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Travel to shanghai can be made memorable with the planning a proper touring to the place. Individuals like to travel to Shanghai to see the traditional culture of the place; the culture is unique in its own way. Travel to Xian can also be very exciting, it is in a warm temperate zone, and has a continental monsoon climate with four distinct seasons; Xian is hot and wet in summer, dry and seldom snowy in winter and is prone to extended spells of rain in spring and autumn. Travel to Xian and Travel to shanghai together can add stars into touring the places across. Both the places differ from each other and possess outstanding cultures.

Travel to shanghai can give the experience to the tourists regarding the oldest culture of the place; the place is not very much developed but gives a fantastic experiences and thorough knowledge of the culture of the place. The trip to Xian must be planned as per the season; temperature during spring, (March to May) increases rapidly, but is prone to fluctuation. The average temperature in March is 7.9C, rise in April and May. A quarter of the area’s annual rainfall occurs in spring, however with the pleasant temperature, gentle breezes and warm sunshine it is a good time of year for outdoor activities and traveling. People prefer travelling in this season.

Xian is a beautiful place and one can add in stars to the travel to Xian by hiring the touring companies who possess the complete and detailed knowledge of different and unique places. Travel to Shanghai too will include interesting things like a look at blend of Eastern and Western cultures, the architect is being the dominant showcase of its diversity. To experience Shanghai’s root, a trip to Yu Yuan Gardens is absolutely advisable. The nightlife of Shanghai is vibrant and in recent years, it has to begun rival with that of Hong Kong Island. The visits to these places are incomplete without seeing the famous and historical buildings.

Companies ensure that the tourists don’t miss anything to visit or to experience; such vacations are not frequently planned that’s why every individual wishes to enjoy every moment in the touring and visit every possible place. Beijing travel is incomplete without experiencing the different gourmet dishes the place offers. All this dishes are new for the tourists and they enjoy experiencing a new recipe with new taste. Travel to shanghai and travel to Xian can bring lot many experiences to the individuals that can lead them to come to visit the places again.

It is advisable to the tourists to travel the places under the packages provided by the tourists companies, the touring companies also provide guides to the visitors to assure the visit to every important and attracting place.

Is a product still the same without its packaging? As the saying goes – looks matter, and without a properly designed package a product is hard to sell regardless of how good its other attributes might be. Indeed, packaging design represents what the brand stands for as much as other elements of the brand visual identity do, and in certain cases the packaging is almost as important as the product itself. After all, what would Coca Cola be without its famous bottle?

In China, as in other markets, packaging design does not only have the function of protecting the product and explaining its attributes and benefits, but it also has the role of appealing to consumers. Studies show that buyers generally decide what to buy at the point of sale . In order to successfully help sell the product, the package needs to differentiate and characterize the product and ultimately to become part of the product experience.

But how can the packaging help the brand engage and attract Chinese consumers? What are the factors to take into consideration to design a truly distinctive packaging for the Chinese market?

In this article Labbrand looks at the impact packaging design has on the businesses operating in China and, in particular, at the issues product brand managers need to consider before falling in the “cultural trap” and developing a package that overlooks at the differences between China and Western markets.
We will look at the components of packaging design in the order a customer may perceive them: colour; label and typeface; images, patterns and shapes; and material.

Selecting the right colour palette for the packaging has a great deal to do with the ultimate success or failure of a product brand. In fact, colour plays an important role in a consumer’s purchase decision . People use a little more than a minute to make up their minds about a product they see for the first time, and a big part of this judgment is based on colours alone. So, clever use of colours in packaging design can contribute not only to differentiate the product from competitors, but also to influence moods and feelings and ultimately attitudes towards a certain product .

“All of us have involuntary physiological and psychological responses to the colours we see,” according to the Chicago-based Institute for Colour Research, a group that collects information on the human response to colour and then sells it to industry. “Colour…impacts our appetite, sexual behaviour, business life and leisure time,” says Eric Johnson, the institute’s head of research studies.

