EscapeArtistes Blog

Horse trekking Songpan: view over mountains.

In Search of Snow — on Horseback

One of Zā€™s signal complaints ā€“ his desire for a skyline safely sated by China ā€“ over almost two years in the tropics has been...

The Friday Photo: Reflections of New China

China’s cities are big, fast, buzzing, crowded. Wide, choked highways slice through the maze of malls and alleys with brutal efficiency, girdle the city’s heart...

It's Panda Time!

Chengdu is proud of its pandas. Extremely proud. Abstract pandas stand tall in the main square, opposite a gargantuan Chairman Mao and a stone’s throw...

Halloween in China

I wasn’t optimistic about celebrating Halloween in China. Not least because my Halloween track record has been pretty damn abysmal over most of my son’s...

Jade laughing Buddha pendant in Lijiang Old Town, Yunnan, China.

Oh James! I'm Sorry About the Jade!

James is bookish, bespectacled, educated in Kunming and Chiang Mai, a walking encyclopedia of Chinese history and culture. He’s thirty, with a three-year-old son, yet...

Learning Mandarin: Week 4

“If you finish this book,” Sophie reiterates, “You’ll be able to get all around China with no problems.ā€ I wouldn’t have thought it possible when...