China Village Travel Guide: Ancient Towns and Rural Escapes
The first time I slept in a Chinese ancient town, I woke at 5am to the sound of a wooden boat pole tapping the canal and a grandmother sweeping stone…
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Beijing Food Guide: Peking Duck, Noodles and Hutong Eats
The first Peking duck I ate in Beijing, China was at a centuries-old roast house near Qianmen, and the waiter carved the skin tableside into exactly 108 slices. That ritual…
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Shaanxi Food Guide: Biangbiang Noodles, Roujiamo and Xi’an Street Eats
The first time I stood in the Muslim Quarter of Xi’an, Shaanxi, China, the air was thick with the slap of a rolling pin against dough — biang, biang, biang….
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Xinjiang Cuisine Guide: Uyghur Hand-Pulled Noodles, Kebabs and Pilaf
I came to Xinjiang, China expecting grilled meat and left understanding a whole cuisine. The kebabs are real, but they are the loudest part of a table that also holds…
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Hainan Coconut Chicken Guide: Where to Eat Wenchang Chicken Hotpot
The dish that made me miss a train out of Haikou was coconut chicken hotpot. I had planned a quick lunch; two hours later I was still dipping Wenchang chicken…
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Binggou Danxia Guide: Zhangye’s Castle-Like Rainbow Rock Formations
Most visitors to Zhangye, Gansu, China come for the Rainbow Mountains — the Linze side of the Zhangye Danxia Geopark, where the hills look like someone spilled paint. I did…
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Ganden Monastery Guide: Lhasa’s Hilltop Seat of Tibetan Buddhism
I will be honest: of the many monasteries I visited around Lhasa, Tibet, China, Ganden was the one that left me shortest of breath and longest in thought. Not just…
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Benxi Water Cave Guide: Boat Through Liaoning’s Underground River
The first time I stepped off the shuttle bus at the Benxi Water Cave scenic area, I honestly did not expect much. I had spent the previous week in Shenyang…
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Furong Cave Guide: Wulong’s Underground Palace of Stalactites
I have crawled through a lot of caves in China, but Furong Cave, Chongqing, China stopped me mid-step. A chamber the size of a cathedral opened up, lit in soft…
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Wulingyuan Guide: Zhangjiajie’s Pillar Peaks and Avatar Mountains
The moment the morning fog peeled back over Wulingyuan, Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China, I finally understood the “Avatar mountains” label. Hundreds of quartz-sandstone pillars — some 200 meters tall — rise…
