| Chinese former dynamic leader, Mr. Deng Xiaoping, has a world
famous "cat theory", which has been China's guidance in the past 20 years:
"No matter it is a white cat or black cat, the one that can catch mice is a good
cat". Are we a good cat in the business? Look what our customers
say about it:
Testimonials from our travel
agents and customers
The following are clipped from the the piles of faxes, e-mails or letters of our travel
agents and customers who joined our tour in the past several years.
If you go to China with us, you will most probably meet the same wonderful tour
guides, and enjoy our same outstanding services, as they did.
"The guide who was truly one of the best I ever experienced in China was the man
in Xian. His name was Zhang Jinjie. His knowledge and love of Xian history and his ability
to convey that to the group was very good. He also had a good command of English. "
----- Dr. William Brown from Huntsville, Alabama
Tour leader of our 9/06/2001 tour to China
"Our guide in Xi'an is excellent, his knowledge, personality and sense of humor
made the trip enjoyable."
---- Ms. Kathy Wilson, hotel manager from Alaska
Leader of 9/27/2001 YSD group
"The national guide - Mr. Chen was one of the nicest people I've met anywhere, a
very kind, intelligent person, really knew his job and did it well."
---- Candace Rapf, school nurse from Amherst, New Hampshire
Traveled with our 7/05/01 ceramic tour
"Mr. Chen (national guide) was great! Couldn't ask for better. Noah, our local
guide in Xi'an, was very knowledge and enthusiastic about the Terra Cotta Soldiers."
----- Irene M. Derosier, Art Educator from Center Barnstead, NH
Traveled with our 7/05/01 ceramic tour
" The trip was excellent & well planed. River Cruise crew were excellent, all
guides were excellent, the best part of the trip."
---- Sarah Irle, from Atlanta, Georgia
Traveled with our 7/05/2001 ceramics tour
"Having just completed our tour from 16 July until 27 July I wanted to inform you
of the wonderful job done by our tour guide, Shengxi Yi (Charles). All of the tour guides
especially Lucy in Beijing and of course Shengxi Yi did an excellent job. Taking care of
the sixteen of us for the 12 day period was a difficult task, and Shengxi Yi did so
without fail.
He made the experience of visiting China and learning about your history and people an
experience none of us will ever forget. His knowledge of the history of China and the
places we visited was a major help to us.
Thank you for providing us with Shengxi Yi, as I am sure he added greatly to our
pleasure and knowledge. "
---- Lyle M. Smith from IEEE, New Jersey.
Traveled with our 7/15/2001 IEEE convention group
" I was a participant in the trip booked by Ms Elsie Wu for 19 days that began on
5/11. It was a very good trip. Thank you.
I want to mention especially our guide in Huangshan, David. (I didn't write down his
full name.) David was our favorite and most personable guide on the whole trip. He was
friendly, informative, very professional and even joked along with us. Excellent people
like David made the tour enjoyable and I would recommend to others.
I'm sure you appreciate that good work from people like him add value to your business.
I hope you will pass along my highest complements to David and his superiors in China.
Thanks again for the wonderful tour. "
----- Mike Lee, from Canada
Traveled with our 5/11/2001 group
"Our trip to China was WONDERFUL! It was even better than all of us had expected.
I imagine the small group made it easier and more enjoyable.
We liked all of our tour guides, especially Charles (can't remember his Chinese name)
in Beijing. He went out of his way to help us with our special, last minute requests.
Please tell your local operator how much we appreciated him.
We'll definitely be recommending you to our friends. If you ever need referrals from US
customers, just let me know.”
---- Elsie Wu, from HP HQ, CA
Tour Organizer of our 5/11/01 group
“Let me start by thanking you for your help putting together a tour that was a
huge success. It was a fascinating experience and one that has made strong impressions as
we try to understand the culture, the history, and the beauty of China. It was a very
successful tour for our group. China is very impressive. I think it would be nice for more
Americans to see it, but more importantly I think more people NEED to see it.”
