Author: bamboocompass
Forget Venice: The Charm of China’s Ancient Canal Towns are Beyond Compare
Picture Venice: The narrow streets, stone bridges ancient architecture and gondolas gliding along smooth canals. Got it? Now jump 6,000 miles, replace Venice’s Gothic architecture with pagodas and the gondolas with wooden canopy boats, and you’re in one of China’s famous water towns, all of them claiming to be the “Venice of the East.” Don’t…
Hidden in plain sight: a secret terrace near Shanghai’s Yu Garden
While wandering around on my bike this Sunday I came across a little Japanese restaurant, Miyako No Mori, tucked away in Yu Garden Park (not actually in Yu Garden, which you must pay to enter, but just east of it towards the Bund promenade).Didn’t try the food there, (I stood there for 10 minutes and…
15 Shanghai pickpocket hotspots—and how to defend against thieves
A Chinese local imparts his wisdom about which areas of Shanghai are most prone to pickpockets with Shanghai’s 15 Pickpocket Hotspots. Shanghai is undoubtedly one of the safest-feeling megacities on the planet, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get robbed. As many-a-foreigner (and local) can tell you, there are pickpockets all over the place. How…
China’s World Heritage Sites: Beijing, from the Forbidden City to the Great Wall
spectacular natural scenery to historic (and prehistoric) wonders going back to the Middle Pleistocene. In this four-part series, we explore the best of China, starting with Beijing’s World Heritage Sites. We’ll follow up with China’s holy mountains, historical sites beyond Beijing, and the best of China’s natural parks and scenery. Stonehenge, Egypt’s pyramids at Giza,…
48 Hours in Beijing: Choose Your Own Adventure
Welcome to Day 2 of our 48-hour insider guide to Beijing. See Part 1 of to take it from the top. For more self-guided Beijing tours, click here.Day 2 – 8:00 am – 9:30 am The same breakfast and survival pack recommendations from day one apply.10:00 am – Choose Your Own Adventure We all have…
