Category Archives: China

How to visit a Longsheng Rice Terrace without a guide

Now, I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy Chinese cities. I loved Shanghai way more than I thought I would, and I enjoyed exploring a remote city in China, Liaoyuan. But, after six weeks exploring city after city, I thought my head was going to explode. As I arrived in Guilin from a 21 hour train […]

Please Visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial While You’re in China

Nanjing – just another Chinese city. Or is it? The place has actually boasted a huge amount of national importance over the country’s history. It was once the capital of South China (‘Nanjing’ literally means ‘South Capital’ whereas ‘Beijing’ means ‘North Capital’) and today, is one of those cities with a centre that’s developing at […]

Is hiking Mount Huashan dangerous?

When it comes to thrill-seeking and risk-taking, I either charge in all guns blazing or I’m as paranoid as hell. And when I got to Beijing and was planning out my China trip, apparently my guns were blazing. I  chatted to some people who had been travelling around China for a while, deemed that I had booked […]

Is Xi’an Worth Visiting?

I only spent a few days in Xi’an, but they were fantastic. Compact and easily navigable, the city centre boasts lo many exciting attractions and fun neighbourhoods to explore. The city actually sprawls far beyond the city walls, but most of the things to do in Xi’an are located within the 14 kilometres of the […]

Why We Should Visit Non Touristy Cities in China

less explored city in china

There’s loads of fantastic things to do in China. Whether you desire exploring the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, admiring the Bund of Shanghai, climbing the Great Wall or traversing the rice paddies in the South, you’re sure to tick off a few bucket list items in this country. But what about visiting one of […]

Is the Chengdu Panda Base Ethical?

As soon as I arrived in Chengdu, my line of vision was somewhat invaded by… pandas. Bears don’t actually roam the city, but the streets are bursting with shops selling panda souvenirs, there are posters of pandas over buildings and all public transport has pandas painted on it…. Once you enter Chengdu, you’ve basically entered […]

Things to do in Jiuzhaigou: A Magical Himalayan Valley

There were coloured flags everywhere. About six hours after we’d left Chengdu in Central China, the landscape started to look notably more mountainous and rural. It almost seemed Alpine, with long roads winding up mountainsides and deep valleys with water running through. But then we drove past a Buddhist temple, adorned with prayer flags, and […]

Hiking and Camping on the Great Wall of China

You’ll never guess the last place I went camping… The Great Wall of China! Crowds are something that you just have to deal with in China. Whether they be outside museums and attractions, or inside subway stations, there’s no escaping the masses of people in this country – up to 1.5 billion locals and countless […]