Chinese Airline to Launch Hangzhou – Qingdao – Vancouver Link

China_Hangzhou_West_Lake_Credit_Jakub_Halun

West Lake is the top tourist attraction in Hangzhou, China. Photo Credit: Jakub Halun.

New Travel Destinations

A Chinese airline will launch its first ever flights to North America, linking one of China’s most beautiful cities with Vancouver, British Columbia. Flights will commence before year’s end.

Beijing Capital Airlines (BCA) will begin service between  Hangzhou, Zhejjang, and Vancouver, British Columbia, by way Qingdao, Shandong, on 30 December 30 2016.

The new flights will initially operate three times a week.  The airline will deploy an Airbus A330 on the route.

The airplane can accommodate 222 passengers, including 36 in Business Class and 186 in economy class.

Beijing Capital Airlines is the second new airline to serve YVR in 2016. The flight is also the airport’s 12th new route this year.

The Chinese airline will be the 56th airline to serve Vancouver International Airport, which is the second busiest airport in Canada after Toronto.

Because of its location, YVR serves as a convenient transfer point for travelers flying between Asia, on the one hand, and North America, on the other.

YVR served 20.3 million passengers in 2015 with more than 120 non-stop travel destinations around the world.

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Hangzhou 101

China_West_Lake_Hangzhou_Credit_Wikimedia_Commons

Lilies atop West Lake, Hangzhou’s most important tourist attraction. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

One of China’s most beautiful big cities, Hangzhou is highly popular with domestic tourists. Because of its proximity to Shanghai and other cities in the Pearl River Delta, Hangzhou is treated at a convenient respite for quick getaways.

Hangzhou and the nearby city of Suzhou – famous for its meandering canals and classical gardens – remain largely off the radar screen of foreign travelers. And this only adds to their many charms.

The diamond in Hangzhou’s tourism crown is West Lake, which is surrounded by hills, parks, and forests.

Marco Polo

There are also lovely gardens, temples, pagodas, pavilions, and tea houses. A handful of islands are also scattered about the lake.

China-Hangzhou-statue-of-Marco-Polo-Credit-Captmjc

Statue of Marco Polo, who visited Hangzhou, China, in the 13th Century. Photo Credit: Captmjc

To the West of  Hangzhou, the bucolic countryside is crisscrossed with tea farms producing longjing tea.

The world’s largest tidal bore, with waves reaching as high as 10 metres, or 39 feet, races up the nearby Qianting River at high tide each day.

Marco Polo visited Hangzhou in the 13th century. The Italian Explorer called it the most beautiful and elegant city in the world.

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Qingdao

Located in northeast China, Qingdao has a population of more than nine million. Its economy is centered on heavy industry, software, automotive, electronics, and banking.

A former German colony, Qingdao has imposing Teutonic government buildings as well as leafy residential districts, bustling commercial zones, and sandy beaches.

Because of its temperate climate, Qingdao is favoured by China’s political elite during Beijing’s torrid summer months.

Qingdao might not be well known overseas, but its most important export – Tsingtao Beer – is one of China’s most recognizable brands.

Qingdao and Tsingtao are written the same way in Chinese. But the English transliteration varies.

Tsingtao is the traditional spelling. Qingdao is the modern spelling.

In a bid to preserve the city’s heritage, new commercial and residential developments are being built to the East and West of the city’s historic core, which is being slowly restored.

Thanks to this new route, travelers from North America will be able to travel to two of China’s most fascinating travel destinations without having to transit in the crowded airports of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, or Shenzhen.

Travelers in two of China’s  most fascinating second tier cities will also have a convenient new link to airports across the United States and Canada.

 

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