monastery withstood miraculously for the last 1400 years.
YunGang Grottoes 云冈石窟- lots and lots of stone Buddha carvings with Central Asian influences. The carving work started back in 460AD, lasted roughly 60 years, and resulted in over 50,000 big and small carvings tucked away in 45 major caverns. The carvings are great but they are also deteriorating and colors fading by the day as they are exposed to wind, heat, and moisture brought in tourists' breath. Better go see them while they last.
Wutai Mountain 五台山- one of the China's four mountains for Buddhist pilgrimage (the other three are: Zhejiang's Putuo, Sichuan's Emei, and Anhui's Jiuhua). Taoist and Confucius teachings and practices are also represented in some of the temples, which is very unique to Wutai Mountain. The mountain is actually made up of five peaks (hence the name "Wu", or five), and to reach any of the temples, you need to climb up 108 flights of stairs. Buddhists say that man has 108 kinds of worries, and climbing up the stairs, you throw those worries away (sure, it's hard to hang on to those worries when your working out on a 108-step Stairmaster). The mountain is a good summer retreat even after you're" templed" out.
Natural scenery
Hukou Waterfalls 壶口瀑布- located on the southwest border of Shanxi and Shaanxi, this is the second largest waterfall in China and the biggest fall on the Yellow River. It has the shape of a teapot sprout, hence the name "Hukou." From a far, you can only hear the sound of water rumbling and a huge cloud of mist where the waterfall stands. Only when you get closer can you see the waterfall, narrowing from a 200m to 30m waterway before plunging a 50m deep chute. Summer is the season with the most water flow, while in the winter, the fringe of the waterfall is frozen over. Hukou is not easy to get to but definitely worth a trip. You can take a bus to Lifen 临汾, transfer to JiXian吉县 and stay a night in JiXian. Take a short bus ride the following morning to the waterfall and you can catch some rainbow off of the waterfall's reflection around 9-10am.
WangMangLing 王莽岭- located 40km to the east of JinCheng 晋城, the WangMangLing is a cluster of steep peaks in the Taihang Mountain 太行山 range. It's beautiful at sunrise and also hidden among the clouds. For the adventurous, hikes down are steep trails are possible. Nearby, XiYaiGou 锡崖沟 is a valley that was once blocked off on all sides by steep mountain cliffs. The locals dug 4 tunnels stacked on top of each other inside the rock cliffs and finally built themselves a 7km road after 30 years of hard work. Of course there are other roads to access the valley now, but you can still ride down the original tunnel -- pretty amazing. There are some simple family-run inns in the valley and should be pretty nice to stay in during the summertime. Oh, don't forget to try the dishes made w/ locally grown ingredients at the handful of small restaurants there.
Culture and History
Shanxi Traders' family courtyards 晋商大院- the better three are the Qiao's 乔家, Wang's 王家 , and Chang's 常家. These are former mansions of the Shanxi financiers/traders who did business with the Qing government and also abroad. They are the Chinese version of the JP Morgan and Rockefeller families. Qiao's got famous because Zhang YiMou's movie Raise the Red Lantern. There was then a popular Chinese TV drama called "Qiao's Family Courtyard" which really opened up domestic tourism for the place in 2006. However, a lot of scenes in the drama were actually shot in Chang's Courtyard, which was 16 times bigger than that of Qiao's. Wang's is also 4 times bigger than Qiao's but less "touched up." I'd recommend going to the Chang's so you can really get a feel for how rich these families must have been; the Qiao's is packed w/ tourists and vendors which make this place feel like a Universal Studio. Chang's is about 2 hours by taxi from Taiyuan, while the other 2 are further down south.
Pingyao Old Town 平遥古城- about 1-2 hours by bus south of Taiyuan, it's one of the best preserved walled ancient towns in China (the other well-known one is Lijiang Old Town in Yunnan). The town thrived in the Qing Dynasty, when the Shanxi financiers/traders set up shops here. There are still town people living inside, which makes the touring experience somewhat more authentic. It's worth staying a night in town at one of the traditional Chinese guest houses. When I visited in 2006, there were talks about dressing tourists up Qing dynasty clothing and giving them ancient coins for spending in town...
Overcome Hill 克难坡 - this is a hill of special personal sentiment -- my dad was born there during WII, when Yan XiShan's (阎锡山, my grandfather's cousin) Chinese troops stationed out here on the border of Shanxi and Shaanxi near Hukou Waterfalls fighting the Japanese. At its peak, the military and civilian population on the hill reached 120,000 people. Tens and thousands of cave rooms were dug during that time, and most of them are still well-preserved today. You can learn more about Yan XiShan and his 38-year rule in Shanxi at his old residence (now a Shanxi folk museum - 河边民俗博物馆) in Hebian Village 河边村 near Wutai County, about 2 hours by bus from Taiyuan.
