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Photo credits: Jay Rosenthal
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great wall
 The trip to China was arranged by Yulan Guo d/b/a Joy Travel Group. She can be contacted at yguova@yahoo.com or (202) 256-4268.  Yulan was the driving force behind this trip, and no amount of local guides could match her knowledge of, and love for, her birthplace. She continually fine-tuned the itinerary to adapt to our needs and circumstances. Although most of the participants were Sugarloaf crafters or friends, it was Yulan who wanted to provide us with a cross-cultural look at the China she knew.

What other tour could include being invited into her parents' apartment in Nanjing, partaking of their generous hospitality? Or the visit to the Nanjing Memorial, which documents the massacre of the Chinese by the Japanese during the Japanese invasion of China during World War II?

See below for a list of the reading material she provided prior to our trip, and comments from others on the trip.

I look forward to hearing about the next trip she is planning!!

Thanks for the memories!!

Jay Rosenthal
July 5, 2006

Reading material:
The Chinese Dynasties
Trip map and enter and customs forms
Chinese language
Chinese money image
Shopping in China
Some helpful Chnese phrases
Participants (Note: The trip was divided into two groups - the Shanghai entrance group, which flew to Shanghai, then spent a week in Suzhou and Nanjing, before joining the Beijing entrance group for the rest of the trip.)
Suzhou
Suzhou Bamboo Grove Hotel
The Town of Mudu
Nanjing
Nanjing Xuanwu Hotel
Nanjing - Purple Mountain Observatory
Beijing
Beijing Grand View Garden Hotel
Beijing Roast Duck
Xi'an
Xi'an Garden Hotel
Xi'an Dumpling Dinner

Comments from others on our tour:

From Terrianne and Jim Taylor:

my dear Yulan...nee hoa,

we can't thank you enough for an absolutely awesome, awesome trip. I'm not sure that I will ever stop talking about it. we LOVED every minute of it. I don't know what was my favorite part...I can't decide...when I think I have one thing that stands out, I quickly remember many others and realize that the whole trip was unforgettable! part of the success was the wonderful mix and gel of traveling companions--just wonderful! but the other part of the success was having you as our guide...you were phenomenal...you never said no to our wants or desires, in fact, you often anticipated them and you made everything work...your caring, your ability to think on your feet, your thoughtfulness, your willingness to share and your guidance make you the kind of guide that we go anywhere with. you won't be an easy act to follow.

thank you again and again for helping make this trip awesome and unforgettable! you're the BEST!!! I know that each and every one on this trip feels the same.

From Jean Sumner:

The China trip far exceeded my expectations. It was truly a life changing experience, and I'm not a naive kid who has never been out of the country. I completely agree with Terrianne's message to Yulan. Yulan, your sensitivity to each of us and to the group as a whole did so much to not only enhance our enjoyment, but added an inmeasurable amount to the intangible benefits of the trip. I am certain we all came home with a deeper understanding of humanity and of ourselves. , that is, with more open minds and hearts. And even though we were a group that was pretty open to begin with, I think this trip opened the hearts and minds of each of us in some way.

I have found it difficult to share the essence of our trip with my friends at home. Perhaps I have an arrogant attitude, but I feel that our trip was a much deeper and more special experience than the "common" China tours. Part of our specialness came from the compatibility of our group. Who woulda thunk it? I am very much looking forward to future visits, and future travel (?) with you all, especially with Yulan as our leader.