Preparation key to coping with cold|china travel

"Just take enough warm clothing," was the refrain from sports and fitness experts I consulted on how to prepare for a trip to "China's North Pole".

They were right. It was four to five layers of clothing that allowed me to survive temperatures of -30 C to -45 C.

Underneath my green down coat was a red woolen turtleneck, which covered a brown cotton turtleneck, which hid violet polyester long underwear and the base layer of black cotton long underwear.

Concealed by my bright pink ski pants was a pair of shiny black down pants and a pair of black polyester long underwear. I also wore a beige woolen scarf, purple ski gloves and two layers of woolen socks inside snowshoes.

"Make sure there's enough room for air to circulate between layers," Dong Hexin, 32, a Mohe cab driver, said when I told him what was in my luggage.

The only reason I didn't wear a cotton mask over my nose and mouth - like most locals did - was that it would have worsened the frost on my glasses. I decided to forgo contact lenses after consulting an eye doctor.

"The trouble with glasses is they fog," said Dr Jesse Caguioa, chief optometrist at the Asian Eye Institute in Manila, but "our biggest concern with contact lenses in such negative temperatures is that they'd dry out".

I was terrified by the possibility of the contacts freezing into fish scale-like discs - and cracking - while on my eyeballs.

I also found useful advice online: Get adequate sleep before and during the trip, and keep yourself hydrated. A bottle of hot water, I discovered, can double as a hand warmer between jaunts outdoors or as a "hot water bag" while in bed at night.

I brought disposable heating pads for my cold feet, but I barely felt their effect. After 20 minutes outdoors I began experiencing a throbbing pain on my forehead and it became difficult to think or speak.

My toes and my fingers would feel painfully frozen and heavy, and I'd get nightmarish visions of frostbite. While in a panic rush back to a heated car or room, I'd question the sanity of my winter expedition to Mohe.

But I survived Mohe's dreadfully cold winter. I think I've now earned the right to see it in summer.

China Daily

(China Daily 01/06/2011 page19)

Qianlongs secret garden for his old age|china travel

In the Forbidden City, a retired ruler made a refuge for himself which is now being lovingly restored

Even before he abdicated the throne, the Emperor Qianlong was already preparing for retirement. He had a two-acre private courtyard built and filled it with his favorite books, art and a wall mural that brought his garden inside even when he could not go out to enjoy it.

This was the emperor's personal retreat, Juanqinzhai, more known to antiquities experts as the Qianlong Garden. Its name, which alludes to "rest after a lifetime of work", reflected Qianlong's love of scholarship and the arts. He prided himself as an accomplished calligrapher and he is known for his huge collection of art and antiques.

Much of this has been lost, plundered by the turbulent times that China went through before it finally emerged, cleansed and ready for new beginnings. But there is enough left within the courtyard to make it very interesting to the experts.

Built in the 1770s, Juanqinzhai fell into disrepair after China's last emperor, Puyi, was expelled from the Forbidden City in 1924. For decades, it suffered the fate of being forgotten, a decrepit storage space.

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) from the US has played a key role in its restoration with not only funds but also expertise, according to Nancy Berliner, curator of Chinese art at the Peabody Essex Museum.

The $3-million project can be seen as a good example of international cooperation in cultural relics conservation, says Li Ji, deputy director of the Palace Museum. "The cooperation with the WMF was the first major collaboration between a US conservation group and the Palace Museum."

The WMF starting working with the Palace Museum in 2002 to restore the Qianlong Garden and helped train Chinese conservators as they faced the many complex challenges posed by the fragile historic interior and its unusual mix of materials and techniques.

One such was the wall mural that stretched over the ceiling of the room where a miniature stage was built for opera performances, one of Qianlong's loves. It is a detailed depiction of the palace gardens complete with lilacs and trailing purple wisteria. Craftsmen spent much time and money matching the unusual pigments used for the trompe l'oeil, and this was where the expertise from the WMF came in most useful.

This joint conservation exercise has proved so successful that the WMF, a New York-based non-profit organization, signed a broader agreement to restore all 24 buildings and the elaborate outdoor courtyards of the entire Qianlong Garden.

The expected date of completion will be in 2019, a year before the Forbidden City marks 600 years of existence.

New SAS route to Wroclaw, Poland

“Poland is an important trading partner for Denmark and the ninth-biggest Danish export market. It is essential to Danish companies to have good and frequent flight connections to Poland. As Wroclaw is an important industrial city, Danish business people will benefit greatly from the new service, which concurrently strengthens Copenhagen Airport’s position as a northern European hub, said Ole Wieth Christensen, Director of Airline Sales & Route Development for Copenhagen Airports.

A number of international companies have production, development and other activities in Wroclaw, including Volvo, Toyota, Bosch, LG Electronics, 3M, HP and Whirlpool, and the city’s technology park is also home to a large number of IT, biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

One of the host cities of the European soccer championship
The historic city attracts many tourists, and the opening of the new service is also good news to soccer devotees, as Wroclaw will be one of the host cities of the European soccer championship.

“We are pleased to offer a non-stop service to one of the fastest growing cities in central Europe. Wroclaw features both high technology and beautiful architecture, and we look forward to welcoming passengers on our flights to this new destination, said Per Møller Jensen, Vice President, Brand, Marketing & EuroBonus for SAS.

Forty-two weekly flights to Poland
SAS flies to Wroclaw four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, leaving Copenhagen at 11:15 a.m. and Wrocław at 1:00 p.m. The flying time to Wroclaw is one hour and 20 minutes, and SAS uses CRJ200 flights seating 50 passengers on the service.

