My journey with Century Cruises continued with a late-night docking in Badong, China,

and an early-afternoon disembarkation in Yichang, China, due to a late-night flight to Shanghai, making for a very long day.  (I did take advantage of the downtime to catch up on work, so that was a big plus for me and my clients.) It is noteworthy that, as a gracious host, Century Cruises was extremely accommodating, allowing us to keep our luggage until 9:00 a.m., vacate our staterooms at 10:00 a.m., serve brunch (featuring both Chinese and Western cuisine) until 11:30 a.m., and then lunch until our 1:00 p.m. departure. We never touched our luggage until we got to the airport. 

We had a fairly technical visit to the new, modern Three Gorges Dam Museum, a facility that allows you to delve as deeply or superficially as you like. Even if you aren’t into all the technical information, the history, and how the Chinese utilized this project to transform from total reliance on Western experts and technology to a more national one, right down to local villagers assisting with the work in their spare time. No propaganda, just facts…with two of the many US-made Caterpillar trucks used to build the dam prominently displayed.

Unfortunately, just as we left the museum, a light rain started, and, of course, once we were well into the park to see the actual Three Gorges Dam, the skies opened and we all got soaked. Eventually, the skies cleared enough for us to get a cloudy view, and then we had a chance to get back on the bus.

With the weather being uncooperative, it was a change of plans and a chance for those who wanted to shop in a local mall. (The obsession by some of the group with purchasing Labubus – something that if you read this article in 2027, you will go, “A what? – was disturbing for me. We were invited to be exposed to China; not a marketing ploy akin to Beanie Babies.)

After that, it was time for dinner at a Chinese wedding venue. Call it tacky or beautiful, when the light show was turned on, it was, for lack of a better term, surreal.

It was then off to the airport and a reminder that, as many things that seem similar to the West, some things are not. There was a silly little error with my passport number when my ticket was booked, with one digit being omitted. In the West, the agent would just correct the information and issue the boarding pass. Not so in  China.  It took 45 minutes, with numerous texts and telephone calls to higher-ups, the person who originally issued the ticket, and others.  (Thankfully, our fantastic guide was there to assist!) In China, control matters; something I will discuss in a later article.

I finally arrived at our hotel, Hyatt on the Bund, at about 1:30 a.m. By the time I caught up on some client emergencies, it was 2:45 a.m., so I was glad we had a late start at 10:00 a.m. and time to enjoy the view of Shanghai from my room.

First up was a drive up the Bund (the area by the river) for a visit to the famous Yu Gardens

and then a visit to Shanghai’s Chinatown for more shopping…and the continued search for Labubus, among other things, and then lunch.

A visit to the French Concession followed this. It was a bit of a walk when some free time to wander would have been better than discussions of the different architectures. And, to be honest, time would have been better spent in Old Shanghai on a culinary adventure like I did in 2019. Windstar’s Star Legend: Shanghai & Suzhou – Old & New (However, there were enough finicky eaters in our group, so it might not have gone well.) We stopped at a small local wet market that is apparently famous for having hosted a Prada fashion shoot. I shot pictures of the culinary offerings instead.

It was then off to a rebuilt area, akin to the trendy warehouse districts found in the West. Some went shopping. Some went for cocktails. But I saw a wine display and headed directly there.  I shared a nice German Riesling with a Century Cruises’ executive, making the stop quite relaxing and productive, and enjoyable with the adorbable waitstaff.

After dinner, it was time for a Shanghai river cruise, an experience everyone should have.

I followed that up with a couple of gin and tonics at the Hyatt on the Bund’s rooftop bar with Century Cruises’ marketing executive, but it was all social.

At the government’s urging, the next morning was a 2.5-hour bus ride to Suzhou’s old city, a quaint and quiet town surrounded by old and newly developed industry, known as “The Venice of China”.

I saw a bit more during a private tour in 2019, and, alas, when traveling with a large group, there are compromises. However, after visiting another beautiful garden,

we did have a nice boat ride, complete with some lovely Chinese opera.

It was then off to a silk factory, something Suzhou has been famous for since Marco Polo’s time. Just as with visiting carpet factories in Istanbul and papyrus shops in Egypt, this was essentially a shopping stop, and almost everyone, including me (I admit it), bought something. (Last time I opted to skip it and enjoyed more of Suzhou, which is quaint.)

We arrived at a hotel that the Chinese government uses for some of its conferences, where we had our farewell dinner, hosted by the local government and tourism officials. It was a very nice final event.

There would be no after-party as the hotel had neither a bar nor a lounge. Afterwards, some of the agents headed into the new part of Suzhou for some nightlife and, for some, a visit to Shanghai Disney the next day. With my 6:45 a.m. 2.5-hour transfer to the Shanghai airport for my flight home, I enjoyed the dinner and then had an early night. I know. I know. I was responsible!

Our “guide” for the transfer made an appropriate and honestly impassioned plea for Americans and other Westerners to come to China as tourism plummeted during the pandemic and really hasn’t recovered; something repeated often during my journey. And that will be discussed, politics and all, in my next article.

Arriving at the airport, as was done on both domestic flights we took, we were swabbed for explosives (as noted on the airport signage). During check-in, security, and passport control, my visa was repeatedly checked. It was all painless, quick, and thorough. It was then to the Air China Business Class Lounge for a final Chinese culinary moment: Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup before boarding my United flight home.

Next Up: The Century River Cruise experience and what it is like to travel in China.