Xi'an was wet and miserable when we got here, but has cheered up since then. Nothing much to report except for the Terracotta Warriors which were predictably a highlight. It is one thing to read about them, and understand how many of them there are (4,000) and how old they are (more than 2,000 years) … Continue reading The China Logs: Xi’an

More Chinglish For You Fans Out There Sign outside bar in Xi'an: "Sunny Half Past And Friend Changing Club" (any ideas, anyone? We have a few...) At Terracotta Warriors complex: "Fire Exting Atcher Box" (you can guess this one) Enormous billboard in Xi'an advertising something I didn't understand: "You can't along with eagle to fly, … Continue reading The China Logs: Chinglish 2

Well it's been all up and down since the Great Wall, and we have clocked up quite a few miles too. I am writing from sunny Xi'an (not! It's been raining for 24 hours now) which is about 1,200km south-west of Beijing. I thought it might be a bit warmer here, and it's certainly not … Continue reading The China Logs: Chengde

We hiked the Great Wall a few days ago. The plan was to be dropped off about 11okm north-east of Beijing at the Jinshanling entranceto the Wall, and hike the 10km or so to the Simatai Great Wall portion. Sounds interesting: the Lonely Planet said it was not for the faint-hearted, but would take about … Continue reading The China Logs: The Great Wall