Sydney to meet the new face of China travel

The new face of tourism in China will be unveiled to a Sydney audience this June in one of the biggest events in China travel for 2011.

The 2011 China Tourism Night will be held in Sydney on June 22 on a showboat sailing from King Street Wharf at 7pm, and will include presentations, traditional Chinese entertainment, a seated dinner and a prize draw.

Key players in the tourism and travel industry, corporate sector and media will join an international delegation of representatives from 22 of China’s Tourism Bureaus.

These will include Beijing, Tianjing, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Shanxi, Niangxia, Qinghai, Tibet and Xinjiang.

The 2011 China Tourism Night will mark the first time that representatives from so many of China’s Tourism Bureaus have visited Australia together. 

‘We are using the 2011 China Tourism Night Australia and New Zealand to launch China’s new approach to a first-class tourism service designed specifically for Western tourists,’ said Mr Kuong Lin, Director of China National Tourism Office (CNTO), Australia and New Zealand.

‘Our guests will see that we are now dedicated to providing a service that caters specifically to our Australian and New Zealand tourists, but still authentically embodies Chinese culture.’

The function will be supported by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Australia and the Consulate-General in Sydney as part of the ‘Experience China’ project of the ‘Year of Chinese Culture in Australia, 2011 – 2012’.

‘Experience China’ is a series of cultural activities organised by the Chinese government, aimed at strengthening relations between Australia and China as well as promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples.

During the 2011 China Tourism Night function, guests will be presented with insights into Chinese history, culture, and cuisine from an all-new approach. Famous Chinese landmarks such as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors and others will be discussed in light of this approach with reference to travel and tour options suitable for Australian travellers.

‘Our guests will be able to see China like never before as a culturally authentic and affordable travel destination,’ said Mr Kuong.

How To Live Like a Nomad in Mongolia

Etiquette dictates that if you’re passing by a ger camp you should stop by and say hello, since they’re few and far between. And if you do stop in, don’t worry about knocking. If the camp dogs haven’t already alerted the owners to your arrival, just walk straight inside the ger, sit down on the left-hand side of the room (the side reserved for visitors) and accept the airag (fermented mare’s milk) and fried dough on offer.

Outside Ulaanbaatar , nomads must make do with whatever is available. This goes for food, water, toys for the kids and furniture. Almost all goods in the stores in tiny townships are pre-packaged and imported from China or Korea.

The last few winters in Mongolia have been harsh. Many herders have had to contend with the death of their livestock and thousands of nomads are moving to the city each year in search of work. Sometimes children are left behind with relatives or friends in the countryside while their parents try to make a go of it in the city.

There isn’t enough work to go around and alcohol is a problem. The nomadic way of life is slowly dying out. People furnish their gers with washing machines and televisions that run off car batteries and long for an easier life. Pressure is building on the economy and forcing the country to look towards its vast mineral deposits for a possible source of income.

That’s a really good point, Andrea – I never thought to consider it in comparison to digital nomadism! Definitely two very different worlds.

I find it really amazing that people can survive living the way they do – the winters are incredibly harsh and food is so scarce – sometimes water can be hard to come by! It’s incredible.

It’s not good at all! Someone in my van actually got very sick when we were a 4 days drive from the city of Ulaanbaatar…no idea what we would have done if she hadn’t improved quickly!

And we also picked up two nomads on a random stretch of road who were travelling to a medical clinic. If we hadn’t gone past they could have been waiting days for someone else to help them out. Scary thought.

Mongolian historical writing from 1200 to 1700, Shagdaryn Bira ; translated from the original Russian by John R. Krueger and revised and updated by the author

Mongolia survey, a publication of the Mongolia Society

Tang China and the collapse of the Uighur Empire, a documentary history

New times

The National geographic magazine