We just got back from our China Odyssey tour with Laurus Travel, and we had a great time. They provide a guide for the whole trip for groups of 10 or more. We started out with twelve, four joined other Laurus Tours after a few days, so we ended up with our own guide for eight.

He was great. He'd lived through the Cultural Revolution in Beijing, so had extraordinary stories to share. We were surprised he was able to be so candid - he noted that he was speaking in English. The local guides in each city/town were young and pleasant and spoke better English, but lacked his knowledge and historical perspective.

The hotels were all very nice. We ate mostly at restaurants and hotels catering to tourists, but the food was excellent. The few local restaurants we ate at were much more interesting.

In Xi'an, the guide took us to a Mongolian Restaurant where we cooked our own food in simmering Hot Pots. We were the only westerners there and it was great fun, but probably the worst meal I've ever had. Think boiled beef, chicken and veggies with no seasoning except hot sauce. I cooked lots of greens and the resulting soup wasn't too bad.

We did all the usual tourist things - Beijing and the Great Wall, Xi'an and the Warriors, Yangtze Cruise, Chongqing/Dazu, Guilin, Li River Cruise, Yangshuo and Shanghai/Suzhou - and it was all amazing. It did feel like we were in sort of a tourist cocoon, but we could never have seen so much on our own.

We visited a very poor family in Xi'an and a farmer in Yangshuo who proudly showed us his new house. They were fortunate to have family members working in the tourist hotels and restaurants.

I would definitely recommend going in October weather-wise. We left September 14, expecting 75 to 85 degrees, but it hit mid 90's in Shanghai. The countryside in Yangshuo was so beautiful that we didn't mind so much that it was a steam bath and water was rationed. No showers at the Paradise Hotel 'til after 6 p.m.

Only three factory stops - jade, cloisonné and silk. There was no pressure to buy, and the silk mill was actually quite interesting. We found out afterward that our guide there complained that Laurus groups weren't rich - no one bought any silk.

For reading material, I would second "Wild Swans" and add " Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress." It's a lovely little novel. The author survived re-education in the early 70's and now lives in France. The movie was recently released and is playing in small movie houses here.

I also picked up two movies recommended by Laurus, "To Live" and "The Blue Kite." Videos were only a few dollars at Amazon, also in DVD. Both were banned in China.

Let me know if I can answer any questions.

Best to all, Charlotte in MA