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| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| HK and China Travel in the Fall | 8/25/2011 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: Tom. I'm planning to send my parents over to China for about a month (possibly the last week of Sep ... A: I am glad to help. Beijing-Xian-Shanghai-Hong Kong is what is known in China as the tourist trail, ... | ||
| Speaking Chinese in Hong Kong | 8/14/2011 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: Can you tell me if it is difficult to get around Hong Kong without being fluent in Chinese? Is it ... A: Yes, that is correct: Most Hong Kong hotels, restaurants, transportation, tourism, etc. are all ... | ||
| Travel to China During National Day Holiday | 6/5/2011 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: I am planning a trip to China for sometime in September/October. I read about China's national 3-day ... A: It is my experience that most if not all tourist attractions and museums are open during China's ... | ||
| China postcards | 5/31/2011 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: Is it possible you could send me a postcard from China? I will give you my address. Or can you tell ... A: Kristine, I do not normally accept such requests at my personal expense, however I will this one ... | ||
| Loki figure | 5/15/2011 | Michael A. Zakkour |
| Q: I am wondering if there is a "Trickster" mythological figure in Chinese mythology like there is in ... A: as a follower of Jung and Joseph Campbell I loved your question. Her is a start for you: LI-NEZHA: ... | ||
| wondering china | 5/15/2011 | Michael A. Zakkour |
| Q: or what kinda dolls do they sell there for chinese gils to play with? please help thanks A: They do indeed sell hundreds of variations on dolls in China. Chinese girls love them as much as ... | ||
| advice to potential photojournalist | 4/27/2011 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: I'm a senior in high school and I plan to major in journalism specializing in photojournalism in ... A: I often receive emails similar to yours from aspiring photographers. As I am not a professional, ... | ||
| Travel agent vs. online website | 3/14/2011 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: My 17 year old son and three of his friends are planning on studying and traveling in China for 4-5 ... A: I don't think you need to involve a travel agent unless you want a package deal that includes hotels ... | ||
| A few culture questions | 2/21/2011 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: This is not a homework question. I read about online that some ancient asians had red hair, ... A: My knowledge of this sort of anthropological study of Asian genetics is extremely limited. I can ... | ||
| Great Wall of China tour | 12/8/2010 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: we want to see the great wall of china in the cheapest way possible. we are visiting relatives in ... A: Suhanri, I do not have specific price information for you, but if you want to visit the Great Wall ... | ||
| Visa Extension While in China | 10/20/2010 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: I am traveling to China from the US next month for the first time. I applied for a tourist visa ... A: China's visa laws have been dramatically revamped following the '08 Beijing Olympics and '10 ... | ||
| preguntar | 10/19/2010 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: ¿Cuàl es la diferencia cultural entre Hong kong y China? A: I don't write Spanish very well, so I will explain in simple English: Hong Kong was originally part ... | ||
| payment by Chinese client to US recipient | 10/5/2010 | Andrew Reich |
| Q: We are a small product design/development company based in NH and are about to enter into a contract ... A: Like any other bank, the Chinese company's bank in China (Beijing) should be able to make an ... | ||
| budget accommodation in Shaghai for 4 nights | 9/5/2010 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: Would you please let me know about cheap accommodation in Shanghai? A: Jo, there are an infinite number of youth hostels all around Shanghai. You have only to do a google ... | ||
| Travel to Shanghai | 7/8/2010 | Jay |
| Q: Some questions about Shanghai 1. How is the weather and clothing in November? 2. What and where is ... A: I can answer 5 of your 6 questions. The 6th one I don't think is appropriate for this site. 1. The ... | ||
| budget travel to shanghai. | 7/8/2010 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: Some questions about Shanghai 1. How is the weather and clothing in November? 2. What and where is ... A: I will try to answer your questions as best as I can: 1) Weather in Shanghai in the autumn is ... | ||
| Child labor | 5/19/2010 | Andrew Reich |
| Q: MA at Oak hill middle school. My class is doing topics in Asia and I chose mine about child labor. I ... A: You sound like one smart 6th grader! Maybe when you're in college you'd like to come do an ... | ||
| travel to china | 4/29/2010 | Min-Fu Chien |
| Q: I am wondering, how would traveling to China broaden my cultural horizons, I am really interested in ... A: Maybe you could start from HKG,since it's a perfect combination between western and eastern ... | ||
| Broadening my horizons in China | 4/29/2010 | Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert |
| Q: I am wondering, how would traveling to China broaden my cultural horizons, I am really interested in ... A: The short answer to your question is China's 5,000 year history and vast geography is rich enough to ... | ||
| from Hong Kong to See the great wall of china | 4/20/2010 | Jay |
| Q: we are a family of 2 adults and 3 kids under 12, travelling to Hong Kong in early July. we are ... A: Unfortunately the closest place to see the Great Wall would be in Beijing which is quite a distance ... | ||
| Science jobs in china | 3/23/2010 | Michael A. Zakkour |
| Q: I'm 16 and I live in the UK. When I'm older, I love to live in china for a number of reasons. ... A: Your best route at this point(although things change) would be to work for a Western based company ... | ||
