Author: karl

When I first wandered down to the water’s edge in Macau, China, I wasn’t expecting a temple to change the way I understood an entire city. But A-Ma Temple (妈阁庙)…

I still remember the first time I stepped through the gates of Chimelong Tourist Resort in Guangzhou. It was a sticky summer morning, my nephew tugging at my sleeve, and…

The first time I climbed the stone path up Mount Gephel, I heard the monastery before I saw it — a low murmur of chanting drifting down the slope, punctuated…

I still remember the first time I stepped off the bus in Dali and saw them. It was a soft, grey morning, the kind where the Cangshan range disappears into…

Wind-eroded Yardang rock formations at Ghost City near Urho, Karamay I almost skipped Ghost City. On my first road trip through Xinjiang, China, I had Turpan’s flames and Kashgar’s old…

I still remember the first time I stepped off the bus in Zhaoxing Dong Village. The narrow stone lane opened suddenly into a bowl-shaped valley, and there it was —…

I had seen photographs of Wulong Tiankeng before I ever set foot in Chongqing, and I told myself they had to be edited. No natural sinkhole could possibly swallow a…

When I first climbed the short slope toward Jiming Temple (鸡鸣寺) on a cool spring morning, I expected a quiet hilltop shrine. What I found instead was a living, breathing…

The first time I visited Songcheng Romance Park, I expected a typical theme park with a few costumed actors and some tourist stalls. What I got instead was a full…

I still remember the moment I stepped through the gate of Suzhou Museum for the first time. After two weeks of temples, train stations, and crowded city squares, I expected…