The Great Wall of China in late fall

If you travel far enough, you can escape most tourists

Once built as borders to defend enemy attacks, it now tries to block off the smog

First built in 220 B.C., it was since refurbished many times. Especially near Beijing

Once the political centre of an empire, it now slowly hides in smog

Many parts of the Forbidden City are now open for tourists

Just one of many thrones in the Forbidden City

A door in the old part of town, found in Beijing

Food is the center of Chinese life. How could it not be with such cozy restaurants?

The food street in Beijing has a very high density of restaurants. In the evening, it can get very crowded

It can get colder than -20 °C in Beijing, so snowfall should not be a surprise in late fall

West Lake in the morning

A stone lamp in a lake that is lit after sundown

For a small fee this boater will take you to the middle of West Lake, Hangzhou

Hangzhou is perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Of course such rich flora needs a lot of rain

There are but few insects in the cities. But once you get to the more rural parts, you can discover plenty animals and insects

Hangzhou features amazing architecture from the Tang dynasty. A style that impressed Japanese, too

Blue sky is mirrored in a quiet part of the river

An old private boat that hasn't been used in a while

In parks you will find many people practicing Tai Chi, dance or rarely even self-defense. But not everybody knows kung fu fighting

An evening shot of West Lake, Hangzhou

The amazing part is not that the old man is still fit enough to do a header, but that he dives into a spring in the middle of Jinan, surrounded by houses

A group of geese conquered a floating piece of wood and they seem determinant to protect it

Jinan is also called the Spring City for its many artesian springs

In the middle of a small island I was impressed to find a such detailed little temple

An old boat is docked before the storm comes

I found a group of men playing volleyball at the beach in Qingdao. All of them had impressive tattoos on their back

Qingdao was introduced to me as China's most liveable city. The air quality is amazing, food is diverse and the beer is easily the best in the country

Of you go to China, you have to go see a panda, the nation's mascot. Even if it's only in a zoo

A cat that does not seem to have a master decides to go looking for food on its own