Beijing i

Beijing - the capital of the People's Republic of China.

Shanghai

Is it embarrassing to admit that I didn't know much about Shanghai apart from pan fried pork buns, xiao long baos, the Bund and the fact it is a financial hub?

Terracotta Army

The main drawcard for Xi'an is the famous Terracotta Army.

Xi'an

Xi'an - the capital of Shaanxi province and known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor or the Terracotta Warriors.

I'll be frank. I didn't enjoy my visit to Xi'an.

Giant Pandas

When I was a kid, I watched a Cantonese dubbed movie about a panda cub that was captured by humans, taken to a zoo and then he became depressed and died alone in a zoo. To say that the movie was sad would be an understatement - the final scene where he was remembering his mum (who was killed when he was captured) was utterly heartbreaking. Years later and many obscure Google searches later (i.e. panda movie capture Cantonese) finally led me to the name of the movie -  a 1981 Japanese film called Tao Tao: The Story of Panda.

Chengdu

Chengdu - the capital of Sichuan province and home to the famous giant pandas.

China: Overview

China was a lot different from what I had expected and in a good way! I had heard quite polarising views from people who had previously visited and, admittedly, was a little apprehensive on what to expect.

I'm on holiday!

I am currently on my long-awaited holiday! It has been a long year and - yes I know this is such a privileged thing to say- I am thankful that I am able to take some time off.