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Whether you decide to buy one off the rack or get a custom-made qipao (recommended), these figure-hugging dresses are arguably the most iconic fashion piece for females around China, and sexy to boot. If you opt to visit a tailor (which I really suggest that you do!), the selection of fabrics and details will ensure you’ll be able to customize your dress to fit your body and your style. Now, that’s a great souvenir.

The chance to try Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s first Pan-Asian restaurant is what brings most people to this Disney Springs spot, which opened in 2015. The menu blends flavors from China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia, while the decor impresses with a glass staircase, sparkling chandeliers, and a 270-foot-long bar. This is the kind of restaurant where sharing plates makes for the most satisfying meal, so come with a group and cover your table with Peking duck, sushi and sashimi, shumai dumplings, pad Thai noodles, and more. Just be sure to save room for the revelatory desserts, which range from Oreo tempura to house-made churros.

Nestled in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, this small yet exceptionally powerful museum is the first in the US to directly address human rights abuses in China. Founded by former political prisoner and dissident Harry Wu, the museum specifically exposes the “Laogai,” the name of the vast and repressive system of forced labor prisons which has resulted in countless deaths of those opposed to China’s Communist regime. In addition, it continues to highlight other abuses, including public executions, organ harvesting, coercive enforcement of the one-child policy, and the government’s curtailment of expression of freedom on the internet. Keep in mind that the images, videos, artifacts, articles, and captions are graphic and can be disturbing.

Most people in the city know The Battery as an exclusive social club, but did you know it also houses a 14-suite, boutique hotel, open to members and non-members alike? Featuring a maximalist decor that channels the many sides of San Francisco—be it Chinatown inspired motifs on the curtains or beams from the old ships that used to dock in this location (this area was once water)—the hotel will remind you where you are at every twist and turn. Rooms are spacious, comfortable, and impeccably designed.

With Shanghai’s sprawling metro system, this suburb is now a few short stops from downtown. Why would you want to make the trek out to Nanxiang? Well, among other reasons, it’s the home of xiaolongbao…those marvelous little soup filled pockets of goodness. Go for the dumplings, but stay and check out the quaint little village, their local museum (which is new and quite well done) as well as the gardens. The town makes a welcome respite from the bustle of the city and if you’re coming to China to eat some “authentic” cuisine, it doesn’t get more authentic than going straight to the source of China’s infamous dumpling. How to get there: take Line 11 to Nanxiang and then walk down Huyi Gong Lu for approx 10 minutes (or jump in a taxi) and head towards Guyi Garden.

The first Smithsonian affiliate in the Northwest, this superb museum chronicles the Asian Pacific American Experience. Among its most poignant exhibits is the Letter Cloud installation: old hotel walls frame tales of aging far away from home. It also offers walking tours of the surrounding International District, including Touch Of Chinatown, which visits the elegant Kobo gallery and Uwajimaya, one of America’s largest Asian grocery and gift stores. Stop into the nearby Panama Hotel, home to a teahouse and the nation’s only intact sentō (Japanese public bathhouse). Lockers and marble baths still stand in the basement, which harbored the belongings of Seattle’s 7,050 Japanese-American residents imprisoned in WWII internment camps—the basis for Jamie Ford’s best-selling novel Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet.

Dining at Made in China at the Grand Hyatt is expensive, but the staff creates an excellent experience. Open kitchens allow you to catch a glimpse of the Peking ducks roasting in ovens over fruitwood-fueled fires. I always order the dumplings. —Fuchsia Dunlop This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Founded in 2004, this exquisite Chinatown boutique sells unique jewelry pieces designed by Cindy Yokoyama. “I started as a painter and fell in love with abstraction,” she says. “Many of my pieces still reflect elements of this, including asymmetry.” She also plays with order and chaos, and mixes urban elements with natural organic ones beautifully. Expect seeds and shells mixed among metallics... and the azure hues of Hawai‘i’s sea and lush greens of its slopes. Of special note: earring sets where two teardrops complement each other, rather than matching—showcasing stones like lapis lazuli, fossilized coral, and bumble bee jasper.

