In an effort to give our readers a chance to grab some of the good stuff before it disappears into China's dizzying whirlwind of destruction and growth, City Weekend is proud to announce our first annual Best of China issue. On the following pages you will find our collection of the finest locals and expats, places you must visit, things to buy and things to see, including master knife makers, the finest silk and hand-stitched hemp, the last of the traditional shadow puppets, a bathhouse fit for a king, but priced for a pauper and where to go for alien sightings. You will also hear from the co-owner of a luxury concierge service, a high-powered publisher, a TV star and a beauty queen as they reveal their personal picks for the best places to shop, visit and play. Read on to get the most out of China before it’s gone.

Best Place to Chase Shadows

Puppet Masters

What did Chaplin, Goethe and Mao have in common? They were all great fans of China’s shadow puppets. On screen for thousands of years, shadow plays are the oldest form of Chinese opera as well as the forerunner of Chinese animation. Each little detail is painstakingly carved into cow hide and then hand painted, making it one of China’s most vivid and laborious, as well as one of the most quickly disappearing, art forms. Head to Xi’an's Shadow Puppet Center (196 Ziqiang West Street, Xi’an, Shanxi) to catch a glimpse of them before they fade away.

Best Dim Sum

Tasty Bites

Tingzai soup, milk custard, chestnut cake, white turnip cakes, almond tea, shrimp dumpling—those are just a few of the outstanding dim sum offerings at Liyuan Jiujia (12/F, Baifu Plaza, 112 Tiyu Dong Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 020-8757-6788). This Cantonese restaurant specializes in the tastiest dim sum found in China; locals keep coming back for their out-of-thisworld shrimp dumplings.

Best Place to Cop a Feel

Squeezing By

Whoever says living space in China is too cramped obviously hasn’t been here. The narrow “breast touching alley” (off of Zhuhai Zhong Lu, Beihai, Guanxi) has been providing people in Beihai with a fun solution to shrinking living spaces for over 200 years. One blogger wrote: “You can tell this alley's name literally comes from it being totally narrow, if two people want to pass through, it really is quite crowded.”

Best Place to Get your Rocks Off

Amazing Bacon

There may be many rocks in China, but only one meat rock. Located in Xiamen’s Cannon Museum (38-40 Dongpu Street, Xiamen, Fujian), the Museum of Strange Rocks houses this famous stone which resembles a large piece of bacon, as well as more traditional Chinese rock collections and some modern pieces, like the TV rock.

Best Lunch on the Go

Meat Lovers Unite

Fanji roujiamo regularly appears on Xi’an’s “Top 3 Foods Not to Miss” list. This quick bite to grab on the go is a baked cake stuffed with meat, and if it’s done right, like it is at Fanji Roujiamo (53 Zhubashi Street, Beilin District, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 29-8727-3917), meat juice is poured over the cooked meat, giving it a sinfully rich flavor.

Best Place to Buy Uncut Jade

Stone Collectors

Located along the Taklamakan desert in southern Xinjiang, Hotan is truly a "place that abounds in jade,” as its name translates. During its massive weekly bazaar, jade peddlers take over the city streets—on blankets spread out on the ground and even out of their pant pockets. Not just petite Han wrist-sized bracelets, but pure stones of every size, color and texture imaginable extracted from the local Yurungkash (White Jade) River. The Uyghurs have been in the jade trade since the Silk Road days and are master hagglers, but nonetheless the precious stones can be had in Hotan for a fraction of what it is sold for elsewhere in China: ?5 for a jade nugget and ?100+ for a mantle piece boulder.

Best Kites

Sky High

In Yangjiabu, the birth place of the kite, every villager is an artist who has inherited their town's long tradition of kite making. The Kite Workshop (Yangjiabu, South of Hanting District, Weifang, Shandong, 536-725-2050, www.yjb.com.cn) is located inside the Yangjiabu Folk Gallery, and sells the most intricate and original kites in China. Creators of these masterpieces are Yang Tongke and his granddaughter, Yang Weihong. “She is now the best craftsman in our village,” says Yang Bo, another craftsman at the shop. Their store is often visited by top Chinese officials and members of the European Union seeking the best kites in the Middle Kingdom.

Best Crane Watching

Flights of Fancy

While China’s large cities are riddled with tall, yellow cranes, the ones we’re interested in are white. Journey to Caohai, the “Grass Sea,” on the fringes of Weining’s lake (reachable by bus from Anshun, Guizhou); the placid water is home to 400 rare black-necked cranes. Found in the reedy shallows, the cranes walk through the waters with a stately purpose, their black heads held high, changing the way you’ll associate cranes with China.

