To taste a bit of Beijing’s selection of culture and arts we decided on a night at the opera. Beijing recently completed a magnificent National Centre for the Performing Arts just in time for impress the masses coming in for

Tiananmen Square : Beijing
For most foreigners visiting China Beijing brings up two main associations – the Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square. Unlike the Great Wall of China which is likely to bring thoughts of awe and admiration, Tiananmen Square is mostly

Shanghai Centre Theater : Acrobats Show
Want to see grand Chinese acrobat shows? Shanghai’s the place to go. With over 5 theaters showing the daily tourist trap performances, you’re bound to walk into one at some point. It took me three visits to Shanghai to try

Acrobatics & Traditional Performances : Laoshe Tea House – Beijing
Perhaps the most obvious cultural attraction in Beijing is to catch a local performance featuring acrobats and a "Peking opera". There are plenty of options for you to choose from, but somehow we decided on the options that tries to

Beautiful Xiamen : Trip Summary & Suggested Itinerary
Xiamen was a very pleasant surprise. It’s not too crowded, quite tourist friendly, very well developed, and has a special charm which combines the scenic beauty of a coastal city with lots of colonial and regional history. To summarize

Around Gulang Island : Xiamen
Gulang Island is gorgeous. I think it’s one of the nicest places I’ve visited in mainland. To summarize the Gulang island and Xiamen experience, following are photos I took around the island … Previous posts on Gulang Yu :

Nanjing Purple Mountains & Botanical Gardens
If you want to see Nanjing from above, make your way to the Nanjing Purple Mountains (紫金山, Zijinshan). After wrapping up a few temples, ancient city walls and lakes in Nanjing, we set to see a bit of the nature

The Houses of Gulang Yu : Xiamen
Want a taste of Europe in China? Gulang Island has just the thing. Though the island has suffered from the ongoing rampage of China’s 20th century political turmoil it still maintains what I believe is among the best selection of

Confucius Temple : Nanjing
Overlooking Qin Huai River and not too far from old Nanjing walls and the Gate of China is the Nanjing Confucius Temple featuring one of the biggest statues of the great teacher. In Taiwan I’ve been told that Confucian temples

Lion Forest Garden : Suzhou
Ever since arriving in the region I’ve been repeatedly asked about my favorite place in China. Being the good psyc student that I am I am usually able to reflect back the question, and many of the responses I get