China Travel Stories

Oct 5, 2012 • 4 min read

China has a rich history going back thousands of years, its heritage serves to inspire and drive modernity... but you know what else? China looks great on…

Sep 3, 2012 • 3 min read

Beijing is a city of incredible contrasts. Imperial palaces and ancient alleyways teeming with life mingle with cutting-edge architecture and new shopping…

Jul 30, 2012 • 3 min read

If you're only starting to explore China, these phrases will help to reveal a lot about the Chinese mindset.

May 25, 2012 • 8 min read

How many kinds of restaurants are there in Hong Kong? How much time do you have? How big is your appetite? What is your gastronomic interest? Getting the…

Apr 20, 2012 • 2 min read

Far away from the smog and crowds of China’s east coast cities is Yunnan Province. Though it has a few cities of its own, the southwestern province is…

Jan 19, 2012 • 4 min read

Like the huge range of awe-inspiring landscapes that lies within its vast boundaries, China is also home to an incredible diversity of people. The Han are…

Dec 21, 2011 • 6 min read

With a seemingly endless array of hotels and new ones springing up all the time, it can be hard work searching for a decent room in Shanghai. Below is a…

Dec 20, 2011 • 3 min read

A time-lapse movie of the Shanghai skyline would be a fascinating study in urban development, but how do you come to grips with a city that swaps faces…

Oct 26, 2011 • 3 min read

From the steamy, subtropical lowlands of Xishuangbanna (“shee-shwang-bah-na”), to the crisp highlands of the Tibetan plateau, China’s Yunnan province has…

Sep 26, 2011 • 5 min read

Despite the fact that it seems to be in the news almost every day of the week, China - impossibly vast and fascinatingly diverse - remains a travel…

Jun 8, 2011 • 2 min read

Most people would agree that Peking (or Beijing) duck is the capital’s most famous dish. Once imperial cuisine, now the legendary duck dish is served at…

Jun 3, 2011 • 3 min read

Think of Asian rock and traditionally, it is Japanese bands that have had the biggest profile in the West. China, though, has been undergoing its own…

May 15, 2011 • 3 min read

Electronics – are they really cheaper in Asia? Yes…to a point. Hong Kong is undoubtedly the cheapest place to snag a bargain – just look at prices on eBay…

Mar 21, 2011 • 3 min read

Walk through Jinghong, the capital of the Xishuangbanna region in the far southwest of China, in the middle of April and you’re likely to get wet, very…

Feb 10, 2011 • 6 min read

I’ve found myself in the perplexing position of wedding guest for total strangers several times in Taiwan and China - and if tales related by fellow…

Jan 17, 2011 • 4 min read

Unplug your toaster, finish that cup of coffee and leave those bacon cravings behind; you're in China now, where breakfast is like nothing you've tasted…

Jan 13, 2011 • 3 min read

Lonely Planet authors are constantly travelling the globe, researching in order to update our guidebooks. Each month Lonely Planet Magazine asks them to…

Jan 11, 2011 • 3 min read

Winters in Beijing can be brutal, with temperatures commonly dropping to minus 10 degrees Celsius or worse. It doesn't stop the locals, though. Rather…

Dec 1, 2010 • 3 min read

Temperatures that can dip to -30° C, ferocious winds that howl down from Siberia and a distinct lack of sunlight from the mid-afternoon on might not sound…

Sep 6, 2010 • 3 min read

Cave dwellers' dwellings.  Image by Daniel McCrohan / Lonely Planet.

Aug 27, 2010 • 2 min read

It's that time of the week, where we ask our worldly Lonely Planet editors what's making travel news in their corners of the globe.

Aug 24, 2010 • 4 min read

Hong Kong has taken an ancient ceremony in China and turned it into one of the world’s fastest growing sports. Modern dragonboat racing, with its…