The journey is the reward. Chinese proverb My journey is now into its third day in Beijing and I feel I am being rewarded every moment of the day. As a frequent independent traveler I am always uncertain about choosing a group tour, but I feel I have hit the jackpot with Travel Directors. They have chosen an amazing itinerary with care given to every detail. The tour guide, Elena, is Russian and is very friendly and efficient. The local Chinese guide is May, o...

UNESCO has declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design." I can't argue with this, now that I have floated in the harmony of its gardens, bridges and palaces. Perhaps I should say "shivered" in its harmony. We are buried deep in several layers of clothing to ward off the cold, but it still seeps through some how. The palace gardens must be spectacular in the other seasons, but winter has its own beauty, even in the starkness of ic...

First stop, Silk Market, a large modern shopping centre that opened in 2005, replacing the old alley-based Xiushui Market. Not for the feint hearted, over 1,700 vendors test your bargaining skills to the max. From shopping heaven (or hell, depending on your point of view) to the Forbidden City. Our afternoon was spent exploring this wonderfully preserved imperial palace which was forbidden to ordinary people when it was home to emperors of the Ming and Qing Dyna...