Basic Info on Chengdu

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province, which is known as the "Heavenly State" (Tian Fu Zhi Guo). Being the natural habitat of cute giant pandas, Chengdu is located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain. It covers a total area of 12.3 thousand square kilometres (4,749 square miles) with a population of over 11 million.

Benefiting from Dujiangyan Irrigation Project which was constructed in 256 B.C., Sichuan Province is reputed as "Tian Fu Zhi Guo", literally a place richly endowed with natural resources. Chengdu, as the capital, is extremely productive. The Min and Tuo Rivers, two branches of the Yangtze River, connected to forty other rivers, supply an irrigation area of more than 700 square kilometres (270.27 square miles) with 150-180 million kilowatts of water. Consisting of abundant mineral resources, the land is extremely fertile.

The history of Chengdu can be traced back 2,400 when the first emperor built his capital here and named the city. Through thousands of years its original name has been kept and its position as the capital and as the significant center of politics, commerce and military of the Sichuan area (once called Shu) has remained unchanged. Since the Han (206B.C.-220) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties when its handicraft industry flourished, Chengdu has been famous for its brocades and embroideries. Shu embroideries still enjoy a high reputation for their bright colors and delicate designs, ranking among the four main embroideries in China. Chengdu was the place where the bronze culture, an indispensable part of ancient Chinese culture, originated, the place where the Southern Silk Road started, and the place where the earliest paper currency, Jiaozi (not the dumpling!), was first printed. It is listed among the first 24 state-approved historical and cultural cities and owns 23 state and provincial cultural relic units.

In addition to its profound historical and cultural background featuring historic places of interest such as the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu , wuhou Memorial Temple and Wenshu Monastery , etc, natural beauty abounds in surrounding areas such as in the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area and Huang Long Valley (Yellow Dragon Valley) . The natural habitat of giant pandas, Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center , supports the world's only giant panda breeding and research base.

Sampling the famous Sichuan cuisine is a must on a trip to Chengdu. Enjoying the food as well as the culture, shopping and having tea at a teahouse afford a deeper understanding of Chengdu.

Improved land and airlines extending nationwide provide greater convenience. Chengdu is also the main inland access city to Tibet.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/chengdu.htm

Basic Info on Xian

Xian, located in central-northwest China, records the great changes of the country just like a living history book. Called Chang'an (meaning the eternal city) in ancient times, Xian is one of the birthplaces of the ancient Chinese civilization in the Yellow River Basin area. As the eastern terminal of the Silk Road and the site of the famous Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty, Xian has won a reputation all over the world. More than 3,000 years of history including over 1,100 years as the capital city of ancient dynasties, have endowed Xian with an amazing historical heritage. Tourists marvel at the numerous historical sites and cultural relics in and around the city.

Known as the leading city of China's Western Development Drive Program since 1990s, Xian is an important economic, cultural, industrial and educational center of the central-northwest region, providing visitors with modern and convenient facilities.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/xian.htm

Basic Info on Beijing

Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China, is the nation's political, economic, cultural, educational and international trade and communication center. Located in northern China, close to the port city of Tianjin and partially surrounded by Hebei Province, Beijing also serves as the most important transportation hub and port of entry in China.

Beijing, one of the six ancient cities in China, has been the heart and soul of politics and society throughout its long history and consequently there is an unparalleled wealth of discovery to delight and intrigue travelers as they explore Beijing's ancient past and exciting modern development. Now it has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with about 140 million Chinese tourists and 4.4 million international visitors in a year.

To Do List

1. Finish Taxes
2. Summer camp health forms - due May 1st (we return on the 4-29)
3. Summer camp payments
4. Finish signing girls up for summer camps
5. Get visas to enter China - in process
6. Notify credit card company and bank of travel, so they don't shut down cards for suspected fraud abuse
7. Figure out how much cash to take and in what denominations
8. Buy travel insurance
9. Wire trip money to BLAS
10. Get pre-paid visa cards for girls
11. Camera and computer stuff - figure it all out - converters, etc.
12. Think through what we are bringing for clothes, shoes, comfort food
13. Pack!

Testing posting from email

 

Joyce

April Weather in China - Fahrenheit

Beijing:
Avg High 67.8
Avg Low 45

Xian:
Avg High 70
Avg Low 50

Chengdu:
Avg High 70.9
Avg Low 54.9
climate - subtropical monsoon
best travel month April!

Hanchuan (Hubei province):
Avg High 70
Avg Low 64
climate - subtropical monsoon
best travel month April!

Maoming (Guangdong province):
Avg High 73.9
Avg Low 67.6

Guangzhou:
Avg High 79
Avg Low 73

March 24, 2011

In 20 days we will board a plane to China for a return homeland trip.  This blog is the "Bott Girls" place to capture our trip in words and pictures. 

Intrepid travelers are: We have 7 people in our group - me, my daughters, Grace and  Ruthie, my friend Diane and her daughter, Maggie, as well as my parents, Ann & Tom. 

Where are we going?: Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Hanchuan, Maoming, Guangzhou and Beijing.  Diane's trip varies from ours after Chengdu, but we'll all meet back up in Guangzhou.  Why Hanchuan and Maoming?  Those are the birth cities of Grace and Ruthie.  So we'll be visiting their orphanages and hopefully meeting Grace's foster family.

Decisions: For our first trip Diane and I decided to go the private tour route and neither of us had the time or energy to do the amount of research needed to pull together a trip on our own.  We also decided that we wanted to travel in April and not the summer - when the heat and humidity in China can be intolerable, but also plane fares tend to less expensive in the spring.

After comparing tour itineraries, length of trips, and of course cost, we finally settled on BLAS.  BLAS stands for Bridge of Love Adoption Services.  They are actually part of the Chinese government's arm for international adoption.