China’s depth in culture and history in unparalleled. The country boasts a staggering variety and richness of sights; urban, spiritual, and wild. I’ve traveled to 10+ provinces and regions of China, but mostly before I had this site. Stay tuned for more posts below in the future!
Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest in the world – hiking it was an absolute must on my Yunnan itinerary. After spending three days in Shanghai, then flying to Lijiang, where I spent another three days, I did the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek on the way to Shangri-La and Yubeng. Because China is …
If you’ve never used an eSIM before, I’ll be honest: I was initially skeptical of them. I’ve now used eSIMs on multiple trips in Asia and beyond. They have some clear advantages, especially if you don’t want to line up at an airport counter or swap SIM cards every time you cross a border. But …
Yubeng is a remote mountain village in the far north of Yunnan province in Southwestern China. Surrounded by sacred mountain peaks, including the towering Meili Snow Mountain, Yubeng is just a stone’s throw from Tibet. On my recent visit to Yunnan province, after visiting Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Shangri-La, Yubeng was as far as …
Shangri-La is a city in the far north of Yunnan province, sitting at a high elevation where the air feels crisp and the culture shifts to Tibetan. Shangri-La was the next logical stop on my Yunnan trip, after Lijiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge to the south, and just before venturing deeper into the mountains in …
Lijiang is the most iconic of China’s ancient towns. In many ways, it set the standard for China’s modern ancient-town tourism boom. I’ve wanted to go to Lijiang for ages. In 2025, I finally planned a trip to Yunnan and made my dream a reality. After spending three days in Shanghai, with day trip to …
When planning my three days in Shanghai, I knew I wanted to visit one of the famous water towns around the city. While there are some more off-the-beaten-track and supposedly authentic ones, I tend to be a sucker for famous places (often they are famous for a reason!), so I went with the best-known one: …
Longjing tea village produces the most famous green tea in all of China. As a moderately obsessed tea geek, I’ve wanted to visit it for years (I live in Taiwan, which is better known for its oolong teas). When I finally decided to make this happen, I had a heck of a time researching the …
Shanghai has long been a bucket list destination for me. In the last couple decades, I’ve been to China multiple times (read about my visit to Taishan and Qufu) and even taught English there for a while. Somehow I had never made it to Shanghai, so it was time to change that! In my travels, …
When planning my recent trip to China (with stops in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, and remote Yubeng village), one of my biggest worries was staying connected. You pretty much cannot survive in China today without a phone and Internet connection. In China travel forums, I saw the same questions over and over: …
On my recent three-day stay in Shanghai, I dedicated one of those days to a Hangzhou day-trip. Rather than trying to squeeze in every major attraction Hangzhou has to offer, my day trip was specifically focused on two things: gazing upon West Lake and going to Longjing village to buy some of China’s most famous …
