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It was in one word: fantastic. What a dazzling sightseeing, and a lovely guide Janet. Wanted to stay longer for dinner, but time is limited. Thanks, regards from Amsterdam, Gabiele, Roy, Seth. AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Great "Secret" Great Wall hike - best time I had in China. Very unique, adventurous, and challenging. Andy Geremia. July 2006. CT, USA
Hey! An amazing bike ride. I have lived in Beijing for 3 years an not had a better day than today! Great guide Leo. Highly recommended! Robin, UK
Fantastic tour to the Great Wall. Thank you VERY MUCH for the prsonal service and care. Jay Chatwani. London, ENGLAND
We spent 2 amazing days on the Great Wall and it was a wonderful experience! The guide, Leo, made the tour even better with his good mood, funny stories, and of course all his singing, Thank You. Hope to come back and experience more adventurous with your company again in the future. We will definately recommend you back in Denmark! Farger and Sara. Copenhagen, DENMARK
David Hilton - Manchester, UK
Having been in China for two years, I have come across most of the scams that hapless tourists are subjected to at major tourist spots all over the country. Cycle China, however, was a breath of fresh air. No side trips to friends shops, no hidden extras, just a relaxing, informative and fun bike ride around old Beijing . Their tour price is very reasonable given the amount you get to see and do and they are very willing to give good travel advice at no extra cost. Trust this company!
Axel Ehrich - Germany
This is to thank you once again for the tour to Guilin which was very interesting and very exciting for me. It was the first time to see other parts in China except Beijing and I appreciated very much how you managed to get us acquainted with the original life of people living there. I remember very well the lunches and dinners we had in very natural atmosphere enjoying by ourselves the habits of population as well as doing the trips sometimes with public transport facilities. Furthermore I appreciated your flexibility when special requirements came up. All this would not have been possible with a big anonymous over-organized tourist organization and I can recommend your method of traveling to anybody who wants - in addition to the tourist attractions - to get an impression of real life in China and its regions. See you again on one of your next trips.
 Bevin Smith - Boston, USA In the four months that i spent in china as a teacher of an exchange program, the bike trips (once i did one, i was smitten and had to do more!) that i and my students have participated in have been on the list of highlights in our visit to china. from the places jeff chooses to go to the routes we take to the food we eat to the care that he takes in making sure that evrything works out right (he even refunded us for a late return once saying that "he wants to please the customer"!), cyclechina is the perfect way to have a healthy, fun and inside look around beijing. moreover, after spending time talking with jeff we all agreed that he is one of the most kind-hearted, honest and responsible individuals and we are so glad to have him as a friend.
thank you jeff!! we will miss you and cyclechina!!
 David and Sue Young - Woolleys Bay, Northland, New ZealandWhen we came to China 2 years ago, we arrived with a sense of curiosity and adventure: we wanted to get to know a different culture, to meet people, explore places, taste exotic food and as a bonus, look for physical challenges. Then we discovered Cycle China. It meets our expectations perfectly.
You can choose from short or long tours, so the physical demands are what you want them to be. Each of the trips we have been on has had an element of cultural discovery, as diverse as taking part in a Chinese tea ceremony to exploring the royal palace and gardens at Chengde. We have shared delicious Chinese food and made interesting friends. We have been to places we might have missed had it not been for Cyclechina. Jeff is as approachable, obliging and adaptable as you could want, and very knowledgeable about the places we visit. And the prices? Very reasonable, considering what you get.
Jeff, it has been a pleasure to tour with Cyclechina. Keep us on your mailing list!
Cycle China in the News
Een van de negen miljoen
An article from Spitsnet.nl, Netherlands Volume 10.08.06
http://www.spitsnet.nl/nieuws.php/11/556/online/een_van_de_negen_miljoen.html
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Stiekem de Muur op
Wie na een dagje fietsen door Beijing de smaak te pakken heeft, kan nog meer sportieve dingen doen. Wat dacht je van een semi-illegale beklimming van de Grote Muur, ten noorden van Beijing? Het alternatieve toerbureautje CycleChina organiseert de 1-day Secret Great Wall Hike, die start in het dorpje Jiankou, drie uur rijden van Beijing. Hier klauter je een dichtbegroeide berg op, een pittige klim van een uur. Op de top is een half vergane uitkijktoren, 殚n van de velen die over de 6000 km lange Grote Muur verspreid staan.