HuangChengXiangFu 皇城相府 - located near the southeast city of JinCheng 晋城, this is a unique example of a mansion with a combo of late Ming/early Qing period style architecture. It belonged to the Chen family, whose owner was Emperor Kangxi's teacher. The guy oversaw the compilation the famous Kangxi Dictionary 康熙大字典, which contains over 120,000 Chinese characters and was the most complete collection at the time.
Religion
Hanging Monastery 悬空寺- amazing petite structure that hangs off of the cliff in the Heng Mountain 恒山 by fragile-looking beams that were pounded into the wall. Because it was built cleverly, sheltered from rain and sun, this monastery withstood miraculously for the last 1400 years.
YunGang Grottoes 云冈石窟- lots and lots of stone Buddha carvings with Central Asian influences. The carving work started back in 460AD, lasted roughly 60 years, and resulted in over 50,000 big and small carvings tucked away in 45 major caverns. The carvings are great but they are also deteriorating and colors fading by the day as they are exposed to wind, heat, and moisture brought in tourists' breath. Better go see them while they last.
Wutai Mountain 五台山- one of the China's four mountains for Buddhist pilgrimage (the other three are: Zhejiang's Putuo, Sichuan's Emei, and Anhui's Jiuhua). Taoist and Confucius teachings and practices are also represented in some of the temples, which is very unique to Wutai Mountain. The mountain is actually made up of five peaks (hence the name "Wu", or five), and to reach any of the temples, you need to climb up 108 flights of stairs. Buddhists say that man has 108 kinds of worries, and climbing up the stairs, you throw those worries away (sure, it's hard to hang on to those worries when your working out on a 108-step Stairmaster). The mountain is a good summer retreat even after you're" templed" out.
Natural scenery
Hukou Waterfalls 壶口瀑布- located on the southwest border of Shanxi and Shaanxi, this is the second largest waterfall in China and the biggest fall on the Yellow River. It has the shape of a teapot sprout, hence the name "Hukou." From a far, you can only hear the sound of water rumbling and a huge cloud of mist where the waterfall stands. Only when you get closer can you see the waterfall, narrowing from a 200m to 30m waterway before plunging a 50m deep chute. Summer is the season with the most water flow, while in the winter, the fringe of the waterfall is frozen over. Hukou is not easy to get to but definitely worth a trip. You can take a bus to Lifen 临汾, transfer to JiXian吉县 and stay a night in JiXian. Take a short bus ride the following morning to the waterfall and you can catch some rainbow off of the waterfall's reflection around 9-10am.
WangMangLing 王莽岭- located 40km to the east of JinCheng 晋城, the WangMangLing is a cluster of steep peaks in the Taihang Mountain 太行山 range. It's beautiful at sunrise and also hidden among the clouds. For the adventurous, hikes down are steep trails are possible. Nearby, XiYaiGou 锡崖沟 is a valley that was once blocked off on all sides by steep mountain cliffs. The locals dug 4 tunnels stacked on top of each other inside the rock cliffs and finally built themselves a 7km road after 30 years of hard work. Of course there are other roads to access the valley now, but you can still ride down the original tunnel -- pretty amazing. There are some simple family-run inns in the valley and should be pretty nice to stay in during the summertime. Oh, don't forget to try the dishes made w/ locally grown ingredients at the handful of small restaurants there.
2008年3月24日 星期一
Free drinks with overpriced DVD's at Taikang Rd Oscar Club
I went over to Taikang Rd over the weekend and friends tipped me off to the old Ka De's reincarnation: Oscar Club. Ka De Club was the original mega underground DVD shop on JinXian Rd a few years back. They had stores on Zhenning Rd and DaGu Rd also but after some kind of crack down, they changed their name. I haven't been to this one at all, since I was pretty happy w/ my Dagu Rd shop. The first thing we noticed was that the shop offered FREE cokes, bottled water, AND beer (ok, just some Sapporo light), no purchase necessary. The funny thing is that not a lot of people seemed to have noticed the sign or the frig, which was standing right at the entrance. I guess people were in a rush to go to the inner room to check out the new DVD's.
Oscar's selection is still pretty extensive, but with so many other look-alike shops, it's no longer that impressive to me. More over, it's by far the most expensive expat-oriented shop I've seen -- $8 for DVD and $16 for DVD-9. Darn! I'd give them that if they categorize by some scheme or had on-line ordering and free delivery service or something. I guess it goes to pay for the free drinks we had at the door...
For cheaper DVD's, find a reliable shop near where you live (so you could return your defective discs) or try my favorite shops.
Oscar's selection is still pretty extensive, but with so many other look-alike shops, it's no longer that impressive to me. More over, it's by far the most expensive expat-oriented shop I've seen -- $8 for DVD and $16 for DVD-9. Darn! I'd give them that if they categorize by some scheme or had on-line ordering and free delivery service or something. I guess it goes to pay for the free drinks we had at the door...
For cheaper DVD's, find a reliable shop near where you live (so you could return your defective discs) or try my favorite shops.