---- Paul, Highlights Travel from Renton, WA
Group Leader of our 4/2-15, 20001 group
"I like the order of cities: Shanghai is a good introduction to Chinese Culture. I
loved seeing the teapots made in Yixing and the workshops at Jingdezhen and seeing the
potters and factory workers. Marveled at the Terra Cotta Army and enjoyed seeing the
countryside in Xi’an. The Great Wall in Beijing was a thrill, Museum at the Forbidden
City was excellent! It was a lot to see and do - but very worthwhile. Food was good,
especially the breakfast in Xi’an and Beijing, lots of fruit.”
---- Arlene Goldberg, potter from W. Charleston, VT
Traveled with our first ceramics tour group in 1997
“We will take home many outstanding memories of sights we saw and wonderful
Chinese people we met. We appreciate your concern for our comfort & Convenience.”
---- John & Fran Wilkinson from Clearwater, FL
Traveled with our 5/03/01 group
“What an adventure we had! Would certainly return to see more in this country and
would definitely use your company again!”
---- Norma Tacoob from San Dimas, CA
Traveled with us in May, 1999
“We had a wonderful time on the tour; Our accommodations were nice, our guides
were excellent and every thing went very smoothly; We considering how much work went in to
shepherding us all over the country.
Thank you very much for coordinating an excellent tour.”
---- Susan Sumner from San Francisco, CA
Travel with us on our 4/26/01 group
Our May 21, 2001 YSD group, led by Ms Lili Wang-Zuercher, total
19 members posing in the Bund in Shanghai. Across the Huangpu River, is Shanghai's Pudong
new development district. The skylines have been changed ever since.
"We had a WONDERFUL time! The river tour was superb - I'm so glad we went upstream
as we had a tour to the actual Dam site - it's so huge and we're looking forward to going
again when it's all complete.
We had the best Chinese meal in Chongqing (a hotpot) and were knocked out by the
terracotta soldiers in Xi'an - seeing it in pictures does not do it justice.
We'll certainly be back to Shanghai too - what a fabulous city.....so as you can tell,
we certainly enjoyed our trip. I've even learned how to say "thank you" and
"goodbye" in Chinese - not bad for a foreigner, ha?
Thanks again, for all your help. I would certainly use your services again. "
---- Trish Ashworth, England
Traveled with us in Sept. 2000
"I wanted to let you know that everything went quite smoothly on the trip. The
ship was clean and well maintained. The crew was very attentive and communications were
easy. I realize that means that management had established a very high standard, that
everyone had to work very hard to achieve them, and good training tools had been used to
achieve them. It was a delightful experience. Thank you for making this possible. Your
efforts are greatly appreciated."
---- Jeanette L. Burger, Kodak factory in Wuxi, China
Traveled with us in October, 2000
"I enjoyed all aspects of the trip. The guides were excellent and the food was
great and plentiful, I loved the bacon at breakfast. Xi'an was wonderful with the
Terracotta Army exhibit being the most impressive visit of the trip. The Yangtze River
cruse was superb-the scenery was awesome, the three Gorges Dam amazing and the visit to
Chongqing interesting. The Beijing sites were great with the trip to the Forbidden City
and Great Wall being the highlight of this portion of the trip."
---- Thomas Worosz, Clearwater, Florida
Traveled with our Sept 19, 2000 Yangtze Specials Deluxe
tour group
"This was a trip of a lifetime. The only problem is I want to go again! "
---- Sandylee Sugden, art teacher from Oconomowdc, WI
Traveled with us in our July 1997 China Ceramics Tour group
"The local guide Cici in Xian is a good storyteller, knowledgeable. All the guide
are very good, very enthusiastic.
The best meal we had is at the Tang Dynasty Show! The Show was fantastic!"
---- Lois Knutson, Retired teacher and pot lover, Wales, Wisconsin.
Traveled with us in July 5, 1997 departure
A happy family of 3? Before this tour, they never met before. Mr. St.
