Inside a Local Workshop

A meaningful craft encounter is not only about making an object, but also about understanding a maker's time. We write from the road and from Chengdu, paying attention to the rooms, tables, streets and conversations that rarely appear on a first-time itinerary.

If a place stays with you, it is usually because someone opened a door: a guide, a shopkeeper, a cook, or a quiet hour that was not scheduled too tightly. That is the kind of travel we try to keep room for.