travel
Jilin
20. (Ji'an) Visiting the North Korean border near Ji’an
We follow the Yalu River upstream and spot North Korea’s 6th largest city, Manpo.
19. (Jilin City) The dragon that brings good chi
My husband and I visit Jilin city, a city that is said to be protected by a dragon.
18. (Tonghua) The Cafés of Tonghua
I peer into one café after another in Tonghua, not sure if these are normal cafés or meeting points for prostitutes and their clients.
17. (train journey) A Suitcase Filled With String Beans
A woman joins us on a train journey from Changchun to Shenzhen.
16. (Jilin countryside) Visiting Gugu In Northeast China’s Countryside
A woman joins us on a train journey from Changchun to Shenzhen.
15. (Yanji) “10 Years Ago You Could Buy A North Korean Woman For 2000 Chinese Yuan”
We visit the North Korean border near Yanji.
liaoning
14. (Dalian) “Do you think he’ll catch anything?”
We visit Fisherman’s Wharf in Dalian on a cloudy day in October 2014 and chat with fishermen.
Inner Mongolia
13. (Arxan) “Are foreigners not people?”
We chat with the Mongolian owners of a restaurant located near the Arxan Mountain Range.
12. (Ulan Hot) “sheep here don’t have that smell”
We travel to Inner Mongolia and stop at Ulan Hot for dinner.
xinjiang
11. (Turpan) “A few people get heat stroke every year”
I visit the Gaochang Ruins near Turpan and chat with a woman who takes tourists around the area in a golf cart.
10. (Tuyoq Valley) “The villagers aren’t allowed to build new houses”
I visit an ancient Uighur village which is located on the Flaming Mountains.
9. (train journey) “My pregnant friends completely disappear”
I chat with a woman from Aksu on a train ride to Xinjiang in 2016.
Yunnan
8. (Weixi) “We don’t laugh like that here”
I visit a friend’s hometown in Western Yunnan.
7. (Tiger Leaping Gorge) 9000 Kuai For A Mule
I climb Yunnan province’s Tiger Leaping Gorge and chat with a local.
6. (Tiger Leaping Gorge) “I’m here even when it rains”
I chat with a woman in Yunnan who is selling marijuana at a lonely vegetable stall high up in the mountains.
5. (Shangri-la) “Did you have to use guns frequently?”
I chat with two acquaintances in Shangri-la who have worked as policemen.
4. (Shangri-la) A Starlit Sky And A Nightly Follower
I go to Shangri-la’s grasslands after dinner.
3. (Kunming) A Warm Welcome And A Blazing hot Rooftop Terrace
I’m locked out on a rooftop terrace in Kunming.
Guangxi
2. (Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces) “What are you harvesting?”
I come across a woman working in the rice fields and chat with her.
hong kong
1. (Hong Kong island) Welcome To Congee Wonderland
I fall in love with a congee place in Hong Kong.