Shanghai Trip

[daredevil123]

1. Is it fine to bring my 40D there? Condensation issues, others etc?
2. Any recommendation of the type of lens to bring there? Currently using only kit lens, plan to buy a 17-55mm f/2.8 for this trip (sufficient coverage?), not sure about the security there, any advice from those who have been there?
3. Convenience of shooting there? Gloves, change of lens, others etc?
4. Any additional advice / suggestions?

1. Sure no problems. No condensation as well. Do watch out for the winter rain. Bring a water resistant bag.
2. Bring lenses similar to what you would normally use. Should be fine. If you do not shoot tele, the 17-55 will be fine. But I do bring my 55-200 and 50/1.8with me.
3. If you are the type that is afraid of cold, gloves is recommended. Buy it in shanghai, very much cheaper there. Get those thin ones (I like leather ones) not those thick ones. Those are for cold white winters in the North. Seriously, Nov is not that cold. I still go around walking in long sleeve polo only. Then again, I love the cold.
4a. Check out the camera stores in Shanghai. Prices on par with HK, and you get to buy a lot of cheap china-made accessories and tripods. OP's HQ is also there, close to Shanghai railway station. Tons of stores there. There is also a new mall there dedicated to camera equipment. I think it is off XieTu Road. For computer stuff check out Metro (Mei Lou Cheng). Please check and double check whenever you buy something in China, could be fake, could be lousy. Always bargin like the seller owes you money. It is expected and no offense will be taken.

4b. Travel using the public transport, for Suzhou take trains in Shanghai railway station. For Hangzhou, take trains in Shanghai South railway station. Take the bullet trains, it is called (DongCheZhu - Moving Car Group). Watch your stuff in trains and train stations, do not sleep if you are travelling alone. If you do, hug your bag and sleep.

4c. Shanghai is generally safe. But watch your pockets in crowded places.carry backpacks in front, and put wallets and phones in front pockets, put your hand in the pockets, or dress/position yourself to make it not easy to pick your pocket or slash your bag.

What else do you want to know?

 

[daredevil123]

Oh ya, and be extra careful in Hangzhou. Many people out to cheat you money. Some will ask you if you need a car/girl/tour guide. Only take boats with people in uniform. Yes, all the licensed boat people now are required to wear uniform. And all the water lilies and lotus are gone. PM me if you need hotel suggestions, public transport info in HZ.

 

[infinity]

I think the free map will not be informative enough. You can get it at tourist office, I'm not sure in the Pudong airport got the office or not, but I know there is one branch in Yuyuan bazaar.

How long is your total trip? If you wonder around a lot on your own, I feel best to get the cheap yet informative local map.

1 & 2. It is possible, but you will only have about maximum 3 hours for both location, thus, rather not go.

Shanghai - Hangzhou by the fast train - about 1 hour
Shanghai - Suzhou by the fast train - about 40 min.

There could be day tour offered in Shanghai covered both city in one day, but I won't suggest you do that.

3. I personally will choose Hangzhou, but there could be comments that Hangzhou is over commercial, but again most tourist spot in the vicinity of Shanghai are commercialized.

Total of 9 days, f&e so definitely will need a good and infomative map, will check out the tourist office. Thanks!

I am considering 1 day for Hangzhou and 2 days for Suzhou, reason is because I thought of visiting Suzhou's neighbouring towns - Tong Li and Zhou Zhuang. Anyone been there before? Worth to make the trips? :think:

 

[infinity]

1. Sure no problems. No condensation as well. Do watch out for the winter rain. Bring a water resistant bag.
2. Bring lenses similar to what you would normally use. Should be fine. If you do not shoot tele, the 17-55 will be fine. But I do bring my 55-200 and 50/1.8with me.
3. If you are the type that is afraid of cold, gloves is recommended. Buy it in shanghai, very much cheaper there. Get those thin ones (I like leather ones) not those thick ones. Those are for cold white winters in the North. Seriously, Nov is not that cold. I still go around walking in long sleeve polo only. Then again, I love the cold.
4a. Check out the camera stores in Shanghai. Prices on par with HK, and you get to buy a lot of cheap china-made accessories and tripods. OP's HQ is also there, close to Shanghai railway station. Tons of stores there. There is also a new mall there dedicated to camera equipment. I think it is off XieTu Road. For computer stuff check out Metro (Mei Lou Cheng). Please check and double check whenever you buy something in China, could be fake, could be lousy. Always bargin like the seller owes you money. It is expected and no offense will be taken.

