Clay & craftJingdezhen: kiln fragments, working clay and a city of makers
A three-day ceramics route that connects museum objects with kiln archaeology, industrial reuse and contemporary studios.
Explore this route ↗Go beyond looking.
Make, taste, learn.
Compare twelve researched experience leads: food walks, market-to-kitchen classes, tea, calligraphy, pottery and porcelain. See published prices, language notes, limitations and direct provider links.
Explore food & experiences ↗China, beyond the obviousGo for
Go for
the story.
Stay for China.
Find the kiln behind the porcelain, the migration behind the village, the engineering inside a bridge. Stories to draw you in. Routes to take you there.
Find your next story ↗Explore member deep reads ↗Free cultural routes · Member dossiers €5/month
PDF field guides from $9 · English, with Chinese place names
PDF field guides from $9 · English, with Chinese place names
The member field dossier / First editionA port city.
A port city.
A deeper way in.
Why is a Hindu carving inside a Buddhist temple? What can a bridge tell you about a trading port? Follow Quanzhou’s material history, then turn it into a journey you can plan.
Approx. 2,400 words of sourced researchA three-day route + two-day alternativeChinese names & weather decisionsA practical brief for a local guide
€5 EUR / month · shared membership
First three paragraphs free. Read the full dossier in the protected reading room. PDF guides sold separately.
See inside the Quanzhou dossier ↗Join the reading room ↗Already a shared member? Your existing membership includes this dossier.
ENGLISH DIGITAL EDITIONSCHINESE PLACE NAMES INCLUDEDREAD A FREE 3-PAGE PREVIEWONE-TIME PURCHASES
One question.
Many ways to follow it.
65 articles and routes. 20 topic desks. Search English or Chinese keywords across crafts, textiles, music, belief, food and travel. Save a reading list and follow original films and introductions.
Explore the database ↗Start with a subject.
Let it take you somewhere.
Eight researched cultural routes, with Chinese place names, practical decisions and a source desk. The route articles are free.
Clay & craft
Clay & craftLongquan: a slow route through celadon green
A museum-first ceramics journey, with a carefully arranged Dayao extension and a contemporary studio conversation.
Explore this route ↗Ports & migrationQuanzhou: temples, a bridge and the sound of a trading port
Read the port through religious sites, Luoyang Bridge and Nanyin, rather than a checklist of photogenic old streets.
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Architecture & villagesSongyang: village streets beyond the bookshop photograph
A county-based route that puts old streets and inhabited villages before the social-media viewpoint.
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Ports & migrationKaiping: read the diaspora through village towers
A two-cluster diaolou route that connects defensive buildings, fields and the architectural traces of migration.
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Paper & printYangzhou: a city route for people who love books
Start with woodblock printing, then use gardens and old streets as spaces for reading, drawing and paying attention.
Explore this route ↗The field guide shelfYour next trip.
Your next trip.
Ready to take with you.
Eight city and regional starter guides, one 14-day route, one arrival workbook and three food companions. Browse the actual PDFs before choosing.
No matching guides. Try another place or choose All guides.
The complete collectionTen guides.
Ten guides.
One travelling shelf.
All eight destination guides, the 14-day first-trip route and the arrival toolkit. A useful starting collection if you are still deciding where to go.
$39 USD · all 10 PDFs
80 pages total. Individual total: $90. Collection saving: $51.
BeijingShanghaiXi’anChengduHangzhouSuzhouGuilin & YangshuoDaliChina: 14 daysArrival toolkit
Each guide is a finished, concise English PDF. The original 10-guide collection helps with route planning. The three food guides are sold separately; bookings and custom itineraries are not included.
See every guide and its preview ↑Free field notes
Culture, then the practical questions.
65 articles on cultural routes, craft, music, architecture, food and practical travel.
Hani Terraces: Follow the Water Before the View
At Duoyishu and Bada, the curved field edge is part of a living water system. A slow route from Xinjie puts forests, villages and farming back into the photograph.
Read the landscape route ↗Yungang: Look Beyond the Face in the Cliff
A monumental Buddha opens a question about enclosure, imperial patronage and the limits of a photograph. Build a focused half-day around the Tan Yao caves.