2008年3月18日 星期二
Knock-offs, fakes, copies - where do you buy them post-Xiang Yang Market
When the famous (infamous) Xiang Yang market shut its door back in June, 2006, local and tourists alike lost their must-visit shopping mecca that had been around since 2000. What remains are the streetside peddlers holding worn-out catalog cards who promise nice fake LV's, Gucci's, and Rolexes.
So where do you find the stuff you still want to buy now (ok, no moral judgements here)? The vendors are now much more discreet and don't flaunt the really good AAA stuff in plain sight. For top brand bags, try the little shops along ChangLe Rd and XinLe Rd, between XiangYang Rd and Shannxi Rd. Befriend the shop owners by buying a few pieces first, and then they might bring out the really nice ones. They don't come cheap considering they're fakes -- prices range in the thousand(s) of kuai-- but the materials they use are much better than what you'd see on the street. I prefer bags without blatant logos that can stand on its design and materials. You can also pick up "brandname" shoes, sun glasses, and clothing that make you wonder whether they are leaks from the real factories.
For electronics, luggages, and more casual fashion items, head for Taobao Mall (580 Nanjing West Rd near ChengDu NorthRd). The clean and modern mall is a much more pleasant place to shop than Xiang Yang market. Ironically, all the shops have a sign out front that says that everything they sell are authentic... Here, you tend to find 2nd tier/niche brands whose legal powers are not as strong as the top brands.
Another bunch of shops migrated to the underground shopping mall at PuDong's Science and Tech Musuem (Subway Line 2). I find the items, both clothing and souvenirs, very attractive here and if you go on the weekdays when there's less traffic, you might be able to bargain harder (although some people also told me that if you go on the weekdays, you'd be the target for ALL shop owners). There's also a row of restaurants next to the shopping mall for you to grab a bite after you're done.
You can also check out QiPu Rd Wholesale Clothing Market, which is near Subway line 8's QuFu Rd station. You can find trendy styles here and for cheaper, but the quality tends to be lower than the two places above. Inspect items carefully before you buy.
A word on bargaining -- the old rule of thumb is to counter offer at 70% off and make the deal around 50% off, but the vendors can outsmart you by opening at even higher prices. To gain upperhand is to be walk away from things when the price isn't what you want. Remember, these items are sold at more than one shop!!
So where do you find the stuff you still want to buy now (ok, no moral judgements here)? The vendors are now much more discreet and don't flaunt the really good AAA stuff in plain sight. For top brand bags, try the little shops along ChangLe Rd and XinLe Rd, between XiangYang Rd and Shannxi Rd. Befriend the shop owners by buying a few pieces first, and then they might bring out the really nice ones. They don't come cheap considering they're fakes -- prices range in the thousand(s) of kuai-- but the materials they use are much better than what you'd see on the street. I prefer bags without blatant logos that can stand on its design and materials. You can also pick up "brandname" shoes, sun glasses, and clothing that make you wonder whether they are leaks from the real factories.
For electronics, luggages, and more casual fashion items, head for Taobao Mall (580 Nanjing West Rd near ChengDu NorthRd). The clean and modern mall is a much more pleasant place to shop than Xiang Yang market. Ironically, all the shops have a sign out front that says that everything they sell are authentic... Here, you tend to find 2nd tier/niche brands whose legal powers are not as strong as the top brands.
Another bunch of shops migrated to the underground shopping mall at PuDong's Science and Tech Musuem (Subway Line 2). I find the items, both clothing and souvenirs, very attractive here and if you go on the weekdays when there's less traffic, you might be able to bargain harder (although some people also told me that if you go on the weekdays, you'd be the target for ALL shop owners). There's also a row of restaurants next to the shopping mall for you to grab a bite after you're done.
You can also check out QiPu Rd Wholesale Clothing Market, which is near Subway line 8's QuFu Rd station. You can find trendy styles here and for cheaper, but the quality tends to be lower than the two places above. Inspect items carefully before you buy.
A word on bargaining -- the old rule of thumb is to counter offer at 70% off and make the deal around 50% off, but the vendors can outsmart you by opening at even higher prices. To gain upperhand is to be walk away from things when the price isn't what you want. Remember, these items are sold at more than one shop!!
2008年3月17日 星期一
Quality Movie DVD shopping in Pudong
The other day, my friend who can speak Shanghainese took me to the shop where he usually picks up his stash of DVDs. I have always heard about DVD's being cheaper in Pudong but was always too lazy to go over the water and stuck with my Dagu Rd shop.
We went to a non-descript building near the Yaohan 八佰伴 at 1271 Pudong Nan Lu called "Rong Fu Deparment Store" 融富百货商场. The entire building is full of little shop/stalls peddling all kinds of wares. We went straight to the 3rd floor, stall B15, where Lady Pan's shop is. It's dinky shop, much like an old record shop, with rows and rows and DVD's not organized in any particular order. Everyone there was intently flipping through the DVD jackets, looking for those hidden treasures to bring home.