4b. Travel using the public transport, for Suzhou take trains in Shanghai railway station. For Hangzhou, take trains in Shanghai South railway station. Take the bullet trains, it is called (DongCheZhu - Moving Car Group). Watch your stuff in trains and train stations, do not sleep if you are travelling along. If you do, hug your bag and sleep.

4c. Shanghai is generally safe. But watch your pockets in crowded places.carry backpacks in front, and put wallets and phones in front pockets, put your hand in the pockets, or dress/position yourself to make it not easy to pick your pocket or slash your bag.

What else do you want to know?

Hi, thanks for the reply.

2. Between 15-85 and 17-55, which would you recommend for scenery shots?
4a. Will do so but are the items sold there reliable with regard to build, quality? Do you know whether Canon lens will be cheaper there (international warranty?)?

Any further advice for me if I would like to go Hangzhou and Suzhou (including Tong Li and Zhou Zhuang) too?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[Sk8te]

The Camera Mart called 摄影城 at junction of 鲁班路 斜土路. Girlfriend is based in Shanghai so I have been there quite a bit. The accessories in the camera mart is generally cheaper if it is made in China and there are quite a lot of floors to walk. The 2nd hand glasses are quite limited on my last trip and not that cheap.

For Hang Zhou, I strongly recommend Crystal Orange. See trip advisor advise below. You can book the room when you are in Shanghai. Just give them a call to book. Its nice and cosy plus near to the lake. Also do take note of the traffic in Hangzhou, do plan to leave earlier on the weekends!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298559-d1194068-Reviews-or20-Crystal_Orange_Hotel-Hangzhou_Zhejiang.html


For ZhouZhuang, you can get there from Shanghai. Its very easy with 3 to 4 daily buses (with tour guide on the bus). Get to Shanghai Stadium Bus Interchange. The buses is cheap. Also do not go to ZZ on a weekend or national holiday. It will be too packed to take any pics.. unless you want people in all your shot.

For lenses, I usually travel with primes. 35mm, 50mm and 105mm.

Yah before I forget, do remember to visit Taikang Lu court yard. Its nice little Shanghai courtyard littered with little restaurants and quaint coffee places. Nice place to shoot also! You can check out Kommune (big english breakfast) or Dan (nice jap food and excellent coffee!). To get there, just do a quick google for Kommune Shanghai.

Have fun in Shanghai! It can get quite cold in Shanghai in December so do bring warm clothes!

 

[Sk8te]

Yah.. if you are prone to wind blowing into your face, you could also get a "Buff" scarf.. I found it extremely useful on my last winter trip there.. keep the face warm and toasty! Available at outdoors shop in sg..

http://www.outdoorgb.com/c/buff_scarves_buffwear_scarves_top_buffs/1811/

 

[Shen siung]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

2. Between 15-85 and 17-55, which would you recommend for scenery shots?
4a. Will do so but are the items sold there reliable with regard to build, quality? Do you know whether Canon lens will be cheaper there (international warranty?)?

Any further advice for me if I would like to go Hangzhou and Suzhou (including Tong Li and Zhou Zhuang) too?

Many thanks in advance!

for lens in Shanghai, sometimes it is slightly cheaper, you may read this
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=508390

You can go to Zhou Zhuang and Tongli from Shanghai. Go to Shanghai indoor stadium, where the 旅游集散中心located. Tours can be book from there.

 

[daredevil123]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

2. Between 15-85 and 17-55, which would you recommend for scenery shots?
4a. Will do so but are the items sold there reliable with regard to build, quality? Do you know whether Canon lens will be cheaper there (international warranty?)?

Any further advice for me if I would like to go Hangzhou and Suzhou (including Tong Li and Zhou Zhuang) too?

