Mysterious China Blog

China: land of rice paddies and richly decorated temples. A country that has both intrigued and intimidated Westerners for thousands of years, and a country that will draw you in from the moment you step foot on its soil. If ...

Tibet’s capital since the 7th century, Lhasa is an intoxicating introduction to Tibet. The Potala Palace, dominates the city from its site on top of Marpo Hill. The old Tibetan quarter to the east is Lhasa’s most interesting area; its centerpiece is the revered Jokhang Temple. Around it is the ...

Shigatse sits at an elevation of 3,900 m. To its north, the Drolma Ridge rises steeply, topped by the ruins of the ancient Dzongg. Shigatse holds a powerful position in Tibet, and was the capital for a spell during the early 17th century. After Lhasa regained its status. Worth exploring ...

Despite the spine-jarring, four-hour trip off the Friendship Highway – that connects Lhasa to the Nepal border at Zhangmu – the craggy lunar landscape en route to Everest is enchanting. Rongphu is a good place for a stop and ...

In the far west of Xinjiang Province, the Silk Road city of Kashgar lies at the foot of the Pamir mountains, with the Taklamakan Desert to the east. As the meeting point of the northern and southern Silk Roads and the gateway to the West, it was once a place ...

The oasis city of Khotan, or Hetian, was an early center for the spread of Buddhism before Islam arrived in the 9th century. For centuries, the city’s jade, carpets, and silk have been considered the finest in China, and ...

Capital of Xinjiang since the 19th century, Urumqisits amidst beautiful scenery, with the snow-laden Tianshan Mountains to the east. Today a growing metropolis with a population of one million, Urumqiis a modern Chinese city, with designer stores and high-rises. ...

This oasis city on the northern Silk Road lies in the Turpan depression – one of the lowest areas on earth – and is largely a Uighur settlement. The Uighur descended from nomadic Siberian tribes who united in the 7th century and settled in the region in the 9th century. ...

In the far west of Qinghai Province, Golmud is perched at 3,000 m in the forlorn Tibetan plateau. The only sizable city for several hundred miles, it is the second largest city in the Qinghai province after Xining, with ...

A large industrial city and Gansu Province’s capital, Lanzhou has for long been the key transport link between the Chinese heartlands and the Northwest. It was an important stop on the Silk Road at the beginning of the Hexi Corridor, and is thus culturally closer to the Northwest than to ...