March 2016 – China Trip
Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu
In March 2016, JEDEC held a meeting in Shanghai, and Helen and I decided this was the perfect opportunity for a massive tour of China! On our absolute "must-see" list were the Great Wall, the Terracotta Soldiers, and the giant pandas. This meant we needed to traverse the country to visit Beijing, Xi'an, and Chengdu, in addition to exploring Shanghai for the JEDEC meetings.
Our biggest logistical challenge was figuring out what to do with all of our luggage. Because this was a business trip and Charles was responsible for the meeting equipment, we had a mountain of bags: two roll-aboard suitcases for JEDEC, our two personal roll-aboard suitcases, a shoulder bag, and a backpack! We definitely did not want to drag all of that across the country on our tour. Fortunately, the China Technology Association (CTA) has an office in Shanghai, and JEDEC arranged for us to securely leave the equipment with them while we traveled.
Usually, JEDEC equipment is shipped in advance, but China does not have a customs category for temporary meeting equipment. Our freight forwarder HIGHLY recommended we bring it in as personal luggage. Helen and I checked our personal bags and carried the JEDEC equipment on board the plane with us. The strategy worked perfectly, and all the equipment arrived in pristine condition!
Itinerary
| Date | Location / Activity |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, March 2 | Arrive in Shanghai |
| March 3 – 6 | Free days in Shanghai |
| March 7 – 10 | JEDEC meeting |
| Friday, March 11 | Free day in Shanghai |
| Saturday, March 12 | Travel by high-speed train to Beijing |
| Sunday, March 13 | Beijing: Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Hutong tour |
| Monday, March 14 | Mutianyu: Walk the Great Wall & visit the Summer Palace |
| Tuesday, March 15 | Beijing: Jingshan Park (Free day) |
| Wednesday, March 16 | Travel to Xi'an by high-speed train |
| Thursday, March 17 | Xi'an: See the Terracotta Warriors |
| Friday, March 18 | Xi'an (Morning) / Fly to Chengdu (Afternoon) |
| Saturday, March 19 | Chengdu: Free day |
| Sunday, March 20 | Chengdu: Giant Panda Research Center |
| Monday, March 21 | Chengdu (Morning) / Fly to Shanghai (Afternoon) |
| Tuesday, March 22 | Shanghai: Free day |
| Wednesday, March 23 | Return to USA |
This is a map of our incredible route through China! We started in Shanghai in the Southeast (lower right). From there, we traveled about 1,000 miles to Beijing in the Northeast (upper right). Next, we headed to Xi'an in the center of the map, followed by Chengdu in the Southwest (lower left), before finally returning to Shanghai.
Wednesday, March 2: Arrival in Shanghai
Our non-stop flight from San Francisco to Shanghai took 11 hours. We landed a little after 6:00 PM, and by the time we cleared immigration, passed through customs, and grabbed our luggage, it was past 7:00 PM. Exhausted and ready for bed, we opted to take the Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) train instead of the standard subway. The Maglev cost about $7 per person but rocketed us to downtown Shanghai in just 10 minutes! The regular train is only $1 but takes 30 minutes.
Thursday – Sunday, March 3 – 6: Free days in Shanghai
Getting around Shanghai was incredibly easy! With 13 subway lines crisscrossing the city, every area was highly accessible.
Highlights
We had a phenomenal time exploring Shanghai! The most memorable adventures were the jaw-dropping acrobatics show and navigating the labyrinth of the Spinning Market. We scored tickets to the acrobatics show for less than $20 USD. The two-hour performance featured an incredible variety of acts, including five motorcycles driving simultaneously in random directions inside a tiny metal spherical cage!
The South Bund Soft-Spinning Material Market is an absolute maze of hundreds of tiny tailoring stalls. Each stall specializes in specific items—leather jackets, silk fabrics, custom shirts, shoes, etc. If you find a fabric or item you love, you better buy it right then, because you might never find that exact stall again! We had to collect business cards, but even knowing the stall number, navigating back was a challenge.
The prices were fantastic! Helen had several custom pants and shirts tailored to precisely match a favorite pair she brought from home. I was even able to purchase custom fabric for the seats in the Cozy airplane I am building!
Other Sights
One of the most prominent landmarks in the city is the Oriental Pearl Tower, located across the river from The Bund near the Lujiazui metro station.
Monday – Thursday, March 7 – 10: JEDEC Meeting
The week-long JEDEC meeting was held at the Hilton. We got incredibly lucky and were upgraded to a massive suite! It featured two full bathrooms, a large bedroom, and a separate office. It was delightfully oversized and extremely comfortable, especially compared to our first hotel, where the room was barely larger than the queen-size bed!
While I was in meetings all day, Helen went sightseeing with a wonderful group of spouses. On Wednesday evening, the Shanghai-based company Montage hosted a phenomenal dinner for JEDEC members at the Lady Bund, a restaurant perched high atop a building on the waterfront. The nighttime view of the skyline was absolutely breathtaking!