My friend claims that he goes through 20 movies per week, so always picks out a ton of stuff and is a favorite customer there. He's also a walking IMDB and served as a movie title translator for Lady Pan. I found Qatsi Trilogy, Baraka/Chronos, and an Ang Lee collection, which even contains "Xiao Yu" 少女小渔, a movie he co-produced but not directed. Most of the discs were DVD 9 format, the higher quality one, and it worked to be around $7-8RMB/movie.
We went to a non-descript building near the Yaohan 八佰伴 at 1271 Pudong Nan Lu called "Rong Fu Deparment Store" 融富百货商场. The entire building is full of little shop/stalls peddling all kinds of wares. We went straight to the 3rd floor, stall B15, where Lady Pan's shop is. It's dinky shop, much like an old record shop, with rows and rows and DVD's not organized in any particular order. Everyone there was intently flipping through the DVD jackets, looking for those hidden treasures to bring home.
My friend claims that he goes through 20 movies per week, so always picks out a ton of stuff and is a favorite customer there. He's also a walking IMDB and served as a movie title translator for Lady Pan. I found Qatsi Trilogy, Baraka/Chronos, and an Ang Lee collection, which even contains "Xiao Yu" 少女小渔, a movie he co-produced but not directed. Most of the discs were DVD 9 format, the higher quality one, and it worked to be around $7-8RMB/movie.
2008年3月10日 星期一
Hainan Sanya: China's Hawaii Waikiki - part 2 food
Searching for places to eat is a bit of a challenge. The tourist places are definitely not cheap, and may even be on par with Shanghai prices. For the first couple of days, we went to the ol' McDonald's for breakfast/lunch. There is only one M in town, which is located at the Pedestrian Stree (行人徒步街). Later, we found some more authentic local vermecelli noodle shops near the First Agriculture Market (第一农贸市场). The "Baoluofen" 抱罗粉 (vermecelli with pig's guts and small crunchy bread bits) was really yummy. At the market, we also bought some locally grown tropical fruits such as jackfruit, rambutan, and mango. Fresh coconuts are also pretty ubiquitous, although we heard that a lot of them are actually imported from Vietnam.
The seafood is a must-try here. We went to a popular joint called Mingrun明润, which has one location on Binghai Blvd. To order the seafood, you go check out the various live seafood selection and they'll weigh them on the spot. They charge$6-10RMB/500g (一斤) to cook the dishes, any style. The bill should come out to be $50-$100RMB per person, if you didn't order too much exotic stuff. I really liked the deep-see jumbo shrimps, but the crab is not as good as the hairy crab varietal we get in Shanghai. There's this rare type of fish called "Su-mei"苏眉 that's supposed to be delicious but it wasn't in season when we were there. You can also have seafood dinner on fisherman's boat off the Hongsha Pier 红砂码头渔排 (to the east of Dadonghai) for $50RMB all-you-can-eat type, but we didn't get to try that either.
The seafood is a must-try here. We went to a popular joint called Mingrun明润, which has one location on Binghai Blvd. To order the seafood, you go check out the various live seafood selection and they'll weigh them on the spot. They charge$6-10RMB/500g (一斤) to cook the dishes, any style. The bill should come out to be $50-$100RMB per person, if you didn't order too much exotic stuff. I really liked the deep-see jumbo shrimps, but the crab is not as good as the hairy crab varietal we get in Shanghai. There's this rare type of fish called "Su-mei"苏眉 that's supposed to be delicious but it wasn't in season when we were there. You can also have seafood dinner on fisherman's boat off the Hongsha Pier 红砂码头渔排 (to the east of Dadonghai) for $50RMB all-you-can-eat type, but we didn't get to try that either.
There's one nice western pub/cafe in Dadonghai called Rainbow. We went for brunch a couple times when we stayed in Dadonghai.
As Sanya develops into a world-class beach vacation spot, there should be a lot more opportunities for new restaurants of all kinds to move in. This is a town (city) that doesn't even have Starbucks yet! The local foods will be much more accessible and safer to eat if newer concept restaurants are opened.
See my part 1 write-up about Sanya's accommodations.
Hainan Sanya: China's own Hawaii Waikiki - part 1 accommodation
I recently spent a week down in Hainan Island's Sanya to check out some real estate and also to get away from the cold in Shanghai. After a 3 hour direct flight, I arrived at Sanya airport. The cheapest way to get into town is to take the city bus on the arrival level on the 2nd floor. For $4-5RMB, you can get to Sanya Blvd, which runs along the Sanya Bay beach. For $30RMB, you can also take the airport bus or taxi to get to the Sanya Bay area.
Sanya is roughly divided into 3 sections: Sanya Bay 三亚湾, Dadonghai 大东海, and Yalong Bay 亚龙湾. Sanya Bay is the most popular beach with local Chinese vacationers; the beach itself is a narrow band that runs several miles long, but the sand and water qualities are so so due to heavy traffic. There's a newer section of the Sanya Bay near the airport called Haipo 海坡, where a lot of new apartment and villa complexes are being built along the beach front. Dadonghai (Big East Ocean) is a smaller crescent shaped beach, mostly taken over by the Russian vacationers; the sand and water is nicer than those of Sanya Bay, esp. if you go toward the Xiaodonghai (Small East Ocean). Yalong Bay is packed with upscale international 5 star hotels like Hilton, Sheraton, Marriot, Ritz Carlton, as well as some Chinese branded 5 star hotels. Sanya and Yalong Bay became better known after the Miss World Pagent finals were held there, but the golfers have been going there for the nice weather and courses.
