CST announces new adventure: Craft Beer & The Great Wall Tour

CST China Special Tours announces new adventure:
Craft Beer & The Great Wall of China

Unique trip will provide great insight to ancient cultures and modern life

ANAHEIM, California – March 17, 2016 – The worldwide growing popularity of craft beer is a vital trend in China as well. Local microbreweries are popping up all over the country. Beer enthusiasts will have a chance, this fall, to explore China’s ancient sites and sample some unique brews along the way.

Visits to local microbreweries in Beijing and Shanghai will offer a chance to sample beer with uniquely Chinese characteristics — as local beers often contain rice, sorghum and sometimes rye in addition to barley. Flavorings like purple rice, Sichuan peppercorn, jasmine tea or bitter melons will for sure earn craft beer enthusiasts some bragging rights to take home with them. The craft beer scene in the two major cities shows steady growth, as more and more Chinese develop a taste for artisanal beers.

ABOUT THE TOUR

Starting in Beijing/China on September 24 and running through October 1, 2016, the tour will be limited to only 20 travelers who will experience many dynamic points of interest including The Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Additional treats will include a rickshaw ride through the old alley ways (hutongs) of Beijing and three days in the vibrant metropolis Shanghai round out the itinerary.

“Nobody has ever offered a tour to China quite like this one,” said Dieter F. Schneider, President of CST China Special Tours and noted expert on traveling to China. “On this 8-day trip, attendees will have the opportunity to explore unchartered territory and be pioneers; they will be exposed to both, ancient cultures and the modern ways now being embraced by the Chinese people.”

The package price of $1,699 (double occupancy) includes seven nights accommodation in superior four-star hotels, all meals, admissions, domestic transportation, English speaking guides, and much more. Airfare can be arranged and is currently available for less than $750 from/to Los Angeles.

ABOUT CST CHINA SPECIAL TOURS

CST China Special Tours is a California-based tour operator organizing customized group trips to China. The China experts create special interest itineraries for groups (culinary, martial arts, TCM, T’ai Chi, and many others), and organize meetings, incentives and retreats in China for major corporations as well as educational institutions.

For more information and reservations, please visit www.chinaspecialtours.com or email dieter@chinaspecialtours.com

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Happy New Year - 新年好

Streets in all the major Chinese cities appear empty as millions have left to visit their families for the most important holiday of the year: Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival. The official start is 3:48pm PST on February 18, 2015. Xīnnián hǎo can be heard as the most common greeting, meaning New Year Goodness. 

 

Preparations for this important day (the Spring Festival can actually be celebrated for 15 days) are in full swing: Houses are cleaned thoroughly, symbolizing the sweeping out of bad luck of the last year and inviting good luck in. Houses are decorated with red lanterns. Some may have bought new clothes and shoes, even got a haircut in celebration for this important new beginning. Businesses are supposed to pay off their old debts. And gifts are being selected to be exchanged, from old to young.

 

 

Traditional Fruit (Oranges, Tangerines)

The festivities may start with a lion dance and often include fireworks and the use of loud firecrackers. History or legend tell us that the color red and the noise of the firecrackers scare off the beast Nian who in the past put fear into villagers. The highlight of the day is the Reunion Dinner, comparable to the Thanksgiving Dinner in the US. Red envelopes containing money may be distributed, food, fruits and sweets are common gifts when visiting elders or in-laws. 

 

The Year will be 4712, and it will be the Year of the Goat (or Sheep, or Ram). The Goat can be appealing, altruistic, creative, empathetic, intuitive, generous, artful, gentle, romantic, sensitive, compliant, and candid but also self-pitying, pessimistic, lazy, indecisive, contentious, capricious, irresponsible, tardy, or careless. Please know that not all traits are equally present, there are many other factors involved in getting a complete picture.

 

 

Interested to learn more about Chinese culture, legends, history, practices? Join us on an unforgettable tour visiting the most fascinating places in China: Beijing, Xian, Guilin, and Shanghai. Enjoy 10% off if you book before February 28, 2015.

