Originally Posted by
Taiwaned
We wanted to use Chengdu as our base but it sounds like it is a long and uncomfortable(?) bus ride to get to each location.
Further question, is there an airplane that goes from Beijing to Chong Xing directly so we can bypass Chengdu?
Then after the cruise is over, it finishes at Yi Chang. What is Yi Chang like? Is there a way to get to Chengdu? or Hong Kong? Beijing?
We are aware that Chong Xing is big enough to have a JW Marriott then it should be a pretty big city but from the looks of it, Yi Chang looks like its in the middle of nowhere.
Chongqin is a such a large City, I sure you can fly there from most anywhere. I remember even seeing flights between Chongquin-Chengdu, which is a very short airline flight. If you want to go Chengdu anyway, you would have the option of taking a bus to Chongquin from Chengdu. I don't really want to discourage you from making Chengdu a base and taking bus trips to places like Wolong from there. From Chengdu, you can arrive late in the day, stay overnight at the hotel next to the Panda Breeding Center, spend the ENTIRE next day seeing Pandas, and leaving early on the third day to return to Chengdu as there, a least two years ago, was only a singe bus arrival to and from Chengdu. Maybe there's more options now.
If you exhaust sights around Chengdu, nothing wrong with catching a flight to Lijiang or most anywhere else in China. I certainly would not limit one's self to the Beijing, Xian, Shanghai highlights circuit. For example, I found Hangzhou, an easy train or bus ride from Shanghai, to be just as worthwhile in its own right. Great night market, and a slower pace place to spend some lazy time at the big lake there.
I don't know anything about Yi Chang.