The New York Times recently published an article detailing 45 places to go in 2012 and two of the destinations are in China.

The specialty in Harbin is winter. It is the coldest provincial capital in the country, known for winter resorts, the ice and snow festival, and other winter related things. Having heard so much about the snow and ice festival I decided that this was the year I would make the trip up the the far northeast.

With my 5 layers of clothing, triple sock lining, double glove lining, hat, hood, and scarf I stepped off the high speed train into Harbin with my travel partner David. Our first impression was that it was not as cold as i expected. By no…

Hotpot restaurants offer some of the most authentic and tasty food in China so don’t let the steamed windows, sizzling peppers, and chili oil scary you away. The secret to a great hotpot meal is knowing how to order. Below is your hotpot primer so that you and the rest of your group can experience some dazzling local flavors.

The central aspect of any hot pot meal is of course the hot pot itself. There are 4 standard choices for types of broth: hot and spicy (popular in SiChuan – always available in varying degrees of spicy), not hot and not…

1) From Beijing central station take a train from Beijing to Erlian. The train departs at 7:45 a.m. and arrives in Erlian and 8:37 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in the ticket hall 售票厅 at the director’s window 值班窗口 with a valid passport. Hard Sleeper tickets are 148 RMB and Soft Sleepers are 196 RMB.

There are also sleeper buses that leave from bus stations in Beijing. You should inquire about times and schedules before going to buy your tickets. It could save you a lot of hassle. The stations are: Lizeqiao Station, Muxiyuan Station, and Liuliqiao Station. For a map and detailed info for the…

Me: Ooh this dish looks tasty.
Server: Would you like to order it?
Me: Is it meat?
Server: This is not a meat dish.
Me: Are you sure?
Server: I am sure its not meat.
Me: I’ll have it.
moments later…
Me: (to myself) This isn’t the dish I was expecting. Fuwuyuan! What is this dish?
Server: Why its our specialty…pig intestine.
Me: Didn’t I ask you if this was a meat dish before ordering?
Server: Yes, you did and I assured you that it was not. This is an organ dish, not a meat dish.

…and that is how I learned how to say internal organs in Chinese.

Happy Travels,
Jeff

Download a printable menu in PDF format that you can take to restaurants…

Here are a few simple dishes that are favorites of people across China.
Download a printable more complete menu in PDF format.
For Pictures of Chinese Dishes including the ones listed below please visit the link.

1. Earth, Three, Fresh – 地三鲜 – Di San Xian – The dish is a succulent mix of potatoes, sweet peppers, and eggplant fried in a brown sauce. Mainly eaten in north eastern China but found throughout.
2. Tomato Fried Eggs – 西红柿炒鸡蛋 – XiHongShi Chao JiDan. This ubiquitous dish is another icon of Chinese cooking. People say that eggs and tomato were made to be together and maybe that is…

Lune Tours prides itself on personalized tours and personalized service. Too often tour groups are herded into large cafeteria restaurants to eat basic Chinese food before being rushed off to the next destination. And while sometimes this type of meal is necessary to meet time requirements, we know that people prefer more authentic and intimate dining experiences. So, for your benefit, we have prepared a list of our top 6 favorite small restaurants in central Beijing.

If you do not speak Chinese you can use the Lune Menu (PDF) to order at the restaurants below.
Pictures of some dishes are also available here:…