Beijing Travel Forum

Hello,
I am flying back for the second time to China. This time I would like to travel from Beijing to Shanghai on 2 different ways. Partly by train and by boat. I know that there are boat trips on the Big Canal and we would like to make stop in Senzhuo, which I heard it's a beautiful town full of parks.

Is there anyone that knows where we can book the boat trip or any suggestions where to stop along the trip?

Thank you for any information.

Cornelia

I understand that the grand canal runs from Beijing to Hangzhou. I could not find a town along the canal called Senzhuo?
There was a boat cruising between Hangzhou and Suzhou a couple of years ago. I have heard that it was discontinued.
If there is a new one running the canal, I would be interested too.
Let’s find it.
Cheers.

As a local, I never heard there is boat trip from Beijing to Hangzhou, also never heard a town named senzhuo. Maybe I know too little about it, wish I am wrong you are right.

I've never heard about Senzhou either. There's Suzhou and Hangzhou, and there's Zhoushan. Those are the closest I could guess.

I meant Suzhuo, ha ha....sometimes I still have problems with the chinese names. Thank you for your help at this point. Hope to find more informations.

There're no boat trips running between cities on the Grand Canal anymore, AFAIK. Discontinued as trains and buses are much faster and more convenient.
Suzhou is NOT, IMHO, a "beautiful town full of parks". A lot of construction going on in Suzhou, especially since they're now trying to build a metro system. The Chinese gardens all require admission prices ranging from 20 to 70 RMB each, so your trip would quickly get expensive.

Any trip anymore? Mhhh that it's really a pity. I am stubborn, I want to travel on that canal and take pictures, so there must be someone outthere that has a boat to drive me down the canal. Any tips which cities/villages are beautiful to visit?
Thank you for you tip about Suzhuo. Entrance fee doesn't scare me much and it would be enought to see one or two parks. But I understand that the town must look like a bit working place since they are building the metro.

Cornelia

Please note that sometimes just because you WANT, doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get your way. You're starting to sound like one of the spoilt Chinese kids here!
Will a boat ride on the waterway surrounding what's considered old downtown Suzhou be good enough for you? I've seen some information that it costs 30 RMB/pax and goes from near Shantang Jie to Coiled Gate, then to Renmin Bridge. Some photos from someone's blog here: http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_537719ca010009t4.html
Also, please note that those are gardens, not parks! There're other places worth seeing in Suzhou other than gardens, but that's up to you if you want to be stubborn and not interested in seeing them. If you only pick a couple, my top picks are for Master-of-Nets Garden and Lion Grove.

Cornelia, there is really no need to travel on Grand Canal at all. You will be disappointed with what you see even you can find a boat.
I do recommend you take a look the gardens in Suzhou, at least some of them.

Hello guys, thank you for your advices. I am not expectinig anything special from Grand Canal and especially not first class services. I want to see how people leave along it, talk with guide, to them, and photograph the canal at down, make a reportage about it.
I will for sure visit the gardens in Suzhuo since I read and heard about them as very particular in China.
How is it to drive by car along the Shandon Province and see all the sea villages/cities like Yantai and Weihai and Qindgdao? Is it worth? Or is the Wangpan Yang nicer to see?

xié xié
Cornelia

What's Wangpan Yang???
BTW, I hope you know that you cannot self-drive in China? Short-term foreign travellers cannot do so without going through a lot of red tape and paying a lot... and it's not worth it anyway.
People don't really live ALONG the canal anymore! Sounds like you might need to "update" your ideas of life in China.

Hahahahahahaha... Funny. I guess people travel on water only for fun now. There might be short distance boat traveling. Long distance is difficult to find, though it'll be so cool to be on a private ship and travel across the pacific ocean.

Hellu,

oh that was a very intresting information about the driving in China. Thank you for that, i really did not know that it's forbidden. Would that be better to have a chinese person drive a car then and be guide?

Do you mean that people living along the canal moved away and it became industrialised all the way down?

This is very sad indeed. It's not really for fun I want to travel, I thought I could make a good reportage about this changes. What is there so fun about that? It's sad that a country in full development destroys nature, the few water support they have and moved out people that have been living for ages with water together and are forced now to live elsewhere. Is that fair?
Is that fun?

