Finding Four Sisters: secret valleys of the Sichuan Himalaya
4 min read • Feb 27, 2017
A few hundred kilometres west of Chengdu, deep in the Sichuan wilderness of western China, four magnificent mountains stand side-by-side, dominating the…
Travel Stories
China
- Rooster booster: how to welcome the Chinese New Year
5 min read • Jan 23, 2017
This year, China welcomes the Rooster, crowing in the new year on 28 January 2017. The Rooster is the tenth animal in the Chinese zodiac (between the…
- Seven reasons to explore Hong Kong Global Geopark right now
5 min read • Jun 29, 2016
Twenty years after its return to China, Hong Kong is awakening to the importance of its natural and cultural heritage on a collective scale. And it should…
- First time Shanghai: discovering the best of the city
5 min read • Jun 23, 2016
From the rickety charm of the Old Town to the space-age architecture of Pǔdōng, Shanghai is a city that's hard to pin down. For first-timers it can be as…
- Hidden Beijing: 10 intriguing sights to discover in the Chinese capital
5 min read • May 18, 2016
As Beijing leaps skywards into the 21st century, its history can sometimes get left in the shadows. But despite the new highways and high-rises, China’s…
- An art deco journey through Shanghai's belle époque
4 min read • Feb 16, 2016
Shanghai is home to one of the richest collections of art deco architecture in the world. A mix of western influences and 'Chinese deco', the city's…
- Mao-stalgia: red tourism in Zunyi, China
6 min read • Dec 15, 2015
Gazing over a map of China, Zunyi appears far from the fray. The city is situated in the middle of landlocked Guizhou province, in the remote, mountainous…
- Exploring the ancient towns of Guangxi, China
6 min read • Nov 3, 2015
With limestone peaks protruding dramatically out of the winding Li River, it’s not hard to understand why the southern province of Guangxi has been the…
- Escaping modern China: unwind in historic Huizhou
5 min read • Sep 25, 2015
It is said that an immortal from the north flying on a goose was so taken by the scenery at Huizhou’s West Lake that she landed and turned into Flying…
- The Great Wall’s most spectacular wild hikes
5 min read • May 28, 2015
China’s most famous landmark, and one of the world's most astonishing manmade sights, the Great Wall snakes its way across northern China for over 20,000…
- Beijing on a budget
7 min read • May 8, 2015
China’s breakneck rise – in 2014 it became the country with the world’s biggest economy – means that it’s no longer quite the budget destination it used…
- 24 hours in Macau
5 min read • May 5, 2015
Just an hour from Hong Kong by high-speed ferry lies the former Portuguese colony of Macau. Its heritage architecture sits easily alongside incense…
- The most incredible Chinese cities you've never heard of
4 min read • Apr 20, 2015
Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong are China’s glamour triplets. Everybody knows them, everybody wants to see them (and hopefully snap a selfie). And yeah,…
- China for beginners: 7 first-timer fails to avoid on your trip to Beijing
6 min read • Mar 25, 2015
Beijing's contradictions create a rip-roaring adventure for first-time visitors. Neon lights flash alongside swaying lanterns. Enormous squares yawn next…
- Chill-out China: tropical island adventures on Hainan
5 min read • Feb 9, 2015
The view from the knockabout beach bar is a classic: the afternoon sun glares off sugary sand as the ocean steams and rolls on top of it. A group of after…
- Another view from the roof of the world: alternative Tibet in Sichuan
6 min read • Oct 28, 2014
With epic mountain vistas, lively Buddhist monasteries, and grasslands peppered with yaks and alpine lakes as far as the eye can see, Tibet is, without a…
- Secret Macau: dives, designers and stilt houses
5 min read • Oct 2, 2014
Macau is often described in terms of dichotomies: old versus new, Portuguese versus Chinese, flashy versus modest, and for a good reason – the city has…
- A time for cha: traditional Chinese tea in Chengdu
5 min read • Sep 23, 2014
Drinking tea is as central to life in Chengdu as its pungent Sichuan peppercorns or the city's other favourite pastime, mah-jong. Many people carry flasks…
- What to eat in Beijing
8 min read • Sep 9, 2014
Mongolian lamb, Sichuan-style chilli-spiked crayfish and flaky flatbreads with sweet wafts of fried spring onions cooked before you. Beijing showcases the…
- Travelling in China with your family: what to know and where to go
7 min read • Sep 5, 2014
China may not spring immediately to mind when choosing a destination for a family trip, but the Middle Kingdom is full of places that suit families with…
- East Asia's craft beer revolution: the ultimate guide to Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China
6 min read • Sep 3, 2014
There’s something brewing in the Orient, something that will make beer drinkers positively hoppy with glee. It’s a craft beer revolution, and one long…
- Tips for travelling in 21st-century China
6 min read • May 12, 2014
The Middle Kingdom is one of the fastest changing countries in the world. Its economy is robust and its population increasingly more modern and tech savvy…