Travel Guides & Resources

Discover the soul of China through its food, history, and nature. Whether you are a foodie hunting for the spiciest hot pot, a hiker seeking the best peaks, or a history buff tracing the dynasties, find the experiences that match your passion.

Night aerial view of Xi'an's illuminated Bell Tower (green roof in foreground) and Drum Tower (golden roof in background), with city lights and street traffic below.

Cycling Xi’an’s Ancient City Walls: A Practical Rental & Route Guide

Standing atop the largest and most complete ancient military defense system in the world, you can literally feel the centuries [...]

A nighttime view of a multi-tiered traditional Chinese village built into the side of a steep, rocky karst mountain. Numerous wooden buildings with illuminated windows and intricate dark roofs cling to the cliff face, connected by a network of wooden staircases and elevated walkways. Bright orange and yellow square lanterns are strung across a lower section, some appearing to float over lush green foliage. A large, bright yellow full moon is prominent in the dark blue sky above the mountain, with faint stars visible.

Ultimate Guizhou Karst Route: Kaili Villages, Huangguoshu Falls & Zhenyuan

While the crowds flock to Beijing’s Great Wall or Shanghai’s Bund, China’s most dramatic landscapes quietly await in the southwest. [...]

Aerial view of the multi-deck white Yangzi Explorer luxury cruise ship sailing on a dark river at dusk, brightly lit with cabin lights and deck lighting. The ship has multiple decks with balconies, and dark green mountains line the riverbank in the background.

Yangtze River Cruise Guide: Choosing Your Ship, Route & What to Expect

Planning a trip through the heart of China often leads to one massive decision: how to see the Three Gorges. [...]

A multi-story building in Yanji, China, illuminated at night with a multitude of glowing neon signs displaying both Chinese and Korean text. A large, dark, circular coin-shaped structure is mounted on the top of the building. Below, a bustling street scene shows pedestrians crossing a crosswalk under the colorful light spill from the signs, with more illuminated shops and street activity visible at ground level.

A Taste of Korea in China: Yanji and the Yanbian Border Region Guide

Tucked away in the eastern reaches of Jilin Province lies a city where street signs glow in two languages and [...]

Panoramic aerial view of a vast landscape of rolling green hills densely covered in bamboo forests, with winding roads, scattered small villages, and a small green lake visible in the distance under a hazy blue sky.

Beyond Pandas: A Guide to Hiking Sichuan's Shunan Bamboo Sea

Most foreign visitors arrive in Chengdu, snap a few photos of the giant pandas, eat a bowl of fiery mapo [...]

Two blue Hellobike shared bicycles with orange rims are parked on a brick path, with rows of yellow Meituan shared bicycles visible behind them on an asphalt road. Trees and a grey building facade are in the background.

Exploring China on Two Wheels: A Tourist's Guide to Shared Bikes

Stepping out of a subway station in Beijing or Shanghai, you are immediately greeted by a sea of bright yellow [...]

Numerous colorful camping tents are set up on a green grassy hillside next to a long, winding section of the Great Wall. The ancient stone wall extends up a steep hill to a stone watchtower on the summit, all under a clear blue sky with distant mountains in the background. A few people are visible near the tents.

A Guide to 'Wild' Great Wall Camping: Safety, Gear, and Top Locations

Most travelers experience the Great Wall shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of others at restored sections like Badaling. But if you're looking [...]

A wide, frontal view of Labrang Monastery's Great Sutra Hall, a multi-story building with reddish-brown stone walls. Its central section features dark fabric hangings adorned with white auspicious Buddhist symbols and a golden Dharma wheel flanked by two deer above the main entrance. A broad stone staircase, guarded by stone lions, leads to the entrance. The building is set against a bright blue sky.

Labrang Monastery Guide: Exploring the Heart of Amdo Tibet in Gansu

The scent of burning juniper and fermented yak butter hits you the moment you step onto Renmin West Road in [...]

