Sorry to bump this old thread, but I wanted to say thanx for the advice at the time.
We did end up going to China. At almost the last minute, the mother-in-law invited herself along. My initial reaction was one of irritation but it turned out to be the best thing to have happened to us. My in-laws are Chinese and with them leading the way, I got to see ALOT more and spend ALOT less than had I gone without them.
We ended up staying in Luoyang and hired a taxi for the day. The newly built highway was virtually empty; an unusual sight for somebody from Los Angeles.
We spent one day around Shaolin. The first part of the day we took a gondola up to the top of the nearby mountain (Song Shan?) which was beautiful. Came back down, cruised through the Forest of Steles, marveling at the history of it all.
Entering the temple itself…just walking through the doors geeked me out. I was actually in the Shaolin Temple LOL. I’d been in plenty of temples by that point of the trip and Shaolin didn’t really stand out from the rest, aside from the things that I’d been specifically looking for; such as the floor with the permanent indentations from years of practice.
From there we eventually got around to seeing the monk’s performance. Which was…well…corny. Didn’t come all that way to see a effing stage show, although I accept that its necessary for tourists to get their “money’s worth”. I was content just to hang out and be there. Between shows, a couple of the young kids started clowning with me outside the performance area.
All in all it was a great day. It was a something I was able to mark off my personal checklist for things to do/places to go.
I’d also HIGHLY suggest that people see the Longmen Grottoes. I lost a few pounds that day, between the humidity and the steep, long stairways. But everything of value takes effort, and the reward for all that exercise was some of the most astonishing iconography I will ever see.
What else: Shanghai ROCKS. I don’t know what I expected (probably something dark, dangerous and misty) but the city itself shocked me. If I were to ever move to China that would be the place I’d go. Nanjing was cool, learned some real Chinese cultural history there (ie, Dr Sun tomb) and ate the best.noodle.soup.ever at a vegetarian restaurant. Were I a rich man I’d fly back there once a month just to have it again.
Xian was cool. The area around the mosque (and the mosque itself) was beautiful and alien. Beijing, I could do without ever seeing again. Shenyang was where alot of my inlaws were and we had a great time there.
Truth be told, I learned a little bit of what its like to be a stranger in a strange land. Its given me a little insight into what it would be like to be an immigrant, and to be deeply homesick for familiar sights. We had a great time but it was also wonderful to land back at LAX and go get a cheeseburger with a side of fries and an iced tea. 
So sorry again for bumping this, but just wanted to say hello and thanx for the input back then.
