Places & Regions
How can three rivers stay apart?
In north-west Yunnan, three great rivers run close together through different deep valleys.
Read the storyPlaces & Regions
Places & Regions
Why do shops hold up the pavement?
Guangzhou's covered arcade streets give a shopfront and a walking route the same roof.
Read the story
Places & Regions
Where is the ground floor in Chongqing?
Steep terrain can make a city's idea of “street level” more complicated than a map suggests.
Read the story
Places & Regions
Why are there streams in the streets?
In Lijiang, water runs through the old town's layout rather than disappearing under it.
Read the story
Places & Regions
Why place a giant Buddha by three rivers?
The Leshan Giant Buddha makes more sense when you look at the cliff and rivers around it.
Read the story
Places & Regions
Why does one island have so many building styles?
Gulangyu's varied buildings record international contact, including an unequal treaty-port history.
Read the story
Places & Regions
A walk through Suzhou’s Humble Administrator’s Garden
Ponds, winding corridors and islands explain how one of Suzhou’s best-known gardens reveals a landscape in stages.
Read the story
Places & Regions
Why build a tower in a village?
Kaiping's towers tell a story about protection and families whose lives crossed oceans.
Read the story
Places & Regions
What would you find in an old port?
Quanzhou's history is a reminder that a port is built from people as much as ships.
Read the story
Places & Regions
What feeds the rice terraces?
The most important part of a famous rice-terrace photo may be the forest above it.
Read the story
Places & Regions
The engineering inside Hangzhou’s West Lake views
Dredging, causeways and named views helped turn West Lake into a landscape where practical water management and design meet.
Read the story
Places & Regions
Can a city have a spine?
The landmarks make the plan less abstract. UNESCO’s listed property includes the Bell and Drum Towers, Jingshan, the Forbidden City and the Temple of…
Read the story
Load more
There’s more to read.
Find your next read
A story you haven’t marked as read yet, chosen just for a little change of pace.
Surprise me