We are constantly rediscovering China. We like to add our own flair, of course, stressing expert, imaginative planning, superb guiding, top-notch accommodations, and cultural and scenic flourishes throughout. Since our private travelers’ interests are eclectic, so are our trips. We often foray into classic destinations: Beijing’s Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Xi’an’s Terracotta Warriors, and the heart-lifting limestone karsts of magic Guilin are as rewarding the fifth as the first time we visit them, especially in privacy and in the company of connoisseur guides. We and our private travelers enjoy branching out from those classics to marvelous places like Kunming, the City of Eternal Spring, and into Yunnan Province’s spectacular gorges and snow ranges. We range up into the high Tibetan borderlands, visit Panda preserves, investigate China’s millennial tea culture, trace the rise and fall of dynasties, and dally in remote tribal villages few Westerners have heard about, much less experienced. The possibilities are nearly endless, as befits this huge, diverse, and massively intriguing country.
- Miao Courtship Festival (April)
- Luscheng Festival (September)
- Tiger Leaping Gorge
- Guizhou’s tribal cultures
- Other China Trips
- Other Custom Journeys
Best times to go:
- Southwestern region: September–November, February–May
- Eastern region: September–October, May–June.
Great Reading
- The Search for Modern China, by Jonathan Spence (anything by Spence on China is worthwhile)
- The New Emperors, by Harrison Salisbury
- The Soong Dynasty, by Sterling Seagrave
- Riding the Iron Rooster, by Paul Theroux.
Great Viewing
- The Last Emperor
- The Good Earth
- Born Under the Red Flag
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