City & region guides
China, city by city
Field notes from the road — which places earn your limited days, how long to give each, and the tourist traps locals quietly skip. Every guide is checked on the ground and kept current.
Beijing
Empire-scale sights and the hutongs hiding between them.
Shanghai
Art-deco Bund, a skyline from the future, and great coffee.
Chengdu
Pandas at dawn, peppercorns, and the slowest teahouses in the country.
Xi'an
Terracotta Army by day, the Muslim Quarter grills by night.
Guilin & Yangshuo
Karst peaks, slow river drifts, and bike-able backroads.
Yunnan
Old towns, rice terraces, snow peaks, and air that smells of pine.
More cities are being added as we get back on the ground. First, sort out the basics: visas & entry, getting online, mobile payments, and when to go.