Best Restaurant Performers

Masked Man

Renowned for their spicy hot pot, Huangcheng Laoma Hot Pot Restaurant’s (No.20, 2nd Ring Road Nansanduan, Wuhou District, Chengdu, Sichuan, 28-8513-9999) traditional dinner theater draws in large crowds every evening. “We bring Sichuan opera into the restaurant to heat up the atmosphere,” says the restaurant’s manager, Li Feng. “And we only accept the best performers.” Among the acts is bian lian, a surefire crowd pleaser. This traditional art of quickly changing face masks is well preserved among the bubbling spices and plates of laoma beef.

Best Silk Store

Queen Bee

Suzhou silk is as famous as Suzhou’s gardens. And in Suzhou, the most regal place to buy vibrant stacks of high quality silk is Queen’s Silk Shop (No. 1542 Renmin Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 512-6729-2245, www. suzhousilkshop.com), specializing in embroidered silk dresses, specifically elegant cheongsams. “The tailor makes the man,” says Wu Fengqun, owner of Queen’s Silk, whose store was described by the Lonely Planet as one of the finest shops in China. “People from all over China come to Hangzhou for the beauty of Xihu Lake; they also come for cheong-sams from Queen’s Silk Shop.”

Best Place to Stalk Celebrities

The Paparazzo in You

Any reader of CW's China Chat column knows that China's celebrities float among us, acting out and looking beautiful. But where do they hang out and how can we get a glimpse of the glitterati? Fei Wang holds her annual birthday party at Coco Banana, Taiwanese singer Jay Chou held a party to celebrate his record sales at Tang Club and Vicky Zhao Wei and her world pingpong champion boyfriend Wang Liqin often frequent Jasmine. The area between Beijing's Workers' Stadium West Road and inside the Workers' Stadium is the best location to spot Chinese stars. Catch them dining at Le Quai, Jasmine or Three Guizhoumen before they seclude themselves all night in VIP rooms at Cutie Club or Coco Banana.

Best Mainland Riding Coach

Giddy Up!

Being from Inner Mongolia, Yang Fu Jun, 27, knows a bit about horses. As the deputy-head trainer at the Equuleus International Riding Club (Sun He, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 010-6438-4947, www.equriding.com), the wiry horseman has coaching credentials from a semester at the British equestrian school at Hartbury College. "Weekends are really busy," says Yang, who was on the Equuleus team that placed fifth in the team show jumping competition at the 10th China National Games in 2005. "Before, few Chinese came here but now it's about half and half." An hour's instruction on one of Equuleus' 50 horses, most of them retired racehorses imported from Australia, costs ?200-?240 (English language instruction).

Best Place to Buy Minority Garb

Hand-Stitched Hemp

Kaleidoscopic Yunnan has no shortage of boutiques selling indigenous attire. But for the most authentic in ethnic fashion, head south to Xishuangbanna, home to the province’s most reclusive minority tribes—the Dai, a 2,000-year-old culture that fuses Hinayana Buddhism with elements of Thai, and the Hani, descendants of the nomadic Qiang from Tibet. Each Hani subgroup wear a different colored headdress to signify their clan and lavishly accessorize with patchwork satchels and antiqued coins stretching out their earlobes. Rather than set up stalls, they prefer to keep overhead low by wearing their goods and offering you the garments, hand-stitched from locally grown hemp, literally right off their backs at the Menghun Sunday Market: ?3 for a coin-and-stone studded bracelet, ?10 for a satchel and ?50 for an embroidered jacket.

Best Handmade Knives

Sharp Buy

Knives have been made in Yengisar, on the edge of Xinjiang’s Taklamakan Desert, for over 400 years. Worn by every Uygur man, handmade Yengisar knives are some of the finest in the world. Each knife is crafted by a master knife maker, using simple tools and techniques handed down from generation to generation. You can buy the knives, made with silver, white copper, wood, bone and deer horn, directly from the Yengisar County Small Knife Factory (from the main Yengisar highway, walk east past the Yingjisha Hotel, then turn left heading for the bazaar—the factory is just west of the bazaar). Prices range from ?50-?2,000.

Best Russian Chocolates

Bitter Sweet

To find the best Russian chocolate in China, walk Harbin's Zhong Yang Lu, the main cobbled pedestrian street. Lined with classic Russian architecture, the street is home to countless small shops selling the best Russian products. Among these are the elegantly packaged and alarmingly cheap array of Russian chocolate bars. On average, depending on how lavish the packaging, prepare to spend ?10 per bar and definitely pay attention to the crisp, airy selection.

