PARTING CHINA'S BAMBOO CURTAIN

For many travelers, China represents the land of ultimate mystery, the most foreign place on the planet.  Apart from the fact that for three of the last five decades this vast nation was strictly off-limits to American travelers, hidden behind a curtain of bamboo, there are issues of a language and writing system that are incomprehensible for foreigners. There's that overwhelming mass of humanity and a way of life that seems, well, foreign. And obtaining information about schedules and prices for travel and accommodations within China can be difficult; confirming reservations and obtaining tickets can be tough as well.

Those factors are still true, but as I discovered during a recent trip, China, while still very different, is changing with extraordinary rapidity and in ways that make it less foreign and far more accessible than people might imagine.  In fact, in some respects, traveling to China has become no more difficult than traveling to other places. The advance paperwork of obtaining a visa for China is, for example, no more rigorous than other countries that still require them from American travelers. Fill out a simple application and send it along with your passport and $35 to the Chinese Visa Service in New York, and you'll probably have a visa within 10 days.  And the recent advent of Northwest Airlines' non-stop 12-hour flight from Detroit to Beijing has made getting there much easier, the 13-hour difference in time notwithstanding. (In fact, one of my trip's most memorable moments actually took place on the flight over. The flight plan took the plane to 89.8 degrees north latitude, virtually directly over the North Pole. Reportedly this was only the second time the route has been flown by commercial aircraft. Now I can say I've been at the very top of the planet, a claim not even Admiral Peary could make with absolute confidence.)  China has also made huge strides in providing traveler amenities in the last 10 years, at least in cities on its primary tourist routes. Dozens of new and high-quality hotels and restaurants have been built in Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and Guilin. Street signs and shop-window advertisements often have translations in pinyin - anglicized, phonetic translations of Chinese characters. Familiar stores and brand name products are easy to find.  The Chinese government has also eased restrictions on travel to most places within the country. While foreigners are not permitted to rent cars in China and taking trains and buses still makes for long and arduous journeys, domestic air service has greatly improved, even if the airports can be somewhat chaotic.  The flights I took within the country on three different Chinese airlines were surprisingly comfortable, timely and affordable, at least when compared to what increasingly passes for acceptable service in the United States. I traveled on sleek, well-tended jets with wide seats, loads of leg room and gracious cabin service. Not only did the flights generally leave on time, but also two of them actually departed a few minutes early, once all passengers had been boarded. Passengers are all given small mementos of the journey; on one flight, cabin staff even held a drawing for various prizes!  Although getting around China on your own is both permissible and possible these days, figuring out the systems and making necessary arrangements require considerable time and energy. Rather than trying to make all the in-country arrangements before arrival, the best course for independent travelers probably is to book a flight to one of China's three primary international gateways - Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing - and check into a hotel there. Travel agencies and hotel concierges in those cities can help make plans and obtain necessary reservations, arrangements and tickets. A good guide book can also be a big help: I found China guides by Lonely Planet and Fodor's among the most current and useful.  Most first-time visitors, however, are likely to visit China on group tours, which are led by local guides from China International Travel Service, the largest of the state-run travel agencies. These trips all follow fairly standardized itineraries that call on the obligatory tourist sites, while bypassing or hurrying through places that may be equally interesting and even more authentic. These guided tours eliminate most of the guesswork of the planning process and greatly expedite getting around in the country.  The unfortunate flip side of this equation, however, is that these trips also tend to create barriers between travelers and the people in the country. That can make for an artificial, antiseptic experience, one that seldom strays from the well-beaten tourist paths. Too often, these excursions can be characterized by a long bus trip that ends someplace to buy souvenirs.  In either case, the primary observation is that the bamboo curtain has fallen. Americans are being actively courted to come and sample for themselves what China has been and is becoming. However they chose to arrive, they'll discover that China is not nearly as foreign as they might imagine, and it is becoming less so every day. It remains, however, a fascinating land of singular splendors, amazing contrasts, gracious hosts and unlimited travel potential.  


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