 

To all our friends – Happy New Year: 新年好.

Early Booking Discount extended until February 28!

Join us on "The Best of China" tour and enjoy 10% off the regular tour price if you book before February 28, 2015. Time is running out quickly, don't miss out! See http://www.chinaspecialtours.com/#!best-of-china-tour for all the exciting details.

Join us on The Best of China Tour, September 18-27, 2015

Yes, the labor of love is completed! Book now and join us on a fascinating 10-day trip through China, visiting ancient treasures and modern wonders. We start in the capital, Beijing, getting lost in the 9999 rooms of the Forbidden City, strolling on the over 2,500 year old Great Wall. In Xi'an we admire over 8,000 life-size and unique statues of the Terra Cotta Warriors before we embark on a leisurely cruise through the most serene landscape in Guilin. Finally, we'll explore the bustling metropolis, Shanghai, with its 23 million people.

Enjoy a 10% Early Booking Discount for all reservations made before February 15, 2015. 

Visit www.chinaspecialtours.com for all details, the complete itinerary, pricing, inclusions, etc. 

Exciting News: CST offers 'Best of China' Tour in September 2015!

For several years, we have heard comments from our customers: Why don't you offer a tour that includes all the major cities and attractions? Well, we were and are listening; and while we are finalizing all contracts, please save the date:

September 18-27, 2015 

Highlights of the itinerary will include 

Beijing

Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Great Wall

Xi'an
Terracotta Warriors, City Wall, Grand Mosque

Guilin (Li River)
Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave, Li River Cruise, Yangshuo
 

 

Shanghai

The Bund, French Concession, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple

  

This tour is the perfect introduction to China for the first-time visitor, all major destinations and attractions are included. You will see historical sites, beautiful scenery and get a vision of modern China. Standby for more updates in early January. 

Wishing all readers the very best for a healthy and successful 2015!

节日快乐 - Happy Holidays from your friends at China Special Tours

While Christmas is not officially observed in China, foreign visitors will not have to miss out on familiar sights and sounds: Plenty of Christmas decorations can be found in the malls, supermarkets, banks, and restaurants, -  and don’t be surprised to find clerks wearing Santa hats and green and red accessories. Tree lighting ceremonies can as easily be found as the picture-ready Santa.

A Christmas Tree in front of the Birds Nest

Chinese have not only adopted the habit of exchanging small, inexpensive gifts for Christmas but more and more also generously decorate Christmas trees (here called Tree of Lights) in their homes with paper chains, flowers, and lanterns. Since most Chinese are not Christian, the religious meaning is not of importance, it is however a great opportunity to get together with family members and to enjoy a luxurious meal, usually an elaborate Peking duck dinner.

Should you consider a visit to China in December, please keep in mind that Beijing shares the same climate as New York City, so come prepared with sufficient warm clothing.The country is huge, and while the south offers warmer weather the northeast lures with the famous Harbin Ice Festival (January 5 - February 5) and freezing temperatures. China is always worth a visit, and why not experience the Holidays in a different culture?

China Special Tours creates special group tours exclusively to China. Visit China for one of the many unique holidays like Chinese New Year, Dragon Boat Race, and/or the Water Lantern Festival. Contact us today and request a customized proposal. 

TRAVEL NEWS FROM CHINA

Nonstop flight between Beijing and Lhasa/Tibet - Just a few days ago, on December 15, China Airlines operated its first nonstop flight from Beijing to Lhasa/Tibet. The flight operates daily at 8am and lands in Lhasa about 4 hours later.

Hong Kong selected as Top City to visit in 2012 - Lonely Planet announced its top 10 list of cities to visit in 2012, and Hong Kong was the only city selected in China. In the description, LP suggests visitors "go shopping, gallery hopping, and check out the bars in Soho; explore walled villages or go hiking on Asia's most breathtaking trails." In the article, Lonely Planet tells readers "If you can't find it in Hong Kong, then it isn't available anywhere". And after an exciting day, enjoy a sumptuous meal in one of the 11,000 restaurants.