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September 2004
Dear Guy,
 We can't move fast enough in China," said Barry Sternlicht, Starwood's Chairman and CEO, anticipating the massive demand for luxury travel in China. For information on moving faster, he should contact travel agents Karin Hansen of Travel Duet and Sandy Litwin of Litwin Travel. Together with Imperial Tours, these Virtuoso agents were selected as Super Agents for China and Hong Kong in the recent "Travel + Leisure" 2004 A-List survey. We congratulate them on achieving their distinguished accolade.
This month's newsletter is as exciting and wide-ranging as China's phenomenal development. From Shanghai's first Formula One car race to Beijng's first International Tennis Open, from a record breaking 32 gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics to the latest news on the US$37 billion China is spending on the forthcoming 2008 Olympics (four times more than Greece), "Imperial Tours News" covers it all on-site from Beijing, China.
But, it's not all about the new and the modern. In the "Discovery" section we introduce the little known, but highly significant cultural site "Famen Temple" to tie in with an October exhibition at the Shanghai Museum. We hope that through this newsletter you can travel from your office desk to discover the wonderful treasures of ancient China.
First, some China-related travel news:
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Virtuoso's China Onsite
Traveling China...in style
Phone us at 888 888 1970
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China Travel News
New Visa Restrictions For Visiting American Tourists
- As of September 1st this year, airport tax for both domestic and international flights is included within the air ticket price; it is no longer necessary to buy airport tax separately.
- Rail travel is also in the headlines thanks to China's government decision to allow private investment in rail. This will encourage the investment groups trying to introduce luxury trains. It's still probably going to be a couple of years before a luxury train will be introduced to China, but surely investors will be aiming to do so in time for the 2008 Olympics.
- When they do so, travelers will be able to travel on a new wide-gauge rail line from Singapore to Kunming in China's westerly Yunnan province. Contracts have recently been signed to upgrade the existing narrow gauge track originally laid by the French.
- For an introduction to China's luxury travel industry, click here. It will take you to Imperial Tours' recent article, published in "China Review", which presents today's industry within the context of China's recent history.
- Book a place for you and a partner on one of our forthcoming Educational trips from March 18-27 or November 4-13, 2005. For an itinerary and details, please click here.
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Hotel/Restaurant News
- Starwood announces 2 new W hotels in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Unsurprisingly, the properties are promised to be up and running by 2008.
- Huangshan Pine Golf Hotel announces the expansion of its 18 hole golf course to 72 holes. It joins Kunming's "Eternal Spring", Guangzhou's "Mission Hills" and Hangzhou's "Fuchun Resort" as an elite golfing destination ideal for golf tours or incentive travel groups.
- On the subject of elites, Shanghai's exclusive Yongfu Elite established itself this August as a private members club. Although its restaurant is accommodated inside a beautiful colonial building in Shanghai, its cuisine - supposedly inherited from the Manchu aristocracy - requires less salt and more work to make the grade.
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Calendar
Beijing
1) The China Open Tennis Tournament will be held in Beijing from September 10-26; the quarter finals being played on 9/24, the semi-finals on 9/25 and the finals on 9/26. Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova headline the women's line-up and Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya and Marat Safin headline the men's draw. Click here to visit The China Open Tennis Tournament's official website.
(2) From September, an exhibition of paintings by Jiang Guo Fang will open at the Forbidden City. Born in 1951 this graduate of the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts is now renowned as a master painter, and is particularly well known for his Forbidden City Series, which appropriately is the subject of this exhibition inside the Forbidden City. To view some of Jiang Guo Fang's paintings, please click here.
3) On September 25th, visitors can enjoy China's first ever concert on the Great Wall. Alicia Keys, Cyndi Lauper, Boyz ll Men, Al Jarreau, JC Chasez and Raz B will be playing from 7pm at Ju Yong Guan. Tickets, priced from 100 RMB to 10,000 RMB can be purchased from +86 10 6417-7845.
Shanghai
1) Elton John makes his China debut at the Shanghai Grand Stage on September 19 & 21. The tickets priced from 350RMB to 2500RMB can be bought by clicking here.
