Where is the centerline?

You can see Total Solar Eclipse in Shanghai, Wuhan or Chengdu...many Chinese cities. The only difference is time and length of the total solar eclipse.....and the weather

Please let me know if you get an answer to your question. I'm looking for a tour or guide I could meet early on the morning of July 22 in Hangzhou, Suzhou, or Shanghai to travel to a good viewing area. I'll be on a general non-eclipse tour, but am willing to leave the group for a day or so to experience the eclipse.

We will be arriving in Shanghai on the 21st, and want to arrange transportation outside the city early morning on the 22nd. The centerline crosses south of Shanghai, near, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Jinshanwei on the coast. Ideally, we would have the flexibility to react to cloud cover and search out a site with clearer skies. Thank you.

Here are two of the English speaking agents that I have used in Shanghai who would be able to help you:

http://www.thelastfrontiers.com/

German owners with good English skills - have arranged several trips for our family

http://www.travel-the-real-china.com/

New Zealand owner, John McKenna, who gives a lot of travel talks to expats in Shnaghai

Thank you for the suggestions.

We will be joining with the Orietnal Travel Company http://solar-eclipse.orientaltravel.co.uk/

Their price is not the cheapest but you get what you paid for - access to their privately chartered location which is 30km from the coast (and you do lose 2 seconds or so viewing time). I browsed around serveral tour operators and they are the only one comes with a private site. I too was looking to view the eclipse on the coast (for that extra 2 seconds) but decided it won't be suitable like another member in the forum said, winds & sands blow from the ocean plus there is no cover in case of adverse weather conditions.

With such a big event the last thing you want is having to squeeze into the crowds with local & other tour groups on the beach.

I don't know anything about local tour guides. But for anyone interested in the eclipse, these are two definitive sources of information, with maps and other resources, maintained by NASA scientist Fred Espenak:

…nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2009/TSE2009.html

www.mreclipse.com

Many groups are planning organized tours for eclipse-viewing, and weather prospects vary enormously across the track. I would suggest gathering as much information as you can before you go.

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