Many thanks in advance!

2. It is really up to you really. I travel with a Tamron 17-50/2.8 with 55-200VR and 50/1.8 and SB600. I do not bring my tripod because I have a travel tripod I leave at my home in shanghai. My tripod setup in SG stays in SG. Sometimes I bring my prosumer with me, but I am doing that less and less nowadays.

4a. Same as HK prices. Make sure you do not buy grey set. Ask if it is local set (HangHuo) or grey set (shui huo - water goods). Things like china brand tripods are a lot cheaper in shanghai. Check out Benro, Sirui, Triopo tripods. Cheap over there. Other things to check out there are the lambency and china made diffusers. Accessories like camera bags (china brand, I own like 3, quite good), filter cases, hand grips, step up rings, spirit level, etc... are really cheap there. Oh if you do visit the camera mall near Shanghai Railway station called HuanLong, be sure to visit Orient Photo's HQ store in that building. It is quite huge.

You need to know the Chinese names for the brands. Manfrotto (Man Fu Tu), Nikon (Ni kang), Canon (Jia Neng), Tokina (Tu Li), Sigma (Shi Ma), Tamron (Teng Long), Velbon (Jin Zhong), Gitzo (Jie Xin), Benro (Bai Nuo) just to name a few. If you are not sure, just go to http://www.google.cn and type in the brand in english. You should see some links of the chinese equivalent. Also check prices on the internet Here.

For Zhouzhuang and Tongli, I suggest going through the Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Center (旅游集散中&#24515. As usual the chinese version of this site is more packed with info.This is the same center at Shanghai Stadium that a bro in a previous post mentioned. From this center, you can take bus tours to many many locations. If going to Zhouzhuang, I recommend you take the early bus at 7:25am. You will reach Zhouzhuang at around 9am, and most shops are not open yet at time in winter and you will get to see the real zhouzhuang with people living their life there. Once you hit 11am, the tourist crowd will rush in and you will have no more chance to take peaceful pictures. Tongli is only 10km from Zhouzhuang. So you can consider lumping the trip together. But it is really up to you how you want to travel. Thing is if you want to lump the trips together, you have to talk to the Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Center. I think they are not very flexible with tickets. THey have a number listed on the websitel. Call them. Hope you can understand mandarin.

Do take note that the Shanghai Sightseeing Bus center has a new branch at Shanghai South Bus station (different from Shanghai south raiway station although the 2 of them are side by side). Do double check which location serves which tour destinations. I remember the bus to Huangshan leaves from Shanghai South Bus station. Oh ya, you can consider Huangshan also, which is 5.5hours bus ride from Shanghai. But looking at your schedule you most probably do not have time.

Suzhou city itself, I do not find the charm anymore. Unless you are there for business, there is really not that much to see. Hangzhou westlake is different. It is beautiful. But in winter, the view is not that great as all the lotus has faded. And you get a fair bit of fog in winter. But you can manage surprising good photos if you are lucky. When in Hangzhou, remember to dine at Lou Wai Lou (楼外&#27004 on one of the "islands" on westlake. This restaurant is a few hundred years old. (the building is rebuilt and very modern) and has served food to major foreigner visitors including several American presidents. Wait is horrendously long and no reservation is allowed. When my parents visited me I brought them there. We waited around 1.5 hours before we got a table. Great food. Must try. The Beggar's chicken, DongPo braised meat are among the best you will ever taste.However, if you are not particular about eating the best, there are some good priced restaurants along the older shophouses near Hyatt.

Before you get confused further, there are 2 railway stations. Shanghai Railway Station (上海火车&#31449 in the north, and Shanghai South Railway Station (上海南&#31449 in the south. Both are located along Metro line 1. There are 2 long distance bus stations. One connected with Shanghai Railway Station. The other called Shanghai South Bus station is connected to South Railway station.

If you want to buy computer stuff, go to XuJiaHui Station (Metro Line 1), very near South Railway station. There are a couple of buildings there that are like SLS. One is called METRO(美罗&#22478 and one is TaiPingYang aka BaiNaoHui (百脑&#27719. Both are at Metro Line 1, Xujiahui station, Exit 10.

