Ruins of Empire
Perched on the frontier between Mongolia and the Chinese heartland, Datong is surrounded by half-forgotten remnants of the Great Wall.
An hour’s drive north of the city are the ruins of Hongcibao (宏赐堡), a castle guarding an ancient pass. The dilapidated fort is worth clambering around ... Read More
Autumn Colors Hike
If there is one thing we miss more than anything else, it’s autumn and all the attendant beauty. But for all those pining for the crisp air, the glorious colors and the crystalline blue skies, Beijing Hikers makes a special overnight hike in the Songshan Nature ... Read More
Greatest of Them All
This September, Beijing says good-bye to Piet Bos, founder of Beijing Day Trips, a local travel outfit known for its Great Wall expertise. After several years, Bos is moving to Spain, so we asked him, as a parting shot, to recommend his favorite Great Wall Hike ... Read More
Resort on the Range
Historically, Beijing has lacked genuine five-star resorts in the suburbs (despite what the people at The Commune tell you). Luckily all that has changed with the Hyatt Regency Jingjin's opening late last year. They’ve been steadily unfolding their 1,000 room resort ever since ... Read More
Tomb Raider
The Ming Tombs are a total gyp. In fact, anything that can be combined with a Great Wall trip is most likely not worth the effort. The Eastern Qing Tombs, however, are a different story, featuring fantastic architecture, a genuinely sepulchral vibe and nature in spades. And the ... Read More
Postcard Perfect
We found this capacious reservoir full of cool, clean water nestled in the hills north of the Eastern Qing Tombs. When our three wheeled recon vehicle rounded a mountain bend and all that water spread out jade-like below, we knew we’d found a good place. Then, when ... Read More
Wall Meets Water
History buffs and beach bums celebrate: Shanhaiguan has it all. Nestled between impressive mountains and clean, breezy beaches, one of the Great Wall’s most important passes just so happens to be where the Wall meets the sea.
Start at the Jiumenkou Great Wall, then turn right ... Read More
Tea Time at the Temple
We love our 2.0, user-generated website. Without it, who knows when we would have found out about TeaTrips? But find out we did and on the last day on May holiday we packed off for a day at Yunju Temple, southwest of Beijing.
Impressed ... Read More
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Middle 8th: The New Sanlitun Village Location Has Creative Zest
By JPDM
I tried the new Middle 8 location last night. We tried to make a reservation... >>