In fact, the same colour may be perceived very differently in different cultures. For example, green enjoys no popularity in Japan, France, or Belgium, while it can be frequently seen on the packaging designed for Turkish and Austrian consumers. People from Islamic cultures react negatively to yellow because it symbolizes death but like green as this is believed to help fight off diseases and evil. Europeans associate black with mourning and tend to prefer red, grey, green and blue. In the Netherlands, orange is the national colour and therefore can be used to arouse nationalistic feelings .

Colours have a strong significance in Chinese culture as well. Yellow, as the colour that was only for the emperor to wear, and red, as symbol for happiness and good luck, are both very powerful colours for designing product packaging for this country market. However, this does not apply to every product category: Chinese consumers generally find appealing these bright and shiny colours for food products but tend to prefer white and pastel colours for personal care and household items.

For instance, General Mills adapts the colours used on own product packages in the Chinese market by using bright and flashy colours.

Kleenex, instead, features brightly colour and slightly abstract flowers on the packages sold in the US but it designs Chinese packaging with pastel colours and small, delicate and realistic flowers.

2. Label and Typeface

Label and typeface are critical to attract consumers for they are a prominent visual element on any packages.
Different countries have different regulations about the information product labels should or should not contain, therefore size and layout of information on the label may need to change in order for the product to enter a certain country.
Besides country specific regulation on labels, key to market the brand to local consumers is the typeface used on the package. This is especially true in China where foreign brands adopt Chinese brand names, and consequently Chinese typeface, to better communicate to the market.

Coca Cola, to cite a brand that truly masters the art of packaging localization, gives as much importance to the Chinese written brand name as the original English one. The Chinese typeface, therefore, becomes integral part of the brand identity in China and shapes the packaging in an unmistakable way.

So much so that the Chinese side of the packaging is the one that is shown on Coke’s visual communications and ads in the country.

3. Images, Patterns, and Shapes

Researchers estimate that more than 70 percent of purchase decisions are made at point of sale . Here the consumer takes in rapidly all the products displayed – and likewise hastily looks for clues that help him make a decision.
Products brands that are successful on the Chinese market clearly take into consideration how images and patterns printed on the packaging influence consumers decisions towards own products.

For instance Mirinda, in order to effectively reach the younger segment of the Chinese market, not only uses brighter colours but also features locally beloved cartoon characters on the packaging.

Pepsi, instead, taps into the local culture, people, icons, and activities as inspiration to capture and engage Chinese teens. Pepsi tin reprocess all these elements and uses them to dress itself of a locally relevant package.

Nivea offers a line of lip balm packaged in smaller solutions than the ones sold in the west. That is because Chinese consumers tend to prefer packages of smaller size. This is particularly true for food products, as domestic apartments have relatively smaller storage space and refrigerators than in the US or Europe .

4. Material

The material used to produce the package it is also extremely important in order to gain the preference of target consumers. For instance, a growing segment of the population worldwide and in China dislikes products using too much waste material for the packaging directly due to environmental concerns.

Price conscious consumers, instead, are less concerned by the quality or recyclability of packaging and are generally more likely to consider other, more function-oriented factors when purchasing a product. However, these factors often depend on priorities that change according to the category of goods, the specific product, and the available budget of the buyer .

In other words, the material used to package a product reflects how much the company understands its market.

Colgate, for instance, chose to differentiate its products in China by using a packaging material that was scarcely used by competitors when the company entered the Chinese market in 1992. Back then, the majority of domestic toothpaste manufacturers used aluminium tubes. Colgate, instead, adopted the plastic tube that is now commonly used by almost all toothpaste brands as this is more convenient, durable, and safe for the user. The new packaging material helped Colgate seize about one third of the market share over the years.

On the contrary, Alpenlibe, the candy manufacturer, uses the same size, design and colours on the packages sold both in the West and China but, in the latter case, it wraps own brand candies with two thick layers of papers as strong packaging is generally associated in China with higher quality products .

Packaging has an incredible power over what people buy. The same way people express themselves through the clothes they wear they also make statements about who they are through the products they buy. Indeed, we buy products not just for their functional attributes but also – and maybe even more importantly – because these products promise to fulfil desires and longings. The package that enfolds the product carries a big part of that promise.

