Chamber trip to China 2018

LENOIR, NC (October 25, 2017)…The Caldwell Chamber of Commerce is offering a unique opportunity to experience the Chinese culture, history and business.

Through a partnership with Citslinc, International, the Chamber is offering a cost effective trip to China on October 26th through November 4th 2018. The trip includes stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou with opportunities to visit historic sites like the Great Wall of China and Tian An Men Square. There is also an opportunity to visit with a local Chinese business. The meeting is optional and requires filling out an inquiry form indicating what type of business or industry you are interested in learning more about.

“We’re excited to organize a China Tour for our regional residents,” said Barbara Armstrong, Chamber President/CEO. “This is an excellent opportunity to be introduced to the China. It’s extremely affordable and includes visits to major cities, various economic zones and major historical sites.”

The trip includes airfare from LaGuardia, hotel accommodations at 4 & 5 star hotels, three full meals a day, and professional drivers and tour operators. The cost is $2,199 for Chamber Members and $2399 for Potential Members. Just airfare alone is upwards of $800 to $1000 if priced separately.

Some of the highlights include visiting the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, and The Bund.

The Chamber is also hosting an informational meeting on Thursday, November 16th at Blue Ridge Energy Community Room from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Leo Liu, owner of Citslinc, will be answering questions regarding the trip. Leo has been providing this great trip to Chambers across Continental America since 1983.  More than 1000 Chambers have made this trip and have given this organization countless endorsements. This is the perfect and safest way to travel.

Please contact the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce for more information or to register for the orientation to learn more about the great trip!  828-726-0616 or email barbara@caldwellchambernc.com.

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Testimonial from a Raleigh Chamber of Commerce traveler

We went on the same trip with the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce from Oct. 25-Nov. 2, 2009. Let me tell you if anyone has the opportunity to take this trip they should. It’s a trip of a lifetime.

Yes the guides (you have 2 different ones for Beijing & Shanghai) take you to the factories. These are factories that are run by the Chinese Government. The idea is to buy items at the factories to offset such a cheap price that we paid for the trip. But they also show you how these products are made.

There are so many bargains all around especially with the street peddlers. Don’t be afraid to really offer 1/3 of the asking price. I had the best time at the Shanghai China Town market. American money can be used at most places but not at the rest area supermarkets. Make sure the money is crisp new bills and nothing over 20 dollar bills. Bring more 5’s & 10’s. My husband & I brought $1,000.00 (which was recommended) and came back with around $300.00. And we shopped!

The 5 star hotels – the Crowne Plaza in Bejing was the best and the Crowne Plaza in Shanghai was good. The 4 star hotels in Suzhou and Hangzhou were fair but all very clean. The major complaint that we had were the hotels were very warm. The air conditioning didn’t seem to work. We were told that the government turns off the air on Oct. 1st and the hotels are powerless to switch it over.

The food was very plentiful. Usually 8 courses if not more. The one problem is watch the soy sauce because it caused your feet to swell like crazy.

The days are packed with plenty of tours. The days start very early but in order to jam it all in in only a few they have to be long days.

The optional tours contrary to what some of you have posted are really optional. We were offered 4 tours and some of our group chose not to come along. They combined the people from the other buses (5 in all) who didn’t want to tour and brought them either to the Shanghai market or back to the hotel.

We did have 2 nights of free time after dinner. We never felt unsafe anywhere. The Citslink agents were with us from the time we arrived in the Beijing airport until we were leaving the Beijing airport. One of our passengers took ill and the one guide who was assigned to our group from start to finish took this person to the emergency room. The doctors and nurses were actually waiting for this person. He received great treatment and was released within 30 minutes. The bus even stayed with this person. You wouldn’t get that here.

All in all – don’t miss this trip if you can make it. It was GREAT!