 

[daredevil123]

Yah.. if you are prone to wind blowing into your face, you could also get a "Buff" scarf.. I found it extremely useful on my last winter trip there.. keep the face warm and toasty! Available at outdoors shop in sg..

http://www.outdoorgb.com/c/buff_scarves_buffwear_scarves_top_buffs/1811/

We call them Beanie.

TS, no need to buy in singapore. Just buy these in Shanghai. So damn cheap over there. Depending on which part of Shanghai you stay, there are 2 locations to buy winter clothes, not-the-best LV bags (if you get what I mean), other bags, watches, headgear etc...

If you are closer to Pudong, go to Shanghai Tech Museum. In the basement is a huge huge mall of shops. More than 200 shops I think. You can reach here via Taxi or, more easily, via the Metro subway. It is at Tech Museum Station on Line 2. (地铁二号线, 上海科技馆&#31449. The shops are at the same level of the subway station. As you exit the barrier using your subway ticket, the shops are just to your left and right. All over. Can't miss it.

If you are closer to the west of Shanghai, go to this mall called Da Tong Yang Mall (大通&#38451. It is located on JinHui Road (金汇&#36335, between the junctions of HongSong Road (虹松&#36335 and WuZhong Road (吴中&#36335. Only way to reach this place is by taxi. Unless you want to take bus...

If you want to buy Real and Original but Factory outlet stuff of branded stuff like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Converse. There is a new mall at the underground of Shanghai South Railway station. You have to walk a bit underground though, as the new mall is a little like a maze.

 

[Daoyin]

Hangzhou West Lake in Dec can be nice inspite of the cold. TS may be lucky in getting some fog floating across the water thus blocking the likely grey sky. Don't forget Hangzhou is more than just West Lake.

Nothing much in Suzhou town proper now these days.

 

[daredevil123]

Oh ya, while in Hangzhou, you can consider visiting one of the largest clothing distribution area in china. It is called ShiJiQing.

 

[muzikbug]

It will be good if you stay overnight in Hangzhou. Besides musical fountain (with lighting), there's also Zhang Yimou's production Yinxiang Xihu （印象西湖）, but the ticket is quite ex. Though they specify no photography, they don't stop you for shooting, but you need long lens and high ISO/large aperture due to low-light condition.

Besides West Lake (which already have many spots good for photography), there are also Lingyin temple, Feilai Feng, Yuefei's temple, and some tea plantations. Don't forget the nice Hangzhou cuisines too.

For Suzhou, although there are a few ancient gardens（拙政园、留园、狮子林etc）, there are also Tiger Hill, 寒山寺 etc.

Nearby's water villages are nice. 周庄is scenic but way too touristic, unless you stay overnight there and shoot after all the tourists left, or before they come. Otherwise you can try 乌镇、西塘(I hv been to these 2), smaller but less crowded... though getting more commercial also.

I personally enjoy Shanghai and Jiangnan quite a lot.

 

[infinity]

The Camera Mart called 摄影城 at junction of 鲁班路 斜土路. Girlfriend is based in Shanghai so I have been there quite a bit. The accessories in the camera mart is generally cheaper if it is made in China and there are quite a lot of floors to walk. The 2nd hand glasses are quite limited on my last trip and not that cheap.

For Hang Zhou, I strongly recommend Crystal Orange. See trip advisor advise below. You can book the room when you are in Shanghai. Just give them a call to book. Its nice and cosy plus near to the lake. Also do take note of the traffic in Hangzhou, do plan to leave earlier on the weekends!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298559-d1194068-Reviews-or20-Crystal_Orange_Hotel-Hangzhou_Zhejiang.html


For ZhouZhuang, you can get there from Shanghai. Its very easy with 3 to 4 daily buses (with tour guide on the bus). Get to Shanghai Stadium Bus Interchange. The buses is cheap. Also do not go to ZZ on a weekend or national holiday. It will be too packed to take any pics.. unless you want people in all your shot.

For lenses, I usually travel with primes. 35mm, 50mm and 105mm.

