I went to Beijing and Cheng De recently. Joining a tour to China is not really a fun thing to do.
Well, it is a company trip and all paid for , so why not. Eventhough it was a 8days tour but I don't
really feel that I have seen much.

Imagine you have to sit in the bus for about 2hours just to get to Ba Da Ling ( part of the Great wall of China ),
and they only allow you 30minutes to see the place. I have listen to a lot of stories about their local tour guide
in China, well, I have experienced it myself this time, they are really a bunch of sweet talkers. I can't say that they
lied because when you confront them, they will tell you that they forgot or I misheard what they said.

Anyway, be prepared to spend 2-3hours in some shopping mall and only 30minutes for actual sightseeing for
a particular place each day, that is what joining tour is all about, well, at least for tours organize in Malaysia
of course, not sure how is it for the rest of the world .