For accommodation, I had researched several "family hotels" that are located in the beach front apartment complexes; these are pretty much clusters of apartments managed by professional property management companies on behalf of owners who don't live in Sanya. Being a budding short-term apartment rental manager myself, I'm obviously eager to check these counterparts out ;-) Me and my friend decided to stay at multiple places in the different areas around Sanya to get a feel for the real estate quality.
The first place we stayed at was a "super deluxe ocean view room" at 海豹家庭旅馆 (the Seal Hotel) in the Future Life complex (碧海蓝天). The room was nicely decorated w/ 2 single beds and a bathroom. The balcony has a great ocean view from the 19th floor. It turned out that the room belonged to another hotel in the same building called Yomovo 游牧虎, which has a nice English site. The room was $200RMB/night, a great value considering the ocean view we got. They waived the $10RMB/night charge for internet connection (no wifi) after we protested that their competitors' were free of charge. Most complex residents are local Chinese, and I suspect many of them are also staying at one of the many family hotels in the complex. There's a big swimming pool (well, most complexes in Sanya have it), tennis courts (remember to bring your own racket), and a very well-stocked supermarket. Several bus lines also stop in front of the complex and take you to pretty much all the scenic spots along the beach, as far out as Yalong Bay.
Next, we moved to the Haipo area's BT Inn, which is located in a well-developed complex called Sunny Oceanfront (阳光海岸). This family hotel was a disappointment, as the room they gave us was not at all what's shown on their website. The furnitures are sparten and worn, and there was no interior deco to speak of (the bathrooms had exposed piping). At this hostel quality level, they charged us $260/night! What a rip-off. The beach out front is not too much nicer than Sanya Bay's -- even narrower and lack maintanance. We did stop by the Kempinski Hotel another 10 min by bus toward the west end, and the hotel seemed very nice with a big, private beach out front. The Holiday Inn that's a few doors down from Sunny Oceanfront was so-so, and doesn't have any stand-out facilities.
After one unhappy night at BT Inn, we fled to Dadonghai. We tried out the Bluesky Youth Hostel for $120RMB/night, recommended by Lonely Planet. The famed Peter guy wasn't in and the building was a bit old. We decided that we needed more view and comfort than what a hostel can offer, so we moved again after one night. We had our eyes set on Nanfeng, a first-line oceanview family hotel right in the center of Dadonghai, but they were solidly booked until end of March!! Wow, that's some good biz they're doing there. We settled for another family hotel, Yi Jia 怡佳, in the same apt building but on a lower floor. The view from the room was great and so was the price: $200RMB/night. Yi Jia is not as well-run as Nanfeng upstairs, that's why they still had open rooms when Nanfeng was full.
Overall, it's a great deal to stay at the family hotels when you come to Sanya, esp. if you want to stay for extended period of time. The monthly rent on these apts are pretty low: you can get a decent ocean front place for less than $3000RMB/month, which won't last you 3 nights at those 5-star places. I do have to admit though, that the hotels and beaches at Yalong Bay were super nice and definitely the choice for those with the dough.
See my part 2 write-up about Sanya's food.
Sanya is roughly divided into 3 sections: Sanya Bay 三亚湾, Dadonghai 大东海, and Yalong Bay 亚龙湾. Sanya Bay is the most popular beach with local Chinese vacationers; the beach itself is a narrow band that runs several miles long, but the sand and water qualities are so so due to heavy traffic. There's a newer section of the Sanya Bay near the airport called Haipo 海坡, where a lot of new apartment and villa complexes are being built along the beach front. Dadonghai (Big East Ocean) is a smaller crescent shaped beach, mostly taken over by the Russian vacationers; the sand and water is nicer than those of Sanya Bay, esp. if you go toward the Xiaodonghai (Small East Ocean). Yalong Bay is packed with upscale international 5 star hotels like Hilton, Sheraton, Marriot, Ritz Carlton, as well as some Chinese branded 5 star hotels. Sanya and Yalong Bay became better known after the Miss World Pagent finals were held there, but the golfers have been going there for the nice weather and courses.
For accommodation, I had researched several "family hotels" that are located in the beach front apartment complexes; these are pretty much clusters of apartments managed by professional property management companies on behalf of owners who don't live in Sanya. Being a budding short-term apartment rental manager myself, I'm obviously eager to check these counterparts out ;-) Me and my friend decided to stay at multiple places in the different areas around Sanya to get a feel for the real estate quality.