Yah before I forget, do remember to visit Taikang Lu court yard. Its nice little Shanghai courtyard littered with little restaurants and quaint coffee places. Nice place to shoot also! You can check out Kommune (big english breakfast) or Dan (nice jap food and excellent coffee!). To get there, just do a quick google for Kommune Shanghai.

Have fun in Shanghai! It can get quite cold in Shanghai in December so do bring warm clothes!

Hi, many thanks for the info, will check out those as recommended. How about warranty e.g lens, tripod etc? International coverage? :think:

Unfortunately, I won't be able to stay overnight at Hangzhou much as I want to due to tight time constrainst. Sigh... But I will try to go early in the morning so as to have more time spent there.

I will check out Taikang Lu court yard, based on what you mention above, seems like a place fill with western and international flavours. Haha....

Going next month, not Dec. Dec will be even colder! Thanks once again! :thumbsup:

 

[infinity]

for lens in Shanghai, sometimes it is slightly cheaper, you may read this
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=508390

You can go to Zhou Zhuang and Tongli from Shanghai. Go to Shanghai indoor stadium, where the 旅游集散中心located. Tours can be book from there.

What about warranty? International? The "cheaper" sense apply to 3rd party (as in China made) or OEM (as in Canon) or both? :think:

 

[infinity]

2. It is really up to you really. I travel with a Tamron 17-50/2.8 with 55-200VR and 50/1.8 and SB600. I do not bring my tripod because I have a travel tripod I leave at my home in shanghai. My tripod setup in SG stays in SG. Sometimes I bring my prosumer with me, but I am doing that less and less nowadays.

4a. Same as HK prices. Make sure you do not buy grey set. Ask if it is local set (HangHuo) or grey set (shui huo - water goods). Things like china brand tripods are a lot cheaper in shanghai. Check out Benro, Sirui, Triopo tripods. Cheap over there. Other things to check out there are the lambency and china made diffusers. Accessories like camera bags (china brand, I own like 3, quite good), filter cases, hand grips, step up rings, spirit level, etc... are really cheap there. Oh if you do visit the camera mall near Shanghai Railway station called HuanLong, be sure to visit Orient Photo's HQ store in that building. It is quite huge.

You need to know the Chinese names for the brands. Manfrotto (Man Fu Tu), Nikon (Ni kang), Canon (Jia Neng), Tokina (Tu Li), Sigma (Shi Ma), Tamron (Teng Long), Velbon (Jin Zhong), Gitzo (Jie Xin), Benro (Bai Nuo) just to name a few. If you are not sure, just go to http://www.google.cn and type in the brand in english. You should see some links of the chinese equivalent. Also check prices on the internet Here.

For Zhouzhuang and Tongli, I suggest going through the Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Center (旅游集散中&#24515. As usual the chinese version of this site is more packed with info.This is the same center at Shanghai Stadium that a bro in a previous post mentioned. From this center, you can take bus tours to many many locations. If going to Zhouzhuang, I recommend you take the early bus at 7:25am. You will reach Zhouzhuang at around 9am, and most shops are not open yet at time in winter and you will get to see the real zhouzhuang with people living their life there. Once you hit 11am, the tourist crowd will rush in and you will have no more chance to take peaceful pictures. Tongli is only 10km from Zhouzhuang. So you can consider lumping the trip together. But it is really up to you how you want to travel. Thing is if you want to lump the trips together, you have to talk to the Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Center. I think they are not very flexible with tickets. THey have a number listed on the websitel. Call them. Hope you can understand mandarin.

Do take note that the Shanghai Sightseeing Bus center has a new branch at Shanghai South Bus station (different from Shanghai south raiway station although the 2 of them are side by side). Do double check which location serves which tour destinations. I remember the bus to Huangshan leaves from Shanghai South Bus station. Oh ya, you can consider Huangshan also, which is 5.5hours bus ride from Shanghai. But looking at your schedule you most probably do not have time.

