China and Hong Kong Without the ‘Glitz’

CHINA (World Travel Marketing, 60 minutes, 1993) and HONG KONG (World Travel Marketing, 60 minutes, 1993).

Barry and Corinne Smedley open their latest videos, “China” and “Hong Kong,” with the disclaimer that they are not “glitzy Hollywood productions” but films about real people and what they experience when they travel.

“China” includes visits to the popular tourist destinations of Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an. “Hong Kong” encompasses southern China as well as the Crown Colony.

The Smedleys deliver what they promise, including a home-video quality that imparts a sense of realism, instead of the postcard-pretty perfection of some travelogue productions.

They provide the narration as well. Although much of it is dubbed-in amateur dialogue between the Smedleys or the taped, often heavily accented, spiels of the tour guides, Barry Smedley also adds some informative and historical background segments.

The viewer gets an honest view of tour-group travel, from standing in line at the crack of dawn to board a bus, to the discomfort of traveling in the rain, trudging up and down countless steps, visiting factories of debatable interest, dining en masse at tour-designated restaurants, then collapsing in a hotel room to watch American TV dubbed in Chinese. The Smedleys’ enthusiasm and love of travel, however, is contagious, and such minor inconveniences only add color and adventure to their trip.

In Shanghai, the “China” video takes viewers to the shopping area along Nanjing Road; to the idyllic Yu Gardens for a drive along the Bund, which fronts the harbor, and on a visit to one of the children’s cultural palaces.

From Shanghai, the tour flies to Beijing, where viewers visit such sights as the Forbidden City, Tian An Men Square and the Congress Building. Another day includes a visit to the wondrous Great Wall. This is followed on the third day by stops at a cloisonne factory, the summer palace, the Ming Tombs and the Temple of Heaven.

A tour of the final stop, Xi’an, includes the site of the terra-cotta warriors, thousands of life-size statues buried with an emperor more than 2,000 years ago. Since photos of the warriors are prohibited, the Smedleys illustrated and narrated the segment by zooming in on a postcard.

The “Hong Kong” video begins in China, with a flight from Xi’an to Chongqing, takeoff point for a four-day cruise down the Yangtze River. The first stop is at Wushan, where there’s a tour of a silk factory. The next morning, at sunrise, travelers are up to catch their first views of the spectacular Three Gorges area of towering peaks rising perpendicularly from the turgid waters. The ship passes such sights as the Meng Liang Staircase carved into the cliffs, and the smaller Bellows Gorge, where coffins were buried high in the cliff walls more than 2,000 years ago.

There are scenes of activities aboard ship, a stop at Zigui for a dragon-boat race, and views of a temple that was moved to higher ground to escape rising river waters. It will be moved even higher before the completion in about 15 years of a new Yangtze River dam--a project that will forever submerge much of the beauty of the gorges.

The tour group boards a plane from Wuhan to Guilin for a ride up the lovely Li River and a visit to the Reed Flute Caves. After flying to Canton, the group takes a boat ride to Hong Kong, the densely populated British colony that reverts to China in 1997. There, viewers enjoy the view of the harbor from part way up Victoria Peak. (Clouds obscured the view from the summit during the Smedleys’ visit.) There’s a meal at an Aberdeen floating restaurant, a ride on the Star Ferry, scenes of night life and a shopping tour.

Tapes of both “China” and “Hong Kong” are available from World Travel Marketing, P.O. Box 124507, San Diego 92112-4507; telephone (619) 560-7687. Price: $9.95 (plus tax and postage).

HIKING THE OLYMPICS (Sabo Productions, 58 minutes, 1993).

Few would disagree that exploring an area on foot is the best way to fully experience its personality, beauty and diversity.

This video covers eight trails that are part of the 900 miles of trails on the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington, an area that includes the Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest.

Each trail is introduced with a map and a list of symbols indicating length, elevation variances, time it takes to cover the trail, the best season to visit, and the availability of water, campsites and wheelchair-access facilities.

The scenery is spectacular, from alpine snow-covered alpine peaks and lush meadows to misty rain forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, beaches, wildflowers and animals.

The video follows hikers as they wander each trail from beginning to end, pointing out the highlights peculiar to each and providing information on any potential trail hazards.

Tapes are available from Sabo Productions, 2601 Elliott Ave., Suite 4106, Seattle 98121; tel. (800) 525-4453 or (206) 441-2838. Price: $19.95 (plus tax and postage).

Videos appears monthly.