Mount Qingcheng: The Peaceful Taoist Mountain Near Chengdu
Mount Qingcheng near Chengdu: a birthplace of Taoism, the Front Mountain temples and the quiet Back Mountain forests, how to pair it with Dujiangyan, and the best way up.
-
-
Mount Putuo: The Island Monastery Complex of Guanyin
Mount Putuo is a sacred Buddhist island off Zhejiang, dedicated to Guanyin, with three great temples, coastal cliffs, and a ferry ride from Zhoushan.
-
Mount Lushan: The Cool Retreat Above Jiujiang
Mount Lushan in Jiangxi is a misty retreat above the Yangtze with foreign villas, Li Bai’s waterfall, and the historic White Deer Grotto Academy.
-
Jinggangshan: Red History Wrapped in Bamboo Forest
Jinggangshan: a Jiangxi-Hunan mountain of bamboo, mist, and waterfalls that also holds China’s early revolutionary base sites, with tickets, routes, and best months
-
Lingyin Temple Hangzhou: The Cave Grottos Next Door
Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou is a 326 AD Chan monastery whose wooded valley holds over 300 carved Buddhist grotto statues beside the famous halls.
-
Lijiang Food: Naxi Staples in the Old Town
Lijiang’s Naxi food is smoky, plain, and built for mountain cold. Here are the dishes, the lanes to eat them in, and what to skip at the night market.
-
Lhasa Travel Guide: Permits, Altitude, and Temple Days
Lhasa sits high at 3,650 meters and needs a Tibet permit to visit. Plan permits, altitude acclimatization, the Potala, Jokhang Temple, and local food.
-
Kashgar Travel Guide: Sunday Bazaar and the Karakoram Road
Kashgar is the Silk Road city at China’s far west, with a lived-in mud-brick Old City, a legendary Sunday livestock bazaar, and the Pamir road beyond.
-
Hong Kong Travel Guide: Crossing From the Mainland Without Friction
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region with its own currency and food culture, from dawn dim sum to Star Ferry views and an easy Macau day trip.
-
Hohhot Travel Guide: Monasteries and the Steppe Edge
Hohhot is the capital of Inner Mongolia, a calm city of Mongolian temples, lamb shaomai, and grassy steppe day trips two hours from Beijing by train.
