Spring weekend ideas from Shanghai

I%26#39;m planning a possible spring weekend trip for a bunch of my university classmates (from Singapore) that would probably take place in March or April. I%26#39;ve been going around in circles and I need something (constructive criticism and practicality) to put my ideas right!

- Run-of-the-mill ideas like Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing and the water villages are OUT.

- Their sightseeing interests and preferences are pretty varied but I%26#39;m guessing with a slant towards photogenic scenery, a bit of culture, yummy food and a bit of shopping.

- Some of them probably wouldn%26#39;t mind flying for a weekend but a price tag of 1000 RMB would probably be over-the-top for most, if most of the budget is spent on plane tickets. If admission fees are expensive then that can%26#39;t be helped.

- From previous experience most of them don%26#39;t take kindly to sleeping in dorms where bathing facilities are inconvenient. Accommodation budget could be around 80 RMB/person.

- Can leave Friday night or Saturday morning, need to be back in Shanghai on Sunday night, or possibly very early Monday morning.

1) Luoyang (anytime 15/4--8/5): peony festival, Longmen Grottoes, Shaolin Temple, water banquet

2) Huangshan (April --%26gt; sea of clouds?): Huangshan, Tunxi old street

3) Taishan (best sunrise in May?): Taishan, Jinan (peach blossom festival in April)

4) Shaoxing (April onwards better): Lu Xun, East Lake, Wang Xizhi%26#39;s Orchid Pavilion, Shaoxing city square, Anchang old town

5) Xiamen: Xiamen, Gulangyu, Hakka roundhouses

6) Wuyishan

7) Putuoshan (6/4 Avalokitesvara%26#39;s birthday): Buddhism, Ningbo seafood

8) Qingdao (sakura festival mid-April--early May): Tsingtao beer, German architecture, beaches, Jinan

9) Zhangjiajie

From my own extensive budgeting of transport, it doesn%26#39;t look like most of them would have a price tag of %26lt;1000 RMB, except probably Shaoxing and Putuoshan; and even the latter could be over that budget as well. :( Am I looking at the right places? Have I missed out anything? Am I trying to fit in too much in too little time?

Any opinions/suggestions/recommendations welcome, thanks very much in advance. :)

Spring weekend ideas from Shanghai

My pick:

1st. Huangshan - photogenic scenery and shopping.

2nd. Luoyang - your group must have read up Chinese history to appreciate the implications of this ancient capital.

The others are further away and a little indirect for a weekend getaway.

See how your group vote.

Spring weekend ideas from Shanghai

I should%26#39;ve also mentioned that most of them are Chinese majors at Fudan university, and thus would have a pretty good grasp of Chinese language, literature and history. Would that make any difference to your answers? Thanks. :)

I can%26#39;t think of anything that one can buy in Luoyang but not in Shanghai. Tunxi old st may be different.

I am not doubting the command of the language in your group, just that it may be confusing to see contemperary buildings while looking for historical references as ancient capital. In Nanjing one can still get some orientation to the ';olden days'; inspite of the modern cityscape encrouchment.

In either case there is enough scenery for the camera to be busy.

Let us know how the vote go.

Same here, can%26#39;t think of anything much to buy in/at Luoyang but I think they could manage to shop at Shaolin Temple if they really want. Shopping isn%26#39;t a must.

However I do agree with you that the ';ancient'; bits of Luoyang are more or less all gone. I last visited Luoyang in Feb 2005.

Actually, I%26#39;m do have some biasedness against some destinations. My physical fitness level is really lousy so I%26#39;m not too keen on mountain climbing (eg 2, 3, 6 and probably 9). I%26#39;ve been to 1 (Feb 2005), 2 (Jul 2006), 4 (twice, last around Nov 2006) and 5 (Aug 2006) so I would really prefer not to have to go again. However the trip is mainly for my friends, so I%26#39;ll bite the bullet if I must.

I won%26#39;t know how the vote goes till at least early March, as that%26#39;s when they%26#39;ll be back in school. I have to get all the plans (itinerary and budget quotes) ready for them to vote before then.

Also, I%26#39;ve received 2 other suggestions from another forum, wanna let me know what you think of them as well? :)

10) Moganshan

11) Jingning/Lishui: She minority, culture festival (19/4)

I hear you, so put Qingdao into the short list.