China for Kids
Thank you, Rachel O'Conner. (You are now famous on the internet, just as requested!)
We have been delighted to see a steady increase of Families booking with us to visit China recently. Over the past five years China's inbound tourism industry has increased its awareness to the growing numbers of youngsters traveling with their parents. The peoples Republic of China is now very Child friendly!
There are numerous activities we have included in the past that may appeal to your children (or you!), some of which are shown below.
It's normal for your family or a small group to be with an english speaking guide at all times please see our customer care section.
Please note if your Child is under 12 years old at the time of departure from the UK then we should have no trouble in applying discounts to both the international and domestic flight and train travel involved in your holiday. If your Child's birthday is in China, the Sanya team in the UK and China will make a massive effort to ensure it's a birthday for them to remember!
(If your child is diabetic or you have other issues to flag up with us, please do this well in advance so we can prepare well.)
Thanks to the nice people at Dorling Kindersley Childrens Books, we will be sending the book shown below to every child who travels with us. This will be included in your child's confirmation pack (with lots of free chopsticks and educational literature).
Get some Practice, it's fun, not necessarily messy, fun to learn how to use chopsticks. Why not contact us and request some Bamboo Chopsticks to be posted to your child with a simple instruction sheet. nikie@sanyachinatravel.com or 01256 863019.
If your Child can learn to pick up a baked bean with his or her chopsticks then we consider them specialists! Go on, take the challenge!
Food for Kids in China!
China is chock a block with fun snacks or small meals. In the morning, try baozi (steamed filled buns) with doujiang (soy milk). Huntun (wonton soup), xianbing (flat pancake with vegetable and eggs), miantiao (noodles fried or boiled with meat and vegetables) are all great for quick bites.
Kids will have fun at a hotpot restaurant, they help cook the food and watch the foo – thin sliced beef or lamb being dipped into a simmering soup to cook, along with noodles, tofu, vegetables etc. For a treat, try youtiao (sweet deep fried dough twists!)
Beijing: The Beijing World Park
The world park covers an area of 47 hectares. It is a perfect way to escape the bustle of the city it has a large area of gardens displaying miniatures of scenic spots throughout the world. It includes more than 100 miniature world famous buildings.
Beijing: The Great Wall
Thank you, the Williams family!
The Great Wall is one of new seven wonders of the world, and nothing can prepare your Children for the heady sensation of actually looking at the Great Wall as it winds through miles of steep hills and rugged countryside. Standing on the ramparts, kids can easily imagine they're defending against the Mongol hordes. Walking (or you can hire Bikes) on the Great Wall is a truly unforgettable experience for everyone in the family.
Beijing: A Rickshaw ride in the The Hutongs
Thank you for your photo, Sophie Jennings, now you're a star!
Explore the Hutongs (Beijiing's Traditional streets and ally ways) . Surprisingly a ride in a rickshaw has been the high light of many a Childs visit to Beijing with us. We recommend a stay in this this small family run hotel, "The Bamboo Garden". Situated in one of the few remaining traditional Hutong districts it is in a perfect location for your child to understand the street culture of China's capital city. Please click here to view the Bamboo Garden Hotel
Beijing: Shijingshan Amusement Park
This is Beijing's largest and best amusement park with rides and it's packed full of Disney characters!
Beijing: The Beijing to Xian Overnight railway trip
Photo from Clive Pearson (Superdad!), Oct 2009
Any train trip is always an adventure for Children, however the high light of any holiday to Asia for Kids is often the experience an overnight trip. These cabins (sleeping two, four or five) are very safe and comfortable. If it's an overnight journey, such as the route form Beijing to Xi'an, it's often also very economical at the expense of air travel.
Chengdu: The Sichuan Science And Technology Museum
China for Kids doesn't get much more high Tech than this. The museum includes airplanes, flying saucers, 3D movies, robots and interactive model rockets. This is a hands-on learning atmosphere. The afternoon museum trip will be both educational and exhilarating for your kids!
Chengdu: The Shunxing Ancient Teahouse and Restaurant
A good way to spend time in the a late afternoon - early evening is to visit the Shunxing Ancient Teahouse and Restaurant. This is a great place for kids an is more than just a meal. The restaurant's own Tea Ceremony performed on stage itself is entertaining. Your Children can then watch the chefs cook the food in front of them. Stay on after your meal for some traditional Sichuan entertainment. This again, will be a nice change for the children, it's very different and an interesting place to visit.
Chengdu: Happy Valley
If you want to get technical then its: A Golden Horse Shoot-the-Chute, Giant Wheel, Wild Mouse and Carousel, Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster and Mine Train, Intamin Mega Coaster and Flying Island, S&S twin Space Shot, Mondial Splash Over, Zamperla Disk 'O', Discovery (Frisbee), Energy Storm and Sombrero, Sally Corporation North Pole Adventure (dark ride), RTE interactive theatre and SimEx Iwerks 4D theatre. Everyone we have sent here say it's a great day out!
Chengdu: Voluntary work at the Panda garden. Bifenxia, nr. Chengdu
Voluntary work at the Panda Garden. (Thank you Colin and Jenny Harper)
Kids love pandas. It's possible for them to spend a day (or more) doing the following tasks including: Preparing the food for the Pandas such as apples, panda bread, carrots and of course bamboo. Serving the Pandas food and cleaning their enclosures. Observe and research, helping the scientists to collect behaviour data. There will also be plenty of time just to watch and photograph the pandas. This is real conservation and something your children will never forget.