The first place we stayed at was a "super deluxe ocean view room" at 海豹家庭旅馆 (the Seal Hotel) in the Future Life complex (碧海蓝天). The room was nicely decorated w/ 2 single beds and a bathroom. The balcony has a great ocean view from the 19th floor. It turned out that the room belonged to another hotel in the same building called Yomovo 游牧虎, which has a nice English site. The room was $200RMB/night, a great value considering the ocean view we got. They waived the $10RMB/night charge for internet connection (no wifi) after we protested that their competitors' were free of charge. Most complex residents are local Chinese, and I suspect many of them are also staying at one of the many family hotels in the complex. There's a big swimming pool (well, most complexes in Sanya have it), tennis courts (remember to bring your own racket), and a very well-stocked supermarket. Several bus lines also stop in front of the complex and take you to pretty much all the scenic spots along the beach, as far out as Yalong Bay.
Next, we moved to the Haipo area's BT Inn, which is located in a well-developed complex called Sunny Oceanfront (阳光海岸). This family hotel was a disappointment, as the room they gave us was not at all what's shown on their website. The furnitures are sparten and worn, and there was no interior deco to speak of (the bathrooms had exposed piping). At this hostel quality level, they charged us $260/night! What a rip-off. The beach out front is not too much nicer than Sanya Bay's -- even narrower and lack maintanance. We did stop by the Kempinski Hotel another 10 min by bus toward the west end, and the hotel seemed very nice with a big, private beach out front. The Holiday Inn that's a few doors down from Sunny Oceanfront was so-so, and doesn't have any stand-out facilities.
After one unhappy night at BT Inn, we fled to Dadonghai. We tried out the Bluesky Youth Hostel for $120RMB/night, recommended by Lonely Planet. The famed Peter guy wasn't in and the building was a bit old. We decided that we needed more view and comfort than what a hostel can offer, so we moved again after one night. We had our eyes set on Nanfeng, a first-line oceanview family hotel right in the center of Dadonghai, but they were solidly booked until end of March!! Wow, that's some good biz they're doing there. We settled for another family hotel, Yi Jia 怡佳, in the same apt building but on a lower floor. The view from the room was great and so was the price: $200RMB/night. Yi Jia is not as well-run as Nanfeng upstairs, that's why they still had open rooms when Nanfeng was full.
Overall, it's a great deal to stay at the family hotels when you come to Sanya, esp. if you want to stay for extended period of time. The monthly rent on these apts are pretty low: you can get a decent ocean front place for less than $3000RMB/month, which won't last you 3 nights at those 5-star places. I do have to admit though, that the hotels and beaches at Yalong Bay were super nice and definitely the choice for those with the dough.
See my part 2 write-up about Sanya's food.
2008年2月17日 星期日
Paul Bakery Cafe at the Shanghai Centre
Located right next to the Element Fresh in the Shanghai Centre- Portman complex, this is one of a series of Paul Bakeries that have opened around Shanghai in rapid fire in the last 6 months. Hailed from France, Paul's key selling point is that they even import the flour from France. I'd have to agree that basic ingredients matter a lot in baked goods; for some reason, the local flour just does not produce very aromatic breads and cakes (or I'm just prejudiced?) That said, I still think Paul is too expensive to make it an everyday affair. The Centre location has a pretty sizable sit-down area -- atmosphere is great with large windows looking out to a terrace, which will make excellent outdoor seating in the summertime.
We ordered a croque monsieur, a croque madam, and another kind of sandwich, along with some coffee drinks. The sandwiches range in the high $20's to $40', and drinks are Starbucks prices. The food is decent, but I think it's the location that's really worth the bucks. Didn't try their desserts yet, and think I'll go back for afternoon tea next time. They offer a $45RMB set where you can choose a drink + dessert during the weekdays.
See other cafes and restaurants nearby.
We ordered a croque monsieur, a croque madam, and another kind of sandwich, along with some coffee drinks. The sandwiches range in the high $20's to $40', and drinks are Starbucks prices. The food is decent, but I think it's the location that's really worth the bucks. Didn't try their desserts yet, and think I'll go back for afternoon tea next time. They offer a $45RMB set where you can choose a drink + dessert during the weekdays.
See other cafes and restaurants nearby.
Laifu Hotpot at Fuxing Rd/ Huaihai Rd
In the dead of winter, what's better than rounding up a group of friends and heading for a delicious hotpot dinner? Laifu is a reliable place in the French Concession that is not outrageously expensive. We spent about $80RMB/person, including a couple beers. The decor is more elegant than your typical hotpot restaurant and the atmosphere is pretty cozy and relatively quiet. You can order the usual "Yuan Yang" 鸳鸯锅 with with the pot divided into 2 halves, holding 2 kinds of soup base. I like the light bone-stewed broth + spicy oil soup base combo, but you can also order a variety of other types of soup base, such as Chinese-style sauerkraut fish. There are also a dozen or so DIY dip sauces that you can mix to your liking -- this is definitely something you can't really prepare at home. For the more adventurous ones, try the curdled duck blood - it tastes perfect in the spicy oil! Other noted dishes include small egg dumplings with fish paste filling 婆婆蛋角, "bai ye"百叶包 tofu packages, and special beef 秘制牛肉. There's another location near Hengshan Rd.