Louis from Rochelle, IL,
"This was my first trip to China. I could never expected it to be this
outstanding! Thank you."
----- Robert D Saint-Louis, Rochelle, IL
Traveled with us in August, 1999
"You could not have put together a better China tour. My brother Stuart and I
enjoyed it so much. The places covered seemed to be so representative of China and its
vast contrasts. Our national tour guide, Cheng, was so competent and friendly. We always
felt secure with Cheng. Also it was a delight to have Francis Park in the group. He added
so much as a companion and had interesting tales to tell through his life's experiences.
The tour kept us on the run, but that is how a group sees things. Cheng always saw that
we moved along together. Our group was really a pleasure too. The people were well
traveled and interested in everything. No one seemed to have any physical limitations or
real complaints. We just have a good time and got along well. I am expecting that many
will remain my friends for years to come.
Please feel free to use my name for a reference in regards to your company. I like the
small group concept and can recommend your arrangements highly. The Yangtze Cruise was
super.
Best Aloha"
------ Bill Hunter from San Francisco. This is the letter he wrote to our agent in
Hawaii.
Traveled with us in October 1998
" I am writing to you and your staff following my return from an unforgettable
trip to China for me and my chidden and my nephew.
I am sitting in my study on a lovely spring day at home at my computer, and having many
very special memories of a wonderful, wonderful trip to China. … I can? begin to tell
you what this has meant to me, to be able to take my 2 children and nephew back to where I
grew up! When I think back on Wuhan, and going through the Luth Mission Home and see my
father's office, and our apartment, and also to my school, and the street we lived n ?all
going to the Union Church and watched the young acrobats -- I will never forget that.
…
The reason it turned out to be a complete success was our national guide Helen Zhang.
Along with me and my family were 10 friends and colleagues and we would not have managed
without Helen! She kept close touch with our needs; one of our group member was 80 years
old and was able to reply on Helen in particular. But Helen kept us informed, made
decisions when the Yangtze tour boat was changed, kept us relaxed and safe during the
Kosovo crisis. She did this with good humor and a lot of kindness and common sense.
All in all I want to thank you for myself and on behalf of the whole group for having
assigned her to our group trip!"
---- Dorothy Anderson, from Walpole, New Hampshire.
Traveled with us in April 1999. NATO bombed China's embassy in Yugoslavia when they
were traveling in China -- that was what she meant in "Kosovo crisis" in her
letter. She was borne and raised in China, and left for US when she was a bit over
10 during WWII. Parents being priests, her Mom died and buried in Wuhan, the place they
started the Yangtze River cruise. Her brother Martin, together with his family, relatives
and friends, did the same trip with us May, 2002. This is a truly sentimental and also
happy story. One day Hollywood might be interested in putting the story in a movie.
"Please permit a paragraph of praise for Ms. Liu, National Guide, our guide on the
November 9-22, 2000 tour from the CITS Staff in Beijing, China.
I have been to the Peoples Republic of China on ten different occasions since 1985. My
first trip was a site inspection tour. The next eight tours I was the Tour Director
escorting large health care groups from the U.S.A. On the November 2000 visit to China I
was traveling, merely, as a tour participant.
I have had the opportunity to observe CITS staff at their work, both the local guides
and the National guides, over the years in China. It was my first time meeting Ms. Liu on
the November 2000 tour. I was most impressed and pleased with her professional services.
She reflects a concern for optimum positive impact on her clients. I observed an
excellence on her part in regard to troubleshooting problems. Her knowledge and experience
in managing and escorting tours is most apparent. She always followed through in a timely
manner on what she stated she would do for me.
Last, but certainly not least, she has a unique gentleness, kindness and caring that is
immediately sensed by her clients when in her presence.
Never before have I been privileged to be associated with a person more dedicated to
her position. She is truly a credit to the CITS department in Beijing.
Without hesitation or reservation, I commend her to your highest consideration.”
