China - Eastern Central (Oct '08) - Overview

This free-and-easy trip covered ten days from 14 Oct (Tue) to 23 Oct (Thur). Main city in this trip was Shanghai (上海) but managed to plan in neighbouring cities like Nanjing (南京), Suzhou (苏州) and Hangzhou (杭州).


Leisure trip at a glance

Country: People's Republic of China
Period: 14 Oct to 23 Oct 2008
Flight timings:
14 Oct: GA 896, SIN-PVG, ETD 0205 ETA 0705
23 Oct: GA 897, PVG-SIN, ETD 1005 ETA 1525
Air tickets: Return tickets at SGD 644.87 (inclusive of airport taxes)
Accommodations:
Nanjing hotel, Shanghai - 南京饭店 (14 Oct to 15 Oct)
Haichung hotel, Nanjing - 南京海川宾馆 (16 Oct)
Fuzimiao Youth hostel, Nanjing - 南京夫子庙国际青年旅舍 (17 Oct)
Nanjing hotel, Shanghai - 南京饭店 (18 Oct)
Jiari Guest House, Suzhou - 假日宾馆 (19 Oct)
Dunhuang hotel, Hangzhou - 杭州敦煌饭店 (20 Oct)
Nanjing hotel, Shanghai - 南京饭店 (21 Oct to 23 Oct)
Currency exchange rate: RMB 100 = SGD 21.97 (Oct '08 period)


There is no time difference between China and Singapore as both countries are in GMT +8 time zone. Total damage was about SGD 1600 including airport taxes, transport, food & hotel, excluding personal expenses. It is impossible to tour the whole of China in 10 days; therefore I only chose to travel to Eastern Central part of China, which includes Shanghai (1), Nanjing (2), Suzhou (3) and Hangzhou (4) in this trip.


Here's the overview of the trip itinerary:

Day 1 – Midnight flight GA 896 to Shanghai Pudong Airport and took Maglev train. Visited the Shanghai Meglav Museum (上海磁浮交通科技馆). Checked in Shanghai Nanjing hotel for subsequent 2 nights. Went to Shanghai Travel agency to book my 3-days tour to Suzhou and Hangzhou. Visited Old Shanghai street (上海老街), Chenghuang temple (城隍庙) and Yu Gardens (豫园). Night stroll along Nanjing East Road (南京东路).

Day 2 – Visited the Bund (外滩). Took the Bund Tourist Tunnel (外滩观光隧道) to other side of the shore and visited two of its special exhibitions. Visited Shanghai Ocean Aquarium (上海海洋水族馆) and Oriental Pearl Tower (东方明珠塔). Night stroll along Huangpu Riverwalk (滨江大道).

Day 3 – Took morning train D414 from Shanghai train station to Nanjing train station. Checked in Haichung hotel. Visited Zhonghua Gate (中华门), Zhan Gardens (瞻园), Jiangnan Scholar Museum (江南贡院) and Fuzi Temple (夫子庙). Night stroll along Qinhuai Riverwalk (秦淮河畔).

Day 4 – Checked in Nanjing Fuzimiao Youth Hostel. Visited Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum (中山陵), Linggu Temple (灵谷寺) and Xiaoling Tomb of Ming Dynasty (明孝陵). Took public transport to Palace remnant of Ming Dynasty (明故宫) and Presidential Palace (总统府). Night shopping at Xinjiekou area (新街口).

Day 5 – Visited Nanjing Massacre Museum (南京大屠杀纪念馆) and Chaotiangong (朝天宫). Had lunch along Fuzi Temple area. Took train D437 back to Shanghai and stayed at Nanjing hotel for one night.

Day 6 – Took morning train T776 to Suzhou train station. Visited Liu Gardens (留园) and Ou Gardens (耦园). Took River cruise along Gusu river (姑苏水上游). Visited Hanshan Temple (寒山寺), Huqiu (虎丘) and old streets of Shantang (山塘街). Checked in Jiari Guest House.

Day 7 – Visited the famous water-township - Zhouzhuang (周庄古镇). Took coach bus to Hangzhou and checked in Dunhuang hotel.

Day 8 – Visited Galloping Tiger Spring (虎跑), 'Three ponds mirroring the moon' site (三潭印月) of West Lake (西湖), Yue-Wang Mausoleum (岳王庙), Song Dynasty City theme park (宋城) and Lingyin temple (灵隐寺). Took train N430 back to Shanghai and checked in Nanjing hotel.

Day 9 – Visited Shanghai Science & Technology Museum (上海科技馆), Site of First National Congress of Chinese Communist Party (中国共产党第一次全国代表大会会址), Shanghai Postal Museum (上海邮政博物馆) and shopped at Xintiandi (新天地). Shopped in bookstores along Fuzhou road (福州路). Night stroll along Nanjing East Road (南京东路) for local food souvenirs.

Day 10 – Took Maglev train to Pudong airport and boarded flight GA 897 to Singapore.


Tips on taking trains in China

Train stations in China are often packed with crowds and do expect to get knocked by others especially those carrying large luggage at crowded areas. There are 4 classes of train seats, namely soft seat, hard seat, soft sleeper and hard sleeper. Trains in China generally are air-conditioned and well-maintained.

Buying train tickets:

• it is easy to buy tickets from the window counters at the train station (photo below). Train tickets can also be bought at some major hotels or travel agencies.
  
  
• to speed up the time, it is important to tell the counter staff clearly the departure date and estimated departure time. Also do prepare the cash in advance to avoid the impatient look from the counter staff.
  
  
• there are basically two types of ticket windows: selling present-day tickets and advance tickets (about 2 to 3 days in advance). It can be a waste of time if you queued in the wrong window. In Shanghai train station, there is a English-speaking ticket window (window 43) especially for foreigners.
  
  
• it is advisable to buy tickets in advance since train tickets can be sold out very fast, even during weekdays.

Boarding trains:

• always arrive earlier at the station (at least half an hour) before the actual departure time.
  
  
• there are security checks (similar to those airline-style luggage checks) to go through before boarding. Do not think that it is just a formality; I did witness a passenger was questioned why he brought a huge carton of aerosols with him.
  
  
• after the security checks, do look out for the designated 'Waiting Hall' for your train on the electronic signboard. Once inside the waiting hall (photo below), do be alert for the announcement of your train number and departure timing. Gates will only be opened about 20-mins earlier and closes 5-mins before actual departure time.
  
  
• once passed through the ticket-check gate, you will have to walk some distance down to the train platform (usually a floor below the waiting hall). You may have to walk from one end to another just to board your designated train cabin if you entered from the other end of check-in gate.

Shanghai Metro System (上海地铁)

The Shanghai Metro System is efficient and cheap form of transportation to travel in Shanghai (photos below). There are currently eight different Metro lines in operation. Announcements are made in two languages: Chinese and English. However, the trains are often packed with passengers even during non-peak hours.



My recommendation is to get a stored-value card known as 'One Card Through' (一卡通) at any customer service counter to save the trouble of queuing and finding loose change. The card cost RMB 20, which can be non-refundable for those commemorate cards. The actual value in the card will depend on the usage; my suggestion is to add RMB 50 first and top it up later. Each train ride is reasonably cheap; for example from Longyang road station to Nanjing East road station (6 stations apart) cost only RMB 4.


Some recommended guides

Here's my recommended guide book for Shanghai; it has some really good maps and recommendations on restaurants and hotels.