For all these reasons, it may be worth considering an organized tour - the contacts in the box opposite will be able to help you arrange this or assist you in researching your own trip. If you want to be more independent, it's important to become an authority on where you must be self-reliant and where you may expect help, especially regarding transport and accommodation. Make sure you take spares of any specialist clothing or equipment, extra supplies of drugs (carried with you if you fly), and a prescription including the generic name - in English and Chinese characters - in case of emergency. If there's an association representing people with your disability, contact them early on in the planning process.

Once there, you'll find that Hong Kong is about the only place in China with transport, recreation and other services geared to disabled travellers, all detailed in the Hong Kong Tourist Association's excellent free booklet , Hong Kong Access Guide for Disabled Visitors. Macau , too, has some facilities, though they're more limited, but mainland China is far harder to negotiate, especially for those with restricted mobility. Some airlines, as well as a few of the upmarket hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and even Urumqi have experience in assisting disabled visitors; in particular, the Holiday Inn and Hilton chains often have rooms designed for wheelchair users.

There are two excellent US-originated Web sites for disabled travellers. Access Able Travel ( www.access-able.com) offers a bulletin board for passing on tips and accounts of accessible attractions, accommodation, guides and resources around the globe. Disability Travel ( www.disabiltytravel.com) deals exclusively in arranging all aspects of travel for the mobility-impaired, and almost always has forthcoming tours to major sights in China.