Chapel Hill Guy

May be in Asia on Oct 1. I've seen the fireworks over Hong Kong harbor and they're great. How are they in PEK?

moondog

i can't comment on fireworks, but imo beijing is most unpleasent on national day ---> i would stick with hk (or better yet, thailand) if i was in your shoes.

Rothsix

You're killing me Moondog! I am still hoping against hopes that Beijing will be fun during the National Holiday. We're there from Oct. 1 to 6 then head to Shanghai. If it is really going to be terrible, please lie to me as I cannot think of how to adjust my itinerary to avoid it.....

Rothsix

moondog

I think I told you before that it won't be the end of the world, especially if you've never experienced the normal (less nationalistic) Beijing with which to compare it to.

Rothsix

You did, and I appreciate that. But then you said "imo beijing is most unpleasent on national day". It had me a little worried. I'm hoping it will actually be kind of fun with so many people about.

Related to our Beijing arrival, would you happen to know of any good car hire services that we might be able to arrange to pick us up at the airport? I am looking for a meet and greet service on arrival. Very hard to find on-line and I am hesitant to pay more than a deposit ahead of time without a solid recommendation.

Thanks again Moondog.
Rothsix

pegasus8228

good firework in HK, in the harbor. i never saw the firework in BJ though.

but i am sure that in BJ is also fine. In BJ you can enjoy more of the celebration atmosphere, perhaps a lot more functions/activities as well.
because in HK it is just another holiday other than the firework.

OTOH october is the best time in the year to visit Beijing, weather-wise. so i think you made the right choice for city!

did you ask your hotel for pick up? pick-up cost about RMB400-500 from top hotels with an Audi (more for imported cars like Mercedes), a bit less from other hotels. but i guess it is worthwhile for first time visitor.

taxi cab cost 150RMB to east side and 200RMB to west side, but the car conditions are not very good.

moondog

since i'm now extra wary about about casting any doubt on rothsix's plans, i'll try to keep my criticisms as gentle and objective as possible. but, since the op still has the hk option, i'd like to go into a little more detail on the nature of the national day celebration. in essence, during national day, china's powers that be go to great lengths to foster a nationalistic atmosphere that glorifies their past (e.g. cultural revolution et al), current (e.g. socialism with capitalist elements), and future (e.g. taiwan reunification) programs. keep in mind, these are the same leaders that indirectly encouraged this past spring's anti-japanese movement.

i have no hard feelings against the prc government per se and i certainly like the majority of chinese people that i've met, but i'd be lying if i said that such overtly political celebrations weren't a tad disturbing (not so much the celebrations themselves as the effect they have on many of the uninformed country-folk that make the journey to the capital in order to participate).

i guess everyone has to judge for him/herself..... and rothsix will have that opportunity and i hope he makes the best of it and learns a bit in the process, but having witnessed national day first-hand on several occassions myself (including during the 50th anniversary of the ccp), i'm none too eager to do so again.

i agree with you on this point (ten times over perhaps).

i don't know what time you're arriving, rothsix, but even during rush hour (4-6p) i predict that both immigration and the taxi queue will be extremely light because business travel comes to a standstill during the holiday weeks. therefore, even if you have money to burn, i would advise against forking over the car service premium (very few will meet you inside the secure area btw).

i actually disagree about the taxi conditions. all of the xiali's are being phased out and replaced with new two-tone cabs this year (roughly 20% of the fleet by my observations) and while most of these are citroens and smaller hyundais, they are clean and reliable. bottom line, only decent cabs are allowed to do airport pick-ups so it's hard to go too wrong.

in any case, feel free to pm me if you're at all nervous about the airport taxi scene and i will do everything in my power to alleviate your fears (i can even send you a working phone, if need be).

Rothsix

Moondog, I have to start by saying that you are definately an appreciated wealth of information to everyone out there that wants to see China. (gushing will end now)

The only thing I worry about through it is packing enough duct tape to keep my trap shut and not say anythign that will land me in a Chinese prison. I manage to do ok in the US nowadays, so it might not be a problem.