2) On September 26th, Shanghai's first ever Formula One Grand Prix will take place at the purpose-built US$240 million Shanghai International Circuit. Click here to visit the Shanghai Formula One official website.
3) On the same night, September 26th, the Back Street Boys will be performing at Hongkou Stadium. Tickets priced from 120 RMB to 1280 RMB can be bought by clicking here.
4) Following the successful staging of Cats last year, British impresario and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is bringing The Phantom of the Opera to Shanghai's Grand Theater from December 18th to January 9th, 2005. Tickets are priced from 100rmb to 2000rmb per ticket (approximately US$10 to US$250 per ticket.)
5) Shanghai Museum will hold an exhibition of objects unearthed from Famen Temple between December 25th to February, 2005. (For more information about Famen Temple, please see the Discovery Section below.)
San Francisco, USA
1) Tune in for Imperial Tours' Director of Sales, Margot Kong's interview on KGO Radio on Saturday, November 20th at 11:30am on the "Dining Around with Gene Burns" show, during which she will be introducing China's hottest restaurants.
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 China International Open
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Odds N Ends
With the Athens 2004 Olympics over, the world turns its attention to preparations for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. It is difficult to overstate the importance of these games to the Chinese nation; it is hoped they will showcase China as a modern and prosperous nation. This helps explain the enormous investment in areas unrelated to sport that the 2008 Olympic has generated.
For example, though not generally known, the China National History Museum on Tiananmen Square is currently closed for refurbishment. It is scheduled to reopen in 2007 as China's foremost art history museum. This project has received far less press than the construction of the National Theater. West of Tiananmen Square, this is popularly known as the "Egg" thanks to its unusual and controversial design by French architect Paul Andreu. The National Theater is scheduled to be finished at the end of 2005.
Click here to see exclusive photographs of the China National Theater as it was a fortnight ago when I was conducted on a private tour of the construction site.
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 The Buddha's holy remains
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Famen Temple
Shanghai Museum's end-of-year exhibition of art objects from Famen Temple highlights the significance of this temple's collection within Chinese art history.
The discovery of the secret vault beneath Famen Temple was the foremost archeological find of the 1980's. How this happened is so bizarre as to lend credence to the claim that its unique heritage was protected by the Gods through the ages.
Ever since the central pagoda at Famen Temple was built over eighteen hundred years ago, local villagers whispered across the generations the rumor of its guarding a mercury-filled well in which sailed a golden ship containing the sacred relics of the Buddha. Most dismissed the story as nonsense. A lightning storm in 1981 that cleaved the pagoda in two revealed the extraordinary factual basis for the tale. During restoration, archeologists discovered a heavy slab stone hiding an underground vault. Inside, they found not only ceremonial artifacts of incalculable value - presents from the Tang dynasty Emperors in honor of the Buddha - but more valuable still, they discovered within bejeweled cases the whispered-about, sacred remains of the Buddha himself.
Although these are far and away the most important objects of the collection, they represent a fraction of this astonishingly important discovery. For example, a complete set of a certain kind of celadon ceramic, known as the "Secret Celadon" was discovered. This was a ceramic made with a complete glaze, used only by the Imperial family, which had never before been seen and corroborated. The Arabic glassware collection is also fascinating as this pays artful testimony to the vibrant commerce along the Silk Road during the Tang dynasty (618 - 907 CE).
The photograph above displays the sarira that are now kept in the pagoda at Famen Temple. Taken from the Buddha's cremation remains, these are said to be made of diamond - as such they represent his discovery of the pure truth of enlightenment.
Famen Temple is a two hour drive west of the city of Xi'an. It can be easily incorporated within a private tour itinerary.
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We hope you enjoyed this newsletter. As always, please do write back with any feedback that you would like us to incorporate. Alternatively, please call Margot Kong, our Director of Sales and Marketing, in San Francisco, at 888 888 1970.
With Best Regards,
Guy Rubin
Managing Partner, Imperial Tours
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