I think this is a very serious matter that people have to think about not only in China but all over the world.

Xié xié

Cornelia

It's just the way it is. They didn't move away, they just use more convenient transportations.
How do you know that people live there like to live remotely when they have a better choice? How do you know that in order to preserve the nature you like to see they should just live inconveniently themselves? I'm not judging or anything, I don't know myself. But one thing I know when I travel: I respect the people and choices they make.
Plus, nature is disturbed everywhere in the whole world! Wherever people live, nature is no longer what it's like before.

Of course I do respect people when I travel. Otherwise I could just stay at home. And of course it's better for the persons to move when companies destroy the nature around you. You just simply don't have another choice, this is so sad. Last year I saw a small village that lost his charm and wonderful nature, just because they builded a cole mine just close to it. The whole village was covered of black powder, the rivers were black, it was not so positive to see and I wonder what do the politicians do to improve living for the persons? They don't respect their own people, they do think, money is more important, let's destroy around us, but let's make money. This makes me angry coz, actually normal people like you and am are not strong enough to work against that, to make a change. As usual the rich rule!
Anyway I found out a cooperation between the Emperors canal and our canal here in Gothenburg. I will contact the office here and see which kind of informations I can get. I will let you know guys, in case anyone else wants to make this beautiful trip.
Apparently it starts in Jining.

Have a great day and thank you for talking to me, always fun to get to know people and their opinion.

Zaijian (right?)

Cornelia, go for it. There are still lots of small boat on the canal and I am sure if you are nice enough you can get a free ride with one of the locals. Even for me, I managed to get a ride on a small fishing boat down here in Shenzhen to go around a small island where normally boats are not allow to go near. As for Suzhou yes there are lots of construction around but same with 80% of China. What I like is the history behind all the gardens and temples in the area. When I lived in Shanghai last year I like going out there on the weekends to go through the many gardens and temples (slowly, not following the guide with the yellow flag), read the history, see how people used to live, play, cook etc and take lot of pictures. I found that once I crossed the front door the world went back 100 years (or more), all the construction and worries was left outside.
Just don't go when it is hot (July and August a big no no).
BTW, foreigners with a valid international driver's license can rent a car in most part of China. There are Avis and other international chains in most cities. Not able to read Chinese street signs may be a problem (not all English signs makes sense)

Yes, most short-term travellers here, rather than self-drive, would hire a vehicle and driver. Either that, or get around by public transport and taxis.
I have also seen the car rental companies around, but I suspect those are mainly aimed at locals, and foreigners who're living long-term here who have a Chinese driver's licence. You need to go through paperwork/exams (sorry, haven't done this personally) to convert an international licence to a Chinese one before you can drive in China. Even expats living in China usually prefer to have a driver rather than self-drive! So what does that tell you?
Please don't come with a pre-formed, biased opinion about why river transport is not in common use anymore. It doesn't really have anything to do with overindustrialisation, it's rather that due to the increased efficiency of road and rail transport, people would rather take these forms of transport rather than waste time on the river! If you're going to be prejudiced before you even come, I'm sorry but personally I wouldn't welcome you to travel here. -_- It's not fair to the country nor the people here.

I sure hope you do not speak on behalf of the whole China! There are in fact many "family stay" or as the rest of the world name them "bed and breakfast" type of places in regions like Guilin where foreigner can pay a very low cost compare to hotels to stay with the local famers, even experienced workign in the fields and truly enjoy the local culture.
As for car rental, what do I know, I only have a few rental invoices from Avis that showed I had rented several times from them just using my Canadian and International driver's license. I don't need to do any paperwork (Avis did them for me). Rule changes very fast in China, one day it does not work next day totally different (for example muiltipe visas are now back in). Economy are not so great and the government is trying it's best to bring in more foreign travellers/business people and making it easier for people to travel will be a very logical and easy to promote. But again, what do I know! I certainly do not have time to sit in front of the computer to surf the web all day and then put up out of date news as "advices".

