Many foreigners working and living in Shanghai begin to make
plans for the Spring Festival (lunar New Year) holiday
season. Instead of preparing for festival feasts, they are more
interested in traveling around in different parts of China to see
the different folk cultures during the Spring Festival.
John, from Canada,?said that he just got married last year.
Since he is always busy most time of a year, so he would like to
invite his wife to come to visit China during the Spring Festival
holiday. The trip might become their “honeymoon travel".
In order to have a good time, they will try to avoid the rush
hours during the holiday season. Their do-it-yourself tour will
last for four days, starting from February 17, or the Spring
Festival Eve, when the couple will set off from Shanghai to
Nanjing. On lunar New Year's Day, they will arrive in Hangzhou in
the evening and return to Shanghai on the fourth day. His wife
couldn't wait for the trip.
"I have bought a lot of books about
traveling in China. The books contain not only the information
about scenic spots, but also the different kinds of snacks in every
place," she said.
Of course, there are lots of other interesting things besides
eating and sightseeing. The couple learned that during the Spring
Festival holiday, Chinese people will decorate the streets and
houses with red lanterns and colorful ribbons. They will also give
many folk art performances.
"We won't travel far and the trip won't
last for a long time. The cities we favor are all well-known
historical sites in the Yangtze River delta region with diverse
folklores. So we will surely have a chance to see many different
customs at the time," said John.
In Pudong Jinqiao and Puxi Hongqiao communities centers, where
lots of foreigners gather, most foreigners there plan to have a
do-it-yourself tour during the seven-day holiday. Staff workers
from the property management companies in these community centers
have posted lots of travel information for them. The information
ranges from scenic spots introduction to car rental services. Lots
of foreigners come to the bulletin board every day to search for
the information they need. The popular tourist attractions include
the quadrangle houses in Beijing, the West Lake in Hangzhou, the
Ancient City Wall in Xi'an, and shopping centers in Hong Kong.
(Chinanews February 5, 2007)