Officieel mogen op dit ongerestaureerde gedeelte geen toeristen komen, maar een goede verstandhouding met de lokale bevolking en wat yuans doen wonderen. Vanaf deze uitkijktoren zoek je je weg over de Muur naar het gerestaureerde deel bij Mutianyu. Het stenen pad is overgroeid met bomen, struiken en... hennepplanten! Het is constant opletten waar je loopt, maar dat maakt de twee uur durende klimpartij wel zo avontuurlijk. Als uiteindelijk het ruige pad ophoudt en bij Mutianyu de keurig opgepoetste weg begint, kan je alleen maar lachen om de puffende toeristen die je tegemoet komen. Zij zijn net een half uurtje geleden uit de kabelbaan gestapt en verder doorgewandeld naar het eindpunt. Geen kunst aan; jij deed de Echte Great Wall!
Slapen in een opgeknapt hutong-hofje?
Kijk op: www.lotushostel.cn |
Verdwalen in de hutong
An article from volkskrant.nl, Netherlands Volume 13.05.06
Doen
Peking
15 miljoen inwoners
Fietsen
Een fiets huren in Peking is eenvoudig. Een solide Giant kost zes euro per dag bij Cyclechina, plus4 0 euro borg. Eigenaar Jeff Gao spreekt uitstekend Engles; Jingshan Dongjie 12,tegenover de oostelijke ingang van het.
Jingshan-park.. De fietswinkel biedt ook een begeleide fietstocht door de Hutongs, en tripjes naar de Grote Muur (www.cyclechina.com).
Zelf een fiets kowen is een optie, zeker Voor wie een week of langer in Peking blijft. Je hebt al een nieuwe fiets-het basistype zonder versnellingen of wat dan ook, half Peking rijdt erop-voor 12 a 16 euro. Het is echter beter fietsen op een iets beter examplaar Op de Gulou Dongdajie zit een stel rijwielzaken, waaronder een grote Giantdealer. Voor tussen de 40 en 100 euro koop je er een citybike. Wie duur wil doen, kan naar de wijkdealer van het gerenommeerde merk Trek, waar de prijzen beginnen bij 128 euro en eindigen bij ruim vijfduizend (euro!); Dianmen Dongdajie 60.
Slapen
Een hotel vinden in de hutongs is een fluitje van een cen. In de Nanluogu Xiang, het levendigste hutongstraatje, zit Downtown Backpackers. Mooie centrale locatie, midden in een oeroude wijk waar trendy Peking tegenwcordig is neergestreken. Lekkere restaurantjes als Fish Nation, de buurt-Oei-goer(kebab!)en Passby liggen op loopafstand.
De Downtown heeft eenvoudige, propere tweepersoonskamers, met airco plus eigen wc/douche, voor 16 euro per nacht. Inclusief ontbijt en internetzaaltje. Voor twee euro per dag levert receptioniste Apple er desgewenst een ijzeren ros bij. Licht afgejakkerd, dat wel (www.backpackingchina.com).
Wie meer comfort wil, kan de sleepy Inn kiezen, fraai gelegen bij het Houhai-meer. Net omgebouwd kantoorpand van oude staatsfabriek, met rustiek binnenplaatsje en internet. Verhuurt ook een paar echte Chinese opafietsen. Tweepersoonskamer met airco, wc,douche en grote tv voor 26 euro(www. Sleepyinn.com.cn).
In kassieke, chique hutongstijl overnachten? Kan ook. Het Bamboo Garden Hotel heft Chinese stijlkamers vanaf 70 euro per nacht. Met mooie binnentuin en veranda (www.bbgh.com.cn).
