A preliminary 2027 Chinese public holiday calendar, extrapolated from the lunar calendar and recent-year patterns, pending the official State Council notice expected in late 2026.
Guanlan Original Printmaking base Shenzhen
The Guanlan Original Printmaking Base in Longhua: a free artists’ village of restored Hakka houses, lotus ponds, print studios and the China Printmaking Museum, at the end of metro line 4.
Henan in 1 week
We travelled to Henan, central China, and visited several interesting cities and cultural highlights during our 1-week trip. Henan surprised me a lot and the whole family enjoyed the combination of cities, old temples and architecture and mountains. As a bonus: Henan prices are much lower than for example Shenzhen. We travelled from Tuesday 16th…
Shenzhen Attractions and Things to Do
What to do in Shenzhen: Happy Valley, Splendid China, the Diwang Mansion viewpoint, Xianhu Botanical Garden, Dapeng Fortress, Sea World and where to stay.
Shenzhen Shopping Malls: A Guide to the Big Ones
A guide to Shenzhen’s major shopping malls by district – Central Walk, Citic Plaza, MixC, KK Mall, Coco Park, Coastal City and more – with what each is actually useful for.
Exit Entry Permit
Our baby boy Wouter was born in China, but we got him a Dutch passport. According to the Chinese government, he is still a Chinese citizen. We want to visit…
Water bamboo with pork
Water bamboo (also called “wild rice stem”) is a typical Chinese vegetable. It looks like regular bamboo shoots, but then narrower. In fact it’s really the…
Lotus root meatballs
Lotus root meatballs are very simple to make and a nice variation on the typical meatballs found in Western dishes. The lotus root pieces give a nice crunchy…
Winter melon with bacon
Winter melon is a huge vegetable of which you usually buy one very thick slice in the supermarket. In this dish we chop the winter melon into large cubes and…
Tofu with pepper and pork
Tofu with pepper and pork is one of my favorite dishes. It’s quite easy to make and has a nice bite to it. It’s not too spicy, but has very nice flavors. If…