I have asked the hotel to pick us up at the airport and they are actually not too bad on the rate. I think this will give us a bit of breathing room and a chance to get my bearings when we arrive. I certainly appreciate the offer of assistance, and if you are around (I know its doubtful), I think it would be a good gesture for us to buy you a drink or maybe dinner for all the help.

One other question: Does the National Holiday run all week?
Ok, one more question: I have heard air tickets might be hard to get during this time. I know you suggested buying the tickets when we arrive, but does that still hold true during this week?

Once again, thanks a lot for all the information.
Rothsix

moondog

yes, people are expected to work the preceding saturday and sunday; then they get the next 5+2 days off

it really depends on where you want to go, but i wouldn't worry too much. from what i've seen of the national crowd in bj and sh, most don't really conform to the air travel demographic.

that said, wealthier chinese do take advantage of the chance to bob about during their days off, but they tend to focus on a rather limited number of destinations, such as sanya, xiamen, hk, and lijiang. staple business routes like pek-sha and most international routes (bkk is an exception) tend to be pretty light.

no prob. and i'd love to hang out if i'm in town. chances are, i'll be there right before and/or right after the holiday week.

pegasus8228

i would still try the ticket as soon as i arrive there to avoid any uncertainty.

you can actually try ctrip.com/etc. and they will deliver to your hotel collecting cash. they sell discounted tickets, but typically takes order and deliver on the same day -- i think (i never try that myself, moondog probably knows better).
the best way is probably get the hotel to book and purchase the ticket for you though.

----

i was commenting on the festival atmosphere between HK and BJ. judging purely by the events BJ is 'hotter' than HK (HK only has 1-2 days of holiday).

of course one should form his own political judgment on these issues, and i guess this is not a good place for me to agree or disagree....
but just a piece of fact, cultural revolution has been formally negated by the PRC Gov't over 10 years ago.

----

yes, if they have new hyundai they are fine. i myself took taxi from airport but i speak madarin and am very familiar with beijing......so for first time traveller i thought the pick up from hotel may ease some of the anxiety.

another tip, there are usually "RMB2/km" taxi's (there are 3 tiers of taxi's in Beijing, priced at 1.2/1.6/2.0 per km) waiting outside the hotels (Red Flag made by Audi JV in Changchun). when you are in a car with good quality and is clean, you can negotiate with them for a day rent (does your wife speak some mandarin?), say 600 RMB a day to go to the great wall and perhaps stop by places on the way as well; that will be a lot cheaper than hiring cars from the hotel.

going to airport from hotel i also recommend the taxi option as there will be no anxiety factor then (and the hotel is less chaotic than the airport). i think the same principle probably applies for shanghai as well...

moondog

peg: i agree with pretty much everything you said, with a few clarifications:

-i just tossed out the CR as an example to illustrate the fact that the general theme is: "the prc is grand with respect to all past, present, and future endeavors". to put it another way, you won't find a lot of, "oh boy, we really screwed up big there!" or "maybe those taiwanese really do have a case..." going around.
-my approach to plane tickets. 1) check ctrip. 2) check agency in hotel. 3) if hotel is as good as ctrip, use hotel. 4) otherwise, book ctrip and leave money with concierge. the whole process takes less than 2 hours no matter who you book with.
-i would try to get the day hire for y400; you'll have a better shot at doing so if you keep it under 6 hours.

Chapel Hill Guy

Great info about Beijing, but I guess my first visit there will have to come at another time as it's SGN (Ho Chi Minh City) and HKG this trip.

Last time I was in HKG on Oct 1 the city didn't seem much different than any other visit, except for the fireworks of course, but then you don't tend to see a lot of PRC nationalism out of HKG residents.

pegasus8228

that was my point, other than a few flags and the firework, HK is no different from another long weekend. (less people on the street as they leave town for a short trip, maybe).
given the way they forced an idiot called Tung on us, it is not surprising how cool the reaction was toward the national day. to their 'credit' they finally removed him....

rkkwan

To most Hong Kong people 10/1 is just a day off work. No more, no less. Just like the Queen's Birthday holiday before 1997.

But for people working in mainland-owned companies, or have tight economic ties, then they may have to attend a banquet or two. That's about it.