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Page THE HERALD OUTLOOK Saturday July IS 1989 Chinese tourists Tourists should beware Beijing KIT N by Larry Wright By VINCENT EGAN Events in Beijing earlier this month massive student demonstrations and their brutal suppression by the Chinese military are a reminder of some of the darker aspects of life in the Communist world In the past three years or so Canadians and other westerners have shown a remarkable interest in travelling to China which for practical purposes means the two largest cities Beijing and Shanghai We seems a readiness to set aside all that we have reliably learned about dictatorships or at least to give them the benefit of the doubt As well we have a natural curiosity Who wouldnt be curious about the largest country on earth its Great Wall and its Forbidden City Whatever the reason it seems to be easy to allay the qualms and scruples about totalitariari regimes in the excitement and an ticipation of travel to such coun tries Few still recall for example the huge protest marches by Shanghai students in December and the more widespread demonstra tions seven years earlier NO NEWS In time the prodemocracy demons rations of June 1989 and the regimes violent crackdown will also fade from memory part ly oi course because the authorities have clamped a lid on such information as the number of civilian casualties and the fate of the counterrevolutionaries student leaders Then the flow of western travellers to China will no doubt resume For now however most travel to China is off Potential visitors have been largely deterred by reports that ordinary tourists have recent ly harassed and threatened by Chinese soldiers Tour organizers in Canada stand to lose the deposits they had paid to the Chinese tourism authorities on behalf of their clients for travel and accommodation that have been cancelled They are hopeful of recouping some of their losses when Chinese conditions return to normal and international travel to the Middle Kingdom resumes In the meantime foreign airlines have been and are striving to meet the demand for space flights leaving China for the West PICTURE MIXED Those who have returned from China in recent years since the spring of say when Canadian Airlines International inaugurated its CanadaChina service have noted a mixed picture On the positive side Beijing has some goodquality hotels such as the Holiday Inn Lido and a feu good westernstyle restaurants ranging from Maxims to three Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets which shut down at the beginning of June A fairly modern and efficient subway svstem traverses the spreadout capital city making for easy access to the many points of interest in the centre of the capital Tiananmen the Gate of Heavenly Peace an ironic name in the tight of recent events- the vast Tiananmen Square the Great Hall of the People i the parliament building and Museum of Chinese History the Forbidden City Imperial Palace Museum Farther from the city centre the Beijing region abounds in attrac tions such as the 717acre Summer Palace with its sparkling lake the stately Ming Tombs and of course the Great Wall GROUP TRAVEL But theres another aspect to the tourism picture Most visitors take either a prepaid escorted tour or if they are on a tight budget make their own arrangements with China International Travel Service CITS Those on package tours are generally accommodated in moderatetogood hotels but bear in mind that Chinese hotels have a tendency to deteriorate fairly rapidly Neglect of essential maintenance seems to be common throughout the Communist world In and around Beijing tour packages almost always take in the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall and quite probably two or three dimly lit pottery factories where plenty of time is allowed for purchases As for budget travellers reports suggest that they frequent ly encounter poor standards of cleanliness in hotel bedrooms and bathrooms and surly service in dining rooms which isnt unusual in betterclass hotels either Moving around China for those who dont speak Chinese can be difficult Individual travellers find that much depends upon the effi ciency of the local CITS bureau Lining up for railway and airline tickets can consume hours with the distinct possibility of a curt no at the end Even when service isnt deliberately unhelpful western visitors are often charged higher prices than overseas Chinese visitors and the local population for Identical services In short any apparent bargains in travelling independently to and within China may well be illusory and likely beset by red tape There seems to be good reason to fear that the authorities will attack bourgeois influence the move ment for democracy with a return to the excesses of the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s which led to serious shotages of scientists technologists and managers Sooner or later there may be another Great Leap Forward into the century Foreign travel in China in the near future will pro bably continue at a reduced level eventually regaining its But for now discretion should prevail over curiosity Coolers keep summer foods fresh By the Editors of Consumer Reports Whether youre off to a picnic in the park or a feast on the beach contain ers that keep your food fresh and cold are a welcome addition But how do you choose among the many ice chests coolers and jugs Recently Consumer Reports tes ters evaluated smallcapacity ice chests five beverage coolers and jugs As a practical matter any of the tested containers should see you through a day in the hot sun But there were differences in capacity features and price to consider When youre shopping for a cooler chest size is a prime factor Even small chests vary quite a bit in ca pacity Some claim to hold to quarts There are also smaller mod els either with flat lids or an arched top like an oldtime that have a claimed capacity of seven or eight quarts Remember that in any chest loose Ice or ice bottles may take up as much as half of the space The Igloo Legend 24 and the Coleman 18 offered the best combinations of insulating value and usable volume They each bold a little more than 15 quarts If you dont need a container that big consider the 12- quart Artie Cozy Cooler or the 8- Coleman Personal 8 The Super Lunch Tote 17042 15 with a capacity has an extra nicety The lid stores a removable quart ice bottle which filled and fro zen should keep the chests contents cold for a full days outing Coolers are widemouthed contain ers which typically hold three gallons The models tested can also hold two Intact sixpacks or cans if you break them out of their packs They can also handle tall soda bottles Each cooler has a spigot at the bottom front you pour a drink by pressing a but ton on the spigot All the beverage coolers performed well Two models by Coleman and were judged the most conve nient Theyre designed so that the spigot inlet is drain well you dont have to tip to empty them The Rubbermaid Gott 25 kept drinks colder a little longer than the others Picnic 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