Why take home a taxi-load of anonymous self-assembly flat-pack furniture, when for much the same price you can fill your apartment with elegant traditional Chinese pieces? (This article is for information purposes only. Imperial Tours is not in involved in any capacity with the antique or reproduction furniture business. We advise caution when contacting these companies.) Opening the door to your astronomically-priced expat housing, you are appalled by the gaudiness of the furniture inside.  » Read more »

Two hours from Beijing, Baiyangdian in summer metamorphoses from a drab swamp into a colorful checkerboard of lotus patches and fish nurseries The sun may have taken the weather forecasters by surprise, but not the lotus flowers. Attuned to the barest climatic fluctuation, they are already on the threshold of their summer bloom. A gathering tide of flowering lotuses is now sweeping across China, transforming seemingly destitute marshlands into scenic tableaux of white,  » Read more »

by Peter Neville-Hadley, Editor-in-Chief  Send those friends and relations off on an unusual summer tour Despite repeated predictions that in a very short period China will overtake France as the number one travel market in the world, the opening up of China's travel industry to the creation of Sino-foreign joint-ventures last year has been met with little enthusiasm, not least because it has yet to be deregulated sufficiently to guarantee a reasonable return.  » Read more »

This article by Imperial Tours' founder about the tribes of Guizhou is for cultural informational purposes only. Imperial Tours does not offer services to these destinations as luxury faciltiies are not available. By Guy Rubin As cranes and bulldozers proliferate like ants across China, depositing cities and highways in their hammering trail, now is the time to venture inland in search of the more traditional side of China.  » Read more »

by Polly Evans, Editor Top tips for holiday planners For those traveling to China who are fed up with staying in hotels which don't quite meet the mark, a new luxury tour company, Imperial Tours , has researched all the major hotels in China's most-visited locations, with the aim of offering guests the ultimate in luxury and elegance. These are the spots it recommends: Starting in Beijing, the newest and most stylish hotel in town is the Kerry Centre Hotel (Behind the China World Trade Centre at 1 Guanghua Lu,  » Read more »