China Collection: Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai

We land in Beijing and get settled in the city center—four nights in the same room. Beijing is a city where the last millennium and the next live side-by-side on the same block: a temple with burning incense, and right behind it, a 200-meter-tall glass tower. On the first night, we head to dinner and start with the essentials: jiaozi—the dumplings you eat by the dozen here—soy sauce noodles, and fried tofu. We’ll toast with some baijiu, the local spirit—just one shot, trust me. Tomorrow, the real adventure begins.

We enter through Tiananmen Square, the largest in the world, and pass through the gate under Mao’s portrait. On the other side awaits the Forbidden City: 990 buildings, 500 years of Ming and Qing dynasties, and courtyard after courtyard, each more secluded than the last. For five centuries, commoners couldn't set foot here—hence the name. In the afternoon, we change pace: we’ll hop on rickshaws to explore the hutongs, the narrow alleys of traditional courtyard houses where the real Beijing still lives, with laundry drying and locals playing mahjong on the sidewalk.

Today, it’s the Great Wall, and we’re doing it the right way. Forget Badaling—the spot near the city where busloads of tourists flock. We’re heading to Mutianyu: an hour and a half away, featuring twenty-three restored watchtowers and the wall snaking along the ridge through the woods as far as the eye can see. We’ll take the cable car up so we don’t burn our legs out early, walk the paths with the wind in our hair, and—for those who want to—slide back down on the toboggan run, which is exactly as fun as it sounds. This is our WOW experience, and honestly, there was no other choice.

Visit the Temple of Heaven early—at dawn, the surrounding park comes alive with locals practicing tai chi, dancing, singing opera, and playing badminton. It’s the city at its absolute best, and it doesn’t cost a thing. Next up, the Summer Palace, the imperial residence on Kunming Lake, with its long, painted corridor and that marble boat the empress had built using the navy’s budget. For dinner, it’s time for Peking duck, carved right at your table into eighty-six thin slices, ready to be rolled into a crepe with cucumber and sauce.

Take breakfast slow, then off to the station: we’re hopping on a first-class high-speed train. 1,200 kilometers in just four and a half hours, with the digital speedometer in the carriage hitting over 300 km/h. Outside, watch the real China roll by—the one you won't find in the brochures: endless cultivated plains, cities of two million people you’ve never heard of, power plants, and skyscrapers going up everywhere. Arrival in Xi'an in the afternoon, where we'll be spending the next three nights. Time for a first stroll inside the city walls—yes, they’re still fully intact, all 14 kilometers of the Ming dynasty ramparts.

Back in 1974, a farmer was just digging a well when he stumbled upon a terracotta head. Beneath it lay the army that the first Emperor of China had built to accompany him into the afterlife: eight thousand life-sized soldiers, complete with horses and chariots, standing in battle formation for 2,200 years. The mind-blowing part? They all have unique faces—different features, hairstyles, and expressions—and were originally painted in vivid colors. You’ll explore the three pits and the museum, so set aside a full half-day to soak it all in without rushing.

The walls of Xi'an are wide enough to cycle along—yes, really! It’s a 14km loop with the old city tucked inside and the new one sprawling outside. Just rent a bike and take your time, making sure to stop at the corner towers. In the afternoon, head down to the Muslim quarter, home to the Hui community for 1,300 years since they arrived via the Silk Road. The Great Mosque is built just like a Chinese temple, complete with courtyards and curved roofs, while the market street is a river of lamb skewers, roujiamo, and hand-pulled noodles.

Second train of the trip—six hours in first class heading east. This time, we're not just changing cities, but eras. Shanghai is the China that looks ahead: twenty-six million people, and the Pudong skyline—which was just countryside back in 1990—now boasts three of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. We’re setting up base in the city center for four nights. First order of business? Heading to the Bund that first evening to watch the lights come alive on the other side of the river. On one side, 1930s colonial architecture; on the other, the future. Just two hundred meters of river and eighty years of history separating them.

We start at the Bund by day, strolling past the banks and hotels the British built back when Shanghai was Asia’s richest port. Then, it’s off to Nanjing Road—China’s busiest shopping street. Visit on a Saturday afternoon, and you’ll finally understand what 1.4 billion people actually looks like. In the afternoon, hop on the metro and head up the Shanghai Tower: a 56-second elevator ride takes you to the 102nd floor, 560 meters up, with the city below looking just like a giant printed circuit board.

Today we're taking it slow. The Yu Garden is a 16th-century Ming gem wedged right between skyscrapers: rocks, koi ponds, and zigzagging bridges—built that way because, apparently, evil spirits can only move in straight lines. Right next door, you'll find the city's oldest tea house. In the afternoon, we'll hit the French Concession, with its plane trees and 1920s villas, and then Tianzifang, a maze of alleyways in old shikumen houses packed with studios, shops, and cafes. Evening is free.

An hour from Shanghai lies a 1,600-year-old water village that feels like a different world: Zhujiajiao. Forget streets—here you’ve got canals, 36 stone bridges, and houses perched right on the water with steps leading straight down. Explore it on foot or by rowing boat, grab some braised pork in lotus leaves from the canal-side stalls, and wander through the Kezhi Garden. We’ll head back in the afternoon, and for our final dinner together, we’re hitting up a spot for xiaolongbao—those legendary soup dumplings you eat with a straw.

One last breakfast and then off to Pudong for your flight. Twelve days, three cities, two high-speed trains, and zero nights in transit: you've covered the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, 8,000 terracotta soldiers, a 560-meter skyscraper, a Ming garden, and a water village. China in three bases, without the hassle of packing your suitcase every single night. Zài jiàn — see you later!