The challenge when trying to build a locally consistent “promise” is to interpret the global brand identity and creative concept in a meaningful way for the Chinese market. The package design needs to attract attention, stimulate curiosity, build a connection and ultimately lead the buyer to think the product is the best one offered. China is a country with a long history and a rich culture, creating codes in the minds of consumers that must be considered during package design. In order to be successful in China, foreign brands need to reinterpret their identity through the eyes of Chinese consumers to truly understand how colours, patterns, images, typeface and material choices can contribute build a meaningful product experience.

1) Dragon Hostel

Located in the heart of bustling Mongkok, a stone’s throw away from the MTR Station, Ladies market, Langham place and other shopping, food and entertainment centers, this popular guesthouse is a favorite among backpackers and low-budget travelers.

Amenities include: air-con rooms, TV, free local phone, free internet access, clean linen & towels, storage place, assistance with travel arrangements and China visas, laundry and dry cleaning, tea & coffee making facilities and 24 hour reception desk.

The rate for a double-room with ensuite shower is around HK$ 250 – 380 per room per night (depends on season).

There are also dorm beds available (at a family room of four beds with shower): The rate is around HK$ 100 – 115 per person, per night.

2) The Salisbury – YMCA

With its million dollars location at the tip of Tsim sha Tsui, next to the legendary Peninsula, and its excellent variety of facilities and amenities, The Salisbury YMCA possibly provides the best value-for-money accommodation you can find in Hong Kong.

There are seven clean and comfortable dormitory rooms at the Salisbury, each with only four beds, and although the price they ask for is far higher than what you’ll pay in an ordinary guesthouse, it still gives very good ‘bang for the buck’…

Facilities include a great indoors swimming pool, Jacuzzi and Sauna, Well equipped gym, Squash courts, sport facilities and more…

HK$ 240 per bed per night + 10% service charge

3) Star Guest House

Located on busy Cameron Road, right in the heart of hectic Tsim sha Tsui, the good old Star Guest House provides a decent alternative to Chunking Mansion and its congested guesthouses…

Owned and managed by Charlie Chan, a friendly “Mr. fix it all”, the guesthouse provides clean and comfortable rooms with air condition, ensuite toilet/bath, TV, free internet connection (in the larger rooms), phone and clean bed linen and towels.

Prices: From HK$ 300 per room per night (shared bathroom) to HK$ 500 per room per night (large room with ensuite bath)

4) Hong Kong Sealand Guest House

This popular guest house provides a fairly good alternative to Chunking and Mirador, at a fair price.

Rooms are reasonably decked out and clean, with free internet-wireless connection, TV, phone, ensuite bathroom, air-condition, and clean towels and bed linen… Shampoo, tooth brush & hair dryer are also available in the room.

In terms of location, the guesthouse enjoys an ideal position near the corner of Nathan Road and Cameron in Tsim sha Tsui… right in the heart of everything.

Double room with shared bathroom goes for around HK$ 320 per room per night, while an ensuite double bedroom goes for something like HK$ 350 – 400

5) Alisan Guest House

This popular twenty years old guest house provides clean and comfortable rooms, at a reasonable price, right in the middle of trendy Causeway Bay.

The air-conditioned rooms are all clean and tidy, with ensuite toilet/shower, TV, free internet connection, phone (free calls within Hong Kong), clean bed linen and towels, and shared refrigerator, microwave and kettle… Otherwise, the staff are nice and speak reasonable English, which is another good thing.

Location wise, Alisan is right in the middle of things: A minute’s walk from World Trade Centre, Causeway Bay’s MTR station and the leading shopping malls…

Prices are quite sensible for this class of guesthouse: HK$ 400-450 per double room per night.

And here is one last tip before signing off on this article :

Many hostels and guesthouses around Tsim sha Tsui are touted quite vigorously.  Touts who work for these places will tell you whatever you want to hear, and will try to convince you they actually work for the same hostel you are looking for…

Remember: a reputable establishment doesn’t need to be touted… so think twice before you follow these fellows, and make sure the name and the address of the place they take you to are identical to the ones of the place you initially planned to go to (including floor number and so on)…

There’s absolutely no reason for you to be disappointed !

