Author: bamboocompass
To be fair, there’s more to Guangzhou than the Canton Fair
It’s that time of year and the Canton Fair is here! And sure, the company’s sending you there to source another shoe supplier, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your Guangzhou trip. When you’re not doing business in Guangzhou, there’s plenty to enjoy along the city’s tree-lined boulevards, from historical sites to delicious Cantonese…
The Mongols: The Ebb and Flow of the Pendulum of Power
Every nation on Earth, at some point or another, considers itself to be the baddest tribe out there. Maybe it’s a new sword technology or a particularly fantastic military victory. A scientific breakthrough might do it. Religious fervor. The emergence of a Great Leader… All you have to do to topple these pretenders from the…
What to see in Kunming: The Charms of China’s Number One Easy City
For some reason, Kunming never makes the top of the list of China’s “Best places to live,” which is weird because it seems like the city should win hands down. The sun shines pretty much all year round, when it does rain it’s refreshing, and the city’s location on a plateau makes for a bright…
Beyond Badaling: An Overview of the Great Wall’s Many Sections
Ahh the Great Wall of China. Or as the Chinese like to say, Chángchéng, literally, the “Long Wall.” Every kid in the world has heard of the Great Wall and until I double-checked, I was among the many that said things like: “The Great Wall of China is the only man-made thing visible from the…
The (Once) Mighty Manchu
Once the Eight Banners of the Manchu military force ruled All Under Heaven. Today only small parts of the northeastern China can still be called “Manchu territory,” and they have largely assimilated and scattered over the last century such that for much of modern China’s history, most Manchu identified themselves as Han Chinese. However, the…
Lanzhou: Silk Road crossroads and the heart of Islam in China
Lanzhou waterwheels China is a gargantuan nation where even the smallest municipalities can have larger populations than many a European or American city. With so much space to cover and so many stories to tell, it’s all too easy to just focus on the next big adventure and trying to discover the “real China,” but…
48 hours in Shanghai (Part II) now on YouTube
Hope you enjoyed 48 hours in Shanghai (Part I), last week’s contribution to the Ctrip English YouTube channel. We feel pretty good about the community that is starting to coalesce around these videos, but we still have a very long way to go and every one we finish is a step along that path, so……
China’s sexiest stays: Check-in at China’s top 10 romantic hotels (pt. 1)
you don’t immediately think “romance”. But a trip to the Great Wall needn’t be all bustling crowds, tour guides and cheap souvenirs. There’s gasp-inducing scenery, amazing dining and wonderful authentic culture to take in here as well, both in China’s great modern cities and off the beaten path. And near China’s most romantic destinations, there…
Shanghai Corniche: A downtown oasis on the banks of the Huangpu
[showtime] (Click left or right of the image to view slideshow) Whatever your thoughts about Shanghai Expo, its legacy to the city’s urban infrastructure cannot be denied. So the clean air and construction-free city center may be a distant memory, but being the world’s stage for six months sure gave a boost to projects such…
Xiamen’s Gulangyu Islet: In a quiet car-free haven, cafe culture thrives alongside Fujianese seafood stalls
China, famed for its intricate teahouse culture, is fast developing its own coffee culture. Far beyond the doors of mass-markete Starbucks and Costa outlets in the big cities, China’s new generation of coffee lovers is giving rise to countless small cafes where you can relax over a perfectly brewed cup of cappuccino and an exquisite…