SAS now operates a total of 42 weekly flights to Poland out of Copenhagen Airport. In addition to the service to Wrocław, SAS also offers services to Warsaw, Gdansk and Poznan out of Copenhagen.

Emirates connects Costa Cruise ships to passengers from all over the world

13th January 2009: The UAE’s position as the hub and most popular destination - for cruise ships in the Middle East will be consolidated next month with the arrival of a new state-of-the-art luxury liner on its maiden voyage. And the arrival in Dubai of Costa Deliziosa, the 15th vessel to join the fleet of Costa Cruises, will strengthen an exciting partnership between Europe’s number one cruise company and Emirates airline, with the firms geared for an expected surge in cruise tourism in the region. Emirates and Costa Cruises will be at the forefront as the rapidly emerging industry is bolstered further this month when the new Dubai Cruise Terminal becomes fully operational, with a capacity to handle four ships simultaneously. Costa Deliziosa, along with sister ships Costa Luminosa and Costa Europa, expect to dock in Dubai 32 times during the 2009/2010 winter season and Emirates will play a pivotal role in connecting holidaymakers with their cruise liners. The airline - which will fly to 25 European destinations in 2010 after announcing the addition of Madrid, Prague and Amsterdam to its network - shares the same commitment to service excellence as Costa Cruises and will ensure many of their guests begin their dream holiday in style. Costa Cruises, Italy’s largest tourism group, expects this season to bring 140,000 visitors to Dubai with many flying in with Emirates from France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the UK and is confident of delivering a significant contribution to the tourism industry. Antonio de Rosa, Costa Cruises VP Cruise Operations, said: We were the first major operator to believe in the UAE as a cruise destination and are proud of the economic benefits we are bringing to the region. We predict the number of guests cruising to Dubai with us will increase by 40%, with an estimated boost of Dhs 74 million for the city in the winter of 2009/10. And Fabrizia Greppi, Costa Cruises VP Corporate Marketing and Communication, welcomed Emirates commitment to Costa Deliziosa event as well as developing the Middle East ’s burgeoning cruise industry. Richard Vaughan, DSVP Commercial Operations Worldwide for Emirates, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Costa Cruises to give their guests the best possible start to what for many will be the trip of a lifetime. “With an extensive flight schedule to cities throughout Europe, we can unite Costa cruise ships with passengers travelling from their key market, as well as give them the opportunity to attract guests from many of the other countries in our network of more than 100 destinations. “Cruise tourism has been identified as a key growth segment and we are very excited at the long-term benefits that this partnership can bring to both Emirates and Costa Cruises, not to mention the tremendous boost this gives to the tourism industry in the region. The Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa, which can both accommodate almost 3000 travellers, will operate a seven-day itinerary, starting and finishing in Dubai, with one-day stops in Oman, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Italian home styling popular among locals|china travel

When architect and home designer Fabrizo De Leva came to China seven years ago, he didn't expect Chinese people would be so interested in Italian style.

Yet today 99 percent of De Leva's clients at FdL in Beijing are Chinese. The appeal is due to "a combination of simplicity, functionality and luxury", De Leva said.

Italians are known worldwide for their style in leather and luxury brands such as Prada and Lamborghini. And that's exactly what newly affluent Chinese want in their homes - Italian luxury, according to De Leva.

He said there are two types of Chinese interested in his professional services.

One type, who have a humble background and make it big, want to show off their new money - they like their homes designed in an ostentatious way.

De Leva said one client had his whole bathroom plated in gold at a cost of 1 million yuan.

The other type are more confident of their wealth and "want real style", he said.

De Leva said an Italian home is not about a golden bathroom, but mixing aesthetics and function. Every item in a room should be useful, easy to operate and move around.

He said the No 1 rule is to avoid a so-called "U-turn" in a home, meaning that you can only get in or out of a room the same way. An entrance should allow people to navigate the house, he said.

Italian style is also not just about marble floors. It's the way of working with the space in a home that distinguishes it, that is new in China, he said.

"Some people don't understand that design and style is not about dressing up an empty space, it's about creating an empty space," he said.

"Some Chinese are too sophisticated. They will have the furniture along the walls in a traditional style. We will put some furniture in the middle of the room."

Furniture is the exuberance that achieves that luxury Italian look, but it can raise costs dramatically, especially if the customers are looking for genuine leather furniture and designs.

"You can get good copies of Italian furniture here in China but many Chinese are willing to pay much more to get the original," De Leva said.

"They are concerned about the quality and would rather fly to Italy and choose the furniture they like and have it shipped over to China."

For many Italians the kitchen is the heart of the home, but for the Chinese it's the opposite.

De Leva said the dominant colors of an Italian-style home are pastel, which reminds him of Mediterranean islands such as Sicily. Few, if any, are red.

As he designs more homes in China, he said he hoped more Italian designers will come to China.

"Chinese people have a keen eye for Italian style," he said. "But Italian designers are slow to come and be a part of this great opportunity."

Citys First Solar Power Station Starts Operation

A solar power station, located in Shuangliu County of Chengdu, began to generate electricity on Tuesday. It is the first solar power station built in the city, which makes Shuangliu the pilot area of new energy using.

The solar power station was designed and built by Sichuan Apollo Solar T&D Inc., a high-tech company of solar power development.

Noah headquaters settle in Chengdu

Chinas leading provider of electronic learning products Noah Education Holdings Limited (Noah) announced on Wednesday that the company had moved its headquarters from Shenzhen to Chengdu.

Chairman of Noah Tang Benguo said the decision had strategic importance since Chengdu possesses the advantages in highstandard human resources, completed industrial capacity and lower cost.