China on your own

More Americans than ever are visiting the world's most populous country, but most of them take organized tours. Carol Pucci visited China recently — but as an independent traveler. Read about her adventures here and watch for her advice about exploring China on your own.

Background on the trip
Reader questions and tips

Posted 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 11
A look at China's future
SHANGHAI — Tuesday, Oct. 11— Considering that less than two decades ago, this was a dreary city filled with state-owned shops stocked with nothing much worth... More »

Posted 10:15 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 12
Good morning, Shanghai!
SHANGHAI — Wednesday, October 12 — If you're the boss at the Ping An Bank around the corner from my hotel, you beat your employees to work for a reason: One of your duties...More »

Posted 11:35 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 13
Eat, speak, shop
SHANGHAI — Thursday, Oct. 13 — We passed on the little fried ducks on a stick for sale in the warren of food stalls around the Yu Gardens Bazaar, but dug into the squares of tofu... More »

Posted 11:45 a.m., Friday, Oct. 14
The Bund and beyond
SHANGHAI — Friday, Oct. 14 — This is my last day in Shanghai and I saved what some might call the best for last. The Bund is Shanghai's most famous site, a curving strip... More »

Posted 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 15
Bush or Clinton?
SHANGHAI TO YANGSHUO — Saturday, Oct. 15 — Thanks to Zheng Zheng Ming, a.k.a. "Jimmy'' to any foreigners he meets, I've added a few more words to my growing Chinese vocabulary... More »

Posted 12 a.m., Monday, Oct. 17
User-friendly Yangshuo
YANGSHUO — Sunday, Oct. 16 — You may not recognize the name of this town, but you've probably seen its most famous attraction. Hardly a book or poster ... More »

Posted 11:55, Tuesday, Oct. 18
China today
YANGSHUO — Several readers have asked questions about women traveling alone, squat toilets and how free people are to speak ... More »

Posted 12:30, Wednesday, Oct. 19
Messing about with boats
YANGSHUO — Wednesday, Oct. 19 — It was 6 a.m. and Li Jenfeng, 39, mother of two and our unofficial travel agent since we've been in Yangshuo, was waiting ... More »

Posted 11:45, Thursday, Oct. 20
Dreaming of a future
YANGSHUO — Thursday, October 20 — Meet Jessie and Patti, both 20, and Danni, 19, three of China's future captains of industry. In town from the their homes ... More »

Posted 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 21
Eating green food with the Yao
ON THE ROAD TO PING AN — Friday, Oct. 21 — Our destination for the night was Ping An, a village of 800 members of the Zhuang community, the largest of China's 55 ... More »

Posted 5:45 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22
A visit to Ping An
PING AN — Saturday, Oct. 22 — I'd read about the steep rice-terrace villages in the hills northwest of Guilin, but nothing prepared me for how my calves ... More »

Posted 12 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 23
Airport ins and outs
GUILIN — So far, I've found China's airports easy to navigate. There are not many signs in English, but announcements are made in English and my husband and I have found ... More »

Posted 12 p.m., Monday, Oct. 24
Meeting the Li family in Lijiang
LIJIANG — Monday, Oct. 24 — It happens at least once on every trip. I know I'll be arriving in a new city late at night so I book a room on a guidebook ... More »

Posted 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 25
Riding in a car with Richard
LIJIANG — Tuesday, Oct. 25 — We were having breakfast in the Prague Cafe in Lijiang's old town when Richard approached us with his business card ... More »

Posted 11: 45 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 27
A Night with the Naxi
THE STONE CITY OF BAOSHAN — Thursday, October 27 — Our adventures with Richard peaked our interest in learning more about village life in the Yunnan countryside, which is how we ended up ... More »

Posted 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27
On to Beijing
LIJIANG — Thursday, October 27 — Our time in the Yunnan province has gone much too quickly. It would be easy to spend two weeks in this ... More »

Posted 12:00 p.m., Monday, Oct. 31
Taken for a ride around Tianamen Square
BEIJING — Friday, Oct. 28 — There's nothing like being ripped off during your first few hours in a city to help you form a bad ... More »

Posted 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29
"Hello, lady. Underwear? Cheaper, cheaper!"
BEIJING — Saturday, Oct. 29 — There are dozens of places to shop in Beijing, and one of the best for bargaining is the four-story Pearl Market ... More »

Posted 10:45 a.m., Monday, Oct. 31
Hiking and biking the Great Wall
BEIJING — Monday, Oct. 31 — One of the things I love about traveling independently is meeting travelers from different countries. There were five nationalities ..." More »

Posted 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1
Honored guests
BEIJING — Tuesday, Nov. 1 — A waitress in a red uniform waved us into the tiny Fu Xen Yuan restaurant off Wangfujing Street in Beijing last night. We sat at a little ..." More »

Carol Pucci will be writing more about her China trip in the Seattle Times' special travel section on Asia on December 11. Watch for that report in the Times, and an opportunity to ask questions during an online Q&A.