Culture
Chinese festivals: what to experience and how to plan
Understand Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and other seasonal celebrations, then plan transport and local experiences around the official holiday calendar.
5 min read
EXPLORE / Culture
Understand a little. Notice more.
Tea, festivals and everyday customs: approachable introductions to living traditions, with room for regional differences.
Culture
Dining in China: table manners and phrases you can use
Order with confidence, share dishes thoughtfully, and keep a few clear Mandarin phrases handy for menus, portions, serving chopsticks, and the bill.
5 min read
Photo: Pixelflake · CC BY-SA 3.0Culture
Visit the Palace Museum: Passport Booking, Gates and a Meaningful Route
Plan a foreign-passport visit to Beijing's Forbidden City and learn to read its ceremonial courts, changing palace functions and museum choices.
7 min read
Culture
A Respectful Beijing Hutong Walk: Courtyards, Streets and Everyday Life
Choose a compact Shichahai or Wudaoying walk, understand courtyard streets and enjoy Beijing's hutongs while respecting the people who live there.
6 min read
Photo: xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0Culture
Temple of Heaven Walk: Read the Buildings and Buy the Right Ticket
Understand the Hall of Prayer, Imperial Vault and Circular Mound through a coherent Beijing walk, with passport entry and park-versus-combo ticket guidance.
7 min read
Culture
The Chinese Calendar: What Travellers Need to Know
Understand lunar dates, leap months and solar terms, convert a festival date for the correct year, and distinguish the calendar from holidays and event schedules.
5 min read
Photo: Tyg728 · CC BY-SA 4.0Culture
Visiting Chinese Temples: Etiquette and Architecture
Recognise different kinds of sacred and ritual sites, read a temple through its spaces, and visit respectfully without assuming one rule applies everywhere.
5 min read
Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0Culture
How to Enjoy a Chinese Garden: A Suzhou Starting Guide
Read paths, framed views, rocks, water and buildings in a classical garden, then plan a focused Suzhou visit without trying to collect every famous site.
5 min read
Culture
Your First Chinese Opera: Choose, Watch and Understand
Choose a suitable Chinese opera performance, check its language and format, follow a synopsis, and notice how voice, movement, costume and music work together.
5 min read
Culture
Chinese Ceramics: A Museum Guide for Curious Beginners
Read ceramic objects through form, surface, use and exchange, plan a Shanghai Museum East visit, and distinguish a museum's collection from its current displays.
5 min read
Culture
Use UNESCO Heritage to Plan a Better China Trip
Read why a place is protected, distinguish a serial property's components, and turn UNESCO research into a practical visit with current local access checks.
5 min read
Culture
Chengdu Teahouses: Choose a Place, Order Tea and Settle In
Compare a park teahouse, a living heritage visit and a performance venue in Chengdu, with clear questions about tea, seating, refills and optional services.
7 min read