Suzhou city itself, I do not find the charm anymore. Unless you are there for business, there is really not that much to see. Hangzhou westlake is different. It is beautiful. But in winter, the view is not that great as all the lotus has faded. And you get a fair bit of fog in winter. But you can manage surprising good photos if you are lucky. When in Hangzhou, remember to dine at Lou Wai Lou (楼外&#27004 on one of the "islands" on westlake. This restaurant is a few hundred years old. (the building is rebuilt and very modern) and has served food to major foreigner visitors including several American presidents. Wait is horrendously long and no reservation is allowed. When my parents visited me I brought them there. We waited around 1.5 hours before we got a table. Great food. Must try. The Beggar's chicken, DongPo braised meat are among the best you will ever taste.However, if you are not particular about eating the best, there are some good priced restaurants along the older shophouses near Hyatt.

Before you get confused further, there are 2 railway stations. Shanghai Railway Station (上海火车&#31449 in the north, and Shanghai South Railway Station (上海南&#31449 in the south. Both are located along Metro line 1. There are 2 long distance bus stations. One connected with Shanghai Railway Station. The other called Shanghai South Bus station is connected to South Railway station.

If you want to buy computer stuff, go to XuJiaHui Station (Metro Line 1), very near South Railway station. There are a couple of buildings there that are like SLS. One is called METRO(美罗&#22478 and one is TaiPingYang aka BaiNaoHui (百脑&#27719. Both are at Metro Line 1, Xujiahui station, Exit 10.

Bro, thanks very much for all the info, was rather overwhelmed. Haha.....
Anyway, I will be going down to MS tonight to check out the 15-85 lens, will buy this if all goes well.

Since I will be there, will check out all the camera accessories too, how about lens (OEM), will it be cheaper there too? Safe to use credit card for purchases?

As ZZ and TL are nearer to Suzhou, I am considering a trip to all 3 places in 1 day, possible or too ambitious? I can speak and understand mandarin well enough so should have no problem talking to them (I hope, keeping fingers X). Hehe.

Will allocate 1 day for HZ then. :think:

Huangshan is out, unfortunately.

1.5hrs wait? I don't know whether I can spare so much time given my time constrainsts. Will have to see 1st. Can we get those food you recommend above from other good restaurants too?

Hmm... computer stuffs? Any that you can recommend that's a good buy as compared to S'pore 4 major IT shows? GPS perhaps? I am looking at Garmin..... :think:

 

[infinity]

We call them Beanie.

TS, no need to buy in singapore. Just buy these in Shanghai. So damn cheap over there. Depending on which part of Shanghai you stay, there are 2 locations to buy winter clothes, not-the-best LV bags (if you get what I mean), other bags, watches, headgear etc...

If you are closer to Pudong, go to Shanghai Tech Museum. In the basement is a huge huge mall of shops. More than 200 shops I think. You can reach here via Taxi or, more easily, via the Metro subway. It is at Tech Museum Station on Line 2. (地铁二号线, 上海科技馆&#31449. The shops are at the same level of the subway station. As you exit the barrier using your subway ticket, the shops are just to your left and right. All over. Can't miss it.

If you are closer to the west of Shanghai, go to this mall called Da Tong Yang Mall (大通&#38451. It is located on JinHui Road (金汇&#36335, between the junctions of HongSong Road (虹松&#36335 and WuZhong Road (吴中&#36335. Only way to reach this place is by taxi. Unless you want to take bus...

If you want to buy Real and Original but Factory outlet stuff of branded stuff like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Converse. There is a new mall at the underground of Shanghai South Railway station. You have to walk a bit underground though, as the new mall is a little like a maze.

Bro, you mean winter clothes are also cheap over there? I am thinking of getting from ColdWear or WinterTimes before my trip. I will be closer to Pudong.

Can you share how's the pricing like for adidas, nike etc like? Can we still bargain (or the price is very cheap already and it's not advisable to bargain further for fear of angering them?)? Just so I won't like a "Carrot" there if I roughly know the market price..... Fitting room for ladies? Safe to use? :think:

 

[infinity]

Hangzhou West Lake in Dec can be nice inspite of the cold. TS may be lucky in getting some fog floating across the water thus blocking the likely grey sky. Don't forget Hangzhou is more than just West Lake.

Nothing much in Suzhou town proper now these days.

