Editor's note:

This year's National Day happens to be the Moon Festival - the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, an important Chinese traditional holiday for family reunions besides the Spring Festival. The coincidence makes the week-long National Day holiday season (October 1-7) more attractive to those who either want to travel or stay at home. China Daily reporters Wang Shanshan from Nanjing, Zhang Qian from Shanghai, Hu Xiaodan from Guangzhou and Zhao Jin from Beijing talked to five people about their plans for the long holiday.

Jiang Wei, a senior student of English at Shanghai Normal University hasn't decided yet whether to go to Hainan or Sichuan during the National Day vacation.

"This is my last National Day vacation spent during my university days," she said "I must travel to some places of interest."

If she travels to Hainan, she said, she will go alone. In February, she went on a package tour there. The beautiful beaches and fresh air there left a deep impression and it is this which has prompted thoughts of revisiting the beautiful place. In addition, because of limited time, she missed some scenic spots, and she intends to make up for it this time.

"I like to take a self-service tour," said 21-year-old Jiang. "That means that a travel agency will help me buy the plane tickets there and back and book the hotel, and I will take care of the rest of things."

But to travel to Hainan is just one option she is considering with the alternative being that three other classmates want to go to Sichuan.

"I think to travel with good friends makes the journey by train or plane less boring and friends can gather together to play cards and share the cost," she said. Jiang has visited places in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces as well as Beijing with her friends over the past few years. "But the main problem with travelling with friends is that everyone has his or her own idea and disagreements sometimes arise."

Like her classmates, Jiang gets travel information through the Internet. "In this way, I can find some places that a travel agency does not usually recommend," she said. "The information on the Internet is generally written by travellers who have visited a place several times and know it like a local."

Through the Internet, she knows that in Sichuan Province, there are some guest houses for youths, where they can live in a tent and communicate with friends all over the world and cook their own meals. "It is a good way of travelling - interesting but money-saving."

A lover of camping, Jiang said she might bring all her gear to Sichuan Province, which she has gathered piece by piece over the past two years. "Sometimes, on weekends, I bring my tent and go out with my friends to some campsites in Shanghai," said Jiang, who plans to travel to Tibet when she has gathered enough camping gear in future.

Jiang got the money for travelling by acting as a translator for a fashion magazine. When self-sponsorship proves insufficient, she will ask her mother for support. "But first of all, I must make a budget and a schedule and let my mother know where I will travel and how much money I need her to give me," Jiang said.

Jian Zhaojia, an engineer in the Guangzhou Office of Siemens Building Technologies (Hong Kong/China) Ltd, is the only one among his friends to have time off during the seven-day holiday.

"We work in the service sector, with no hope of a rest during the holiday this year," one of Jian's friends said over beers in a Guangzhou bar.

It means Jian, as the luckiest one in the group, will enjoy his first public holiday in three years of work.

Before he worked for Siemens, he was working for an interior decoration company. "Public holidays are always the busiest time for us. It is a disaster."

Still, with just days to go until the holiday, he is too busy to think about a favoured destination for a trip.

"As long as the place is tranquil and relaxing, I will like it. I don't care much about the scenery. A toilsome trip is not my choice." He added that he did not plan to go outside Guangdong. "Anyway, I still need to rest at home for a while."

In his view, the seven-day holiday is a break from workload, a real rest for body and mind.

For Philip C. Holtrop and Marie Holtrop, an American couple teaching at Peking University, the coming seven-day holiday has a hint of mystery.

One of their students has invited them to Inner Mongolia. But he is unwilling to tell them the particular place he will take them to.

"He said he will give us a surprise," said Marie excitedly.

Since October 1999 when the couple came from Michigan to teach Phd-level English at Peking University, they have used their holidays to travel in China, generally at the invitation of their students.

"They are so kind that they always accompany us when travelling and offer guidance," she said.

When talking about the places they have visited, they quickly brought out a cherished two-inch thick photo album and introduced passionately every scenic spot.

"We have been to the famous scenic spot of clouds sea on Huangshan Mountain," said Marie pointing to the picture of the spectacular sight.

Besides Huangshan, they have been to Xi'an of Shaanxi Province, Nanjing of Jiangsu Province, Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province, Wuhan of Hubei Province, Xiamen of Fujian Province and so forth.

With regard to Inner Mongolia, they dream of the grasslands and herds of cattle and horses.

"But we are also eager to see how it looks like after the drought," said Mr Holtrop.

They deem travelling to different scenic spots as a good way to learn more about Chinese culture.

Lu Zhen, a sophomore at Peking University, has a unique travelling plan.

He will climb Xiao Wutai Mountain with the members of the Mountaineering Association of Peking University.

Located in the southeast of Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province, the highest peak of the mountain reaches about 2,880 metres above sea level, which means travellers are few and far between.

But Lu thought it was worthwhile to spend his holiday on this activity.

"It can relax us from our books and provide us with a good chance to experience a totally fresh discipline," he said .

Lu said that every time he reaches the peak, he feels an adrenaline rush that signals his physical power and endurance, which then gives him confidence in his studies.

"What I have conquered is not the mountain but myself," he said.

What is more cherished by Lu during the climb is the friendship fostered among members of the group.

Lu realized that to experience the harshness of climbing together, to deal with difficulties through mutual help and share the happiness of arriving at the peak was bound to bring the group closer as a unit.

"And we'd like to spread our feelings to the new members of the association through this activity." he said.

Lu is in charge of the equipment including tents, sleeping bags, cooking utensils and food.

"I plan to bring some moon cakes," he smiled. "To spend mid-autumn on the mountain must be romantic."

Shen Jusheng, 49, is a municipal government official in Nanjing, the capital of East China's Jiangsu Province.

Shen is planning a trip with his wife to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during the seven-day holiday starting on October 1st.

"My daughter is studying at a university in Beijing so the two of us must find us somewhere to go during the long holiday, or we will feel really lonely without her at home," he explained.

Shen said he chose Xinjiang because he believed there may be fewer tourists in the vast area of the autonomous region than at other scenic spots.

"My family went to the delicate and small city of Suzhou during the last National Day holiday, and instead of being able to catch clear glimpse of the well-known Suzhou gardens we felt we only saw people," he said.

(China Daily 09/28/2001)