Destination: China
Is China Boycotting Travel to France?
by Michael Yessis | 06.18.08 | 12:27 PM ET
The AP reports a plunge in Chinese travelers to France, apparently in retaliation for, among other things, support for Tibet among the French and demonstrations against the Olympic torch relay in Paris. The French Foreign Ministry said Chinese officials have told travel agents to stop selling trips to France. China’s Tourism Bureau apparently wouldn’t comment, but several travel agents reportedly told AP they “had heard about—if not received—the verbal order” to not sell trips to France.
Related on World Hum:
* Travel to China Down in 2008
* China Blocks Travel to Ethnic Tibetan Regions
Email to friend
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! BuzzTravel to China Down in 2008
by Julia Ross | 06.17.08 | 10:31 AM ET
Protests in Tibet. A major earthquake. Tightened visa restrictions. The yuan’s rise against the dollar. Never mind the upcoming Olympics, China tourism is suffering.
Photo by d’n'c via Flickr (Creative Commons).
China, Taiwan Approve Regular Direct Flights
by Jim Benning | 06.13.08 | 12:34 PM ET
Just how historic is the agreement? Reports Reuters: “Apart from special holidays, there have been no regular direct flights since 1949, when China’s defeated Nationalists fled to the island amid civil war with the Communists.”
Logging On
by Jim Benning | 06.12.08 | 5:15 PM ET
Internet access is available almost everywhere. But is that ruining travelers' experiences overseas? Jim Benning reflects on the rise of internet cafes around the globe.
See the full audio slideshow: »
More Than 4,000 Chinese Children Have Been Named ‘Olympic Games’
by Jim Benning | 06.11.08 | 12:55 PM ET
Or, in Chinese, “Aoyun.” Reports the BBC: “It is not uncommon for Chinese children to be given names of common events and popular slogans—such as Defend China, Build the Nation and Space Travel.” Mr. Space Travel—has a nice ring to it.
China’s Panda Reserve May Relocate
by Julia Ross | 06.02.08 | 1:25 PM ET
One of China’s premier tourist attractions—the Wolong National Nature Reserve, home to the nation’s panda conservation center—may relocate due to damage sustained by the Sichuan earthquake, the AP reports. Several panda shelters were destroyed and landslides have made roads to the remote center impassable, disrupting much needed bamboo supplies. National Geographic includes this amazing video of Wolong’s cubs being rescued in the hours after the quake. Here’s hoping for a full recovery.
Related on World Hum:
* Thousands Feared Dead in China Earthquake
* Peter Hessler’s Former Students and the China Earthquake
Photo by autan via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Peter Hessler’s Former Students and the China Earthquake
by Jim Benning | 05.23.08 | 1:09 PM ET
A quick note before we head off for the three-day weekend that the New Yorker has posted correspondence from former students of Peter Hessler about their experience in the deadly Sichuan earthquake. “I am sorry to say my parents’ house collapsed,” one wrote. Hessler chronicled his Peace Corps teaching experience in Sichuan Province in the (now classic) travel book River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze.
Hello Kitty Named Japan’s Tourism Ambassador to China
by Jim Benning | 05.21.08 | 1:00 PM ET
Congrats, Hello Kitty. You earned it. See, Tijuana? For your tourism mascot, you went with Xuani—frankly, an unknown quantity—and look at the mess you’re in now. I suggest following Japan’s lead. Think big. Think branded multilingual animated icon with global reach. Think of someone who’s not afraid to holler, “Vamanos!” Yes, Tijuana, I’m talking Dora the Explorer. Now that’s a mascot.
Related on World Hum:
* Eva Airways Harnesses the Power of Hello Kitty
Photo by antigone78 via Flickr, (Creative Commons)
Shrinking Planet Statistic of the Day: The Rise of China
by Jim Benning | 05.12.08 | 1:04 PM ET
Amazing bit of not-so-trivial trivia: “China today exports in a single day more than it exported in all of 1978.” Source: Fareed Zakaria’s new book, The Post-American World, as quoted in Sunday’s New York Times.
Related on World Hum:
* Shrinking Planet Headline of the Day: ‘Free Tibet’ Flags Made in China
Thousands Feared Dead in China Earthquake
by Jim Benning | 05.12.08 | 10:35 AM ET
At least 8,500 As many as 50,000 people are feared dead as a result of a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck roughly 60 miles northwest of Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province. Among the areas hit is Wenchuan, the Times of London reports, “best-known as the home of the Wolong Nature Reserve, China’s leading research and breeding base for the endangered giant panda.” Many travelers know Chengdu as the gateway to Jiuzhai Gou, a wilderness park and UNESCO World Heritage site. The quake was felt as far away as Bangkok.
Updated, May 15, 9 a.m, ET
The Oreo Goes Global
by Joanna Kakissis | 05.07.08 | 9:26 AM ET
Kraft Foods is pushing the all-American cookie on Great Britain this month, hoping to convince the finicky biscuit eaters that two crisp chocolate wafers sandwiched with “creme” trumps a digestive any old day. The Oreo is already the top-selling cookie in China, though it’s been modified to suit Chinese tastes (less sugar, wafers instead of cookies and oblong instead of round). The Chinese are also dunking their Oreos in milk, the ever-perfect combo for this resilient cookie.
National Geographic’s China Issue: ‘Inside the Dragon’
by Michael Yessis | 04.29.08 | 3:39 PM ET
Stories by Peter Hessler and Amy Tan anchor what looks to be a terrific May issue of National Geographic. Hessler has the cover story, and Tan writes about the Dong people, who have no written language. Also of note: a reprint of a 1955 story by Heinrich Harrer, My Life in Forbidden Lhasa.
‘At Least’ 70 Killed in China Train Accident
by Jim Benning | 04.28.08 | 7:22 PM ET
Monday’s Shandong province crash was the worst rail accident in China in a decade, the BBC reports. Authorities blame human error.
Shrinking Planet Headline of the Day: ‘Free Tibet’ Flags Made in China
by Jim Benning | 04.28.08 | 1:33 PM ET
Police in Guangdong are on the case, the BBC reports. Here’s the kicker: “Workers said they thought they were just making colourful flags and did not realise their meaning.”
Photo by -Marlith- via Flickr, (Creative Commons)
American Teacher in China Dials Back Mob Attack Story
by Jim Benning | 04.25.08 | 10:41 AM ET
The Shanghaiist report of an American volunteer teacher attacked by a mob outside a French grocery store in China’s Hunan Province was “sensationalist,” the teacher says. Shanghaiist reports that it posted the account April 22 after reviewing emails from two additional sources, including one from the volunteer organization’s field director that “appeared to corroborate the initial version of events.” Nevertheless, the teacher writes: “The crowd ... was ... following and chanting, but not attacking me in spite of ample opportunities to do so thoroughly. I eventually got into a taxi and the crowd surrounded it, content to have a foreign audience for their message. ... In spite of plentiful false reports in the Western media, I was not harmed during the course of this protest.” We posted a short item on the story Wednesday.