Chinese Travel

So, you have decided to learn to speak Chinese to advance your career or to get more from your travels. Am I right to assume that you find the prospect of learning a second language a bit daunting? If you are like me, you probably have nightmares about endless, mind-numbing lists of vocabulary and grammar rules.

Relax! The solution lies in choosing a well-tested course for easy learning. You can’t expect to learn to speak Chinese in 5 minutes, but learning a new language doesn’t have to take forever either.

Now, there are some do’s and don’ts when it comes to choosing a top-rated, intensive, standard Chinese course pack. Let’s take a look at what you should avoid and what you should look for when going on this new, mind-expanding and enriching adventure.

What you don’t want to see in a Chinese course outline:

1. A ridiculous promise that you will learn Chinese in 5 minutes.

2. An emphasis on mindless repetition of long lists of grammar rules and vocabulary lists. Many language courses still focus on this with wretched results.

3. Being steered away from real conversations until you have a huge vocabulary.

What you do want to see in an intensive Chinese language pack:

1. An approach that will help you to learn to speak Chinese in an easy, fun and fast way. You want a course that will focus on building speaking confidence, while facilitating a natural accent.

2. Encouragement to take part in real conversations from the get go.

3. A learn-Chinese-for-beginners approach that will still have something to offer you when you are an advanced student. A language pack that is too basic will quickly become boring.

4. A quick start on the basics such as saying hello and introducing yourself, ordering food and drink and giving or receiving compliments with ease and grace. Imagine how impressed business partners or traveling companions will be with your new skill!

5. A course that offers constant Chinese language support and encouragement.

6. Language games and tools to keep things interesting and fun.

7. An emphasis on using actual conversational phrases, rather than the memorization of lists of words. This is the best way of developing a feel for the language and immersing yourself in it. This kind of course offers a much higher success rate.

8. A course built on years of practical language research with time-tested tools and techniques that facilitate fast, easy learning.

9. The ability to learn to speak Chinese with the help of native speakers to ensure that you learn the correct accent.

Whether you need this second language because you are about to travel to a Chinese speaking country, or because you have a Chinese speaking partner, or want to study Chinese and need better resources to make your learning easier, or simply because you love Chinese literature and film, and want to immerse yourself more fully in the language – whatever the reason, you will soon be ready to impress native speakers if you begin to learn to speak Chinese the easy, fun way today.

China’s position in the tourism development in the world has been rising, the fourth largest entry receiving country in the world and the largest exit tourist source country in Asia. From 2000 to 2008, the total revenues of Chinese tourism increased by 12.5% annually (by CNY). In 2008, China totally received tourists about 1.89 billion man-time, rising by 5.9% of last year, realizing the tourism revenues of 1.16 trillion CNY ?166 billion USD?, increased by 5.8% of last year. 

 

The slowdown of economy growth negatively affected the tourism, leading to the slowdown of growth rate, even negative growth, especially in entry tourism market, exit tourism market and hotel industry etc. By contrast, domestic tourism market and scenic resorts were less influenced by the slowdown of economy growth

 

With the spread of international financial crisis, the unfavorable influences had clearly showed in Chinese tourism.

 

In 2008, the market scale of Chinese online tourism market was only about 500 million USD, however, its annual growth speed reached to 50%. Because the total demands for the abroad tourism market declined, the cost pressure for online tourism providers accelerated. Chinese online tourist enterprises reduced the investment in advertisement and marketing so as to maintain their finance.

 

Chinese online tourism is obsessed by two problems: incapable of product standardization and risks in payment. Facing the fierce competitions, the tourist booking websites will take more consideration in the newer services and broader marketing channels in order to find their market in various categories.

 

For example, a new online tourist model-trip search is springing up, such as www.qunar.com., which had already entered Chinese online tourism market.

 

Under the international financial crisis, it is predicted that online tourist booking services will gradually permeate into traditional tourist market, even expand the services by the establishment of travel agents. Meanwhile, traditional travel agents will provide online tourist booking services for their customers. From a long run, the integrators will be the winners in the future. The integration of online and offline services for customers will possibly dominate the market. With the revenue reduction of booking market in the market share, the tourist products will become the fastest growth business in online tourist booking market. Besides, providing online tourist route will be the transfer direction for online tourist websites.

 

The author of this report investigated into Chinese online tourist enterprises, hotels, and online tourist customers to write the report citing abundant second-hand information.

 

More following information can be obtained in this report:

- Present Situation of Chinese Tourism

- Present Situation of Chinese Online Tourism

- Operations of the Major Chinese National-wide Tourist Websites

- Development Trends of Chinese Online Tourism

- Influences of International Financial Crisis on Chinese Online Tourism

  

To get more details, please visit Report of Chinese Online Tourism Industry under International Financial Crisis, 2009

strong>Chinese tea Culture

Experience Peking Duck in Beijing or eat the food of the Ming emperors, explore the world of Chinese cuisine with China Highlights to get the real tastes of China.Join us to experience the real Chinese cuisine!Tea culture is an important part of Chinese tradition. Alongside social development and progress, tea has not only played a role in driving the development of the economy, but has also remained a feature of people’s lives. Moreover, tea drinking has gradually developed into a resplendent tea culture and become a bright pearl in the social life of Chinese civilization.

The practice of tea culture can bring the spirit and wisdom of human beings to a higher orbit. Tea has an extremely close relationship to Chinese culture, and its study covers a wide field and has very rich content. It not only embodies the spirit of civilization, but also the spirit of ideological form. There can be no doubt that it has been beneficial in enhancing people’s social accomplishments and appreciation of art.

The legend of the Chinese tea

Tea is nearly 5,000 years old and was discovered, as legend has it, in 2737 b.c. According to legend, the Shen Nong (or Shen Nung) , an early emperor was a skilled ruler, creative scientist and patron of the arts. He was called “The Divine Healer.” Numerous other medicinal plants were attributed to this legendary emperor. His far-sighted edicts required, among other things, that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One summer day while visiting a distant region of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. In accordance with his ruling, the servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from the near by bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown liquid was infused into the water. As a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. And so, according to legend, tea was created.

Chinese tea evolved from a palace treat to a common beverage during the Jin Dynasty and Nan Bei Zhao (265 AD – 589 AD). Later during the Tang Dynasty (618 AD – 907 AD), Chinese tea trading had became extremely busy. Techniques in tea plantation and processing advanced in great speed. Lots of famous teas were developed.

In the Tang Era, Chinese tea was processed and circulated in the form of tea cakes. People started to get serious about making tea. Specialized tea tools were used and tea books were published – including the most famous “Literature of Tea” by Lu Yue. The art of Chinese tea started to take shape. That was a big leap of Chinese tea into the cultural territory.

“Tea became popular in Tang and prospered in Song (960 – 1276)”. In the beginning of Song Dynasty, Chinese tea was kept in the shape of balls and cakes. When served, tea was crushed and boiled with seasoning material. But as tea drinkers became more particular, they paid more respect to the original shape, color, and taste of tea leaves. Seasoning material faded out and loose leave tea started to take the center stage.The fame of Chinese tea was owing much to Chinese ‘Tea saint’ – Luyu and his literature Tea Book.

Classes of Chinese tea

There are a variety of teas such as Green tea, Oolong tea, Black tea, Flower tea, yellow tea, Red tea, White tea and Yellow tea in China. And some Chinese teas, produced in different places, have their distinctive taste and flavor and are always local specialty for traveler.