Friday, March 11: Free day in Shanghai
We dedicated Friday to shopping! First, some friends back home asked us to find a specific set of Mahjong tiles that featured both Chinese and English characters. Unfortunately, after scouring the markets and sending pictures, vendors informed us that the dual-language style is Taiwanese and not sold in mainland China!
We also explored a multi-story electronics warehouse that was absolutely packed with tiny tech vendors operating out of booths just a few feet wide!
Our second shopping goal was finding DVDs. We stumbled into a massive shop called Angel DVDs. They had thousands of movies, but it was completely disorganized and nearly impossible to find anything specific!
We finished the day walking along The Bund. It's a gorgeous historic waterfront, but unfortunately, a thick layer of fog rolled in and obscured the views.
Saturday, March 12: Travel by high-speed train to Beijing
On Saturday, we officially kicked off our 10-day private tour of China through China Highlights! The tour cost $2,480 for the two of us (excluding hotels, as I preferred to book those myself) and covered all transportation, bullet trains, private guides, and sightseeing transport.
Our journey began with a 1,000-mile bullet train ride from Shanghai to Beijing. The trip took just 5 hours! The train was incredibly comfortable, featuring airplane-style seating with extra legroom, onboard restrooms, and food service. The massive windows gave us a terrific view of the countryside—and the heavy smog.
I was blown away by the sheer scale of the train network. Each of the 15 to 20 cars accommodated around 100 people, meaning a single train moved up to 1,500 passengers. And these trains departed Shanghai for Beijing every 20 minutes! That is a staggering amount of human movement between the two cities.
Sunday, March 13: Beijing (Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Hutong tour, Temple of Heaven)
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is the awe-inspiring, massive complex of buildings that served as the home of the Emperor and the absolute center of Chinese government for centuries. The walled city is packed with hundreds of ornate buildings, grand courtyards, and beautiful temples.
Tiananmen Square
We quickly walked through the massive expanse of Tiananmen Square. To be honest, it felt more like a mandatory "check mark" on the tour itinerary than a deep exploration.
Hutong Bicycle Rickshaw Tour
Next, we hopped into a bicycle rickshaw for a fascinating ride through the Hutongs—the ancient, narrow residential alleys of Beijing! The "homes" are actually clusters of buildings built around central courtyards, hidden behind walled compounds. The entrance doors feature symbolic wooden logs jutting out above the frame, which historically indicated the exact rank and importance of the officials living inside. It was incredible getting to step inside one of these historic courtyard homes!
Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven is a beautiful, iconic structure, though after a long day of sightseeing, it started to blend in with the many other temples we had seen!
Monday, March 14: Mutianyu (Great Wall) and the Summer Palace
Walking the Great Wall at Mutianyu was undeniably one of the absolute highlights of the entire trip! We hiked along the ancient stones for about a mile, but the path was relentlessly uphill. We weren't entirely sure our legs would make it to the top, but we pushed through and successfully reached our goal! The views were spectacular.
Summer Palace
We were incredibly exhausted after conquering the Great Wall, and the sun was starting to set, so our visit to the beautiful Summer Palace was unfortunately very short and fast!
Tuesday, March 15: Beijing (Jingshan Park & Drum/Bell Towers)
We had a wonderful free day in Beijing to explore at our own pace! We strolled around the perimeter of the Forbidden City and hiked up into Jingshan Park, the beautiful imperial garden situated directly across the street from the rear gate. The elevation provided stunning views over the golden roofs of the palace. We ended our day at the ancient Beijing Drum and Bell Towers. Unfortunately, we were slightly too late to see the visual drum performance, but we certainly heard it echoing through the city!
Jingshan Park
Beijing Drum and Bell Towers
Wednesday, March 16: Travel to Xi'an by high-speed train
The high-speed train ride from Beijing to Xi'an covered 1,000 miles and took just 5 hours! I was deeply struck by the sheer number of completely abandoned, newly built apartment buildings we passed. We noticed this on the ride from Shanghai as well, but the scale of it heading into Xi'an was staggering. The pictures below capture only a tiny fraction of what we saw.
I asked our guide about it and learned there was a massive, speculative building boom driven by private enterprises a few years prior. Unfortunately, the supply vastly outstripped the demand, especially since rural farmers had absolutely zero desire to leave their land and move into high-rise condominiums!
Thursday, March 17: Xi'an (Terracotta Warriors)
Photos and details coming soon...
Friday, March 18: Xi'an / Fly to Chengdu
Photos and details coming soon...
Saturday, March 19: Chengdu (Free day)
Photos and details coming soon...
Sunday, March 20: Chengdu (Panda Research Center)
Photos and details coming soon...
Monday, March 21: Chengdu / Fly to Shanghai
Photos and details coming soon...
Tuesday, March 22: Shanghai (Free day)
Photos and details coming soon...
Wednesday, March 23: Return to USA
Trip concluded.