A large white dining table at a bustling Chinese dim sum restaurant is covered with a wide variety of dishes. Bamboo steamers hold different types of steamed dumplings, while plates display golden-brown fried sesame-coated pastries, sugar-dusted fried dough, taro puffs, and small bowls contain chicken feet and colorful jelly. A black tea thermos, a small white teapot, and a bowl of soy sauce are also on the table. In the foreground, a person's hand uses chopsticks to pick a dumpling from a steamer basket. Other diners are seated at tables in the background with a television screen mounted on the wall.

Guangzhou Dim Sum Guide: Etiquette, Ordering & Top Teahouses

The clatter of porcelain, the thick steam rolling off bamboo baskets, and the rapid-fire Cantonese echoing across a crowded banquet [...]

A vibrant overhead shot of a large, black Yin-Yang hot pot with bubbling red chili oil and clear broths, surrounded by numerous plates of raw ingredients on a wooden table. These include thinly sliced beef, fish fillets, tripe, meatballs, lotus root, potatoes, dark tofu or blood curd, seasoned chicken feet, two bowls of dipping sauce, and two plates of fried rice.

A Guide to the Best Hot Pot Restaurants in Chengdu for First-Time Visitors

Arriving in Sichuan's capital without eating hot pot is like visiting Paris and skipping the Eiffel Tower. The moment you [...]

Elevated panoramic view of Hong Kong's Shek O peninsula, featuring a coastal village with numerous buildings, two sandy beaches, a lush green golf course, and verdant hills. Several small rocky islands are visible in the deep blue ocean under a partly cloudy sky.

Hiking the Dragon's Back: A DIY Guide to Hong Kong's Most Iconic Trail

If you want to trade the deafening roar of Central’s double-decker buses for panoramic views of the South China Sea, [...]

Towering sandstone pillars covered in green trees are reflected in a calm, dark green lake. On the far shore, a wooden walkway and paved path with numerous visitors are visible, framed by lush foliage under a partly cloudy blue sky.

Zhangjiajie Gate Strategy: Which Entrance to Choose and Why It Matters

Navigating the 690-square-kilometer expanse of the Avatar mountains requires more than just a map; it requires a bulletproof Zhangjiajie entrance [...]

Interior view of a modern Hema Freshippo supermarket. A prominent blue sign features a white hippo logo and the Chinese characters '盒马鲜生' (Hema Xiansheng). Below the sign, multiple glass display cases are filled with various packaged fresh foods, salads, and desserts. Signs overhead read 'Food & Salad' and 'Light Food & Salad'.

The Hema (Freshippo) Experience: A Tourist's Guide to China's Futuristic Supermarket

Welcome to the bleeding edge of retail in 2026. If you are traveling to China, visiting a traditional wet market [...]

A tall, snow-capped mountain with a cloud resting on its sunlit peak is reflected in the calm, blue waters of a lake. Along the rocky shore in the foreground are blue ice formations and a curved wooden boardwalk.

Xinjiang Road Trip Basics: Urumqi to Karakul Lake & Pamir Highway

The wind whipping off the Pamir plateau carries the distinct scent of glacial dust and roasted lamb from roadside skewers. [...]

A giant panda lies on its back on wet, muddy ground, surrounded by green bamboo branches and leaves. Its mouth is slightly open, showing its tongue, and one paw with visible claws is raised, interacting with a bamboo stalk.

Chengdu Panda Volunteer Programs: A Day with China's National Treasure

For many travelers, a trip to the Middle Kingdom is defined by a singular dream: seeing a giant panda up [...]

Multiple hands operating chrome beer taps against a gold-colored wall, pouring amber craft beer into various stemmed glasses. The glasses are branded with the black script 'xuan' and show a foamy head on the beer.

Beijing Craft Beer Guide: Best Breweries in the Hutongs

If you think Beijing’s drinking culture is strictly limited to baijiu toasts and light lagers, you are in for a [...]

