tourism

www.nytimes.com — TAIPEI, Taiwan — As two dozen anxious Chinese travelers began their maiden voyage across the Taiwan Strait, their tour guide called an impromptu meeting in the airport departure lounge.

rob.easternity.com — Try imagining that the U.S. government has completely banned about 50,000 of the most interesting books written in the country over the last 50 years. Then you’re sent on a university trip to Toronto. Try to imagine that you find, as Xuebin recently did, a three-volume set of one of the most famous pieces of fiction written in the past thirty years, and it only costs about $2.50.

gokunming.com — On June 17, Kunming municipal officials decreed that stores and shops with outdoor signs will have to abide by a strict new regulatory regime with several new rules, one of which includes adding an "English-language logo".

online.wsj.com — Australia will launch this week a new initiative to attract more visitors from China, as the usual tourists from the U.S. and Japan stay put in the face of uncertain economies and the strong Aussie dollar.

blog.chinatravel.net — In part 2 of a series on China's Tea Horse Road, we take a look at Xishuangbanna's return to ancient form as it transitions from being a sleepy border region and backpacker secret to a humming commercial center connecting Southeast Asia to China, thanks to new superhighways, rail lines and trade agreements.