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Travel

VBGetaway: China & Tibet

August 24, 2016

My mom and I have talked about going to Tibet for 15 years, after we first witnessed the Tibetan people and culture on a trip to India. We realized that the access to Tibet from the US was either through China or India (Nepal) and so our trip to China and Tibet began.

It was an incredible adventure to introduce my five children to the wonders and history of China with the quest and destination of Tibet in our minds! We chose four cities to visit before our assent to Tibet and two cities when we came back to mainland China. Check out my favorite spots from the trip below and read all of my tips for traveling to Tibet on HarpersBazaar.com!

GETTING READY

The weather in China this time of year (July) is hot on the mainland and cool in Tibet so make sure you pack layers – the  Dickey Jacket is perfect for this. It’s also important to pay attention to the air quality – there is a great app called Air Quality that checks the air in various cities and I used it every day. Be mindful that you’re traveling to very high elevations – we took a train to our highest point in Tibet to make the adjustment easier, but it’s not for everyone!

Forbidden City: You can’t miss the Forbidden City when you go to Beijing. Comprised of 980 buildings, built from 1406-1420, it served as the Chinese imperial palace until 1912.

The Great Wall: We visited theGreat Wall at Mutianyu, one of the best preserved parts of the Walltoday. The views are truly incredible and it’s crazy to think that thismassive structure is over 2,300 years old!

The Temple of Heaven: One of the most sacred places in Beijing for over five centuries, this is where the Emperors prayed for peace and harvest.


Summer Palace:
The home of emperors in the summer, this was such a gorgeous spot.

Made in China:
Eat at Made in China, the restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The Peking Duck is so delicious.

Tiananmen Square & Tower: In the heart of Beijing City, Tiananmen Square is not to be missed. It’s one of the largest squares in the world and great for people watching.


Terracotta Army, Xi’an:
This is such fascinating discovery. Built to protect the emperor in his afterlife, this collection of figures was discovered in 1974 and includes over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots and hundreds of horses buried in 210-209 BC.

Giant Panda Breeding Research Institute, Chengdu:

There are very few wild pandas left in China and this institute is working to breed pandas and bring them back to the wild. We saw pandas as young as a few weeks up to adult age.

Wangjang Park, Chengdu: This park is perfect for a mid-day break with the locals. You’ll see people dancing, playing mahjong and doing taichi. We stopped at a traditional teahouse for fresh local tea—the kids loved it!

My mom changed our itinerary to include a visit to Guilin. This area is so rich in history and culture and is worth adding to your trip! The women in the Huangluo Village are known for their incredible long hair – they only cut it once in their lifetime, right before the get married. They believe their long hair can bring wealth and good luck to their families.

Reed Flute Cave: The writing on the walls in the Reed Flute Caves dates from as far back as 792 AD. The cave is over 180 million years old and was discovered in the 1940s by a group of refugees.

Bamboo Rice:
The best food in Guilin was the special sticky rice cooked inside of bamboo tubes. The rice is combined with spices, meat and vegetables and the kids devoured this every time we ordered it – it’s famous in this area and so delicious!

To get to Lhasa, Tibet, we took a 22 hour overnight train ride from Xining, China. The train ride is the best way to acclimate to the high elevations (12,000 feet), plus the views are amazing. Once in Tibet, we explored everything, from the Jokhang Temple to the magnificent Yamdrok Lake. For more about our journey through Tibet, visit Harper's Bazaar!

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us size bust waist hip
00, XS 31.5 24 34
0, XS 32.5 25 35
2, XS 33.5 26 36
4, S 34.5 27 37
6, S 35.5 28 38
8, M 36.5 29 39
10, M 38 30.5 40.5
12, L 39.5 32 42
14, L 41 33.5 43.5
16, XL 42.5 35 45
18, 2XL 47 40 50
20, 2XL 49 42 52
22, 3XL 51 44 54
24, 3XL 53 46 56
US SIZE SHOULDERS BUST WAIST HIP
00, XS 14.25 31.5 24 34
0, XS 14.5 32.5 25 35
2, XS 14.75 33.5 26 36
4, S 15 34.5 27 37
6, S 15.25 35.5 28 38
8, M 15.5 36.5 29 39
10, M 15.875 38 30.5 40.5
12, L 16.25 39.5 32 42
14, L 16.625 41 33.5 43.5
16, XL 17 42.5 35 45
18, 2XL 17 47 40 50
20, 2XL 17.5 49 42 52
22, 3XL 18 51 44 54
24, 3XL 18.5 53 46 56
 Jacket Size Dickey Size

