This city is coastal so the pollution does not hang like in the others. It is a great blend of old traditional architecture and super modern chic buildings. The food specialty is dumplings and dim sum. Teahouses with amazing handmade bundles that reanimate into a full flowers when soaked in hot water are sprinkled through the town. In our travels as tourists I would say 2-3 out of 10 service people speak English. There are many tourists here from other ...

5Am. I feel so poisoned right now. My sinuses are trying like hell to purge the unnamed multitude of invaders. My lungs and throat burn. My eyes are gooey. My skin has aged years in a week. My head hurts. I just pieced together by threading some clues that the water made available in the last 2 hotels were bottled locally and are highly suspect. Years of buying organic and slaving over meals to keep my family healthy have been undone here. I spent an ...

We tried to leave the China air but could not deal with the ticket change due to the time difference until midday and had to make an early morning call. The Air Quality Index (AQI) dropped from 1346 to 476 overnight- from hazardous to unhealthy. We cancelled all outdoor activities but suited up with masks and hats to do the terra-cotta warriors. Our research showed it is mostly inside with just quick walks between buildings so felt we should go for it. ...

This place is polluted beyond belief. I am talking eye-burning, throat-scorching, respiratory-arresting, orange-brown-yellow hands after you hold a handrail. They call it Asian Dust also known as yellow dust. They say it is a seasonal meteorological phenomenon that affects east Asia during the springtime months. It originates in the deserts of Mongolia and northern China where winds kick up dense clouds of fine, dry soil particles. It has become a serious p...

Our family, mostly the kids (my husband is a big hit too), have easily posed for 30 pictures with the Chinese tourists from the countryside visiting Beijing. We only assume that is where they are from- we are really not sure. We have been gawked at everywhere we go. The bold ones run up and either ask or just start taking action on obtaining a photo with us. What an interesting opportunity to feel what it is like to be a celebrity. At first it was a little...