Wander China

Journeys people ask about, explained properly

Five routes and audiences that sit outside our eight fixed itineraries — and the honest mechanics of each: what it costs you in days, what it asks of your knees, and when to go.

The Yangtze River cruise, without the brochure language

What a Yangtze cruise really is: the Chongqing to Yichang stretch, three to four nights, ship classes, best months, and how it fits a…

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The Silk Road in China, minus the romance

What the Silk Road route in China involves: Xi’an to Kashgar, distances, trains and flights, best months, Xinjiang practicalities,…

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Which Great Wall section to visit

Badaling, Mutianyu, Jinshanling or a wild ridge: crowd levels, walking difficulty, drive times from Beijing, and how the choice changes…

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China with children

Realistic family travel in China: which ages enjoy what, hotel room configurations, food, transport, and the day that usually goes…

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China tours for older travellers

What actually makes a China trip hard after 70 — stairs, queues, altitude and heat — and the specific itinerary changes that make it…

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The best time to visit China

China is four climates. Month-by-month guidance for Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Yunnan, Guilin, Zhangjiajie, Harbin, Tibet and Xinjiang…

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Eating in China, region by region

Chinese food is not one cuisine. What to eat in Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Yunnan — plus how to handle spice, allergies and…

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Photographing China: light, timing and the routes that work

A photographer’s routing through China: sunrise at the Great Wall, mist in Zhangjiajie, terraces at flood time, and the hours that actually…

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Hiking in China: four walks that are worth it

Where to actually hike in China: the wild Great Wall, Zhangjiajie’s ridges, Tiger Leaping Gorge and the Longji terraces — with distance,…

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