East Asia Travel Articles and Photos

China: So Many Little Emperors

by Audrey Scott

Last Updated on December 17, 2019 by Audrey Scott

Some instincts are universal. That virtually all parents want a better life for their children is one of them. Our journey continually bears this out irrespective of the cultural and socioeconomic context of the regions we visit.

But in China, something extraordinary has happened. Two decades of economic growth, an exceptional cultural emphasis on family, and the one-child policy have all conspired to yield a generation of only children accustomed to the full focus of their family's emotional and financial resources.

Bouillabaisse in Beijing?

by Daniel Noll

Last Updated on April 21, 2024 by Audrey Scott

Think that Beijing is all about moo shu pork and Peking duck? Think again.

Tapas, paninis, sushi – even all-you-can-eat massage parlors. If you can name it – and eat it – you can probably find it in Beijing.

What a Great Wall It Was

by Daniel Noll

Last Updated on April 21, 2024 by Audrey Scott

Like all things grand and iconic, the Great Wall of China runs the risk of disappointing eager visitors. For us, it was one of the few historic sights in China that actually lived up to the hype.

Striped Dogs: A New Breed of Dog?

by Daniel Noll

Last Updated on January 21, 2022 by Audrey Scott

Dogs with tiger stripes?

Is it the next new Chinese dog breed coming your way? An experiment in genetic modification that escaped from the lab with the help of an ambitious entrepreneur?

Or do the stripes wash off after the first bath?

Disappearing Donkeys: Kashgar on the Edge of a Developing China

by Audrey Scott

Last Updated on April 22, 2024 by Audrey Scott

You always remember the first time.

Besides being our first city stop in China, Kashgar (Xinjiang Province) was our first:

Factory 798: Beijing’s Breath of Uncensored Air

by Audrey Scott

Last Updated on April 22, 2024 by Audrey Scott

If you are looking to escape the eyes of censorship and catch some edgy art exhibits in Beijing, go no further than a converted weapons factory on the outskirts of town.

Hitching a Ride with the Chinese Olympic Spitting Team

by Daniel Noll

Last Updated on July 8, 2020 by Audrey Scott

We were on another long-distance bus in the middle of nowhere, this time in heart of China’s Yunnan province. Heavy, sporadic rains danced on rice terraces whose luxuriant greens complemented the surrounding hills of red clay. It was just another iconic, beautiful moment on our journey through China.

Landing in Lhasa (or A Closely Watched Plane)

by Audrey Scott

Last Updated on December 17, 2019 by Audrey Scott

Lhasa. The name has a particularly mysterious and forbidden ring to it these days. Maybe it’s images of Tibetan cowboys on the high plateau or flashes of defiant monks protesting in the face of Chinese police last March.

Recently, the Chinese government reported that the situation in Tibet was “back to normal” in preparation for the arrival of the Olympic flame there. Even with the Olympic torch safely relayed through Lhasa this past weekend with an escort squadron of blue track-suited torch guards, Tibet still remains closed to foreigners.

China: Pictionary to the Rescue

by Audrey Scott

Last Updated on April 22, 2024 by Audrey Scott

So there we were: I was sketching an amorphous menagerie – a sheep, a cow, and a chicken – along with a simple carrot, all on small pad of paper, while Dan offered a few charades and barnyard audio cues – a chicken dance, a moo, and a hearty “baaah” – to help bring the animal farm to life. (Thankfully, charading a carrot was beyond Dan’s abilities.)

A Tibetan Pilgrimage

by Audrey Scott

Last Updated on July 8, 2020 by Audrey Scott

When we missed the last direct train of the season from Urumqi to Dunhuang, China, we didn’t realize that lady luck was actually smiling on us. We skipped the Buddhist cave paintings of Dunhuang, but landed smack in the middle of a crowd of Tibetan pilgrims visiting the Labrang Monastery for a cham (Tibetan monastic opera) in the town of Xiahe.