fact or fiction

Is it a fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores travel myths to help you avoid making that wrong turn.

No, Jiangxi Xiaochao Has Not Swept Jiangzhehu
I do not know who first coined the phrase “Jiangxi xiaochao has swept Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai.” People repeat it often enough that it sounds true. It is not. Jiangxi xiaochao has not swept Jiangnan, and it has not swept Jiangzhehu, the shorthand for Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. The phrase reads like the work of someone who spent time in Hangzhou, Wenzhou, or Jinhua and mistook a dense local migrant-food scene for a regional trend.
By Jin3 days ago in Wander
I Drove G318 Into Tibet With a Dog, an Oxygen Cylinder, and a Plan I Had to Break
At the Tianquan Service Area, the dog was sprawled on its back in the passenger seat, asleep. I unscrewed a bottle of water and tucked the tire-pressure gauge back into the door pocket. G318 was everywhere: on the walls, on the pillars, at the entrance to the convenience store. Someone was holding up a phone to take pictures. Someone else was squatting beside a car, strapping on snow chains. The gas-station attendant had seen it all before and pointed ahead. “Go inside. Hot water is behind the restrooms.”
By Jin5 days ago in Wander
The Summer I Learned Why I Book a Hotel
When I travel, I book a hotel. Even when money is tight and the room is small, I look for someplace safe and clean where I can close the door. Travel already costs money and energy. The room is not an afterthought. It decides whether I come back at night and exhale or brace myself.
By Jin10 days ago in Wander
America Is Not a Heaven or a Hell: What the Real Distribution of Everyday Life Looks Like
American everyday life is often described in two opposite ways. One description is warm: neighbors help each other, prices are low, children learn happily, strangers smile, the subway is full of people reading books, and the social safety net catches those who fall. This is the Yilin -style story. It reads like a travel brochure for modern civilization.
By Jin11 days ago in Wander
I Grew Up in Nanjing and Still Get Lost. That’s How I Found It.
You grew up in Nanjing and still get lost there. That used to be annoying. Now it gives you a reason to wander. You have already been to Ganxi, Mendong, and Jiming Temple. Those places are fine. They are also crowded, polished, and easy to see in one afternoon. What you want now is the rest of Nanjing: small streets, outer districts, coffee, duck fat, and wrong turns.
By Jin13 days ago in Wander
Why I Don’t Post My Travel Photos on WeChat Moments Anymore
A friend called and asked why I hadn’t posted anything on Douyin after National Day. He said he was waiting to see the photos. I was at my computer, revising a Zhihu answer. A little dust sat on the keyboard cover. I told him I had put a few in my album. If he wanted, I would send them privately. He laughed. “You’re so low-key now.” I said it wasn’t about being low-key. I just couldn’t bring myself to post.
By Jin14 days ago in Wander
The Hong Kong Place I’ve Never Visited but See Every Time I Remember
Tsim Sha Tsui: A Transparent Film Only I Can See It was a Sunday afternoon. I spent one yuan on a ticket to a video hall. I did it without telling anyone. The poster by the entrance said that day’s screenings were Police Story and Project A , starring Jackie Chan. I had never been inside a place like that. It was dark. My eyes could not adjust. I could not see the seats, the walls, or the people around me. The only thing I could see was the television: Jackie Chan sliding down a steel pole from the upper floor of a shopping mall, sparks flying, fire and lightning everywhere.
By Jin14 days ago in Wander
The Double-Decker Airplane Seat Is a Horror Story in Disguise
The airplane seats in the video look like drawers stacked on top of one another. The demonstrator bends down, climbs into the lower level, slides a suitcase under his feet, then lifts a hand and points to the row above. The camera pulls back. Two levels, neat and orderly, like shelves in a warehouse waiting for trucks. The title says “new design,” and the voice sounds confident about the future. The most striking thing in the frame is not the seat. It is the shape of a human being folded to fit.
By Jin16 days ago in Wander
The Tiger Did Nothing Wrong. A Man Is Dead. The Internet Can’t Agree on What That Means.
On Sunday morning at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, the car park was empty. The turnstiles were dark. The gift shop shutter was down. Wind moved across the grass and lifted a few wet leaflets. The leaflets showed Altai, a Siberian tiger, paler than most visitors remembered. He lay on his side, front paws on a piece of wood, eyes half-closed. He looked like a cat enlarged a hundred times.
By Jin16 days ago in Wander
The Night Shibuya Hired an African Guard to Patrol Its Streets
On an October night in 2026, neon lights smeared the wet asphalt of Shibuya Center-gai into a blur of red. The crowd moved slowly. Some people held up phones. Others stood by the roadside with beer cans. A video that would later be replayed again and again was filmed here. Several security guards in dark blue uniforms surrounded a group of young people. One guard, a man of African descent, reached out and took hold of another man's arm. He tried to pull him away from the crowd. The man being held was a head shorter. He was saying something, his body pulling backward. The guard did not let go. Another guard raised both hands in a calming gesture. The camera shook. Someone shouted something that could not be made out.
By Jin16 days ago in Wander
The Biggest Obstacle to Chinese People Speaking English Is Other Chinese People
At an international conference, during a coffee break, a Chinese delegate asks a question in English. The grammar is not perfect. The th sound is not interdental. Some past-tense verb is missing its -ed . But the other side understands. The question is clear. The exchange moves smoothly.
By Jin18 days ago in Wander
China’s 5A Rating Is a Crown That Doesn’t Always Fit
A 5A rating measures toilets, not clouds. Parking lots, not stars. Visitor centers, not history. When I pick a place to visit, I check three lists: the 5A list, the World Heritage list, and “The Most Beautiful Places in China.” Each list measures something different. 5A sets a floor for facilities. World Heritage sets a ceiling for cultural and natural value. “Most Beautiful” sets a ceiling for visual appeal.
By Jin20 days ago in Wander