The Hong Kong Poker League™, formed in February of 2007, hosts Free Live Texas Hold’em Tournaments at your favorite locations throughout Hong Kong allowing you to learn the game, test your poker skills against others in your area, sharpen the skills you have already mastered, and enjoy the “Poker Night” food and drink specials at participating venues.

The HKPL was created by Poker Enthusiasts, who love to play tournament style poker, but without any risk. Players earn points just for playing and more points for winning. Player points can be accumulated for prizes including entries into worldwide known poker tournaments such as the WPT, APT, APPT and of course the WSOP.

Each season is comprised of up to 10 weeks of regular tournaments with a 1 week Poker League Championship. Venues can sign up at any point in the season and still qualify players for the Final Championship of the year.
Each tournament is comprised of 10 to hundreds of players, where they are playing until there is one person left standing. In each tournament, the top 10 players will receive points based on where they finish and how many players competed in that tournament.

We encourage players of all levels of ability to come and join our league and especially people who have never played before who may have watched it on the TV and would like to have a game without losing any money. We have experienced poker players who can teach newcomers the rules and how to play. Before long you could be earning league points, which could ultimately lead to you becoming the HK Poker League Champion and a chance to win a host of great prizes and poker related opportunities along the way.

www.hkpokerleague.com

The Hong Kong Poker House is the first club to provide all you need to play the thrilling game of poker in a comfortable and stylish environment. Our club offers plenty of services including food, drinks and great music, all to complement your poker experience.
We are located on Hollywood Road right in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong where all the nightlife action and fun takes place in HK. With this innovative alternative, poker fans and followers including “hongkongneses” and expatriates are just minutes away from the poker tables without having to venture on a two hour round trip to Macau to be part of the poker scene.

The Hong Kong Poker House offers six high quality full sized tables, customized poker chips, cards, accessories and anything needed for a real poker experience. For all those just looking for American atmosphere, there is a great deal of alternatives offered including a trendy bar space, restaurant and a DJ Booth playing lounge style music. The modern facility is filled with plasma TV’s and projection screens constantly showing poker shows and football games as well as beautiful well trained dealers that are ready to welcome players in the action.

www.hkph.com.hk

www.pokertvasia.com

This article is about the Beijing travel and Lama temple. You can find some useful information in it if you are planning your Beijing travel now.

Lama Temple (Yonghegong) :
This Lama Temple was built as a mansion for Emperor Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty when he was a prince. In 1744, the temple was converted into a lamasery and the home of larger numbers of monks from Mongolia and Tibet. The lamasery has five halls. The prayer halls contain many superb statues including the 23-meter-high Maitreya, caved from a white sandalwood tree brought from Tibet, as well as Tibetan sculptures and a great copper cauldron.

The Yonghe Temple, also known as the “Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple”, the “Yonghe Lamasery”, or – popularly – the “Lama Temple” is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing, China. It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. ( info for your China vacations and China travel)

The Lama temple is a famous lamasery located in the northeastern part of the old city of beijing. it was a palatial residence built in 1694 by qing emperor kangxi for his fourth son, prince yongzheng who later succeeded to the throne. this magnificent temple consists of five main buildings lying on the?north-south axis, with annex halls standing on both sides. the temple is listed by the chinese government as one of the important historical monuments under special preservation. after the death of his father, emperor yongzheng moved to the forbidden city. the compound was closed to ordinary people and was renamed yonghegong (the palace of harmony). green roof tiles were replaced by yellow ones to suit a monarch’s home. in 1744 his successor emperor qianlong converted the palace into a lamasery.( info for your China vacations and tours)

