Browsing Category: Travel Tips

Most people have seen photographs of the Great Wall of China (长城). A stone dragon stretching across mountains. Ancient watchtowers standing proudly on the ridges. A symbol recognised around the world. But there is something photographs cannot fully explain. The Great Wall is not only something you look at. It is something you walk. Step by step. Stone by stone. And only when your feet touch the ancient path do you begin...

Few places represent China more than the Great Wall of China (长城). For many travellers visiting Beijing, standing on the Great Wall is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences — a moment when something you have seen in photographs, documentaries, and history books finally becomes real. It was also one of the first places where our China journey began. In 2013, I brought Elaine to Beijing for the first time. She was only...

Discovering China one bowl of noodles, one basket of baozi, and one unexpected street snack at a time. Chinese food. Two simple words. But after travelling across China many times with my daughter Elaine — from Beijing 北京, Xi’an 西安, Baoji 宝鸡, Qufu 曲阜, Zibo 淄博 and many smaller cities — we discovered something interesting: There is actually no such thing as just “Chinese food”. China is too big. Too old. Too...

How Water Shaped Cities, Trade and Human Imagination Most travellers see canals as beautiful places for photos. In Amsterdam, we walk beside peaceful waterways lined with narrow houses, bridges and bicycles. The canals feel romantic — a symbol of European city life. But thousands of kilometres away in China, another canal tells a much bigger story. The Grand Canal of China (大运河, Dà Yùnhé) was not built only to make a city...

A Father-Daughter Journey From Anyang, Xi’an and Beijing — With More Chapters Still Waiting When many travellers plan their first trip to China, they usually start with one question: “Where should I go?” Beijing? Xi’an? Shanghai? The Great Wall? The Terracotta Warriors? Those are good questions. But after many journeys across China with my daughter Elaine, I slowly discovered another way to look at China travel. Instead of seeing China as a...

西安 — Walking Through the Beginning of Chinese Civilisation A Different Xi’an Travel Guide Most travellers planning their first trip to Xi’an China usually start with one famous question: “Where are the Terracotta Warriors?” And yes — the Terracotta Army 兵马俑 is one of the greatest Xi’an attractions and one of the most unforgettable places to visit in China. But after travelling through Xi’an with my daughter Elaine, we discovered something deeper....