Craft cocktails and modern Asian cuisine reign at this hip noodle bar in Honolulu‘s Chinatown. Dig into a bowl of ramen, garnished with sesame seeds, green onion, ginger, a soft egg, and wakame (dried seaweed). From there, things get lively with additions like oxtail won tons and togarashi shrimp with housemade kimchi. Other standouts include lamb lumpia and pork belly bao (buns). Adventurous eaters should try the uni gnocchi—made with creamy urchin gonads—enhanced by leeks, tomatoes, and butter cream sauce. A popular late-night stop, Lucky Belly serves its full menu until 12 a.m. every night except Sunday. Its takeout window serves specials—announced via @_dawindow on Instagram—until 2 a.m., Thursday to Saturday.

The Forbidden City is not so forbidden any longer...based on the thousands and thousands of people there visiting it! I love the huge city, however it’s a hard sight to visit because of all of the people, the massive space to cover (178 Acres), and the lack of trees! I was absolutely exhausted after our 3 hours there. It consists of 90 palaces and courtyards, 980 buildings and 8,704 rooms. And I had to work really hard to find a few hidden spots to take pictures with very few people in them. And of course it was those quiet areas that were my favorite.

My advice for avoiding the crowds is to head to the Palace Museum. You can see ancient treasures of the dynasty - or you can simply enjoy the quiet gardens and less people!

One block west of the Bund you can find the Rockbund Art Museum, housed in Shanghai’s former Royal Asiatic Society building (1932). Like many of the grande dame Bund buildings, RAS was dreamt up by British design firm Palmer and Turner and done to the nines in art deco style. The museum hosts its share of heavy hitters from the contemporary art world, such as Zhang Huan, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Rockbund is small but charming, especially the tranquil top-floor café and lounge, which give way to a small terrace overlooking the Pudong skyline.

In the 8th arrondissement of Paris, just down the street from the Parc Monceau, is this unexpected piece of...China? On a corner of the Place du Pérou, this ‘pagoda’ has been a landmark in this part of the French capital for decades. Ching Tsai Loo, a Chinese art collector and dealer, transformed this 17th-c. building into a pseudo-Asian landmark in the 1920’s. Paris is a world unto itself...

Big baggy aloha shirts—that could double as canoe sails—goodbye. Instead head to this Chinatown boutique, featuring the sharp, tapered designs of the eponymous Roberta Oaks. She draws on her hippie, farmhouse childhood and mid-century modern Hawai‘ian flair to create prints, which she then combines with a more fitted and form-flattering modern silhouette. These fabrics also take a star turn on graceful day dresses and even doggie bandanas. Open since 2009, this alluring boutique goes beyond attire, selling jewelry, candles, surf photography, and scents like Sándalo (a moody meditation on the islands’ vulcanism with ash, patchouli, and Royal Hawai‘ian sandalwood).

• Neighborhood: Sentosa Island
• Why we love it: A secluded off-mainland retreat with mahjong and feng shui lessons
• From $1,180

Refreshed in 2021 by Hong Kong designer André Fu, the 112-room Capella Singapore plays up its idyllic beachfront setting. The stylish, ultra-comfortable rooms have a palette of soothing sand, sage, and mineral gray and come with deep soaking tubs and window lounges that frame green jungle foliage.

Beyond the striking design, standout amenities include a three-tier infinity pool and an award-winning art collection (there are more than 900 pieces on-site). Also notable is the Capella’s Culturalist activity calendar, which offers lively mahjong lessons, farm-to-table cooking classes, and a sidecar tour with a feng shui master who explains how the ancient Chinese philosophy influenced the placement of Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands and the mystical Merlion statue.

Delhi Darbar is an excellent Indian restaurant in Xi’an. I usually order palak paneer and malai kofta when trying a new Indian restaurant, because unlike curries, it’s really hard to make these without fresh ingredients. (In China, you either need to make your own paneer or serve something with shelf-stable cheese in it.) The dishes were perhaps a bit bland and safe, but they unambiguously passed the quality test. We also had some veggie raita and garlic naan, both of which were highly delicious. We knew this place was legit when we asked for some pickles and they brought us a half-full jar of imported spicy Indian pickles.