See other cafes and restaurants nearby.
See other cafes and restaurants nearby.
2008年2月13日 星期三
Moganshan 莫干山 mountain retreat for a long weekend
I'm parking the info I found so far on Moganshan here. The mountain area is only 3-4 hours away from Shanghai (one hour from HangZhou) and supposed to be the perfect getaway for people who are trapped in Shanghai with no beach, no mountain, etc. I've wanting to check it out all last year and friends were waiting for me to organize the trip... Well, it's gonna happen this year!
Where to stop for fresh coffee and authentic Brit meals: The Moganshan Lodge
Historic guest house that looks beautiful: Yiyuan 颐园 and Priest Villa
Where to stop for fresh coffee and authentic Brit meals: The Moganshan Lodge
Historic guest house that looks beautiful: Yiyuan 颐园 and Priest Villa
Buying a local mobile cell phone SIM card
Getting a local SIM card makes sense if you expect to make and receive frequent calls and text messages during your travel. The most common network in China is the GSM system, which runs on frequencies of both 900 and 1800. Unfortunately, the US GSM system runs on 1900 (yes, they did this on purpose to sell more phones), so your safest bet is to bring a tri-band phone. Worst case is you can buy a cheap 900/1800 phone in China for $300RMB (I've seen a pretty decent mini-Motorola at that price). I also have one available for rent for my guests ;-) China Unicom, the other mobile company, runs on CDMA, but I'm not too familiar with it.
The most popular prepaid GSM SIM card that you can buy from street vendors is China Mobile's 神州行畅听卡16元版（Shen2Zhou1Xing2), $16RMB/month, unlimited call receiving edition. The packet and card look like this:
Getting the SIM card
You can usually find shops that sell them near the subway stations. You can also find shops that sell cell phones inside shopping centers. The prepaid card comes with $50RMB credit, but sells for anywhere from $55-100RMB per card. The vendors will try to sell at the higher prices, claiming the phone numbers are better -- no 4's (same sound as death in Chinese) and more 8's or 9's (same sound as prosperity in Chinese). You'll also see a card with a scratch-off PIN, which you can use as the password to log on to the China Mobile's Shanghai site to check your phone number account (only in Chinese).
Rates
With this type of card, local calls are $0.13RMB/min, and receiving calls from anywhere is free. China domestic text messages are $0.10RMB/msg, and international texts are $1RMB/msg whether you're roaming or not, so most people end up texting a lot. Receiving text messages is also free.
Making internationl calls
I'm sure you can probably get a cheaper rate by using a calling card, but make sure you figure out how much those cards really cost (can be bought at a steep discount) and what the calling rates are. Recently, China Mobile is promoting its "12593" access number for international calls. For an additional $1RMB/month, you can dial 12593 in front of international numbers and get $0.4RMB/min calling US, Canada, HK, and Singapore, $0.7RMB/min to Taiwan and Macau, $1RMB/min to Japan and Korea, and $1.5RMB/min to most of European countries. This is by far the cheapest rate you can get on the mobile phone without using a calling card, and in some cases it's even cheaper than dialing from a land line. To activate this service, you can send a text message of "KTXGX" to 10086. You'll receive a Chinese message back to confirm. Just don't forget to put 12593 in front the numbers when you dial! Dial like this: 12593+00+COUNTRY CODE+phone number.
Roaming outside of China - Not recommended. It's pretty expensive to use a China number while roaming outside of China, and you'd need to put down a hefty deposit to even turn on the international roaming option.
Making domestic long distance calls from Shanghai Basically, calling anywhere in China outside the city you're in is considered long distance. The best rate I can find is to subscribe to the "17951" plan, where you pay another $1RMB/month to receive a $0.20RMB/min long distance rate. Send a text message of "IPYH" to 10086 and begin adding 17951 to all your Beijing or other inter-city calls when in Shanghai. Calling while roaming outside of ShanghaiIf you plan to travel to multiple cities within China, you can pay another $1RMB/month to activate the trusty 12593 code to get discount rates when roaming domestically. This is the same code as the international long distance but you have to pay again... but you need to send a different text, "KTMYB", to 10086 to activate this one (are you confused yet??). Under this plan, you pay $0.49/min when roaming and calling and $0.30RMB/min when you receive calls. If you don't do this, receiving calls under the original plan would cost you $0.6RMB/min PLUS $0.07RMB/6 seconds. These can rack up pretty quickly and drain your prepaid credits.
Refill and checking credit balance
For refill cards, you can also buy them at those same shops I mentioned above, or at tables set up on the curbside selling these and calling cards -- just make sure you complete the refill process successfully before leaving the vendor. To refill, call 13800138000 and enter "2" for English. To check the amount remaining on your phone, send a text message "YECX" to 10086 and it'll come back with a Chinese text message containing a number in it -- that would be the amount you're looking for.
