Dazu Grottoes – Beishan and Nanshan

In my effort to visit the four major (World Heritage) Buddhist grottoes in China, our first adventure in the Chongqing vicinity, on Christmas Day, was a day trip to Dazu Grottoes in the western part of the municipality. Several sites … Continued

Western China’s Ancient Remnants

From the Mogao Caves we hopped in a taxi for the day to visit a few other sites outside of Dunhuang including a 2,000 year old wall and gate and Yadan National Park where Zhang Yimou’s Hero was filmed. 1,000 … Continued

Everybody wasn’t kung fu fighting

At nearby Songshan is another famous temple, the Shaolin Temple – home of kung fu. Before heading back to Hefei, we journeyed to this beautiful place hoping to see some awesome monks practicing the true arts of kung fu. We … Continued

The “Only” Tourist Destination in Hefei, not really

When I arrived in China eight months ago, I asked just about anyone who spoke English what there is to do and see in Hefei. Most everyone mentioned the same place, Lord Bao Park or Baohe. In fact it’s the … Continued

It was the best of China; it was the worst of China

After Hongcun we went to Tangkou, the small town just outside of Huangshan national park. The travel people we worked with (a professor Melissa taught last semester) had booked our hotel and everything should have been fine. However, when we … Continued

Xi’an – an Ancient City and the Terracotta Army

Whenever I told people that I was going to Xi’an their first response was “Xi’an is an ancient city,” or something to that effect. I always just imagined it was because the most famous site near Xi’an is the archeological … Continued

Nanjing: A Smorgasbord, first helping

This past weekend I partook of a grand smorgasbord of tasty American eats and rich Chinese history. Living so close to Nanjing, I’m surprised it took me this long to get there especially when it has so much to offer. … Continued

We’re on the Great Wall … of China!

Great Wall of China One must-see for everyone who visits China is the Great Wall. Originally built many centuries ago by the joining of many city walls when China united under one emperor, the Great Wall is magnificent. Because of … Continued

The Heart of Beijing

Day two in Beijing was awesome. We spent half of it in the heart of the city experiencing old China and the other half exploring modern China. Tiananmen Square Supposedly the world’s largest public square, this giant swath of concrete … Continued

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