Best Mountain Bike Trail

Hold on, it’s Going to be a Wild Ride

Other than a few fire trails criss-crossing Beijing's Fragrant Hills and rambling paths outside of Moganshan, it's hard to find a good ol' grit iron single trek in China. No more, thanks to event organizer Nordic Way's invasion of the sleepy historic Anhui village (Huangshan MTB Festival, Hongcun, Anhui, www.nordicways.com). The single trek 50km path they've carved out for their yearly race passes through water ox ponds, bamboo forests and Ming dynasty-era villages.

Best High Altitude Wedding

Under the Jade Dragon

At Banyan Tree Lijiang (www.banyantree.com), romance is boosted by the thrills of being 2,000 meters above sea level. Guests are offered a memorable Oriental wedding ceremony in the wedding chapel, styled as a traditional Chinese wooden pagoda rising from the central lake, conducted by a shaman, traditionally the “wise man” in Naxi culture. Mirrored on the lake is the legendary Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with soaring snowcapped peaks that will take your breath away if the altitude doesn’t. Various wedding packages are available. The Unity package, priced at US$675 per night， includes a three-tiered wedding cake, flower and ceremonial set-up, champagne, pampering spa and beauty treatments, specially prepared meals, indoor and outdoor photography and wedding villa decorations.

Best Place to See Ghosts

I See Dead People

In ancient Taoist tradition, hell’s social structure resembled that of earthly life. This might be the reason why when two Tang dynasty officials got fed up with official life they moved to a quiet mountain outside of Fengdu, Chongqing and changed it into Ghost City, a sculpture exhibition of the many tortures a soul will undergo in hell's bureaucracy before they receive their final sentence. Politics may have changed, but the 2,000-year-old city still boasts one of the highest ghost populations in China. In 2009, the mammoth Three Gorges Dam will bury Ghost City in a watery grave, sparing only the "King of Hell" on Mount Mingshan.

Best Bathhouse for the Money

Pamper Puss

Sure, there are more opulent palaces of relaxation and pleasure in China, but for the price, service and ambience few can compare to Qingdao’s Lang Tao Sha (109 Yan An San Lu, Qingdao, Shandong, 532-8571-7069). "Here, guests don't even have to dry themselves off after showering," says LTS Manager Li Hong. Full bath, 45 minute foot and head massage (oxygen included) and lunch / dinner costs ?88.

Best Young Chinese Architect

Sensuous Builder

Ma Yansong, founder of Beijing architectural firm MAD (3rd floor West Tower, no.7, Banqiao Nanxiang, Beixinqiao, Beijing, 010-6403-1080), rose to stardom after his design for a 50-story tower block in Canada won an international competition last year. Dubbed the “Marilyn Monroe building” for its sensuous curves, the Missisauga Tower has been hailed by critics all over the world for its innovation and perfect form. Ma Yansong’s company was the first Chinese architectural firm to win an overseas competition, and MAD is now poised to become the first international and global Chinese practice, opening an office in Tokyo, and embarking on projects in South America and Denmark.

Best Cappuccino in Tibet

Roof of the World Froth

Just in to Lhasa from a grueling trip to Everest Base Camp or Mount Kailash? Those craving caffeine on the rooftop of the world should certainly make a beeline for the Tibet Summit Fine Art Cafe (1 Danjielin Road, Lhasa, Tibet, 0891-691-3884, roof. of.the.world@gmail.com), where American expat entrepreneur Douglas Wilford serves up a mean (and frothy) cappuccino. The cheesecake is pretty good too.

Best Alien Sighting

They Walked Among Us

Ancient, alienlike ruins were uncovered a few years ago in the suburbs of Chengdu, giving rise to wild theories to explain the mysterious abandonment of the fabled city once occupied by the Shu Kingdom around the year 3,000 B.C. The Jinsha Ruins Museum (No.2 Jinsha Yizhi Road, Chengxi, Chengdu, 028-87303522, www.jinshasitemuseum. com) opened in April to display over 6,000 of these controversial and bizarre statues. The 300,000 sq. meter museum, costing nearly ?390 million, has changed previous assumptions about the origins of Chinese civilization.

