An Interview with Prince Pu Ren, Younger Brother of the Last Emperor of China

China travel news, hotel and restaurant updates, Imperial Tours company notes, and an interview with Pu Ren, younger brother of Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China.

Dear Guy,

In this issue you will learn:

• What Pu Ren, the Last Emperor’s younger brother, thinks of today’s China in our one-on-one interview.
• The latest scoop on the new Beijing–Tibet railway line.
• Expert reviews of the latest hotels and restaurants in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai.
• How Xi’an’s state-of-the-art extension at the Yangling Mausoleum takes Chinese museology to the top of the class.
• Helicopter tours of the Great Wall of China.
• An archaeological institute opens its secret store of antiquities for inspection.

Before all this, we at Imperial Tours raise our glasses to Karin Hansen of Frosch Travel, Deerfield. In 2004, she was runner-up, but in 2005, Karin won Imperial Tours’ Travel Agent of the Year award, bringing in more revenue than any other agent.

Travel Snippets

Trains

Beijing–Lhasa

With the much hooted opening on July 1 of the Beijing–Lhasa railway line, the highest in the world, train travel will bring the romance of long-distance rail journeys to China.

Travel agents should note that only passenger service has started. The sightseeing train is not yet in operation. Stories currently circulating about the route only refer to the passenger service and are not a meaningful indicator of the future luxury sightseeing train.

Based on our current information, we estimate that the sightseeing service will begin operation in summer 2007. The sightseeing train’s luxury carriages are rumored to have only four berths per carriage, a ratio that validates its claim to high luxury.

In our November broadcast, we touched upon the logistical and capacity problems that Lhasa will have in accommodating an influx of visitors. Various luxury hotel groups are moving in to top up luxury accommodation, including Banyan Tree, Park Hyatt, Hotel of Modern Art, Starwood, and others.

Hangzhou Maglev Rail Project Making Tracks

A high-speed rail link has been approved for the Beijing to Shanghai route. In a few years this 13-hour journey will be reduced to five hours, with trains traveling at up to 220 mph or 350 km/h.

A more glamorous rail project likely to affect the luxury travel industry is the construction of a 110-mile Maglev line from Shanghai to Hangzhou. This is planned for completion by 2010 and would reduce the two-hour journey to less than half an hour.

Planes

Helicopter Tours of the Great Wall

Imperial Tours introduces helicopter tours of the Great Wall. Aerial visits can be made to Badaling, Mutianyu, or the Jinshanling/Simatai sections of the Great Wall. The helicopter is unable to land at these destinations.

Two models of helicopter are available: the European-manufactured Eurocopter 120 and the American-manufactured Bell 206. These helicopters carry four or five passengers, respectively.

China Eastern Airlines, one of the biggest airlines in China, is soon to offer international service to Xi’an from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Delhi, London, Paris, Vancouver, and Los Angeles.

In April, American Airlines started direct flights from Chicago to Shanghai.

Other News

Xi’an Archaeological Institute Opens Its Store Room

Imperial Tours can now provide access to the private store room at the Xi’an Archaeological Institute. Under the guidance of an expert and having donned gloves, guests can handle invaluable relics, some of them nearly 3,000 years old.

Saks In The City

Saks Fifth Avenue is planning to open a 300,000-square-foot luxury department store in Shanghai in 2008. Triple the size of the existing Fifth Avenue location, the China store will also contain restaurants, bars, and possibly a nightclub.

Hotel and Restaurant Update for Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing

Restaurants

Hong Kong

Spoon — The setting inside the Intercontinental Hotel on the harbor shoreline was phenomenal, and the service was flawless. Although we were not blown away by the food, we enjoyed the gastronomic experience of the tasting menu.

The Kee Club — The Kee Club was everything Spoon was not. It was a personalized experience, and the food wowed us. The restaurant setting, Venetian in inspiration, is ornate but informal. To be highly recommended.

Hutong — Perched on the top two floors of Kowloon-side on 1 Peking Road, Hutong owns commanding views of Hong Kong’s harbor. It is a solid lunch restaurant.

Caprice — The French restaurant at the newly opened Four Seasons Hong Kong boasts Michelin three-star rated chef Thierry Vincent from the George V Hotel, Paris. Our impression: fantastic service, wonderful view, and a high standard.

China Club — A review of Hong Kong’s better restaurants would be incomplete without the China Club, with its wonderful contemporary art collection and consistently good Chinese food.

Shanghai

Jade on 36 — Atop the Shangri-La’s new hotel wing sits a bold and challenging restaurant. Paul Pairet’s “cuisine de voyage” is an eclectic meta-cuisine, unquestionably bold and fun.

South Beauty, Yanan Lu — This Sichuanese restaurant chain takes its latest Shanghai offering up a notch by locating it within a colonial mansion. However, the service is wanting, so despite its fine surroundings, it is not a reliable partner for the luxury visitor.

Beijing

The opening of the new Philippe Starck-designed South Beauty Sichuanese restaurant in Beijing continues to be imminent.

Ja-an is the French restaurant in the recently opened Raffles Hotel. We will review this restaurant in the next edition of our newsletter.

Hotel News

Hong Kong

Landmark Mandarin Hotel — A boutique hotel catering to the hip, return visitor to Hong Kong. The glamorous bar, excellent spa, well-respected restaurant, fine service, and designer bedrooms make for a sizzling cocktail in the heart of Hong Kong’s center.

Four Seasons Hotel — With deluxe rooms at 500 square feet, this is a powerful new entrant to Hong Kong’s luxury market. It boasts elegant, spacious bedrooms with harbor views and a breathtaking club lounge.

Peninsula Hotel — By merit of its heritage, the Kadoorie-owned Peninsula Hotel is currently the primus inter pares of Hong Kong’s luxury hotels.

Intercontinental Hotel — The spectacular harbor views and fine dining facilities attract many cruise and incentive visitors, but the property