Tibet's holy lake: Yamdrok Lake

Yamdrok Lake is one of Tibet's three holy lakes, along with Nam Co and Mapam Yum Co. It's the largest freshwater lake at the foot of the Himalayas. The 638-sq-km body of water is situated about 4,441 meters above sea level and is believed to be the woman guardian of Buddhism in Tibet.

A constant flow of pilgrims streams to the three lakes. The breathtaking Yamdrok Lake enjoys the advantage of being closest to Lhasa and the airport. Likewise, the road to reach Yamdrok is arguably in better condition than those leading to the other two holy lakes.

In addition, the drive along the two-lane road that wraps around the 4,800-meter-high Gampa-la Mountain is riddled with U-turns, offering views of changing landscapes and different seasons created by the varying altitudes.

Source: china.org.cn via xinhua

China's Heilongjiang enters peak tourist season

Tourists enjoy leisure time in the "Snow County" , Heilongjiang Province. Along with continuous snowfall, Heilongjiang enters peak tourist season


Source: Xinhua

Boeing $7.5 Billion Cathay Order Is Asia’s First for 777X

Boeing Co. (BA) landed the first buyer in Asia for the new 777X jet with a $7.5 billion sale to Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. (293), widening the customer base for a plane pivotal to staying ahead of Airbus SAS in the long-haul market.

“Cathay’s order is a vote of confidence in the model,” Patrick Xu, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Barclays Plc, said yesterday in a telephone interview.

The airline, Asia’s largest on international routes, will acquire 21 of the larger -9 version of the 777X and fly them to North America and Europe. The 777X will be Boeing’s first passenger jet of the next decade, and Hong Kong-based Cathay said yesterday that deliveries will run from 2021 through 2024.

Cathay’s purchase pushed the value of 777X deals past $100 billion at list prices with commitments since September from Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Persian Gulf carriers Emirates, Etihad Airways PJSC and Qatar Airways Ltd. Buyers typically get a discount.

Boeing rose 1.1 percent to $136.67 at the close in New York, extending this year’s rally to 81 percent. 

Cathay gained 1.5 percent to HK$15.98 in Hong Kong, pushing its advance in 2013 to 12 percent.

The twin-engine 777X, which seats 400 people and aims to match payload capabilities of a four-engine 747 jumbo, boasts new General Electric Co. GE9X turbines and the largest-ever wing for Chicago-based Boeing, with a fold to conserve airport space. GE, which has exclusivity on the model, said that the booked engine orders are valued at more than $21 billion.

Dubai Unveiling

Boeing formally introduced the upgraded plane in two variants at the Dubai Air Show last month, with the larger -9X due in 2020 and costing $377.2 million. The smaller -8X will debut 18 months later and is priced at $349.8 million.

Boeing has long dominated the wide-body aircraft market and accounts for 55 percent of the 2,352 global sales backlog, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Airbus has made inroads with its new A350, which tallied 814 orders through November and is targeted at the 300-seat segment once monopolized by the 777.

The original 777, which debuted in 1995, took six years to accumulate as many orders as the -X, Randy Tinseth, Boeing vice president for marketing, said Nov. 26 in a blog. The new version’s debut has been a boost for the company after setbacks earlier this year with the global grounding of the 787 Dreamliner fleet following a pair of battery meltdowns.

Factory Site

Boeing is narrowing the list of sites where it’s considering building the 777X, and a spokesman, Doug Alder, said yesterday that states that bid to play host to an assembly plant were being notified about whether they’re still in the running.

The company touched off a nationwide competition to land the factory, lured by the prospect of thousands of jobs, after Machinists in its Seattle-area commercial hub rejected a contract extension with labor concessions that would have kept assembly of the jet in Washington state. Boeing expects to make a final decision in early 2014 on a factory site.

Cathay said the order will replenish and expand capacity. Chief Executive John Slosar has been seeking to replace a fleet of 747-400 jumbos with more fuel-efficient jets amid increased competition for business travelers with Dubai-based Emirates.

Emirates, the largest international carrier, last month ordered 150 777X planes worth $76 billion, with an option to buy 50 more. It’s also the No. 1 operator of the original 777.

Cathay’s Fleet

At the end of June, Cathay had a fleet of 134 planes, excluding its Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Ltd. and Air Hong Kong Ltd. units, with 32 original 777-300ERs among them, according to an earnings report. It also had 81 aircraft on firm order.

The Asian carrier last year agreed to convert 16 orders for the Airbus A350-900 wide-body into A350-1000s, while also agreeing to add 10 more of the larger planes.

