Compared with the standardization of the package tours, People find that these tours can not makes people meet their sepcial needs an longer, so more and more people choose Independent Travel, fully realize their different needs for a different tourism experience.

The high season for tourism in China lasts from mid-March to the end of November. All the resources at the disposal of Luxingshe – guides, buses and hotel beds – and until recently independent travel was not encouraged. In October 1982 a relaxation in the regulations governing travel permits between cities has not only made life easier for long term overseas residents, but also reflects a willingness to accept more independent travellers, although travellers are still expected to 1iaise through Luxingshe branch offices.

To obtain the necessary visa you should contact your local specialist tour operator, who will in turn contact the Miscellaneous Department at the Head Office of Luxingshe to obtain authorization. Transit passengers not spending more than five days in China can also apply directly to the Chinese Embassy or Tourist Office for a visa. If you travel to China independently, a Luxingshe guide will meet you and take you to your hotel and, if required, make arrangements for your stay in the city and your onward travel. You will be required to pay for all services on the spot in cash.

Overseas Chinese visiting relatives may travel independently in China, making any necessary arrangements through China Travel Service.

Specialist Tours
There are endless possibilities for specialist tours: for those interested in medicine and acupuncture a visit to Nanking is essential; snuff bottle collectors should visit Boshan in Shandong Province; lovers of arts and crafts will want to visit many of China’s cities, including Suzhou, Yangzhou and Luoyang; porcelain and ceramics collectors should go to Henan Province, to Jingde zhen in Jiangxi Province, to Yixing near Wuxi in Jiangsu and to Foshan near Guangzhou. Those interested in the development of Chinese art should visit one of the famous grottoes at Luoyang, Dunhuang or Datoiig, and the art collections at the Palace Museum in Peking and the Shanghai Museum, but please bear in mind that at most museums in China there are, as yet, no introductions to the exhibits or explanatory catalogues in English. Gourmets should visit the four main centres of regional cooking – Peking, Shanghai, Chengdu in Sichuan and Guangzhou. Historians and archaeologists should visit the Yellow River, Luoyang and Zhengzhou in Henan Province, and of course Xi’an. Botanists and seekers of wild life should visit Emei Mountain in Sichuan and Yunnan Province. Steam engine enthusiasts should go to Datong -where the steam train is still produced – and then chug around China, stopping at junction cities such as Xuzhou, Zhengzhou and Taiyuan.

The arrangements for tours of a specialist nature will be made by your specialist tour operator together with Luxingshe, and where necessary the relevant state organizations will be contacted to arrange meetings and visits.