A definite wish for me but I doubt it. My skills still need lots of polishing - hands not steady enough etc. Sigh..... Still, I will try!

 

[infinity]

Oh ya, while in Hangzhou, you can consider visiting one of the largest clothing distribution area in china. It is called ShiJiQing.

Will do so! :thumbsup:

 

[infinity]

It will be good if you stay overnight in Hangzhou. Besides musical fountain (with lighting), there's also Zhang Yimou's production Yinxiang Xihu （印象西湖）, but the ticket is quite ex. Though they specify no photography, they don't stop you for shooting, but you need long lens and high ISO/large aperture due to low-light condition.

Besides West Lake (which already have many spots good for photography), there are also Lingyin temple, Feilai Feng, Yuefei's temple, and some tea plantations. Don't forget the nice Hangzhou cuisines too.

For Suzhou, although there are a few ancient gardens（拙政园、留园、狮子林etc）, there are also Tiger Hill, 寒山寺 etc.

Nearby's water villages are nice. 周庄is scenic but way too touristic, unless you stay overnight there and shoot after all the tourists left, or before they come. Otherwise you can try 乌镇、西塘(I hv been to these 2), smaller but less crowded... though getting more commercial also.

I personally enjoy Shanghai and Jiangnan quite a lot.

I wish for this too but due to tight time constrainst, I seriously doubt it. Sigh.

Still, I will endeavour to visit all the main attractions (as you stated above) and utilise my time to the fullest.

My plans include Suzhou + Tong Li + Zhou Zhuang. What's the 2 places you mentioned above? Is it near Suzhou? Scenic as well? What's the hanyu pinying? Wu Zhen and Xi Tang?

I am looking forward to this trip and hope to have a fabulous time there as well. :thumbsup:

 

[daredevil123]

Bro, thanks very much for all the info, was rather overwhelmed. Haha.....
Anyway, I will be going down to MS tonight to check out the 15-85 lens, will buy this if all goes well.

Since I will be there, will check out all the camera accessories too, how about lens (OEM), will it be cheaper there too? Safe to use credit card for purchases?

As ZZ and TL are nearer to Suzhou, I am considering a trip to all 3 places in 1 day, possible or too ambitious? I can speak and understand mandarin well enough so should have no problem talking to them (I hope, keeping fingers X). Hehe.

Will allocate 1 day for HZ then. :think:

Huangshan is out, unfortunately.

1.5hrs wait? I don't know whether I can spare so much time given my time constrainsts. Will have to see 1st. Can we get those food you recommend above from other good restaurants too?

Hmm... computer stuffs? Any that you can recommend that's a good buy as compared to S'pore 4 major IT shows? GPS perhaps? I am looking at Garmin..... :think:

For lenses, the prices will be similar to HK prices. And since many lens brands do offer international warranty, you should alright. Just make sure to check the serial number with the warranty card. Ask to be sure and then check.

As for credit cards, most places in China do not accept Foreign issued credit cards. Hotels and big famous restaurants are usually ok. Smaller establishments most of the time do not. Make sure you bring more cash with you. Yes, I know it is troublesome, but no choice. Unless you have bank account in china so you can use the yinglian (china's version of netts). Sorry bro, this is how china is.

You will not be able to cover ZZ, TL and Suzhou in one day. I recommend you drop Suzhou. But it is up to you.

Yes, lou wai lou, if you cannot wait do not try. Small restaurants along Westlake also have the same dishes, just that not as nice (but still good). There are some cheaper restaurants along Xueshi Road (across the street from Hyatt), at the junction of Baifu Road. This is very close to the edge of Westlake near HuBin Road. Also if you go to Lingyin temple, You can take number K4 at the bus terminal and drop at Hyatt and walk to the restaurants. Bus fare should be around 2-3 RMB. Prepare some 1RMB coins for you and your party.

One thing is, if you get GPS, you need to load the maps if you want to use it in Singapore. Tons there but prices should be close to SG. I do not recommend you buy memory cards there, a lot of fake ones. You can get hacked PSP there if you want. There is also a Nikon dealer there in the basement. Quoted me 7000 RMB for a D90 kit with 18-105.