| Yangtze River Cruises | 1/11/2010 | Jay |
| Q: I'm planning a visit to China and am wondering if I should include a Yangtze River cruise. Several ... A: Yes, it is still worth including it on your trip. The scenery has changed around that area but ... | ||
| Manufacturing in China | 12/11/2009 | Michael A. Zakkour |
| Q: What is the average cost of property for Manufacturing business? What is the average cost of ... A: The easy and quick answer is that there is no average. Especially not in China. A factory could be ... | ||
| hong kong birthday tradition | 11/8/2009 | Jay |
| Q: I have 3 hong kong students in my home ,going to college, 2 are having birthdays soon. i would like ... A: Birthdays in Hong Kong are similar to birthdays in western culture. Usually the birthday person is ... | ||
| baby gifts | 11/6/2009 | Min-Fu Chien |
| Q: I would like to give a traditional chinese gift to friends on the bith of their baby (due very ... A: Usually we give gifts to babys after they turn 1 month old. But it's still nice that you like ... | ||
| enquiry for delhi-tibet tour | 10/20/2009 | Nilesh Korgaokar |
| Q: i am geetesh from delhi. i am planning to go to tibet from delhi but confused about visa for ... A: If you're planning to go to Tibet, you need a Chinese visa. You can enquire at the Chinese Embassy ... | ||
| Mystery-to-me-Outboard Motor | 10/15/2009 | Andrew Reich |
| Q: Hey Andrew this is Brad from Odenton,Md.and I have a question with hopes that you can help me out to ... A: 1. Go to the following sites 2. Search for the product you are looking for 3. Contact the factory ... | ||
| Attending a Chinese Wedding for my husband's employee | 10/12/2009 | Victoria Hamilton |
| Q: I will be attending a Chinese Wedding next month for one of my husbands employees that live there. ... A: Hi and thanks for the question! I have attended 3 Chinese weddings since living in China and have a ... | ||
| taipei airport | 10/7/2009 | Victoria Hamilton |
| Q: I am flying with my son from Osaka Int'l airport to Vancouver Canada on China Airlines. We have an 8 ... A: Im sorry, I did not read your question properly before...I thought you were entering Beijing airport ... | ||
| Hotels in Shanghai | 9/9/2009 | Victoria Hamilton |
| Q: Have 2 questions. I will be going to Shanghai for approx 10 days, just wondering if you have links ... A: Question no. 1 is certainly easier to answer, so I'll start there! Have you read about Shanghai, ... | ||
| marriage priority | 9/7/2009 | Andrew Reich |
| Q: I have a friend who is getting married to a Chinese woman. He is afraid that she values her ... A: To be fair, in any culture I believe we can see both examples of where status and "face" is ... | ||
| Gift giving when visiting Hong Kong | 8/31/2009 | Victoria Hamilton |
| Q: My teenage daughter will be visiting Hong Kong with her school for a weeklong exchange program. I ... A: Presents given to people living in Asia tend to be best when they are things that the people there ... | ||
| Sourcing pencils from China for orphans | 8/17/2009 | Min-Fu Chien |
| Q: I want to buy 20,000 pencils from a factory in China, I am looking to source these cheaply. I am in ... A: it's really nice of you for trying to help the worldwide orphans who have no access to some learning ... | ||
| Pencils in China | 8/17/2009 | Andrew Reich |
| Q: I want to buy 20,000 pencils from a factory in China, I am looking to source these cheaply. I am in ... A: If your experienced working with Chinese factories, then I recommend you use some online sites such ... | ||
| Exchange student in China. To be or not to be | 8/12/2009 | Victoria Hamilton |
| Q: I am a junior in high school. School hasn't started yet, but it will in a few days. I have been ... A: !! Well let's see...why did I choose to study Chinese at university? Well it was actually my mum ... | ||
| swine flu quarantine | 7/21/2009 | Victoria Hamilton |
| Q: I want to go to Yunnan province in Sept. but I am afraid of getting stuck in quarantine. I can only ... A: The problem with transportation in China is that it is very hard if not impossible to buy train and ... | ||
| Gift giving/receiving | 7/21/2009 | Victoria Hamilton |
| Q: I have 2 female Chinese exchange students staying with me for a few weeks. They brought a plethora ... A: What a lovely question to receive. I think it's very sweet and kind of you to want to buy them ... | ||
| swine flu quarantine | 7/19/2009 | Victoria Hamilton |
| Q: I want to go to Yunnan province in Sept. but I am afraid of getting stuck in quarantine. I can only ... A: Well although I cannot recommend a travel agent in Los Angeles as I do not live there and therefore ... | ||
| swine flu quarantine | 7/18/2009 | Victoria Hamilton |
| Q: I want to go to Yunnan province in Sept. but I am afraid of getting stuck in quarantine. I can only ... A: You can't go around thinking that you are going to be on a plane/train with H1N1 carriers, you can't ... | ||
| travel | 7/7/2009 | Nilesh Korgaokar |
| Q: I'm looking to travel from Japan, to China and into India for a spiritual adventure. Just wondering ... A: It all depends on how much time you have at hand but since you have indicated that you're not the ... | ||
Answers by Expert:
Top Expert on this page
I am an American photojournalist and travel correspondent based in Beijing and have traveled extensively to all 33 provinces in China. I specialize in budget travel and have a personal affection for remote villages, ethnic minority culture and uncharted locales.
I am also the author of CHINA: Portrait of a People, the most comprehensive collection of imagery of contemporary China ever published by a single author.
Education/Credentials
American University, Washington, D.C., BA Political Science, Communications, 1997
Note:
Help support Tom by purchasing a copy of CHINA: Portrait of a People today. Also available: Tom's super-cool postcards of China.
Tom Carter
Thomas Carter

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