Category Archives: China

Writing about Hong Kong as an exciting, exotic pearl of the East is like writing about Paris as enduringly romantic and beautiful. Both statements are true and almost anything written about either city becomes practically a cliché and hopelessly repetitive. … Continue reading →

About a 90-minute drive from central Shanghai is the traditional “water town” of Zhujiajiao. At the risk of generalizing, there are a number of these type of towns in southern China, most notably Suzhou, whose Chinese garden coincidentally served as … Continue reading →

When Tanya and Jay last visited Shanghai, in 2001, the only building of any size on the east side of the Huangpu River was the Pearl Tower. Ten years before that, the eastside Pudho area was mostly rice paddies and … Continue reading →

A freezing winter weekday morning is the perfect time to visit a portion of the Great Wall.  Jay and Tanya stayed the previous evening in Beijing. We enjoyed freshly prepared vegetables and noodles at a tiny tucked-away neighborhood restaurant, where … Continue reading →

“A smoggy day, in Beijing town…” well, you get the picture. While the air quality was on the low side, the fun and excitement of visiting this incredible place in the world was definitely on the high side. Tanya and … Continue reading →