The Lama Temple includes five buildings and three courtyards. The buildings here imitated the style of Han, Manchu, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet. The whole building complex can be divided into three parts- east part, middle part and west part. The middle part is on the axle line. From south to north lie the Arch Courtyard (Pailou Yuan), the Gate of Zhaotai (Zhaotai Men), the Hall of Heavenly Kings (Tianwang Dian), the Hall of Harmony and Peace (Yonghegong Dian), the Hall of Blessing (Yongyou Dian) , the Hall of Dharma Wheel (Falun Dian), the Ten-Thousand-Happiness Pavilion (Wanfu Ge), and so on.There are “three bests” in Lama Temple. The first to be mentioned is the statue of Maitreya in the Ten- Thousand-Happiness Pavilion (Wanfu Ge). The statue of Maitreya was carved out of a single trunk of white sandalwood. It is 26m high, 8m in diameter, 18m above the ground and 8m underground. According to historical record, it was a gift for Emperor Qianlong from the 17th Dalai Lama. The second “best” is the big sculpture of “Five Hundred Arhats Mountain” in the Hall of Dharma Wheel (Falun Dian). The sculptured mountain is carved out of black sandalwood with 500 arhats, and cast in gold, silver, copper, iron and tin. All 500 uniquely styled arhats are vividly carved and exquisitely engraved. The sculpture is of very high value due to the excellent craftsmanship. The last one is the Golden Niche which was made of nanmu. All of those make the Lama Temple mystical and attract more people. ( info for your China vacations and trips)

To get here, you can take the Line 13, 62, 116 or 807 city buses. The subway is also a good option. It can take you to the station named “Lama Temple Station” and this station is very close to the Lama Temple. The price for the entrance ticket is 25 rmb for one person and you can get a 50% off if you can show them your student ID. Office hours: 9:00 – 17:00. Some tips here: You can bargain when shopping in the Lama Temple. The incense here is very good and you can buy some if you want.

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There are hundreds of articles online about giving gifts to hosts and associates in China, and yet visitors to China are always asking what they should bring as gifts. This means that in China, the art of giving is just as complex as dining out and shopping. Giving and accepting gifts is an important part of Chinese culture, and is something all visitors to China are probably going to have to deal with before they return home. I am not expert on the subject, but below are some important notes that I have remembered based on my experience.

1) Bring something from your hometown
This is the most popular guideline and I agree with it. Something from your hometown will make for an important ice breaker and will help the recipient remember you long after you leave. These gifts include books about your hometown (mainly pictures of course), special local products, and items that display your hometown’s characteristics.
This rule often gets confused wit the “do not bring anything ‘made in China’” rule, which I agree with slightly less. There are plenty of “made in China” items, such as board games and trendy products from your home country, that are either for export only or simply not available in China. Therefore, do not let the “made in China” rule necessarily disqualify potentially great gifts.

2) Bring gifts that show abundance
It is better to bring a bunch of small gifts and mementoes rather than one large gift. By showing up with your hands full of bags of presents, you show abundance and a willingness to share this abundance with your hosts. Similarly, it is best to bring gifts in pairs for the same reasons.

3) Try to give something with meaning
Besides finding an item that represents your hometown, region or culture, you also want to give gifts that represent your personality. For example, if you are a basketball fan, bringing an NBA jersey or poster would be a great choice. If you like art, an illustrated book about your favorite artist would be ideal. This gives the recipient both an inside look into your personality and a look into your culture, and will strengthen your friendship.

4) Remember the children
If the recipient has a family, do not forget to include them in the gift exchange. A patriarch would be much happier to receive several gifts for his children rather than items for himself. This is a situation where I think the “no made in China” rule is especially inapplicable, as there are several great gifts (Lego, Playdough, etc.) that may be made in China but are still hard to come by in China.

5) Other things to remember
Reciprocate gifts you have received by sending gifts of your own, not thank-you letters.
While giving consumable items (food, etc.) is fine, it is best to also give some more permanent items, to demonstrate a long-lasting relationship.
Do not give items in group of 4, do not give clocks, and avoid white gift wrap— all of these have a connotation of “death”.
Most Chinese will politely refuse a gift at first and only accept after your insistence.
It is standard for the recipient not to open the gifts in front of you.

If anyone has any great gift ideas or has recently given impressive gifts to their Chinese hosts, I’d love to read what they were, as I am always trying to be on the good side of the face-giving equation. Please leave your ideas in the comments section to share with others.

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