Being that I studied in Tokyo and have verrrrrry basic knowledge of the kanji, which may help somewhat, I've been eyeing a trip to China/Beijing....

Should I go, this will be my 1st time and being that it is, is it best as an unplanned, i.e. no tours, but on my own kind of thing. Is this a good or bad idea?

Also, say arriving in PEK and/or CAN can I get a good taste of the region/area if I am on my own or is it best to go with a Trafalgar type of tour company or just simply create my own....


tia....sorry for an open question here.