----- Mary J. Mills, President of Professional Seminars INTL, Chicago, IL
Traveled with us in our 11/9-22, 2000 Yangtze Specials
Deluxe tour group
“ I think the red carpet was put out for us. We all saw much more than what
ordinary tourist will see.”
---- Steve Rioat, President Uniglobe Travel, Montreal, Canada
Traveled with us in April, 1999
“The trip to China was a trip of a lifetime! David Yang was an outstanding guide,
his care and patience made the trip very enjoyable.
The trip was an eye-opener about China and it made me want to revisit Shanghai, Wuhan
and Beijing for a week a piece, and spend more time meeting people and seeing how they
live, work and shop. Nevertheless the 2 weeks covered the high points and the itinerary
was well-planned. Thank you for a most memorable trip!”
----- Norbert Riegert and Alice Michels from Milwaukee, WI
Traveled with us on our 6/25/2001 YSD departure of 70 people, on a Yangtze Specials Deluxe tour.
" It was my intention to write to you as soon as we returned from our trip. I
misplaced your e-mail address and apologize that I did not find it until this morning.
Our adventure was wonderful...We loved the beauty and diversity of the country and
especially the lovely people. We were able to communicate with people even when we shared
no spoken language. What an extraordinary thrill to be on the Great Wall of China and to
visit the Imperial Palace.
The hotels and food were fabulous and the local arrangements were wonderful. The local
guides were particularly terrific. The best guide was Peggy in Xian. She seemed to
anticipate our desires and was right there to help us attain them...from a birthday cake
at dinner for 85 year old Naomi Gundell, to my desire to visit an open produce market
(turned out that the sellers enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed them). I really single out
Peggy as an extraordinary local guide. I hope that there is someway for you to let her
company know what an asset she is.
I would recommend that you put the city wall in Xian on the itinerary. We were fortunate
to visit as Peggy knew that it would be a highlight. It really shouldn't be missed.
We knew to visit the Pearl Market in Beijing but unfortunately did not allow enough time.
I really would have like to spend some more time shopping there...Next time I will.
My husband and I wish to thank you for seeing to all our plans.
We certainly will recommend your company. We had a wonderful experience with NOTHING that
we can say should have been done better....Thank You."
--- Madelyn Glossman, travel agent, Jacksonville, Florida
Traveled with us in November, 2001 Yangtze Specials
Deluxe tour.
We wanted to let you know that the four of us had a great time in China. The cruise and
the tour went very well. All of the guides were excellent. Peggy in Xian was exceptional.
Do you have an email address for her? We would like to send her a note. Thanks you.
-- Dick and Anna Koster, Denver, Colorado.
Traveled with us Nov. 5, 2001, Yangtze Specials Deluxe
tour.
I recently took a tour with your company and wanted to write and let you
know what I thought of it. First of all, let me say, that throughout the
entire trip, from information before leaving for China to setting foot on
the airplane in Beijing for home, the people were FIRST CLASS. Every tour guide,
especially Max and of course our National tour leader, Ming, were exceptional. I have
traveled from Israel to Papua New Guinea and
in-between, and have never had the SUPER service that I had with your
company's employees. Every driver was outstanding, each hotel was beyond first class and
every site was spectacular. The Cruise on the Yangtze River was probably the highlight of
the entire trip, if I could make that distinction!! The Shennong Stream and the Trackers
were possibly the
highlight of the Cruise apart from the ship.
Paul David George, Killen, AL.
Traveled with us Apr. 22, 2003 with a group.
Dear David:
Nee-Hao,
We just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had in your beautiful country with
your kind and generous people.
We had our doubts in the beginning when we first arrived as to whether or not someone
would meet us. But, as you say "not to worry."
Everything worked out in a timely manner and very organized. I know you did your share of
work and this is appreciated.
One incident, Mr. Raab had left his medicines on the plane. We were able to retrieve them
but not until we arrived in the States.
