A chemistry teacher from the Sichuan province of China plans to put his glue-making skills to the ultimate test: He's planning to set sail across the Taiwan Strait in a six-foot-long paper boat on October 31.

Teacher Zhu Yalin has made a similar--if shorter--journey before, taking a different paper boat 50 miles down the Mingjiang River in 2005. Perhaps surprisingly, he says this trip will be easier:

According to my observations and experience, the conditions in the Taiwan Strait are much better than the Mingjiang River. I am really looking forward to it.

That said, he's still planning to have a lifeboat along for the trip.

Related Stories:
· Sea Trek by Paper Boat [Ananova]
· Scary China Travel: Algae Attack! [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-10-09T17:02:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/9/7440/43150

You would think that a country like China would certainly have its share of national parks, but apparently not so much. Officials with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the National Tourism Administration announced that they are looking to create the country's very first national park.

It will be located in a southern area of the Xiaohinggan Mountains right at the source of the Tangwang River. The region is home to the most pristine example of a Korean pine forest in Asia and also boasts more than 100 rare species of trees including the dragon spruce and Faber's fir. There will be plenty of critters roaming around the granite landscape of the park as well.

While this will be the first "national park," the country does have reserves and historic areas that are recognized by the government. The difference is that while sightseeing will still be part of the allure in the Xiaohinggan Mountians, the new preserve's main purpose is environment protection.

Related Stories:
· China Plans First National Park [China View]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: scottfeldstein]]]> kjb 2008-10-09T13:30:41-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/7/71349/6339

Before John Travolta snatches it up, there's a pretty bad-ass piece of aviation memorabilia floating around on the open market. The British-made Trident plane flew China's communist leader, Mao Zedong, around his great red country before he died in 1976.

The Trident, which resided in a Chinese aviation museum and now sits in a Zhuhai shopping mall, is now up for sale. The mall's owners decided to sell the plane to make room for additional parking, its managers say.

No word on how much this giant communist toy costs, but in theory, shouldn't they just let every citizen take a turn?

Related Stories:
· Chairman Mao's Plane for Sale [CNN]
· Florida Says John Travolta's Bird Is Too Big [Jaunted]

[Photo of another of Mao's planes, a Ilyushin Il-18: allenthepostman]]]> ced138 2008-10-07T11:30:41-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/6/72038/4973

Of all places, China seems like the last that would need a snazzy bike-sharing system. But officials are indeed kicking off a cycling scheme, similar to the Velib program in Paris, in hopes of getting people moving by pedal power.

Shanghai transit authorities launched the new system to coincide with World Car Free Day a couple weeks ago, and they're looking to get the citizens excited for the theme of the 2010 World Expo, "Better City, Better Life."

To encourage short trips and fast turnover the first half hour will be free; you'll pay up to three yuan (50 cents) an hour after that. There's also a 200 yuan ($29) deposit per rental, as a friendly reminder that, uh, it's not your bike.

Related Stories:
· Bike-sharing's Biggest Friend: Shanghai [Bike-sharing Blog]
· Shanghai Launches Paris-style Bicycle Rental Program [AFP, via Google]
· Bike Sharing Travel: Options around the World [Jaunted]

[Photo of Vancouver's shared bikes: sillywailo]]]> kjb 2008-10-06T15:00:39-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/29/42648/5301

Let's face it. If the spectacle of the Beijing Olympics taught us anything, it's that when it comes scary superpowers, China totally kicks the United States' weary butt these days.

This emerging dominance extends to the travel industry--as we've heard before. A recent Forbes article profiles Ctrip, a China-owned booking site that modeled itself after Expedia. Since it's growing much faster than its American counterpart these days, it looks like Expedia might soon be modeling itself after Ctrip.

The Chinese site tried once, back in 2001, to enter the business travel market, but backed out because of competition with American Express and Expedia-owned Chinese travel site, Elong. Now, it's preparing to reenter the market, CEO Min Fan says. Further, it started adding more land travel options like limo service, along with customized travel packages that it promotes from kiosks in China's airports.

Related Stories:
· Ctrip [Official Site]
· Taking Off [Forbes]
· China Travel coverage [Jaunted]]]> ced138 2008-09-29T11:30:35-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/26/42411/4605

Here's a Friday joke for you: How many Chinese airport workers does it take to push a 20-ton plane with 69 passengers and 7 crew? The answer: 30.

If you're not laughing yet, it's because it's not actually a joke, but a true story. This week in Zhengzhou a CRJ7 plane landed with a faulty front hydraulic system, which apparently meant it couldn't be attached to the tow truck. So airport officials sent out 30 staff to push the plane instead.

Two hours later, the 30 exhausted workers had pushed the plane less than half a mile but it was neatly out of the way and the passengers could disembark. And at least the airline didn't ask the passengers to get out and help push. Perhaps that's what they'd do on a low-cost carrier?

Related Stories:
· Airport Workers Get the Push [Ananova]
· China Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ananova]]]> amandak 2008-09-26T08:45:34-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/21/223816/932

The Olympics paid off in more ways than one for China. Sure, the country got awesome new hotels, venues and infrastructure built, but now, post-games, the country's also experiencing a boom in tourism. The New York Times reports that travelers want to experience for themselves what their favorite Olympians did--and tour groups are seeing bookings jump as much as 20 percent.]]> sedona 2008-09-22T11:30:32-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/