Author: karl

The first time I got properly lost in Beijing, it wasn’t in a museum or subway — it was down a grey-brick alley barely wide enough for two bicycles. A…

I almost skipped the Beijing Lama Temple. It wasn’t on my original list — I’d come for the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, the obvious hits — and a…

I’ll be honest: the first time I walked into Nanluoguxiang, I thought I’d made a mistake. It was a Saturday afternoon, the main alley was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with tour groups…

I still remember the moment I stepped through the moon-gate entrance of Shanghai Yu Garden on a foggy spring morning. One second I was in the chaos of the Old…

The first time I really understood the Shanghai French Concession, I wasn’t looking at a map or a museum — I was lost. It was a damp April evening, I’d…

I almost skipped Zhujiajiao. After five days of Shanghai’s glass towers, the Bund’s neon, and line 2 sardine-can commutes, the last thing I wanted was another “ancient town” sold to…

I’ll be honest: the first time I went to Beijing 798, I almost turned back at the entrance. A gray factory gate, a smell of machine oil, and a wall…

Written by Karl · Updated July 2026 I’ll be honest: before my first trip I rolled my eyes at the idea of a Disney park in China. I’d done California…

Most visitors to Beijing tick the Great Wall and the Forbidden City off their list and head home thinking they’ve seen imperial China. I made that mistake on my first…