Cathay was assessing the 747-8 and A380 superjumbo, which also has four engines, Slosar said in June.

The decision signals that the models don’t have a home there, said Will Horton, a Hong Kong-based analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation.

“The order shows Cathay does not want to fall behind on refleeting the way it did with 747s and A340s,” Horton said, referring to the jumbo and a four-engine Airbus model. “The cost inefficiency of those aircraft has really pinched Cathay.”

Source: Bloomberg News by By Jasmine Wang and Julie Johnsson 

Shenyang to offer 72-hour visa-free visits

(Xinhua) -- Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, will launch 72-hour visa-free stays for foreign travelers next year.

From Jan. 1, 2014, travelers from 45 countries are expected to enjoy the policy, if they hold third country visas and have onward tickets to leave for a third country or region within 72 hours, according to the city's border control station.

The scheme will boost local tourism and bring in revenue, said a Shenyang tourism official.

More than 750,000 foreign tourists came to Shenyang last year, up 18 percent year on year, according to the city's tourism bureau. The figure is likely to increase after the visa policy takes effect, said the official.

So far, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing have the 72-hour visa-free service in place. Dalian, a port city also in Liaoning Province, will launch the service on Jan. 1, 2014.

Source: Xinhua

Pandas fight winter in the Qinling Mountains

China's Qingling Panda Base has recently witnessed a wave of heavy snow, but the pandas there don’t seem bothered by the chilly weather.

The base was established by the Chinese Government back in 1978, which has thrived into a paradise for pandas with a total number of 110-130 of them within the nature reserve.  (Source: Sina)

Chinese airlines offer 80% discounts for upcoming holiday period

Airlines in China are offering discounts of more than 80% on domestic plane tickets during the New Year and Chinese New Year holiday periods, reports the Chinese-language Beijing Business Today.


Beijing-based Capital Airlines has announced that customers can purchase tickets at special prices through its website from now until next February, while Air China is promoting 80% off tickets for advanced orders on its website.

China Southern has also launched heavily discounted tickets, saying that customers can purchase as tickets as low as 90% off regular prices on 850 domestic routes if ordered in advance from Nov. 8.

The sales promotions can help airlines attract customers and help them plan their operations in advance for the coming holiday period, said Chinese aviation expert Wang Jiangmin, who added that website sales can increase profits by cutting out travel agency costs.

Customers can also choose indirect flights with stopovers instead of direct flights to save even more money during the Chinese New Year period, said a spokesperson of an airplane ticket website, adding that it can also help customers secure a route to more popular destinations.

Source: Want China Times

Best Shanghai business hotels for every budget

Shanghai has many things in spades: expensive cocktail bars, xiaolongbao stands and hotels -- boutique, luxury, business, you name it.

Whether a Fortune 500-listed company is footing the bill or a penny-wise businessman is pay out of own pocket, here are the best Shanghai business hotels to suit a range of budgets.

Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Centre (上海雅居乐万豪酒店)
This 720-room hotel just north of Shanghai's commercial heart, People's Square, is built for corporate goings-on.

The fifth floor features 2,000 square meters of meetings and events space, as well as a business center with its own conference room.

For presentations, the grand ballroom has an enormous LED screen measuring nine by five meters.

The 48 Executive Suites, each of which features two bathrooms, a bedroom and a living room, are ideal for more intimate small meetings.

Every room's 42-inch LCD television can connect to a laptop, and each desk holds a connectivity kit with all manner of cables.

Guests staying at the Executive Suites can book the conference room free of charge for up to two hours at the Executive Lounge on the 37th floor. The lounge serves a full breakfast, snacks all day and an ample spread of canapés after 5:30 p.m.

555 Xizang Zhong Lu, near Fengyang Lu西藏中路555号, 近凤阳路; +86 21 2312 9888; nightly rate from around RMB 1,380 (US$222) plus 15 percent; official website

InterContinental Shanghai Pudong (上海锦江汤臣洲际大酒店)

InterContinental has three locations in Shanghai, but this branch is the most convenient for business travelers, providing easy access to Shanghai's Lujiazui CBD, four metro lines at the Shiji Da Dao station and a short trip to the international airport.

Each of the 398 guest rooms has an LCD television, DVD player, iPod dock and wireless Internet access.

The rooms’ workspaces have been thoughtfully designed, with bright lighting and a slew of outlets at varying levels so busy bees can plug in all their gadgets.