So is it any wonder that China Mobile is raking it in? With complicated rate plans like these, callers can easily make mistakes and spend a fortune. To summarize, you basically should spend an extra $3RMB/month to cover your basis. A word on how long these SIM cards are good for -- basically if you don't return to China for more than 3 months, you're better off getting a new card next time you're back, because they'll continue to charge the monthly fees even when you're not using it until all the money in there runs out.
If you're staying longer
One good news is that you can convert to other calling plans without changing your phone number, should you decide to stay in Shanghai long-term. The plan I currently use is the China Mobile's GoTone $50RMB/month plan, where you get 450 free local minutes included (but you'd still need to pay addtional subscriptions here and there to get those discounts). I wonder if I can make money by becoming a calling plan optimization consultant?
The most popular prepaid GSM SIM card that you can buy from street vendors is China Mobile's 神州行畅听卡16元版（Shen2Zhou1Xing2), $16RMB/month, unlimited call receiving edition. The packet and card look like this:
Getting the SIM card
You can usually find shops that sell them near the subway stations. You can also find shops that sell cell phones inside shopping centers. The prepaid card comes with $50RMB credit, but sells for anywhere from $55-100RMB per card. The vendors will try to sell at the higher prices, claiming the phone numbers are better -- no 4's (same sound as death in Chinese) and more 8's or 9's (same sound as prosperity in Chinese). You'll also see a card with a scratch-off PIN, which you can use as the password to log on to the China Mobile's Shanghai site to check your phone number account (only in Chinese).
Rates
With this type of card, local calls are $0.13RMB/min, and receiving calls from anywhere is free. China domestic text messages are $0.10RMB/msg, and international texts are $1RMB/msg whether you're roaming or not, so most people end up texting a lot. Receiving text messages is also free.
Making internationl calls
I'm sure you can probably get a cheaper rate by using a calling card, but make sure you figure out how much those cards really cost (can be bought at a steep discount) and what the calling rates are. Recently, China Mobile is promoting its "12593" access number for international calls. For an additional $1RMB/month, you can dial 12593 in front of international numbers and get $0.4RMB/min calling US, Canada, HK, and Singapore, $0.7RMB/min to Taiwan and Macau, $1RMB/min to Japan and Korea, and $1.5RMB/min to most of European countries. This is by far the cheapest rate you can get on the mobile phone without using a calling card, and in some cases it's even cheaper than dialing from a land line. To activate this service, you can send a text message of "KTXGX" to 10086. You'll receive a Chinese message back to confirm. Just don't forget to put 12593 in front the numbers when you dial! Dial like this: 12593+00+COUNTRY CODE+phone number.
Roaming outside of China - Not recommended. It's pretty expensive to use a China number while roaming outside of China, and you'd need to put down a hefty deposit to even turn on the international roaming option.
Making domestic long distance calls from Shanghai Basically, calling anywhere in China outside the city you're in is considered long distance. The best rate I can find is to subscribe to the "17951" plan, where you pay another $1RMB/month to receive a $0.20RMB/min long distance rate. Send a text message of "IPYH" to 10086 and begin adding 17951 to all your Beijing or other inter-city calls when in Shanghai. Calling while roaming outside of ShanghaiIf you plan to travel to multiple cities within China, you can pay another $1RMB/month to activate the trusty 12593 code to get discount rates when roaming domestically. This is the same code as the international long distance but you have to pay again... but you need to send a different text, "KTMYB", to 10086 to activate this one (are you confused yet??). Under this plan, you pay $0.49/min when roaming and calling and $0.30RMB/min when you receive calls. If you don't do this, receiving calls under the original plan would cost you $0.6RMB/min PLUS $0.07RMB/6 seconds. These can rack up pretty quickly and drain your prepaid credits.
Refill and checking credit balance
For refill cards, you can also buy them at those same shops I mentioned above, or at tables set up on the curbside selling these and calling cards -- just make sure you complete the refill process successfully before leaving the vendor. To refill, call 13800138000 and enter "2" for English. To check the amount remaining on your phone, send a text message "YECX" to 10086 and it'll come back with a Chinese text message containing a number in it -- that would be the amount you're looking for.
So is it any wonder that China Mobile is raking it in? With complicated rate plans like these, callers can easily make mistakes and spend a fortune. To summarize, you basically should spend an extra $3RMB/month to cover your basis. A word on how long these SIM cards are good for -- basically if you don't return to China for more than 3 months, you're better off getting a new card next time you're back, because they'll continue to charge the monthly fees even when you're not using it until all the money in there runs out.
If you're staying longer
One good news is that you can convert to other calling plans without changing your phone number, should you decide to stay in Shanghai long-term. The plan I currently use is the China Mobile's GoTone $50RMB/month plan, where you get 450 free local minutes included (but you'd still need to pay addtional subscriptions here and there to get those discounts). I wonder if I can make money by becoming a calling plan optimization consultant?
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