Of the Garden Variety

People come to Suzhou, see the famous gardens and inevitably walk away thinking, "Wouldn't it be great to actually stay overnight in one?" At the newly refurbished Garden Hotel Suzhou (Nan Yuan Fandian), you can do exactly that. Spread over half a dozen buildings and ... Read more »

Five Falls Hike

The bamboo clad hills of Zhejiang are what Shanghai-bound expats dream about when sunny Saturdays roll around. But there is much more down there than Moganshan or West Lake. The Five Falls of Shaoxing are one of the delightful gems of the area. And now with the ... Read more »

Temple in the Cloud

The Temple of King Yu, the founder of Chinese civilization, is one of Shaoxing's top draws, but it pales in comparison to Kuaiji Mountain which is located just beside it. It is a strenuous hike up into the clouds, but you'll be rewarded by ... Read more »

Zhejiang | Moganshan

Last time Bohdi ventured to Moganshan for this bike, hike and swim overnighter, David Hasselhoff was the theme. For their Aug. 23-24 overnighter, naturally, the theme is William Shatner. What Captain Kirk has to do with leisurely hikes through bamboo forests and challenging mountain biking on single track ... Read more »

Mission Possible

Xitang is rightly-known as one of Shanghai's most famous water towns, not the least of which is because Tom Cruise beat up bad guys there in the film Mission: Impossible III. It's as quaint as you imagine, with stone-paved sidewalks edging windy little canals. On August ... Read more »

Water Town Idyll

It's not easy to find a good water town anymore, so we were excited to hear about Anchang. Situated in the heel just under Hangzhou Bay, it's just out of the way enough to keep the thronging hordes at bay.

Anchang was once a thriving ... Read more »

Little Suzhou

In keeping with the Weekender's philosophy of going off the beaten path, we give you Mudu, a scaled-down, compacted version of Suzhou with the Mingyue Temple in place of the Hanshan and Yanjia Garden replacing Master of Nets. Our favorite garden, though, is Gusong Garden (Gusong Huayuan ... Read more »

Daoist Tricks

What? You're going to Huangshan and not visiting China's number one scenic mountain? Absolutely. In the high season, the Weekender heads to nearby Qiyun Mountain, one of China's "Big Four" Daoist mountains. No people, no flag-following tour groups, just you and a gentle range of ... Read more »