Mount Tai: The Sunrise Pilgrimage in Shandong
Mount Tai in Shandong is China’s sacred mountain and a sunrise pilgrimage. Here is the climb versus the cable car, the tickets, the cold summit, and how to time the dawn
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The Silk Road Food Trail: Xi’an to Kashgar
Follow the Silk Road food trail from Xi’an to Kashgar: Muslim Quarter noodles, Lanzhou lamian, Turpan grapes, and Kashgar’s Uyghur market. Stops, dishes, and timing
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Wuhan Breakfast: The City That Eats at Dawn
Wuhan breakfast, or guo zao, is hot dry noodles, doupi, and soup dumplings before eight; here is where to eat and what a crawl costs
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Getting Around Chinese Cities: Metro, Bus, Bike
Chinese cities run on metro, bus, shared bikes, and Didi, all cheap and cashless, and learning the metro plus a transit QR pass gets you almost anywhere without driving
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Dongpo Pork: The Scholar’s Braised Belly
Dongpo pork is a pork belly braised in soy, sugar, and Shaoxing wine named for the poet Su Shi; learn the method and where to eat it
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Xitang Water Town: Lanterns and Lazy Canals
A Xitang water town guide: the covered canal corridor, the night lanterns, where to stay, and how to reach it from Shanghai.
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Tiger Leaping Gorge: The Classic Yunnan Trek
The Tiger Leaping Gorge trek planned: the upper and lower trails, where to sleep, a two-day route, and how to reach it from Lijiang.
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Public Toilets in China: What to Expect
Public toilets in China range from clean sit-down stalls in malls to rural squats, and the one habit that saves every trip is carrying your own tissue and knowing where to find the good ones
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Chili Oil and Laziji: The Heat of Sichuan
Chinese chili oil is dried chilies bloomed in hot oil with Sichuan peppercorn, then rested. Learn the technique, a home recipe, and how it links to laziji chicken
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Longmen Grottoes: Stone Buddhas by the Yi River
The Longmen Grottoes by the Yi River: the Vairocana Buddha, the cave groups, ticket and timing tips, and how to build a Henan loop with Shaolin and Pingyao.
