Movies Set in China: The Reel Guide

movies set in China - the Painted Veil

Whether you’re planning a trip to China or maybe on the fence about whether you should go there or not, seeing this colourful, historic and incredibly scenic country on screen is bound to inspire you. You’ll see amazing scenery and gravity defying martial arts, but thankfully with this list the language barrier won’t be a problem, … Read more

Yubeng, China: More of a Paradise than Shangri-La!

Upper Yubeng Village in Yunnan, China

There’s a tiny Tibetan village in Northern Yunnan that might just be the most stunning place in Asia. Snow covered peaks surround lush green valleys filled with birds, butterflies, flowers and prayer flags. This village isn’t Shangri-La, instead that name (in 2001) went to a dusty, traffic filled Chinese city surrounded by barren hills. Whoever oversaw … Read more

Tiger Leaping Gorge: The Trek of the Titans

The Tiger Leaping Gorge trek in Yunnan, China

It’s hard to appreciate an amazing view when you’re gasping for air. The 28 bends is the most notorious section of the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek, one of China’s top multi-day hikes. I thought I’d struggled around at least 15 bends when I saw a depressing red 1 painted on a rock – it had just began … Read more

Dali Old Town: A Backpacker Paradise in China

A Photo from the reflection pool of The Three Pagodas in Dali Old Town, Yunnan, China

From outside my window I could hear a covers band murdering an Arctic Monkeys song, I could see 4 western style restaurants, and every conversation I had with the staff at my guesthouse was fully understood in perfect English. Is Dali Old Town still in China, or had I travelled through a wormhole back to … Read more

The Amazing Stone Forest in Yunnan, China

A great view of the vastness of the Stone Forest in Yunnan, China

Nothing is easy in China. A quick internet search told me the Stone Forest, or Shilin, was 100km away from Kunming, where I’d arrived the day before to start my month in China. So, off I went to see this mystical karst landscape. 3 buses and 4 hours later I finally arrived, slightly bitter that it … Read more