Originally Posted by
Deltus
I too suggest considering organising everything yourself. With Trip.com, Booking.com and Hotels.com all working for China, it's actually surprisingly easy. Trains and metros are all straightforward (provided you've done your research), and if you use Didi then urban road transport is also simple.
My one caveat would be if you're going anywhere properly rural, but if you're open-minded and not in a rush then that too should probably be ok.
As mentioned above, the benefit of doing your own thing is avoiding the mandatory shopping stops, choosing your own pace, and it could well end up cheaper too.
Some high end tours are lead by famous professors, which arguably makes them useful, but unless you're a history buff, I don't see value in paying for the cost of the professor's time and accommodation expenses, especially in light of the fact that many of us --also well credentialed-- are willing to help for free.
More thoughts:
1. Beijing and Shanghai are both super easy
-book hotels on your own, and feel free to ask us for location advice
-we can also help you book transportation between the two
-the audio tour of the Forbidden City is really great, but if you're not into audio tours, simply seeing it (without audio) isn't so bad
2. If you want to add cities like Hangzhou to the mix, simply inquire, and we will provide our best resources
-e.g. my mom happens to be a strong enthusiast of the West Lake, so I made it a focal point in her China visit; we dropped $700 on a lakeside hotel, and a private boat; this was a much better use of funds than spending $2,000 on a Harvard professor to simply provide common knowledge
3. Join our Wechat group prior to your trip
-while I'm cautious about data privacy issues --and, therefore, refrain from discussing controversial topics-- we essentially provide free 24/7 concierge service throughout the region
-the concierge thing was never our intent, but when you have 130 members spread about the world, that's what you get