12 and a half years!
Congratulations on 20K.

Undoubtably your contributions eclipse all others combined.^




March 28, 02, 1:20 pm #2
moondog
FlyerTalk Evangelist; Ambassador: China

Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 20,120
IMO, it's best to do as much of China on your own as possible, as organized tours are expensive, constricting, involve way too many temples and GIFT SHOPS, and the large bus dynamic renders it impossible to interact with most attractions in a relaxed/natural manner.

Going at it with limited assistance from CITS really isn't that hard. For example, you don't need their help in buying your US-China tickets (and you probably don't want to fly MU anyway). Booking your own hotels should be easy, with the help of res agents from the major chains or sites like ctrip. Once your at your hotel, you can do day trips either by cab (for close by attractions) or by minibus (for places that are further out). In both cases, your concierge should be able to help. Most can also assist you with intra-China flights and trains, for which there is no reason to book far in advance (best to be flexible). The only part of your trip for which you may require more structure, is the river cruise. Fortunately, IIRC the Lonely Planet has a pretty good section on this topics. Just my two cents. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.