Discover China Through Chamber Tour

Editor's note; The Douglas County Chamber of Commerce is offering a China Discovery Tour from April 6 to 14, 2013. Chamber CEO Kali Boatright has recently taken the tour and shares her experiences here.

By Kali Boatright,

I have always enjoyed travel and consider myself to be culturally savvy, but when it came to my first trip to China, I felt a little intimidated and truly didn’t know what to expect. The opportunity to go to China on a tour that let me experience the sights and sounds first-hand but with a tour guide who would be with me every step of the way was the perfect way to go.

In nine days, I was able to see Beijing and Shanghai as well as smaller town Suzhou and even the Chinese version of Hawaii, Hangzhou. It is an experience I will never forget!

Beijing is the center of history and government for China. It is an old city, filled with sights that I thought I would only ever see in magazines. To be able to visit world-famous Tian An Men Square, the Forbidden City, home of 24 emperors and 10,000 rooms, and the beautiful lakeside Summer Palace left me speechless. I was amazed by the history of this city and equally delighted by the smiles and nods of passing locals who really welcomed tourists.

Then it was on to the Temple of Heaven built in 1420 AD, a walk through the Ming Tombs excavation and of course the Great Wall which you could see stretch on for miles even as you made your way over a small part of it. In Beijing, I experienced my first authentic Peking Roast Duck dinner and learned that, in fact, Peking and Beijing are the same city by two different names.

The food all over China was delicious and plentiful, with 15 to 20 different dishes served lazy susan style for all to try. Many of the dishes I have had in the US, but I tried to truly experience the culture by tasting one new dish at every meal. One of the great things about having meals included is that if you didn’t like the duck, you moved on to the pork, fish or chicken. And there was always rice and noodles. We also stayed in the best four and five star hotels which all had huge American breakfast buffets so no one went hungry. Shanghai is a hip, happening city with many new unbelievably tall buildings and the center of culture and theatre. This was a great opportunity to take in a show and explore amazing gardens. And what trip would have been complete without shopping in the old town bazaar where you can literally find anything in the world for pennies on the dollar. We also got to tour a jade, silk and pearl factory which added an education element (and a shopping element too, of course).

The opportunity to see the rural countryside in Suzhou along with the major cities also left me feeling like I saw the “real” China. And a river boat cruise in the famous vacation destination Hangzhou left me with hundreds of pictures of pagodas, willows, sculptures and a relaxed feeling in general. A perfect spirit with which to visit the Lingyin Temple, home of the 64 foot high wood-carved Buddha while there.

I took this trip solo, so I had so many people ask me if I was ever scared or lonely on my travels, but I found the people to be helpful and the tour guide really prepared us for everything we did. I left my cell phone at home and bought a calling card for $15 at my first stop in China which allowed me to talk to my family almost every day so that was a pleasant surprise as well.

I am so glad I discovered China – a place I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to travel, and I look forward to sharing it with those in our own community as the Chamber organizes the Discover China tour for April 6 through 14, 2013. For more information on Discovering China contact the Douglas County Chamber at 770-942-5022.

Want more information?
There will be an Informational Meeting on Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Chamber with Leo Liu President of Citslinc International. Experience China with the Chamber and travelers from the West Georgia Region. The trip includes memorable sites and the opportunity to enjoy a multitude of first-hand cultural experiences.