00

00 - 14

0

00 - 14

2

00 - 14

4

00 - 14

6

00 - 14

8

00 - 14

10

00 - 14

12

00 - 14

14

00 - 14

16

16 - 24

18

16 - 24

20

16 - 24

22

16 - 24

24

16 - 24

us size bust waist hip
00, XS 31.5 24 34
0, XS 32.5 25 35
2, XS 33.5 26 36
4, S 34.5 27 37
6, S 35.5 28 38
8, M 36.5 29 39
10, M 38 30.5 40.5
12, L 39.5 32 42
14, L 41 33.5 43.5
16, XL 42.5 35 45
18, 2XL 47 40 50
20, 2XL 49 42 52
22, 3XL 51 44 54
24, 3XL 53 46 56
us size bust waist hip
00, XS 31.5 24 34
0, XS 32.5 25 35
2, XS 33.5 26 36
4, S 34.5 27 37
6, S 35.5 28 38
8, M 36.5 29 39
10, M 38 30.5 40.5
12, L 39.5 32 42
14, L 41 33.5 43.5
16, XL 42.5 35 45
18, 2XL 47 40 50
20, 2XL 49 42 52
22, 3XL 51 44 54
24, 3XL 53 46 56
us size bust waist hip
00, XXS 31.5 24 34
0, XS 32.5 25 35
2, XS 33.5 26 36
4, S 34.5 27 37
6, S 35.5 28 38
8, M 36.5 29 39
10, M 38 30.5 40.5
12, L 39.5 32 42
14, L 41 33.5 43.5
16, XL 42.5 35 45
18, 2XL 47 40 50
20, 2XL 49 42 52
22, 3XL 51 44 54
24, 3XL 53 46 56
 US SIZE WAIST HIP
23 23 34
24 24 35
25 25 36
26 26 37
27 27 38
28 28 39
29 29 40
30 30.5 41.5
31 32 43
32 33.5 44.5
15 36 46
16 38 48
18 40 50
20 42 52
22 44 52
us size waist hip
00, 24, XS 24 34
0, 25, XS 25 35
2, 26, XS 26 36
4, 27, S 27 37
6, 28, S 28 38
8, 29, M 29 39
10, 30, M 30.5 40.5
12, 31, L 32 42
14, 32, L 33.5 43.5
16, 15, XL 35 45
18, 16, 2XL 40 50
20, 18, 2XL 42 52
22, 20, 3XL 44 54
24, 22, 3XL 46 56
us size waist hip
00, 24, XS 24 34
0, 25, XS 25 35
2, 26, XS 26 36
4, 27, S 27 37
6, 28, S 28 38
8, 29, M 29 39
10, 30, M 30.5 40.5
12, 31, L 32 42
14, 32, L 33.5 43.5
16, 15, XL 35 45
18, 16, 2XL 40 50
20, 18, 2XL 42 52
22, 20, 3XL 44 54
24, 22, 3XL 46 56
 US SIZE EUROPE UK
5 35 3
5.5 35.5 3.5
6 36 4
6.5 36.5 4.5
7 37 5
7.5 37.5 5.5
8 38 6
8.5 38.5 6.5
9 39 7
9.5 39.5 7.5
10 40 8
10.5 40.5 8.5
11 41 9
 US SIZE BUST WAIST HIP TORSO
XS 32-34 24-26 34-36 58.5
S 34-36 26-28 36-38 60
M 36-38.5 28-30.5 38-40.5 61.5
L 38.5-41.5 30.5-33.5 40.5-43.5 63
XL 41.5-43 33.5-35 43.5-45 64.5
2XL 47 40 50 70

Conversion Guide

VB US NUMERIC

VB US/INTL ALPHA

IT

FR

UK/AU

CN

KR

00/24

XXS

34

32

2

150/72A

33

0/25

XS

36

34

4

155/76A

44

2/26

XS

38

36

6

160/80A

44-55

4/27

S

40

38

8

165/84A

55-66

6/28

S

42

40

10

170/88A

66

8/29

M

44

42

12

175/92A

77

10/30

M

46

44

14

175/96A

77

12/31

L

48

46

16

180/100A

88

14/32

L

50

48

18

185/104A

88

16/15

XL

52

50

20

190/108A

99

18/16

2XL

54

52

22

195/112A

-

20/18

2XL

56

54

24

200/116A

-

22/20

3XL

58

56

26

205/120A

-

24/22

3XL

60

58

28

210/124A

-

Conversion Guide

VB US NUMERIC

VB US/INTL ALPHA

IT

FR

UK/AU

CN

KR

00/24

XXS

34

32

2

150/72A

33

0/25

XS

36

34

4

155/76A

44

2/26

XS

38

36

6

160/80A

44-55

4/27

S

40

38

8

165/84A

55-66

6/28

S

42

40

10

170/88A

66

8/29

M

44

42

12

175/92A

77

10/30

M

46

44

14

175/96A

77

12/31

L

48

46

16

180/100A

88

14/32

L

50

48

18

185/104A

88

16/15

XL

52

50

20

190/108A

99

18/16

2XL

54

52

22

195/112A

-

20/18

2XL

56

54

24

200/116A

-

22/20

3XL

58

56

26

205/120A

-

24/22

3XL

60

58

28

210/124A

-

How to measure the body:

Size Guide Diagram

How to measure the body:

  1. Shoulders: measured from shoulder blade to shoulder blade
  2. Bust: circumference measured at the fullest part of the chest
  3. Waist: circumference measured at the smallest part of the waist
  4. Hip: circumference measured at the fullest part of the hips (or 8” down from the waist)
  5. Sleeve length: measured from the center of the back of the neck to the wrist
  6. Inseam: measured from the top of inside the leg to the ankle
Have questions about sizing? Contact Us.

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