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Read by what draws you in
Eight ways into Chinese culture. Each article answers one real question, and shows you where to see it for yourself.
1 to read · 39 in progress
Newly published · Buildings & evidenceA Landscape Within Walls: Learning to See the Humble Administrator’s GardenSuzhou’s gardens are not large; their art lies in how they are seen. Four places to pause in the Humble Administrator’s Garden — a pavilion of moon gates, a borrowed pagoda, a bridge across the water, a pavilion named for a poem — and how Ming scholars fitted a whole landscape inside a few walls.Start readingAt the table
Tea, breakfast, staples and shared meals — from what people eat to how they eat together.
From Leaf to Cup · In progress
HangzhouDumplings, Dough & Daily Meals · In progress
BeijingSharing a Hotpot · In progress
Chengdu · ChongqingBreakfast & Yum Cha · In progress
Guangzhou · Chengdu · ShanghaiFermentation & Local Flavours · In progress
Qingdao · Shaoxing
Hands & materials
Paper, clay, silk, cloth and ink — how a thing is actually made.
Seeing Calligraphy · In progress
Beijing · Xi'anStories in Paper · In progress
Beijing · ShanxiClay, Glaze & Kiln · In progress
JingdezhenTie-Dye in Zhoucheng · In progress
Zhoucheng, DaliLooking Closely at Embroidery · In progress
Suzhou
Dress & looking
Telling museum pieces from reconstructions and modern wear — and respecting the person in the frame.
Hanfu, Past & Present · In progress
Hangzhou · Xi'an · LuoyangFollowing a Silk Thread · In progress
HangzhouQipao & the Modern City · In progress
ShanghaiReading Patterns · In progress
Beijing · HangzhouPhotographing with Permission · In progress
Many cities
Stage & sound
One gesture, one prop, one sung line — the conventions behind the stage.
Your First Peking Opera · In progress
Beijing · Tianjin · ShanghaiMany Ways to Tell a Story · In progress
Suzhou · Kunshan · GuangzhouListening to Local Voices · In progress
Quanzhou · SuzhouListening to the Guqin · In progress
Hangzhou · Beijing
Buildings & evidence
Palaces, gardens, caves and homes — where to stand and what to look for.
- A Landscape Within Walls: Learning to See the Humble Administrator’s GardenSuzhou’s gardens are not large; their art lies in how they are seen. Four places to pause in the Humble Administrator’s Garden — a pavilion of moon gates, a borrowed pagoda, a bridge across the water, a pavilion named for a poem — and how Ming scholars fitted a whole landscape inside a few walls.
Reading Liangzhu · In progress
HangzhouGates & Courtyards · In progress
BeijingReading a Mogao Mural · In progress
DunhuangBeyond the Wall · In progress
BeijingLiving in a Tulou · In progress
Nanjing & Yongding, Fujian
Streets & daily life
Parks, lanes, markets and old factories — how people live and make things today.
A Morning in the Park · In progress
Beijing · ChengduA Day in a Neighbourhood · In progress
BeijingNew Work in Old Factories · In progress
Shanghai · JingdezhenVoices at a Market · In progress
Guangzhou · DaliA Maker at Work · In progress
Hangzhou · Jingdezhen
Seasons & belief
How festivals are lived, and how to be a good guest in sacred places.
Living the Spring Festival · In progress
Across ChinaDragon Boat Festival · In progress
Hangzhou · GuangzhouMid-Autumn in the City · In progress
Many citiesThe Solar Terms · In progress
Hangzhou · HuangshanVisiting Living Sacred Places · In progress
Quanzhou
Landscapes & exchange
Tea forests, waterways, ports and landscape painting — the people and journeys inside a view.
Tea Forests & Communities · In progress
Jingmai Mountain, Pu'erQuanzhou & Maritime Exchange · In progress
QuanzhouWaterways & City Life · In progress
Hangzhou · Yangzhou · SuzhouBeyond the Panda Portrait · In progress
ChengduLooking through Landscape Art · In progress
Hangzhou · Huangshan · Suzhou