China

Yunnan Shangri La, China Travel

If you’re searching for the mythical Himalayan Shangri La, akin to what James Hilton described in his novel Lost Paradise, you have to journey up to Zhongdian in northern Yunnan, at the crossroads leading to Sichuan and Tibet. But Zhongdian’s Tibetan-style old town and local market is only part of the highlights of Yunnan. Before

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Beijing Olympics, Tours and Travel

The upcoming Beijing Olympics have run into the billions and even been subsidized by donations from the overseas Chinese. It promises to be a grand spectacle in which wake the government left thousands of local people displaced and countless historic buildings have been destroyed in Beijing’s rush to modernize. “Bird’s Nest,” the stadium that will host

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China’s Urban Explosion, Tranquil Guizhou Villages

With the Beijing Olympics only months away, a massive wave of protests is sweeping the country over government landgrabs (Portfolio.com, January 2008). As hyperurbanization is fueling China’s land disputes, that much more one can appreciate a visit to China’s pastoral villages. Although the Olympic Games are certainly China’s drawing card in the coming summer, one should

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