This article was a bit of milestone for me – the first piece I had published in the print edition of The Guardian newspaper! Despite having had a number of articles published in online publications, there’s something still so cool about your work going out in print. It’s even cooler when your granddad, on the […]
Travel essentials
How to book and travel by high-speed train around China
I was so excited to have my first piece published on The Guardian Travel, especially on a topic I absolutely love – China’s high-speed trains! Visit the link to read the full article on How to book and travel by high-speed train around China. I’ve been focussed on freelance travel writing for just under a […]
The world’s largest (big smiling) Buddha
Xuedou Temple 雪窦寺 near the town of Xikou in Zhejiang is one of the 10 most important Zen temples in the world. It is home to the impressively big, infectiously smiley copper Maitreya Buddha. At 56.74 metres high, he is the world’s largest version of his particular type of Buddha – “big smiling” – and his whole body […]
China’s most epic high-speed rail journeys
One of the things that I love most about living in China, apart from watching the dancing grannies, of course, is being able to use the country’s high-speed rail network. With its sexy, sleek trains, unbelievably punctual departure record (in almost five years, I’ve experienced three delayed trains) and reasonably priced tickets, it’s the best […]
Writing this made me hungry for Chinese street food!
I wrote the Hangzhou entry for the World Atlas of Street food, published in September 2017 by Thames and Hudson Ltd. Hefang Street Market, Hangzhou Hangzhou’s scenic West Lake in eastern China may boast elegant bridges, picture-perfect pagodas and delicate weeping willow trees, but it also has a distinct lack of eating options. So, after […]
These are my travel essentials, what are yours?
It’s the end of an era here, as my faithful Crocs sandals have given up the ghost and snapped at the ankle. Although I can probably get away with wearing them still, they’re not as practical as they once were. I’ve had them almost since I moved to China four-and-a-half years ago and they have […]
Sleeping under yak hair: life with Gansu’s Tibetan nomads
I wrote about my experiences of living with Gansu’s nomads for Lonely Planet, remembering the sights, sounds and smells of the grasslands and the yaks the nomads rely upon. Even though I only spent a short amount of time with them, it was amazing getting to know how people in this area of Gansu live. […]
A spring weekend in Danshan Chisui
This article originally appeared in the February 2015 edition of Ningbo Focus. Spring is just around the corner. Soon the weather will get warmer, the days longer, and trees all around Ningbo will erupt in displays of beautiful blossom. To truly appreciate this seasonal awakening you need to get out of the city and into […]