Hi Polartraveller,

finally I get a positive respons on my purposes. I do think that with a smile and nice words you get a lot on the planet. And yes, I will go to the canal and get my ride. And thank you about the information of the international driving license, it sounds like very positive. See how long we will manage to be on the water. Right now it seems like we will be in Beijing 4 days, and then continue for Suzhuo / Hangzhou and finally to Shanghai. I definitively will not follow the yellow flags, that is not my kind of holiday. I want to meet persons in real life and try out my poor mandarin and my hands and feet. And take plenty of pictures of course!!

Xié xié hen. (or something like that)

Arkadia

Hello,

it seems that you and me really don't get along and see things the same way, but I do appreciate the time you take to discuss with me. I don't prejudice people and country, coz. this happens everywhere in the world. I fell in love in China last year and I left my heart there last year and some very very good friends (chinese) that I miss.
This is the majour reason why we are travelling back and this says a lot. and.....last but not least.... I love the vegetarian food in China..... gosh I am missing that one!

And I will travel on the Canal :-) and be happy and see the sunset and enjoy the nature around me and the hundreds of boats passing by with Chinas food, construction materials and so on.

I will think this is the trip of my life and I will try to talk to many people and ask them how they live. And life will be beautiful.

Arkadia, enjoy your trip. You will find most people in China are friendly and will go out of their way to help foreigners. They want to learn your culture as much as you do theirs. We have more fun in the out of the way places with the real "locals". Big city folks are too busy making a living and have have no time for others! unfortunitely part of the "modern culture" just like the west.
Bring some small gifts to exchange with the locals, I found that open more doors than money. Simple things such as handmade rope bracelets, T-shirts, ball caps worked great for us not only in China but for most places we visit in Asia and South America.

Hello,

yes we always take with us some small presents, especially from Sweden. For the children we have Pippi Longstocking well knon most everywhere, and we have the small trolls and small other things, that we tested last year and had big succes, though for the trolls people first got scared but after I explaned that they bring luck they started to smile again, ha ha, that was a cute reaction. I ended up finding lovely people even in the busy city of Beijing so it's always up to "us" if we make friends or not.

I will let you know how it went.

Excellent, if you have time to come south let me know.

Hello,

probably not this time. Where in the south do you live?
We might be 2 days in Wanshang Mountains, but all depends how long we will be travelling on the Canal.

Xié xié
Cornelia

I couldn’t help but admire your adventurous spirit and persistency.
I have a bit of good news for you – a candy store!

I believe I have found some relevant information for you. There is an organization in China promoting interest and heritage protection of THE GRAND CANAL. Their website is:
http://www.yunhe1794.com.cn/

So much information, that you may need many months to tour the canal side villages now! -:)
(Most of the info is in Chinese, If you need to, I assume you can enlist some translation help?…)

When do you plan to arrive in China?
Maybe my wife and I can do a canal trip this fall too.

Way to go Cornelia!

Hello,

that was indeed a great information. I will write them straight away and ask informations. I will let you know as soon as they answer.
That is fine that there is someone fighting for the canal.
Happy Easter and I let you know after the holidays.

Cornelia

Oh I forgot to answer:

We leave the 31st of May and arrive in Beijing the 1st of June, will stay a few days in Beijing to visit some good friends and see the rest we did not manage last year and then hopefully I hope to get on a boat somewhere in Jining or Suzhuo.
We will meet up with our good friend Huang that will be our guide/translator, so it will be easier for me to talk to people. My chinese is very very very poor, I hardly can pronounce the time, ha ha.

Ciao ciao
Cornelia

Cornelia, I am in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hongkong.

Allright! Do you work for a chinese company?

Well we might plan another time a trip to Hong Kong and buy some photostuff!

Happy Easter to everybody

Cornelia

I am an advisor in a foreign JV company. I just spent a weekend in HK, found stuff there more expensive than even back home in Canada. I think the mainland Chinese are driving the prices up, they come across in millions everyday and spend just about the same. Have agreat trip to Suzhou.

I see. Thank you, I will definitively let you all know when I get back.

Have a great time over there!

Ciao
Cornelia