Read the route ↗Dujiangyan: Three Ways to Give Water Somewhere to Go
A dividing point, a low overflow and a narrow rock-cut passage turn an ancient waterworks into a readable half-day route from Lidui Park.
Read the route ↗Dengfeng’s Observatory Has a Ruler for the Sun
A long stone scale, two historical instruments and a focused half-day in Gaocheng, with a Chinese transport-and-guide brief.
Read the route ↗Tianluokeng: Step Inside the Five-House Postcard
Five roof shapes, household boundaries and a local day linking Tianluokeng, Yuchang Lou and Taxia village.
Read the route ↗Zhaozhou Bridge: look at what the builders left out
Four small openings, a stone arch and a researched day from Shijiazhuang, with an optional Bailin Temple stop.
Read the article ↗Ningbo: a library built with fire in mind
Start with a library’s fire precautions, then follow a flexible half-day museum-and-lake route.
Read the article ↗Your first China trip: what changes between 7, 10 and 14 days?
Start with the number of hotel changes you want to tolerate, then choose your cities. Extra days are useful only when they give the trip room to breathe.
Read the article ↗Four Shanghai food stops that fit into two city days
Pan-fried buns, soup dumplings, sesame noodles and a savoury pastry make four different food experiences. They do not need to become four consecutive meals.
Read the article ↗A ten-day China route for art and architecture
Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou can form a coherent route through urban space, museum culture and designed landscape. Choose a theme instead of another city.
Read the article ↗Suzhou in two or three days: give the gardens time
A smaller selection of gardens can make Suzhou more interesting, especially when you use a street walk to see what changes between formal landscape and everyday space.
Read the article ↗Paying in China with a foreign bank card: build a backup
A payment setup is strongest when a failed transaction leaves you with another ordinary option. Prepare the method, then check the actual payment screen.
Read the article ↗Before planning China: check entry conditions for your own route
A headline about visa-free travel is a starting point for checking, not an instruction to purchase a particular flight. Your passport, purpose and onward journey matter.
Read the article ↗New / Language connections
Go beyond “nǐ hǎo”.
Travel Mandarin, everyday conversation and culture-led learning. Apply to connect with an independent Chinese teacher—or join our first teaching cohort.
First-cohort applications open. Lessons and prices confirmed before booking.
China inbound travel planning
Explore custom planning ↗A route shaped around you.
Classic first visits, art and architecture, or a slower food-led trip. Explore planning scopes, route examples and fees from US$59.
Know what you’re taking with you.
Fewer decisions on the day
Suggested routes, area choices and travel-day buffers help you turn a long list of places into a workable short trip.
Details you can take with you
City guides include Chinese place names, food search terms and spending worksheets. Read the PDFs on a phone or print them.
A clear scope
These are eight-page planning guides, not exhaustive city encyclopaedias. Official links help you verify changing entry and booking information.
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or the whole shelf.
All prices are in USD. Select an edition and read its preview. These are completed digital guides, so no personalised travel brief is needed.
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A few useful answers.
What exactly is in a city guide?
City editions are eight-page English PDFs: cover; area and base choices; three day-by-day route pages; arrival, transport and food notes; a CNY budget worksheet; and Chinese place names with official source links. Arrival and departure days may require extra nights beyond the three full sightseeing days. Food editions include four specific restaurant branches, two suggested food routes, ordering phrases, budget planning and source links.
Are these custom itineraries?
No. These are ready-made digital editions for independent planning. They do not include a personal consultation, reservations, tickets, escorted tours or live travel assistance.
When was the information prepared?
The original guides were prepared on 11 October 2026; the food guides on 12 October 2026. Routes and budgets are editorial recommendations. Always recheck transport, weather, venue access and entry requirements for your dates using the official links.
How do I receive the full guide?
After PayPal confirms payment, a download link appears here for the selected PDF or original collection ZIP. The link lasts 72 hours from payment. Keep the order number and download the file during this window. Delivery is on this page; automatic email delivery is not included.
Can I share or resell the PDF?
The intended purchase is for personal use. Resale, redistribution and public uploading are not included. A PDF purchase does not include third-party services or future edition updates.