What are Stories?
Updated 2026-08-15
Question
What's the Stories section on your site?
Stories are long-form, illustrated cultural articles that give depth to the places you visit.
- Open Stories from the navigation to browse the index.
- Collections include 5000 Years (the Great Wall, Dujiangyan, the Grand Canal), China on Film (Crouching Tiger, Farewell My Concubine), Chinese Myths, and Love Stories (the Butterfly Lovers, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl).
- Each story connects to real places you can visit — the Butterfly Lovers' academy in Hangzhou, the cliff where the lovers' tale began, the film locations.
They're free, beautifully illustrated, and pair perfectly with the city guides: the guide covers logistics, the story covers soul.
Tip: Reading the story of a place before you go transforms the trip — try the love stories before visiting Hangzhou or the Great Wall stories before Beijing.