Best Endangered Animal Sighting

Hot Pink

Approaching the massive green cliffs of Dolphin Island is akin to the first look at the island in “Jurassic Park”—simply breathtaking. Here you’ll find professor Jiang Hai Sheng (jhs@nanture.com), who is dedicated to studying the rapidly disappearing Chinese White Dolphins (Sousa Chinensis), which are not always white. In fact, quite a few of them are as pink as the mythical Pink Panther. "My dream is to have the government invest in Da Jin and the dolphins," says Jiang. "Make it a wildlife refuge like none other in China—one where visiting scientists from abroad can come work, and where ordinary people can experience what [I’ve] experienced."

Best Tulip Show

Going Dutch

Once inside the Beijing Botanical Garden’s 400 hectare park (Wo Fo Si Road, Xiangshan, Beijing, 010-6259-1283), make your way among the abundant flora to the Perennial Root Flower Garden and fall into a rainbow of perfect tulips. In April the garden expands their Dutch lust to 1 million tulips, from 100 species, on display. The garden’s botanists say you also shouldn’t miss the upcoming Autumn Flower Exhibit with a mired of chrysanthemums to adore.

MY BESTS

With almost a decade of living in Beijing under her belt,Jo Lusby knows a thing or two about making the best out of an ever-changing China. In 2005, Lusby opened international publisher Penguin’s first China office, and believes “there is a definite sense of excitement that stuff is about to happen for publishers here." Next March, Jiang Rong's “Wolf Totem,” Lusby’s first Chinese to English translation project, will hit international shelves. “The translation is done and the book jacket is in design,” says Lusby. “To take a book all the way through is quite an emotional experience.” Here Lusby shares her literary bests:

Best Place to Take a Visiting Author

Without exception authors are impressed by seeing the two sides of the English literary scene in China. First, I take them to M on the Bund in Shanghai (7/F, 20 Guangdong Lu, 021-6350-9988), where owner Michelle hosts talks in the truly glamorous Glamour Bar. Then, I bring them up to Beijing and put them in front of a feisty and passionate literary crowd in The Bookworm (Building 4, Sanlitun Nanjie, 010-6586-9507).

Best English Language Book that Should be Translated into Chinese

I am currently obsessed with finding a Chinese publisher for the Indian writer Shobhaa De. She writes romantic fiction set in Bollywood—I’d love to launch something really mass market here.

Best Chinese Book Translated into English

"Red Poppies" by the Tibetan writer Alai, translated by Howard Goldblatt, is absolutely stunning. It's dramatic, evocative and tells a gritty story beyond tranquil monastic stereotypes of the harsh life on the slopes of the Himalayas. For reasons I cannot explain, this book was completely overlooked by readers, and is largely out of print.

Best Place to Buy Chinese Books in English

Any of the shops in the Hong Kong International Airport are good for new Asian books. I go through the Hong Kong airport often, so I buy a lot there. You can get some really good titles, the kind that only stays in print for a little time. They always have all the new titles so I pick up early copies copies in the airport all the time.

Chengdu born Jackie Xie has spent the 21st century working his way through dozens of TV series and films as an actor. In his career, Xie has played, among many other roles, a patriotic poet in the Ming dynasty who gave up his love to become a bureaucratic official, an overweight playboy who finally finds love after a string of flings and recently Xie rapped his new cops and gangsters TV series in Xi’an. Here Xie lets us in on some industry bests:

Best Place to Film a Dynasty-era Scene

Zhuo Zhou in Hebei province, where John Woo's “The Battle of Red Cliff” is being shot now. On a set like this one, you don't have to imagine what life was like 2,000 years ago. You aren’t filming among ruins, but accurate replicas. The buildings are made of beautiful stone, and the details are rich and precise. Everything is how it was thousands of years ago, putting you in that time period, making the past the present.

Best Chinese Movie

Chen Kaige's “The Emperor and the Assassin” (1999). Every Chinese person should be proud of this movie. It didn’t make much money though because most people thought it would be a kung fu flick, but it wasn't like that. The film is about China's first emperor, Ying Zheng. We see his transformation from a fair and just man out to unite China's seven kingdoms, to a raving madman, consumed by power and greed. Most Chinese people think the emperor’s character shouldn’t have been so extreme, so psycho, but I believe it was the only way he could have been played.

Best Movie Theater

UME (44 Shuangyushu Kexueyuan Nanlu, Beijing, 010-8211-5566) has an incredible 3D enabled projector. I recently went there to watch “Superman Returns” and in the opening scene you feel you are right there, in the movie, flying through space.

Best Place to Talk Shop

When I am discussing a script with the director, I prefer a low key place, like Buffalo (51-14 Di’anmen Xidajie, Beijing, 010-6617-2146) in Hou Hai. It’s a good size restaurant / bar that is upscale-ish without being pretentious. The lake also provides a good amount of inspiration.

