The China Society of Library Science will hold its second Annual Conference this year in Hailar in the northeastern part of Inner Mongolia from July 17 to 20, 2000.

A special 12-day packaged tour covering Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Jilin will be arranged by the National Library of China through a reliable travel agency (China Scitech International Tours) which has done this type of tours many times before for the National Library. The tour will originate from Beijing on July 16 and end in Beijing on July 28. It will include attending the conference in Hailar (July 17-20), a visit to a grassland in Inner Mongolia (July 21), a tour to Harbin and a side trip to Mudanjiang and Jinpo Lake in Heilongjiang Province (July 22-24), and then a visit to Yanji, Changbaishan, and Tianchi in Jilin Province (July 25-27), before returning to Beijing for an overnight stay (July 27). The trip will also include visits to the Heilongjiang Provincial Library in Harbin and the Yanji Public Library in Yanji. The final negotiated price of $1,079 will include airplane, bus, jeep, train, and horse ride for the entire trip, three- or four-star hotel accommodations each night for double occupancy (or $275 more for single occupancy), all meals, an English-speaking tour guide, ticket charges for sightseeing, and accident insurance. Not included are tips, laundries, telephone calls, purchases, airport taxes, and your international travel to and from Beijing.

The China Society of Library Science will charge a registration fee for attending the Annual Conference. The normal fee for each foreign participant is 1,600 RMB (or approx. $200).

After returning to Beijing, there will be one optional tour available (not two as was announced earlier) for anyone who wants to travel the Silk Road and to see the northwestern part of China. The 10-day tour will leave Beijing for Urumqi at 3:25 p.m. on July 28, visit Tianshan, Tianchi (Heavenly Lake), Nanshan farmland, and an ethnic family on July 29, take a bus trip from Urumqi to Turpan on July 30, visit an ancient grave, the Gaochang old city, the Grape Valley, the Karaze, and a folk dance on July 31, take a overnight train trip to Dunhuang on August 1, visit Mogao Caves, Mingsha Hill (Singing Sands), and Yueyaquan (Crescent Moon Spring) on August 2, visit Yumenguan and Dunhuang Museum on August 3 and fly to Xian in the evening, visit the Museum of Emperor Qinshihuang's terra-cotta warriors and horses, and Hua Qing Chi on August 4, visit the Shaanxi Provincial Museum of History, the old city wall, and the Big Wild-goose Pagoda on August 5, and fly to Beijing and arrive Beijing at 10:05 a.m. on August 6.

Based on at least ten persons, the price for the optional tour is $1,298 per person for double occupancy (or $240 more for single occupancy). The price includes transportation in China, staying at 3 or 4 star hotels, all meals, an English-speaking tour guide, entrance tickets for sightseeing, and accident insurance. Tips, personal expenses, airport taxes, and international travel are excluded however. Any CALA member can join this optional tour even though not taking part in the Inner Mongolia conference tour.

For the Inner Mongolia tour package, more than 30 people have already signed up. The maximum number of people that can be accommodated is 50. We will have to stop accepting more as soon as we reach the 50-person limit. For the optional tour to Xingqiang, the minimum number of persons needed is 10.

To secure your reservation, the tour agency requires a 10% deposit before March 15 and the full payment on or before July 1. Payment should be deposited in the following account:

China Scitech International Tours
03515608241014
No. 62, Xi South Street, Beijing, China
Bank of China, Beijing Branch, Xi Cheng Sub-branch

Registration fee for the Conference can be paid at the Conference on July 17.

Ms. Bessie K. Hahn, Assistant Provost for Libraries and University Librarian, Brandeis University, has tentatively agreed to be the keynote speaker.

Our contact person for the participation and tours is:

Ms. Sun Liping
Director of the International Cooperation Division
National Library of China
("Sun Liping" interco@bt2.nlc.gov.cn)

Hwa-Wei Lee, Ph.D.
Dean Emeritus, Ohio University Libraries
19 Mulligan Road, Athens, Ohio 45701, U.S.A.
leeh@ohio.edu

1. For paying by a personal check, please send it to the address below:

Ms. Zhou Zhenmin
Room 329, No.57 Di Anmen West Street
Beijing, China

2. For the depository of telegraphic transfer, the money should be submitted to the following address:

Beneficiary's No.: 03515608241014
Beneficiary's Name: CHINA SCITECH INTERNATIONAL TOURS
Beneficiary's Address: NO. 57 DI ANMEN WEST STREET BEIJING CHINA
Banker's Name: BANK OF CHINA BEIJING BRANCK XI CHENG SUB-BRANCH
Banker's Address: NO.5 FU WAI DA JIE OF XI CHENG BEIJING CHINA 100037