Chengdu: Dinosaur Museum in Zigong, nr. Chengdu
If your Kids are into Dinosaurs this is the biggest Dinosaur Museum in the world!. It covers 25,000 square meters (about 17 acres) and It's located 11 kilometres (about 7 miles) from the centre of Zigong City. It enjoys the same excellent reputation as the American National and Canadian Dinosaur Parks. Your child will be amazed with the huge rock cave, but the real wonder is the museum exhibits such as the gigantic dinosaur fossils. Passing through the museum your family will enjoy a mysterious ambience taking you to the world of more than 100 million years ago. To get here, we recommend, with the help of your Sanya guide you take a train from Chengdu and stay overnight in Zigong City as part of your itinerary.
Guilin: Bamboo rafting on the Li River
Thank you for the picture, Mandy Spencer (nice tattoo!).
The Older Children will love to spend an hour on a bamboo raft on the Li River. The skilful crewman uses a long pole to navigate the raft. The rafts hold from two to five people. We do not recommend this activity for Children under six years old. Your Child must be under the supervision of your Guide, the Crewman and one parent or Guardian. It's lots of fun and a unique activity for older kids.
Guilin: Climbing the famous Moon Mountain
The View from the top
The Kids can burn energy climbing up the stone-paved path, there are 800+ steps up to Moon Mountain. See the amazing view while looking through a rock with a doughnut hole in the centre, or more appropriately the full moon. When you get to the top, stand in front of the hole (and kids can pretend they're the jade rabbit in the moon, an old Chinese legend) - Your Guide will explain!
Guilin: Bike riding along the banks of the Li River
Your Sanya Travel guide can arrange for you to rent bikes at your hotel. With or without a guide it's best to explore the countryside around the town and view the river culture. Biking through emerald green rice paddies watching the farmers ploughing by hand is something the kids won't forget. (It's pretty level around Yangshuo.) Your Guide will help you plan this trip.
Longmen Grottoes: Louyang, Henan Province
The Longmen Grottoes are located sixteen kilometres south of Louyand in Henan Province on the banks of the Yi River. The grottoes honeycomb the mountain , it's a fascinating place for both children and adults.
Kunming: The Stone Forest
Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, enjoys great fame among the children who visit here. Chinese schools teach this magical place as being the "First wonder of the world". It covers an area of 400 square kilometers (96,000 acres) and includes both large and small stone forests, as well as many other scenic spots. Walking through the Stone Forest your child will be bewitched by the gigantic rock formations.
School Visits: Yongji Senior High School, Yihetun Village (nr. Xian), Shanxi Province.
Thank you Jim: A perfect photo!
Would your Children like to Visit a Chinese school or spend time in a Kinder garden? Our home stay in Shanxi province, relatively close to X'ian is run by our former guide who is now the local school teacher. So if you would like to visit a typical Chinese school, your family will be made welcome at the Yongji Senior High School. Please click here for more information The Yang Family - Yihetun Village (nr Xian), Shanxi Province.
Shanghai: The Maglev Train
Thank you Jim: A perfect photo!
Everyone in the family will enjoy a ride the futuristic-looking Maglev train. You can take this train from the airport to your Hotel in Shanghai. The ride won't take long, 30km in 8 min. Inside the train, look up to see how fast you're going (kilometres per hour). Kids will have first-hand experience for those middle school science projects on magnetic levitation trains. The Trains go every 20 mins, 24 hours a day so you have no excuse to miss one!
Shanghai: Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe
This is a spectacular show for kids, dazzling colour, magic effects, juggling, balancing acts, and amazing, "pretzel-like" acrobatics. Shows are every evening at the Shanghai Centre Theatre at 7:30pm. Just ask you Sanya China Travel agent to include this in your tailor made itinerary.
Shanghai: Shanghai Zoo
(Zoos with Pandas can also be found in Beijing, Chengdu, Harbin, Wuhan and Hong Kong)
Here you will find a typical animal zoo plus a huge ferris wheel and other amusement activities for Kids. If you're not going to Chengdu to see the Pandas at the research base then you get another chance to see a Panda in China by visiting the Shanghai Zoo. Your kids will enjoy it!
Shanghai: Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
Please also see this web site: www.sh-soa.com
This is Asia's largest aquarium with a massive emphasis on education. This aquarium is a wonderful experience for kids, especially the walk-through glass observation tunnel where kids can see massive fish and sharks swim overhead. However, try not to be offended at the special shark exhibit show where the video shows you how Chinese shark's fin soup is made (thank you for the warning Jane Needam!)
Shanghai: Jin Jiang Amusement Park
This is a large children's playground and amusement park. Safe and modern, we have had nothing but good reports from everyone who has requested to go here. It's not necessary to have your guide with you. The park is now "western friendly"!
Hong Kong: Disneyland
An important point to mention is the majority of flights depart from Honk Kong to the UK in the late evening. So this could be the perfect final day for you and your family in China before we transfer you back to the airport. Please click on the logo below to go directly into the official web site. Please do not ask us to book the the hotels inside the park themselves as the rates are massively inflated. You do not need to stay at the Park. Please click the logo below for more information on Hong Kong's Disneyland.