Jonathan Hasson, originally Italian, born in Brussels and raised in Africa, came to China seven years ago. While waiting for a plane at the Hongqiao Airport, Hasson and Spencer Dodington began discussing the gap in the market for a company dedicated to enhancing the discerning traveler’s experience in China. Soon after, in 2006, their business, Luxury Concierge China (www. luxuryconciergechina.com), was born. “LCC's core strength is offering our clients a total travel product that becomes an unforgettable experience,” says Hasson. “Our attention to detail, superior local knowledge and most importantly, our personal service, enables us to deliver to our clients the very best of the best at all times.” Here Hasson shares his personal luxury travel bests:

Best Afternoon Tea

After a long morning of sightseeing, I direct people to the sumptuous and refined Mansion Hotel (82 Xinle Lu, Shanghai, 021-5403-9888, www.chinamansionhotel.com) for their elegant afternoon tea. The decor is spectacular, providing a feel of Shanghai's 1930 glamour.

Best New Getaway

Take the bullet train to China's newest premier private villa retreat, Kayumanis Private Villas & Spa, located in the hinterlands of Nanjing (Sizhuang Village, Tangshan, Nanjing, 025-8410-7777, www.kayumanis.com). The villas are highly luxurious, beautifully appointed and spacious (the smallest is 160 sq. meters).

Best New “Charm” Hotel

Cote Cour (70 Yan Yue Hu Tong, Dong Cheng Qu, Beijing, 010-6512-8020, www.hotelcotecoursl.com/home.html) is one of Beijing's latest "charm" hotels, located in a hutong on the doorsteps of the Forbidden City. It has maintained traditional Chinese architecture, whilst incorporating Oriental chic; a modern and stylish take on a Beijing hutong.

Best New Tour

The culinary extravaganza tour "Made in China" (Suite 609, Dynasty Business Centre, 457 Wulumuqi Bei Lu, Shanghai, 1350-166-2908, www. luxuryconciergechina.com) offers visitors a chance to sample local cuisine and visit wet markets whilst being given an introduction on how local produce is used. It is interesting, informative and most importantly, it’s lots of fun.

Best New Activity

Climb the world's longest arch bridge, Lupu (909 Lu Ban Lu, Shanghai 800-620-0888, www.shanghaiclimb. com), to get your adrenaline pumping. What's unique about the Lupu Bridge is that the viewing platform is a 300 step walk up along the arch rib to the top, giving a one-of-a-kind view of the city.

Best Tai Chi / Yoga Retreat

Learn Himalayan yoga and Fuchun tai chi among beautiful mountain ranges and picturesque tea plantations at the Fuchun Resort (Hangfu Yanjiang Lu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 571-6346-1111, www.fuchunresort.com/en/ index.asp). This place is wonderful for finding peace and tranquility.

Best Ride

Take an evening spin around Peking with Madam Mao's Red Flag Limo (The Red Capital Club, No. 66 Dongsi Jiutiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 010-8401-6152, www.redcapitalclub.com. cn/redflag.html). Sit in the back seat of a classic old motor car while nibbling on caviar and sipping some bubbly. It is unique and original and much more fun that taking a luxury car provided by a five star hotel.

Last year, Gao Yinghui was selected from among China's most beautiful and intelligent young women to wear the Miss China crown and represent her country in the Miss Universe pageant. Before becoming Miss China, Gao worked as a sports journalist for the Life Daily newspaper in Haerbin. But neither journalism nor pageantry is Gao's ultimate aspiration: “My life’s goal is actually to be a successful female entrepreneur. That to me is the most difficult and challenging path.”

Best Charity

China Youth Development Foundation (www.cydf.org.cn). The CYDF leads Project Hope, a program that helps rural children get an education. In doing so, it looks to the future and gives people hope.

Best Makeup

Sephora has a very complete collection of products (www. sephora.com). Even if you buy several different brands of makeup, you don’t need to go to a second store after a stop at Sephora. (There are several Sephora stores in China.)

Best Clothing Label

Morgan’s use of color is brilliant (www.love-is-back.com). The fabric is comfortable. The style is unpretentious yet fashionable. Also, the clothing always shows off the best aspects of one’s figure.

Best Photographer

Steve Zhao’s (www.chinastory. com.cn) work contrasts greatly with the kind of images Western photographers create of China ... He gives the world a window into a truer China, a China that the Chinese people can themselves recognize as China.