Our Family Luxury Tour of China - Part II

Many thanks for the kind words from friends, clients and associates about Part I of our Lynch Family Tour of China. Here's the second part of our 18-day trip, including Guilin and Beijing.

GUILIN
This was our third family visit to Guilin. Guilin's unique landscape, with its ubiquitous karsts limestone formations in the setting of lush, green rice fields adjacent to the Li River, evokes traditional Chinese landscape paintings. Notwithstanding the large number of tourists visiting this area, it's still worth the visit! After reading about the recently restructured HOMA (Hotel of Modern Art) Libre, outside Guilin, my very artsy wife, Bev, was anxious to experience this very special place. In short, our stay at HOMA came to be among the special highlights of our China trip! Founded by a Taiwanese business entrepreneur in 1997, HOMA represents a lovely balance of world class sculpture, architecture, and art set against the backdrop of the natural beauty of the lush grounds.

Despite the somewhat limited English among the staff, the genuine kindness and warmth delivered to our family was heartwarming. Our personal attendant, Daisy, (all guests are assigned a personal attendant) was a kids' dream. Daisy's sincere, dedicated time with Zen and Sofia made her feel like part of our family. HOMA's art workshop for kids is hands-on and fun! All 46 rooms here are individually designed with hip, funky decorations/artwork, along with flat-screen TVs, modern amenities, and a "wow" design aesthetic. I feel HOMA is THE place to stay if visiting Guilin.

BEIJING
More stoic and perhaps less dynamic than free-wheeling Shanghai, Beijing boasts China's major historical and cultural attractions, and, of course, home of the August 2008 Olympic Games!! We were most impressed with all of the Olympics facilities, including the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. However, based on the huge media buildup of Beijing for the Games, I will forgo any further review. Suffice it to say that the Beijing Olympics facilities are 21st century world-class and wow!!

Our affable and diminutive guide, Doyle, brought us to the obligatory visits to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace. Built from 1406, the Forbidden City was the China Imperial Palace from the Qing Dynasty. Taking at least 2 hours to walk through the sprawling grounds/compounds, the Forbidden City is a taxing walk for seniors and a "challenging" walk with a 7 and 8 year old! Despite our talks of the history and background of the inner/outer courts (and the 980 surviving buildings!!), Zen and Sofia began "losing it" after the first hour - per Zen, "I love China daddy, but this place is just way too big!"

Most compelling, we made a visit to the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, adjacent to Tiananmen Square. Particularly for westerners, viewing Mao's preserved corpse is at once spellbinding and abominable. The long waiting line to enter the mausoleum moves swiftly, perhaps not more than 15-20 minutes.

Factory 798
Being an avid modern Chinese art lover, Bev led the way to Beijing's funky art district, Factory 798. Named after the military factory that formerly occupied the buildings, Factory 798 is a must for all modern art lovers. In addition to the many art galleries/exhibitions, the district also includes cool, hip cafes and bookstores. Timezone 8 is our favorite - the best Caesar salad in all of Beijing set in an artsy-soho ambience.

Nanluoguxiang St. (hutong) - Dongchen district
Similar to Factory 789, Nanluoguxiang St. is a quiet, artsy contrast from most of busy, noisy Beijing. Nanluoguxiang really resembles a long alley, and is a favorite spot for Beijing's young musicians, hipsters, and gen X's. This is a great street to have lunch and shop. All of us very much enjoyed the many small custom shops, two of the most interesting - Pottery Workshop (this gallery sells modern takes on classic ceramics fired in the imperial porcelain city of Jingdezhen) and NLGX Design. (Very cool China-themed T-shirts!) Our only disappointment here was hearing that this area was formerly a teeming residential hutong that was transformed by a local developer.

LAN Club - WOW!!
This Beijing restaurant/nightclub is without doubt the most intoxicatingly fascinating eatery we have experienced anywhere in China. LAN is a 60,000 square foot Philippe Starck-designed palace of pretentiousness, and is great entertainment - for kids and adults alike! Including a restaurant area, oyster bar, cigar lounge, and high-energy nightclub, the entire dining complex is designed with a mix of oil paintings and chandeliers, set against corridors lined with Hindu icons, stuffed birds, and an aesthetic that perhaps only Marie Antoinette would fully comprehend. Zen and Sofia particularly loved the dim-lit individually designed restrooms. One of the grandiose restrooms boasts a white leather armchair next to an almost fairytale-like four legged closet. The nearby washbasin bears a bright golden swan stretching its wings, whiles its neck serves as a water tap. All of this is highlighted by red lights fitted out with small monitors resembling eyes - they follow you with every step!! You would expect the food prepared in such an ostentatious setting to be mediocre at best. Not the case here - the East-West fusion/Szechuan creations were loved by all. Bev, Zen, Sofia and I give Lan an A for food/atmosphere/entertainment!

Notwithstanding the various wall locations, we enthusiastically endorse the Mutianyu section, an approx. 2 hour drive from downtown Beijing. Not nearly as jammed with tourists as the closer Badaling site, Mutianyu has a ski-lift service to the Wall itself where one can hike (an earnest work-out!) to varying sections of the Ming Dynasty guard towers, with few tourists and unobstructed views.

Another big plus of Mutianyu - a toboggan ride from the wall to the base. Bev, Zen, Sofia, and I felt this to be among the really fun activities of our trip! Each toboggan has a manual control throttle that controls your speed sliding down (4500 ft.) from the wall highpoint - the entire trip down takes about 5 minutes - exhilarating!! - (check it out on YouTube!)

Next up, Part III - Shanghai