You have probably seen Chinese characters everywhere in China. On: metro signs, restaurant menus, temple plaques, train tickets, shopfronts, museum labels, and your phone. But have you ever stopped and wondered: WHERE DID ALL THESE CHARACTERS COME FROM? 🐇 Dad did. And that question eventually brought Dad and Elaine to: National Museum of Chinese Writing 中国文字博物馆 Zhōngguó Wénzì Bówùguǎn in: Anyang (安阳, Ānyáng), Henan. Yes. China has an entire national museum devoted...
Optimising Your Travel Energy to Experience China’s Greatest Capital Quick Answer If you’re visiting Beijing for the first time, here’s our advice in one sentence: Don’t optimise your itinerary—optimise your experience. Many first-time visitors focus on squeezing as many famous attractions as possible into four or five days. We understand the temptation. Beijing is home to an extraordinary concentration of imperial palaces, ancient temples, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, museums, parks and neighbourhoods...
Eight Places. Eight Lessons. One Civilisation. When Elaine and I planned our first trip to Beijing, our itinerary looked much like everyone else’s. The Forbidden City. The Great Wall. The Temple of Heaven. The Summer Palace. Qianmen. Tiananmen Square. Every one of them appeared on every “must-visit” list. Like many first-time travellers, we assumed Beijing’s famous landmarks were simply attractions waiting to be checked off. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Somewhere...
The day Elaine and I stopped collecting attractions—and started discovering China “Reading ten thousand books is not as rewarding as travelling ten thousand miles.” 读万卷书，不如行万里路(Dú wàn juàn shū, bùrú xíng wàn lǐ lù) There is an old Chinese saying that has quietly guided generations of scholars, travellers and explorers. Literally translated, it means “Reading ten thousand books is not as valuable as travelling ten thousand miles.” When Elaine and I first planned our...
The Beijing we imagined… and the Beijing we discovered. Quick Answer Ask ten people what Beijing is like, and you’ll probably hear ten different answers. Some describe it as an ancient imperial capital. Others picture a futuristic megacity filled with skyscrapers and electric cars. Some imagine endless crowds. Others think of history, politics or smog. After spending several days exploring Beijing, Elaine and I realised something. Almost everyone is partly right. Yet...
Why every first-time traveller should begin their journey to China here. Quick Answer If you’re visiting China for the first time, start with Beijing (北京, Běijīng). Not simply because it is China’s capital. Not because it is home to world-famous attractions like the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square. Start in Beijing because nowhere else helps first-time visitors understand how one of the world’s oldest civilisations continues to shape one of...
One of China’s Best Museums for Understanding How Chinese Civilisation Was Built Looking for the Qin-Han Museum? Don’t Go to the Wrong Museum! Most international visitors planning a China travel itinerary to Xi’an (西安) know about the famous Shaanxi History Museum (陕西历史博物馆) in the city centre. Very few realise there is another spectacular museum under the same institution. It is called the Qin-Han Museum (陕西历史博物馆秦汉馆). Located in Xixian New Area (西咸新区), only around 15–20 minutes from Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (西安咸阳国际机场),...
Discovering the Colourful Side of Ancient China After spending hours inside the National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆) in Beijing, Elaine and I slowly travelled through thousands of years of Chinese civilisation. Of course, we were not actually travelling with a time machine. We were walking through museum halls. Although sometimes… A great museum feels exactly like a time machine. From ancient pottery, mysterious jade objects, massive bronze vessels and early Chinese writing,...
Some journeys begin with a plane ticket. Some begin with a map. Our journey into 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation began with something much simpler: Breakfast. Because before Elaine and I attempted to travel from ancient China to modern China inside one of the largest museums in the world, Dad had one very practical thought: “Better fill up our stomachs first.” 😄 The National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆, Zhōngguó Guójiā Bówùguǎn) is...
When you think of Xi’an (西安 Xī’ān), the Terracotta Army (兵马俑 Bīngmǎyǒng) or the ancient city wall (城墙 Chéngqiáng) probably comes to mind. But tucked away in a quiet neighborhood east of the city lies a lesser-known treasure: the Banpo Museum (半坡博物馆 Bànpō Bówùguǎn). To our surprise, it ranks among the Top 20 attractions on TripAdvisor—a clear sign that travelers, despite what many think, actually love museums when they bring history to...
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