This presented a problem but, with the help of our new found friend
Mr. Stephen Liu - cruise director of Splendid China, with his translations and
contacts we found a similar medicine and we could continue our tour.
We are recommending your fine agency to our friends and family and to encourage them to
have this China experience.
fay-charng gan-shie
Sincerely,
-- Christine Raab, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Traveled with us Apr. 15, 2002, on a Yangtze
Specials Deluxe tour.
Just a quick message to let you know we arrived home safe and sound after a wonderful
two weeks in China. It was a trip we won't forget. Our group of 16 was just perfect.
Everyone got along well. Always made the bus on time, and were lots of fun. The National
guide we had in China, Alley or Yang Sen Ran was great. She was extremely knowledgeable
and tried to please everyone the best she could. She was pleasant and good to everyone and
made the trip extra special. We could not have asked for a better guide. Also all of the
local guides were excellent. They spoke English very well, and you could tell they all
loved China. We will highly recommend your trip to anyone who asks.
--- Ken and Sara Malanca, Camp Verde, AZ.
Traveled with us May 13, 2002, on a Yangtze Specials
Deluxe tour.
Dear Vivian,
WOW! What a trip. Flights, great! Hotels, exceptional! Tour guides, knowledgeable/
helpful/friendly! Sights, spectacular! Everything was excellent. Food, delicious --
although a drop of variety at lunch and dinner would have been nice. Ship,terrific! Kudo's
all around. I would recommend the trip to anyone and your company as well. Thanks for a
job well done and all of your help. Have a terrific remainder of the summer.
Thanks again,
-- Joel Glickman, Philadelphia, PA.
Traveled with us July 15, 2002, on a Yangtze Specials
Deluxe tour.
Yangtze Cruise aboard the " President I"
During a trip to China in fall' 01 with several acquaintances, we took a 5-night cruise on
the the Yangtze River, Sept. 30- Oct. 5, with the Yangtze Cruises, Inc. (566 7th Ave, Ste
805, New York, Ny 10018; Phone 800/779-2856 or 212/382-3725. fax 212/382-3701. email info@YangtzeCruises.com or visit www.YangtzeCruises.com).
Being on the Yangtze during a national holiday week was great - no crowds to fight.
(Oct. 1, 1949, was the day the People's Republic was founded.)
our cruise was aboard the M. V. President I, going upstream from Wuhan to Chongqing
(Chung King). Cruising upstream gave us an extra night -- and was cheaper than going
downstream. (Downstream was one day less and more expensive, for unknown reasons.) We paid
about $600, double occupancy, for the cruise.
The President I is definitely one of the better cruise boats on the river, with
superior staff at all levels. The standard cabins all were large, outside cabins. The food
was good. We made interesting shore excursions at no extra cost...
-- Bruce Eastley, Sacramento, CA
This article was published by International Travel News, June
2002.
Dear Lily:
We were very fortunate to have taken the trip to China through your company in October. It
was truly a trip of a lifetime. Everything was far better than we could have dreamed. The
hotels, food, ship, and
especially the people, could not have been better. Everything was taken
care of and all we had to do was enjoy. Your guides and drivers were
excellent. When we thought it couldn't get any better, we arrived in
Beijing and were met by Alice and the driver, who were absolutely the best.
It was so nice not to have to worry about transportation or hotels or
restaurants. Your company certainly provides everything it promises, and
more. We have recommended you to many friends. And we hope they have the opportunity to
enjoy your country and people as we did. Thank you for such a memorable vacation.
-- Fred & Rose Wegehaupt, Falmouth, MA. Traveled with us Oct. 14, Yangtze Specials Deluxe tour.
........
This Webmaster: Thank you
too, Paul, Madelyn, M/M Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Rieger... We want to thank all our clients and
customers, when this new version of the web site is re-launched. Your happiness and
satisfaction about your trips, your nice letters enriched our life, no matter how hard it
sometimes is. We are proud of what we have been doing, and enjoying such working forever.
-- Chris Q. Li, Jan 15, 2003 |