Adapters and converters are available at the concierge desk free of charge.

Meetings are a breeze here, with 3, 576 square meters of meetings and events space divided over 16 rooms. Host up to 750 people for a massive conference or go more intimate in a 30-person boardroom.

The hotel has plenty of AV equipment for all the rooms, including digital, LCD and overhead projectors, modem lines and DVD players.

777 Zhangyang Lu, near Laoshan Lu 张扬路777号, 近崂山路; +86 21 5835 6666; nightly rate from around RMB 1,180 plus 15 percent; official website

Swissôtel Grand Shanghai (上海宏安瑞士大酒店)

Who says business travelers can't squeeze in wining, dining and shopping?

With its location just off jam-packed Nanjing Xi Lu, guests at this Swissôtel are a stone's throw from a bevy of malls, restaurants and Jing'an Park, where elderly locals practice tai chi each morning.

The hotel is right next to Shanghai Pudong Airport's city terminal, which hosts direct airport shuttle buses.

Each of 467 rooms comes with wireless Internet access, daily newspaper delivery, a big flat-screen TV, a Nespresso machine and a tea station, which carries local and imported blends.

Meeting and events facilities include the 575-square-meter Grand Ballroom, the 390-square-meter Junior Ballroom, which can be divided into three smaller rooms and six multi-purpose function rooms that work for corporate events or smaller meetings.

The hotel's website displays floor plans and capacity charts.

1 Yuyuan Lu, near Jiaozhou Lu 愚园路1号, 近胶州路; +86 21 5355 9898; nightly rate from around RMB 1,100 plus 15 percent; official website

Holiday Inn Pudong Shanghai (上海浦东假日酒店)

With its location right in Lujiazui, Shanghai's financial district, this is one of the city's best mid-range hotels for business travelers.

Rooms are well-appointed, with wireless Internet, fax machine and printer access and a sizeable desk with plenty of power outlets, computer cables and a reading lamp.

The hotel's six meeting rooms can arrange corporate gatherings of 10-400 people, all of which come with necessary equipment like stage lights, projectors and moveable lecterns.

It's practically a crime in China to let business associates go hungry. Holiday Inn serves bites from its all-day Chinese restaurant Bauhinia Court, which cooks Cantonese, Sichuanese and Shanghainese cuisine, and an Irish-pub style eatery, Flanagan's.

Guests staying in the executive rooms can take in complimentary breakfast and evening cocktails in the bright, airy executive lounge.

899 Dongfang Lu, near Pujiang Lu 东方路899号,近浦江路; +86 21 5830 6666; nightly rate from around RMB 799 plus 15 percent; official website

Hengshan Picardie Hotel (衡山宾馆)

Business travelers looking to trade Lujiazui's gridlocked avenues for the French Concession's tree-lined streets would do well to shack up here, which is a quick stroll from Metro Line 1 Hengshan Lu Station.

All 259 rooms have free broadband Internet, phones for local and international calls, safe deposit boxes and satellite TV.

Ten meeting spaces can host 20-250 people, and the hotel's website provides floor plans and capacity charts for each room.

There's wireless Internet access throughout the hotel’s public areas, and all the meetings spaces are stocked with AV equipment -- sounds systems, DVD players, LCD screens in a handful of sizes and wireless microphones. Luddites can take advantage of flip charts, white boards and podiums.

534 Hengshan Lu, near Huashan Lu 衡山路534号, 近华山路; +86 21 6437 7050; nightly rate from around RMB 800 inclusive; official website

Manhattan Bund Business Hotel (曼哈顿外滩商务酒店)

Located directly behind the Fairmont Peace Hotel, this 100-room hotel costs only a fraction of the Peace to stay a night. Guests get the same Bund-side location, complete with glittering skyline.

All facilities were built to meet the Chinese three-star hotel standard.

The standard rooms are small, not all of them have windows, and the décor is a little 1970s, with red-paper lanterns in the lobby and lots of faux gold and marble.

By the same token, suites are palatial and well-priced: for those who wants to feel like a king without spending like one, check in here.

Every room has a computer with Internet access; 24 hours will run you RMB 40.

The hotel's tour desk can help with faxing and photocopying, and there's a business center and two banquet rooms that can be used to host meetings.

81-85 Dianchi Lu, near Yuanmingyuan Lu 滇池路81-85号, 近圆明园路; +86 21 6888 8123; nightly rate from around RMB 328 inclusive; official website

Source: CNN Travel By Sophie Friedman