Destinations
Eight regions, and why each one earns its days
- Grey brick lane with bicycles leaning against a courtyard wall
Beijing
North China · 3 days
Private days in Beijing's lane houses and courtyards — hands-on studios, a family lunch, and medicine that predates the pharmacy.
- Bamboo chairs and tea bowls under trees in an open-air teahouse
Chengdu
Sichuan Basin · 2 days
Private Chengdu days — a bamboo bicycle through the lanes, teahouse afternoons, and a countryside table an hour from the city.
- Steam rising from bamboo baskets in a Guangzhou dim sum kitchen
Guangzhou
Pearl River Delta · 2 days
Private culinary days in Guangzhou — wet markets, dim sum kitchens, Lingnan courtyards and the river that made the city.
- Silver headdress and embroidered collar on a wooden stand
Guizhou
Southwest China · 3 days
Private Guizhou days with Dong singers and Miao silversmiths — embroidery, polyphonic song, and mountain kitchens far from any coach route.
- Raw silk threads on a wooden loom
Hangzhou
Yangtze Delta · 2 days
Private Hangzhou days — a silk studio and dye workshop, wooded hillsides, monks' vegetarian cooking and a slower kind of afternoon.
- Lane house doorway with laundry poles above a narrow alley
Shanghai
Yangtze Delta · 2 days
Private Shanghai days — a soup dumpling kitchen, morning park life, lane houses, and the river between two centuries.
- Hand-pulled noodles being stretched over a floured counter
Xi'an
Northwest China · 2 days
Private days in Xi'an — a clay studio beside the excavation, hand-pulled noodles in a family kitchen, and Silk Road food after dark.
- Sandstone pillars rising through low cloud
Zhangjiajie
Hunan · 1 day
Private Zhangjiajie days focused on Tujia life and Hunan cooking — the sandstone towers, and the people who have lived among them for centuries.