| China is a land of contrasts, a place where startling juxtapositions of old and new seem able, at least for the present, to coexist. As the country breaks from its Red-Guard past and forges ahead with the most extensive market reforms on earth, China struggles to find a practical balance between tradition and innovation.
The process is always fascinating to watch, and A&K’s local connections give you a front-row seat. These insiders will open closed doors for you — by providing a uniquely personal and thought-provoking point of view, or literally taking you behind the scenes at the Forbidden City or the excavation pits of Xian. Visiting China with A&K brings you into contact with artists, activists, actors, archeologists, business leaders, entrepreneurs, dancers, historians: quite simply, the face of China today.
If you’re daunted by China’s size, note the number of air-route lines on A&K’s itinerary maps. The country’s extensive air network makes covering long distances easy, in a domestic air fleet that is both modern and well-crewed. You can see a great deal of China in less than two weeks.
And don’t believe lingering rumors that the Chinese food available to most visitors is bland or unimaginative. That’s a holdover from the early days of China’s re-emergence and definitely not the case today. With the recent rise in personal wealth has come a renaissance in Chinese culinary arts: a tradition of great variety, subtlety and skill you’ll have many opportunities to savor.
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