Pandas are the national animal of China and are a must-see if visiting the province of Sichuan, home to 80% of the population of Giant Pandas. Nowadays they are endangered and it’s very rare to see them in the wild. Some zoos around the world are lucky enough to host pandas, but if you really want to see them interact in a more natural environment then schedule a visit to one of these panda bases.     » Read more »

  Cai Guo Qiang, one of China’s best-known artists, opened his blockbuster The Ninth Wave exhibition with a literal bang on August 8th as his signature multicolored ‘daytime fireworks’ exploded over the Huangpu River. Located at the Power Station of Art on the river bank, the impressive scale matches the huge exhibition spaces that this relatively new venue offers.   The highlight of the exhibit is the eponymous The Ninth Wave,  » Read more »

  The media's fixation with China's air quality by Guy Rubin In his predictions for 2014, columnist Richard Turen suggested that travel sellers "must, in keeping with industry ethics, inform potential leisure travelers to China of the dangers [of air pollution] and the fact that residents of Beijing are now routinely wearing masks as they walk about the city" (Reality Check, Dec.  » Read more »

(Above Photo: Memorial archway dedicated by Wanli Emperor (Ming dynasty) to Hu Wenguang, Huizhou’s governor.)   China…you think of the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, the Pearl Tower in Shanghai. But have you ever heard of Xidi, a small village in Anhui province close to the Yellow Mountains, less than an hour from Shanghai by plane (or over 10 hours by train, your call!)? My name is Gwen and I love backpacking.  » Read more »

On October 9, 2000, five explorers set out in the middle of the world’s fifth-largest desert, the Taklimakan, as a team to walk the entire length of the Ming dynasty Great Wall of China. After a few weeks, winter set in and the terrain was covered in snow. By March the following year as winter lifted, only one remained – Argentinean explorer and photographer Diego Azubel, who continued to trek alone for another nine months arriving at the East China sea at the end of the following year.   » Read more »