Physicians' Travel and Meeting Guide - November/December 2007 - (Page 12) FAMILY trAveL Dream TriPs: chiNa tions of jade, ming and Qing furniture, porcelain and coins. Beijing a clock outside the chinese National museum across the street from Tiananmen square counts the days and minutes to the opening of the august 2008 olympics. a larger-than-life photo of chairman mao hangs across the street. White vans of police continuously cruise the crowd and laws forbidding sitting, ball playing, Frisbee throwing and lots more make the vast stretch of concrete seem oppressive. at the Forbidden city, a 7.75-millionsquare-foot complex, many of the pavilions were being renovated for the games. Despite being unable to tour certain buildings undergoing renovation, the vast size of this ancient compound and the intricate carvings on the pavilions impressed us. The summer Palace rises along kunming lake in the western hills seven miles north of the city. legend has it that empress dowager cíxi built the half-mile long covered corridor so that she could admire the lake even during the rain. The elaborately painted beams and pillars depict scenes from chinese history. The most awe-inspiring site for us: the great Wall. Wisely, asia Transpacific Journeys took us to the mutianyu section, 50 miles northeast of the city. although this area has cable car access to the top, fewer chiNa: s H o PPi n g s hopping is a big part of any visit to China. the best buys are on silk—shirts, sCarves, shawls, blouses, dresses, sheets—and pearls, plus knoCk-off versions of guCCi, prada, la Coste, ralph lauren, and many other major brands. the vendors in markets hawk everything—tea pots, buddhas, beaded jewelry, poCketbooks, t-shirts and more. the east side find the trendy, teen centered shops and on the west side, the more classic european name brands. beware: not everything sold here is less costly than in the u.s. and look out for knock-offs and poor quality items. at Fitwell Fashions, Nanjing road West, my son matt ordered three custom fitted shirts at $60 each. in manhattan the same quality would cost at least $90 if not more. In ShanghaI: silk: because bargaining is forbidden at the government-run Jiangnan silk shopping center, yu gardens bazaar, come here to gauge quality, prices and sizes. our best find: a king-size silk duvet cover as well as a silk duvet, both lightweight and warm, for a total of $210. stateside a comparable kingsize silk duvet cover alone costs at least $800. Cultured Pearls: Near the Jade buddha Temple at the Jinhao Pearl village, recommended by asia Transpacific Journeys, we purchased a double strand of black pearls from the yangtze river for $350. a similar looking piece at a D.c. jewelry store was tagged at $1,200. however, as with any kind of jewelry, unless you are an expert, you really don’t know the quality. Jinhao Pearl village, has four locations in shanghai (www.jinhaopearl.com). nanjing Road: each day nearly 20,000 people walk along Nanjing road’s three-mile long pedestrian-only section. on In BeIjIng: Cultured Pearls: check out the hong Qiao Pearl market near the Temple of heaven. Wangfujing street: The three-block long pedestrian mall, anchored by the oriental Plaza shopping mall, features mcDonald’s and tea shops, as well as electronics and clothing stores. Two official beijing 2008 olympics merchandise stores are here Art: at Factory 798, a former soviet-era electronics factory, the brick buildings now house scores of art galleries and studios plus a few cafes. While much of the work may be avant-garde for china, it seemed ho-hum to us; however, exhibits rotate. among the most interesting galleries are: the XyZ gallery, New art Warehouse, Factory 798 space, and the beijing-Tokyo art Project. officially called Dashanzi art District No.4 Jiuxianqiao road/chaoyang District (86 1064376248; 86 10-64384862). 12 • November/December 2007 • PhysiciaNs’ Travel & meeTiNg guiDe shutterstock http://www.jinhaopearl.com
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