Visit China: Family Style!
Planning a summer trip?
Well, why not take the kids to China?
Though it’s probably not one you hear every day, it may actually be
worth considering as a family trip destination.
Check out this next article (http://travel.cnn.com/8-family-friendly-travel-activities-china-346281)
that gives parents 8 great family friendly activities when visiting China. Enjoy!
Cheers!
Brianna Meighan
Family Travel Expert
China with children: 8 family friendly activities
Pandas, kung fu, scorpions -- here
are the easiest ways to make sure your China vacation is whine-free
By Angela Doland for CNN 24 April, 2013
For some travelers, visiting China with children is a
non-issue.
Their kids are curious about the world. Eager to try new things.
They don't complain, not even during four-hour guided tours of Beijing's
Forbidden City or visits to the Shanghai Museum to gaze at historic Ming
vases.
We're just kidding. Children like that don't exist.
Here's a list of kid-friendly destinations and activities to try
in China that will delight even the hardest to please teenager.
1. Great Wall joy ride
Walking
is overrated.
Standing atop the Great Wall is one of those amazing travel
experiences that needs no gimmicks attached. In theory.
But for kids who are especially hard to impress, the Mutianyu
section of the Wall has a 723-meter-long ski lift to the top (640 meters above
sea level) and a toboggan ride down to the valley via a 1,580-meter track.
Mutianyu is about 75 kilometers northeast of central Beijing.
Great Wall admission: RMB45 ($7.20) for adults, RMB25 for
children 12 and under. Round-trip ski lift/toboggan ticket: RMB80;
open April-October 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; November-March 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
2. Panda cuddle
A hug
from China's national icon. The ultimate photo op.
For animal lovers, Chengdu is the place to hit with children.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has been
raising the country's biggest stars since 1987.
Visitors can see the animals in a park-like setting or pay
RMB700 ($113) to be an intern for a day, feeding the pandas and scooping up
their poop.
For anyone who has dreamed of hugging a panda, this is the
chance. For RMB1,300 ($210), you can don gloves and a gown and briefly hold one
in your arms.
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, 1375 Bei Xiongmao
Da Dao, Chengdu, Sichuan; +86 28 8350 7814; open daily 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; admission
RMB58 ($9). www.panda.org.cn
3. Princess makeover
Everyting
matches, right down to the flowers.
At Disney World, parents can spend $189 to have their daughters
dress up as princesses, get their makeup done and take part in a photo shoot.
Tourists in Tongli, a canal town outside Suzhou, can pay just
RMB10 (about $1.60) for a slightly less VIP experience.
Girls are lent silk embroidered gowns, have flowers pinned in
their hair and pose for a photographer in an ancient courtyard. Boys can
dress up as mini-emperors.
Similar rent-a-costume stands exist throughout China for
children -- and adults -- in popular tourist spots.
Tongli is about 18
kilometers southeast of Suzhou and 80 kilometers west of Shanghai. Shanghai
Tourism Distribution Center (2409 Zhongshan Nan Er Lu) organizes day trips to
Tongli for RMB130; +86 21 5351 4830
4. Scorpions on a skewer
The
perfect shot for a kid's holiday scrapbook.
If you're in China with children and looking for a quick source
of entertainment, new food could be the answer.
In Beijing, you can hit Wangfujing Snack Street and take photos
of all the funny food you can't get at home, such as scorpions, centipedes and
even weirder fare like sea horses.
Australian Lynette MacDonald, managing editor of Shanghai Family magazine and mother
of two boys aged eight and 12, says she remembers taking her kids here and
hearing a vendor call out, in English, "Have you ever eaten sheep's
penis?"
The market also serves dumplings, steamed buns and fried
noodles, which MacDonald says are tasty and prepared fresh in front of diners.
Beijing's Wangfujing Snack Street, Dong'anmen Dajie, at the
north end of Wangfujing; open daily 5:30-10:30 p.m.
5. Chinese superheroes in action
Somebody
has been practicing.
Chinese acrobats are akin to living superheroes -- they usually
do their stunts without ropes or nets.
Both Shanghai and Beijing have affordable shows that will amaze
even hard-to-impress teens.
Shanghai's main show, "Era, Intersection of Time," has
live music, artistry and polish, while its Beijing counterpart has cheesier
costumes and crazier stunts.
Both shows run no longer than 90 minutes. Both culminate
with motorcyclists zigzagging upside-down and all-around inside an on-stage
globe. Even the cheap seats are good.
Era, Intersection of Time, 2266 Gonghe Xin Lu, near Guangzhong
Xi Lu, Shanghai; +86 1 6652 5468; daily 7:30 p.m.; tickets from RMB 190-590; www.era-shanghai.com/era/en/
Beijing’s Chaoyang Theater Acrobatics Show, 36 Dongsanhuan Bei
Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing; +86 10 6507 2421; shows daily at 5:15 p.m. and
7:15 p.m.; tickets from RMB 280-880. www.bjcyjc.com
6. Yangshuo float
Yangshuo
fishermen use cormorants to catch prey.
Yangshuo County in southeastern China has long inspired artists
with its tranquil river scenes and otherworldly rock formations.
If you're in China with children, you can make the excursion
more lively by renting water guns and cruising down a bamboo raft on the river,
squirting people in other boats.
Yangshuo offers plenty of opportunities to burn off kids'
energy. They can bike through rice paddies, explore caves, go rock climbing or
take a mud bath.
Most travelers reach Yangshuo from Guilin. Buses bound for Yangshuo
leave every 15 minutes from Guilin Bus Station on Zhongshan Lu and Guilin South
Railway Station. The journey takes around 90 minutes and the fare is about RMB
15 per person.
Yangshuo County; yangshuotour.com
7. Kung fu class
What kid
doesn't want to act out their Bruce Lee fantasies?
Many China hotels can arrange affordable, kid-friendly private
lessons in a wide range of subjects, ranging from Mandarin to kung fu.
Travelers heading to Beijing with kids can check out The Hutong,
a cultural exchange center that offers classes and outings geared toward older
children and teenagers.
Families can make hand-pulled noodles together, tour a food
market or join a theatrical walking tour in which historical characters pop out
of the landscape and interact with visitors.
For RMB625 ($100), The Hutong can also set kids up with a
private 90-minute lesson with a kung fu master who trained at Shaolin Temple.
The Hutong, 1 Jiu Dao Wan Zhong Xiang Hutong, Beijing; +86 159
0104 6127; www.thehutong.com
8. Kite flying
Families visiting China’s big cities will likely need a break
from the noise, concrete and traffic.
Parks are a great place to let children run around without
worrying about cars. Small kids will easily make friends, giving parents an
opportunity to meet local families.
In Shanghai’s Fuxing Park, families can picnic, fly kites or
ride on retro carnival equipment.
Adults won’t be bored either. The people-watching opportunities
are endless but our favorites are the retirees, who can be found ballroom
dancing or slapping themselves (it’s good for circulation) as they stroll.