Eten/drinken
Hoeft niet duur te zijn. In trendy Peking kost een biertje 1 a 2 euro, wijn Hoeft niet duur te zijn. In trendy peking kost een biertje 1 a 2 euro, wijn 2 a 3 euro, een cocktail 3 tot 4, een geode maaltijd iets tussen de 5 en tien euro. Voor de dynamische uitgaanscultuur van de stad, van megaclub tango tot sei-bordeel Maggie抯, en wat er zoal gebeurt in factory 718 en omstreken (de kunstvrijplaats in een oostelijke buitenwijk, alleen voor vermetele fietsers aan te raden, de rest neemt liever een spotgoedkope taxi): zie bladen als That抯 Bejing en Time Out Bejing.
As Easy as Riding a Bike
An article from Shanghai Daily News Volume 12.12.05
Douglas Williams/Shanghai Daily news
CycleChina offers tours not only of Beijing but all across China.
Beijing has got the car bug and its got it bad. A visit to the city can involve passing a lot of time looking out at one of the many impressively modern though oversubscribed highways.
This view could be replicated the world over and has little benefit for the viewer. With a city as impressive as Chinas capital, the viewpoint is crucial and what better perspective than the one enjoyed by the majority of its 14 million citizens.
For many decades, the bicycle has ruled supreme in China and with good reason: It offers a very effective means of getting from A to B, inexpensively, reliably and quickly.
Regrettably, in Chinas headlong rush toward "modernity," these benefits seem to somehow have been swept under the carpet.
CycleChina offers three-hour trips through Beijings historic hutongs on modern, well-maintained bicycles with a friendly and informative guide. One of the beauties of riding a bicycle is that its easy - in fact, its as easy as riding a bicycle.
After about 50 meters, this fact will strike those for whom a decade or more may have passed since last riding a bike, especially given the user-friendliness of CycleChinas bikes.
Departure is from opposite the East gate of the Jingshan Park at CycleChinas head office. A leisurely pedal around the Forbidden City along quiet, low streets that, like the rest of Beijing (and all of Shanghai for that matter), are flat, and before you know it, the grandeur of Tiananmen Square is opening up ahead on the left.
Wide cycle lanes protect from the swarms of traffic excepting other bikes, scooters and the buses which come sweeping in. Round the top of the square and then its off into the teeming side streets jostling with the other bikes and assorted bicycle related vehicles.
Fast-food vendors hawk curious looking sausages and meat on a stick and its impossible to feel anything other than right in the thick of it. Crash potential does exist, speed is highly inadvisable but why would anybody rush when theres so much to take in. Next, our cheery guide Angela was turning up an unfeasibly small alleyway and less than fifty meters along this alleyway, it was clear we had entered an entirely different world again - the hutongs.
These ancient dwellings date back to the 13th century, the alleys and lanes linking them are maize-like.
A guide is essential.
Tea houses, bath houses, brothels and post offices all figure in the tour. The day we toured the hutongs the temperature was well below zero. Thoughts of modern day cities stagnating traffic sadly superseding the pasts flow of bicycles were countered by the enormous strides that have been made in housing.
Shanghais upward as opposed to outward building policies are actually greener than they may seem at first glance.
As is the nature of the cycle tour, it is not absolutely necessary to stick rigidly with the guide, branches of the group can hang back or go ahead. If information is required or if it is being given out a quick speed up or a turn around is easily accomplished.
Zhongnanhai, the residence of Chinas President Hu Jintao on the left, precedes the return to the shadows of the Forbidden City, the frozen moat and Beihai Lake before its back to Headquarters.
CycleChina is run by people and as such it is flexible.
Shorter or longer, tours can be arranged itinerary dependent. Start times are not fixed either. The three-hour tour for three people cost 450 yuan (US$55.56) in total, the greater the number on the tour the cheaper it becomes. The staff were very friendly and helpful and, refreshingly, there was no other subtext to the tour other than to see the sights.
CycleChina, founded by Jeff Gao in 2004, also offers tours to the Great Wall, to skiing areas around Beijing, tours of Inner Mongolia, Xian of Shaanxi Province, Yunnan Province, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, and there is now an office in Shanghai offering tours out to Nongtang with more to follow soon.
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Shanghai 
