CHINASTORY ATLAS

THE MYTH & HERITAGE · CHINA PULSE

A world worth
looking closer at.

Beautiful stories, ideas and everyday details from China.
Read in two languages. Keep what stays with you.

Explore the readings

Our iPhone app is preparing for release. Read available stories here.

First encounters

Culture with context. A little Chinese along the way.

An imagined moonlit river and a warm window among jade mountains.
AI illustration · artistic interpretation, not a historical reconstruction. ChinaStoryAtlas · created with imagegen

Poetry · 3 min

A moon that feels like home

月光里的故乡

Four lines by Li Bai turn a patch of light into a feeling many travellers know.

An imagined golden butterfly with mountain forms echoing across its wings.
AI illustration · artistic interpretation, not a historical reconstruction. ChinaStoryAtlas · created with imagegen

Ideas & legends · 3 min

Who is dreaming whom?

谁在梦见谁？

A butterfly, a sudden awakening, and a question that refuses to settle.

City life · 2 min

A quieter side of Shanghai

上海的另一种节奏

An official city bulletin lists a water-lily exhibition at Chenshan Botanical Garden through September 20.

A small monkey faces a waterfall and a shadowed cave in an imagined landscape.
AI illustration · artistic interpretation, not historical evidence. ChinaStoryAtlas · imagegen illustration

Classic fiction · 2 min

Before the crown, a leap

称王之前的一跃

In the first chapter of Journey to the West, a waterfall becomes a test of courage—and a promise.

A white-beaked, red-footed mythic bird carries a twig over dark waves.
AI illustration · artistic interpretation, not historical evidence. ChinaStoryAtlas · imagegen illustration

Myths & legends · 2 min

A twig against the sea

衔一枝木，面对大海

A small bird carries wood and stones toward an immense sea. The scale is the point.

A blue-and-white porcelain bowl from The Met, object 17.122.2.
Museum photograph · The Met, object 17.122.2 · Public Domain. The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Van Cheng and Co., 1917 · Public Domain

Heritage & objects · 2 min

Look beneath the blue

青花的蓝，在哪里？

One small porcelain bowl offers a way to look more carefully at material, surface and museum labels.

Imagined sailing vessels cross a jade sea; no precise historical ship design is claimed.
AI illustration · artistic interpretation, not historical evidence. ChinaStoryAtlas · imagegen illustration

History · 2 min

A horizon crossed more than once

一次又一次，驶向远方

Seven voyages between 1405 and 1433: a starting point for a wider maritime history.

Technology · 2 min

Technology has a human side

科技，也是一门手艺

A dated event preview offers a small window onto technical skills and work.

Language & culture · 2 min

A partner for one small thing

一起做件事的“搭子”

An informal word for companionship around an activity, with a clear context.

A SMALLER, MORE THOUGHTFUL ATLAS

Start with a story.
Leave with a connection.

From poetry and philosophical dreams to dated local announcements, every reading carries its sources. Illustrations invite imagination; they do not stand in for historical evidence.