Superb service, flexible, prompt and reliable; a great way to realize your China dream
I seldom write reviews, only now and then when I am super impressed. Shirley Yang of Chinadiscovery (CD, Chengdu) and her staff are one of those people. We engaged them for two trips recently: one inside Guangdong (the GBA trip) for 2 wks in Nov of 2025, and the other in Mar of this year, an HSR trek from Chengdu to Guizhou, Guangxi, and Guangzhou, about 10 days. A long-time California resident, I have traveled to China on and off for the last 50 years. My friends and I either joined one of the tour packages offered by local agencies or "private" tours arranged by friends here in Canada or in Hong Kong. So I seldom got involved in the mechanics of putting one together. The last few years and the last few trips have been different. We planned the general outline of the trip (cities, places, sights, etc.) and then engaged a China-based agent to execute and to fill in the details, CD being one of the agents we worked with. The result has been exceptional. And I will not hesitate to use them again. I shall mention only the key points: Prompt cross-ocean (cross-time zone) communications that you wouldn't believe - they don't seem to sleep; no language issue, Chinese or English; attention to detail and the prompt incorporation of the unavoidable iterations and changes; small groups of 5-9 not a problem; ... Of course, we also glean their expertise and suggestions to flesh out the final itinerary. The attention to detail applied to the trip as well. Special needs and the inevitable unforeseen circumstances were handled promptly and professionally. Of special note is that we chose to pick our restaurants/menus, always seeking our guide's input, and I think that worked out to our mutual satisfaction. The proverbial have your cake and eat it too. If there is a concern, it might be cross-border payment; the transfer of funds might encounter hiccups depending on your own banking situation, mainly because of some US sanctions in place. Not an issue with CD, but can be with other China-based agencies. Just a possibility, and it is nothing that cannot be overcome.