Planning for a trip to Anshan, Shenyang

[zfek]

Hi good day everyone,

I am new here and recently get to know my chinese girl from Anshan, Shenyang. She is from Shenyang Golden Olive Consultancy Corporation Limited Agency ID: P612. I'd done my homework and search online, so far i had seen mostly positive feed backs about the agency, though i do also heard about fake profiles.

I am planning to fly to Anshan, Shenyang to meet my girl next March 2012.  I would like to know what are the standard procedure the agency Shenyang Golden Olive Consultancy Corporation Limited carried out for the initial meet up. My girl and I do not have communication barrier and we do not need a translator. Do we have to go through the agency to set up the initial meet up or we can in fact do it privately?

Is there anyone who have met his girl in Anshan, Shenyang and have deal with the agency i mentioned before? Is Taoxian airport the nearest airport and any recommendation in hotels and what I can do over there with my girl in Anshan, Shenyang? Any experiences shared will be appreciated. Thank you.

[shaun]

Just wanted to say welcome.  I don't know anything about the area.

[RobertBfrom aust]

Zfek , welcome to this forum , as you do not give us to much info ,your ages and so forth , I would hope that you are talking with her online via Yahoo or QQ along with video cam , if so you can set up all your airport meeting etc , 1 on 1 , but if you are still going down the emf path then one cannot be sure of who will meet you at all from my reading on other forums it would seem about 50 - 50 on organising everything only to find a last minute hitch from the China end , my better half comes from Shenyang and there is plenty to do in that area once the snow melts ha ha , regards Sujuan and Robert .

[Vince G]

Welcome

Golden Olive Consultancy was a good agency. I haven't used them for over a year plus. Most contracts had in it that the translator and your lady are to meet you at the airport. If your lady can do it on her own? she can tell them. Some translators will charge YOU for this time and the ride if they drove.

[Peter Arnold]

Hi Zfek, I have been to Shenyang twice, a month each time. I would recommend staying in an IBIS hotel as they are inexpensive and well run. They usually have English speaking staff and a dining room, as well as internet in the rooms. I took my computer to stay in touch.They also do laundering. but it can become expensive. I would recommend seeing the Royal Palace. I would set aside a day to see this. Shenyang has a population of 7 million people. Be prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder on public transport. The underground rail system is similar to Beijings. Very efficient, but crowded. Their is also an art gallery and Cultural museum in Shenyang. You will have to ask your lady where it is. I have no idea. I was in the Tie Xie district, and we caught buses and trains everywhere. There is also a huge, and I mean huge market stalls in the city centre. Great  for clothes and anything else under the Chinese Sun. I went to the movies also. It is a bit of a hit and miss affair. You can check the timetables online. There is a botanical gardens, but it is a long way out of the city. It is okay if you want to stroll around. Make sure you go on a nice day! Send me a PM if you want to know more. You can buy thermal over there. Check the temperatures as your time approaches. It will be cold! Hope it goes well,

[Pineau]

I remember Shenyang. Peter and I just missed each other there last year.

 It gets plenty cold there. I bought a great down coat there for only 300 RMB at the city center. I know a couple of school teachers there that teach English and Chinese language. The Chinese teacher is an expert and a historian of the Shenyang area and the Royal Palace.  The English teacher is a good resource for translating. She accompanied me everywhere during my visit to Anshan and all around Shenyang. She just got back from her honeymoon and probably cant be your guide but she may be able to translate for you if you get into trouble (like tell the taxi driver where to take you).  PM mw if you want me to ask her.

I stayed at the Hanting Express hotel. Very reasonable and efficient. Just a room with a bed, bathroom shower and a desk. Internet access also. The only drawback is the staff does not speak English.

[kenny]

I met my wife through the Golden Olive agency. I made my first trip there to meet her in August of 09 and Linda (my wife) was there along with Karen to meet me. Karen is a translator for the agency who is a little higher in the company. Karen videotaped the meeting. I used Karen to translate for us a couple days of the trip and she was very nice and helpful. Your girl is under contract with them so I would think that they will be there for your first meeting but after that if you dont need a translator then I dont think that will be a problem.

I met the owner of the agency on my second trip in Feburary of 2010 and he seemed allright.  I stayed at the Grand Century Hotel on my first trip and one of the IBIS hotels on the second. Both were decent places IBIS is a little cheaper. The only thing is the Grand Century had white carpet and is was pretty dirty.
There are things to do depending on the weather in March, I enjoyed the park along the river. That is where Linda and I spent our first day. You can read about this in My Trip To China Topics.

All in all I think that they are a good agency, the translator we used was very good but she has moved on to better work. I think Karen is still there and she is great too. They were very helpful with Linda preparing her for what was ahead. I sent money after I returned from my first trip for Linda to buy a computer and web cam. She took it to the agency and they worked with her and teached her how to use it at no additional cost. Linda has always had good things to say about them. They are chinese though and are there to make money. If I can help you at all send me a PM and will ansewer any questions.

Kenny

[zfek]

thanks everyone for your kind and valuable inputs.

[kevster4355]

Hello zfek,

Just wanted to say that I stayed at the IBIS hotel Town Centre last July. Staff spoke enough English. The place was clean, very affordeable, and within walking distance to much shopping, markets, bakeries, restaurants, etc. Gave me local things to do after my girl went home at night. And the biggest Super Walmart I have ever seen (lol). Internet in rooms, and computer available in the lobby, when it is free. I believe Anshan is a 30-45 minute bus ride. Taxis are cheap, and yes, subways and buses are crowded, but inexpensive.   

We took the hour bus ride tothe Botanical Gardens, saw Shenyang ancient palaces, went to the park on the river, went to the town square (with statue of Mao) at night to observe the hundreds doing Tai Chi (sp.). Plenty to do around Shenyang. On my second trip in January, we took the 5 1/2 hour train ride to Beijing. Saw the Forbidden City, Tianenmen Square, Great Wall. Could have spent a few more days there. My girl has her own business, so she was able to take time off. You may want to consider what time your girl will have free.

I used a different agency, but my translator accompanied my girl to the airport to meet me. I believe the Taoxian airport is best for you. I did have to pay a fee for the driver that brought them to the airport. I think it was about $20 US. It was late, so they took me to my hotel, and we met again in the morning. My girl took a bus to meet me everyday. That is how she wanted it. We did have an electronic translator, and visited the agency a few times to be sure we understood each other. Called the translator on several occasions. On my second trip, I stayed at her apartment with her and her son, and we got married. Quite different from the hotel. A real chance to get to understand more about the Chinese way and your woman.

It is the adventure of a lifetime. Savor every minute.

Kevin

[kevster4355]

P.S.

I found it very helpful to have a sheet of paper with my destinations written in English on one side, and Chinese across from it. I also made sure to get a card from the hotel. They have small maps on them. Shenyang is a big place. Made sure I knew enough phrases, or had access to them, to function there.