A large table laden with a grand feast, centered around a copper hotpot filled with orange broth. Surrounding the hotpot are numerous plates of Yunnanese dishes, including sliced mango, various salads, fried snacks, a wrapped dish, and a prominent mushroom-themed display with Chinese characters. The setting is a traditional wooden-paneled restaurant with large windows offering a scenic view of a lake, lush green trees, and distant people.

Yunnan's Mushroom Hotpot: A Traveler's Guide to a Fungal Feast

There is a saying in Yunnan: "If you eat wild mushrooms and don't see the little green men, you didn't [...]

A classical Chinese garden featuring a tranquil pond with numerous green lotus leaves, reflecting traditional grey-tiled roof buildings and lush green trees. On the left, a white wall contains a circular moon gate, with a small stone bridge crossing a narrow section of the pond leading to it. Large decorative rocks are placed around the pond's edge.

Suzhou Classical Gardens: Which Ones to Visit and Why

Most travelers arrive in Suzhou with a romanticized vision of scholars sipping tea in silent pavilions. The reality of 2026? [...]

A large stone Buddha statue in profile, with a hand raised, occupies the right side of the frame, slightly out of focus. In the left background, an illuminated, orange-red brick pagoda with multiple tiers and arched windows stands against a purple and blue dusk sky. A flock of birds flies in the upper left, and dark trees are visible at the pagoda's base.

Xi'an After Dark: A Local's Guide to Night Markets Beyond the Muslim Quarter

If you follow the flag-waving tour guides in Xi'an, they will inevitably herd you onto Beiyuanmen Street (the main "Muslim [...]

Two ornate Chinese temple buildings with dark roofs stand on separate, twin peaks of a tall, narrow mountain, connected by a small stone arch bridge. Winding wooden staircases are built into the reddish-brown, moss-covered rock faces, leading up to the summits. Distant green mountains are visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky with pink and blue hues.

Hiking Fanjingshan: A Complete Guide to Guizhou's Temple in the Sky

Imagine a giant stone thumb pressing a button into the clouds. That is Fanjingshan. Located in the Wuling Mountain range [...]

An ancient, multi-story octagonal stone pagoda from Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, Fujian province, featuring intricate carvings, multiple tiered roofs with upturned eaves, and a spired finial at its peak. The pagoda is surrounded by lush green trees and landscaped pathways with people walking, set against a backdrop of a modern city skyline under a partly cloudy blue sky.

Quanzhou: A 3-Day Guide to China's Hidden Maritime Silk Road Gem

If you ask most travelers about Fujian province, they will talk about the colonial charm of Xiamen or the earthen [...]

An aerial, top-down view of a vibrant green tea plantation with numerous tea pickers. The tea bushes are arranged in neat, parallel rows, with a winding dirt path cutting diagonally through the fields. Many pickers, wearing colorful hats and carrying baskets, are scattered along the path.

Hiking Meijiawu Tea Village: A Tranquil Escape from Hangzhou

While the broken bridge of West Lake is often shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists, a short drive southwest reveals a completely different [...]

An expansive aerial view of the Dongchuan Red Land, showing a village situated amidst rolling hills with striking red soil terraced fields and patches of green crops. Distant mountains rise in the background under a blue sky, and winding dirt roads traverse the landscape.

Dongchuan Red Land: How to Visit China’s Most Colorful Landscape

Imagine a landscape that looks less like Earth and more like an oil painting left out in the rain. Located [...]

A first-person view showing a person's arm holding a steel safety cable and their foot on a rocky mountain path. An orange safety lanyard from a harness is clipped to a thick metal chain secured to the rock. Ahead, a narrow path constructed from horizontal metal beams is built into the side of a steep cliff. In the background, dramatic, rugged mountains covered in green trees rise under a cloudy sky.

Hua Shan Survival Guide: Conquering China's Most Dangerous Hike

Mount Hua (Hua Shan) is not just a hike; it is a rite of passage for travelers in China. Famous [...]