Going to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and either Shenzhen or Macau in the

Food: Guabao, Rice dumplings Pineapple Cakes, Milk Tea in TW

Military History: Kinmen or Matsu islands

Attractions: Alishan , Taroko Gorge

Overrated: Sun Moon Lake , Taipei 101 in TW, Tai Ao in HK

Underrated: Chi Lin Nunnery in HK

Jiufen: If you're expecting more than a quaint seaside village, the Jiufen is going to disappoint. If you are looking for a quiet little getaway from Taipei for a few hours, then Jiufen is quite nice. The mask shop there is still one of the most interesting places I've ever been to.

I don't think any of the attractions in Taiwan are really all that exciting. Jiufen is meh, 101 is just a big building, Sun Moon Lake is pretty but swarming with tourists. Maybe the Royal Palace Museum if you're into history, their collection is pretty unreal. Honestly, I had more fun dicking around the night markets or wandering off to random little spots on a scooter than I did with any of the big attractions.

>>1272643
For Taiwan:

Night markets are absolute must for Taipei, plan your travel to hit at least two or three big ones, food options are amazing and affordable.

Jiufen was crowded as fuck last time I went and the traffic is insanity on weekends. Definitely plan on making a day of it if you go. Nearby gold museum is worth a trip if you're in the area. If anything it's fun for architecture.

I spent three days on Lyudao island off the southeast coast and wish I had spent more time there. You get to scooter all over the island, there are plenty of spots for swimming, nice little restaurants in town... The whole place was destroyed by a massive typhoon literally a week before my arrival (literally the hotel I chose was missing half the building) and even with stripped trees and dilapidated infrastructure it was still one of the prettiest most memorable experiences I've ever had travelling. Super fun~

Hong Kong has a great variety of cuisines available, but I really recommend a visit to Temple Street for dinner and a light lunch at Mak's Noodle (nearby Temple Street) at Kowloon. Or you could even just go restaurant-hopping at SoHo.
The museums are fun and interactive but they do not have much to offer in terms of HK history.

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>>1272864
Gotta disagree with you there.

The Colonial shit at Tamsui and Tainan excellent and presented in an interesting and thoughtful way (as opposed to the mainland and, unfortunately, in certain Hong Kong venues where the descriptions of events have more to do with promoting the interests/worldview of the communists than actual history). Xiangshan and the surrounding trails in Taipei is extremely good hiking given how convenient it is for a big city. (Not many other places you can hop off a city subway and be hiking up a natural jungle mountainside within 15 minutes!)

Not been to Jiufen yet... seems like it's one of those places that is being ruined by tourist overcrowding. I'll go to check it out and to say I've done it but I don't plan to spend the night there.

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>>1272892
I'm actually going to be doing an overnight in Hong Kong very soon. I wanted to visit the Big Buddha on Lantau but I don't get in until 8pm and my flight departs at noon the following day... If I was willing to stay up all night, what is there to do for an overnight in Hong Kong? Specifically I'm interested in outdoor activities (hiking/ birdwatching/ I'm happy to sleep in the bushes overnight), unique nightlife/bars/clubs, historical sites, and Buddhist or Taoist temples/monasteries that are open 24 hours. What would you do if you could only stay for a night? (Pic unrelated)

Any recommendations for night markets in major cities?

Also still don't know if I should pick Macau or Shenzhen.

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>>1272903
Was just in Macau, pic related. Peculiar place, really. Full to the brim of mainland tourists acting right at home (i.e. yelling at each other and surreptitiously taking photos of laowais), and lots of Philippinos working in hotels, restaurants and the airport. The history of Macau is very interesting. Some excellent museums. Went to the Lin Zexu one as well as the more obvious Macau Museum. St Paul's facade is worth a look. Worth a couple of days, I reckon.

Didn't bother gambling. I hear it's a good place to do it if you're in to that. No judgements!

As for Shenzhen, I hear it's a great city for partying or making fast money. Can't imagine it's good for much else but maybe I'm wrong.

>night markets
I've been to a few in Taiwan and I honestly don't see what the fuss is about. If you like eating mystery meat in crowds or buying cheap clothes and new covers for your iPhone, then I guess it's great.

Anyone wanna suggest whereabouts on Kinmen Island I should book a hotel? I guess walking distance to the best museum(s) would be ideal.

...and what about taxis on Kinmen? Can I get them relatively easily? I don't plan to stay there too long and don't wanna take up huge chunks of the day figuring out and riding buses.

>>1272895
>I'm happy to sleep in the bushes overnight
Don't you ever come up this thought in the summer of Hong kong LOL, the weather is either hitting 35-40℃ or rain heavily or typhoon if you're lucky enough, not to mention the mosquito will definitely drive you crazy. Get yourself a room with AC.

And as I know, most temple close before 10pm.

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Mask museum in Jiufen is awesome. Pretty awesome place for a day trip.

When you're in Hong Kong, go to Tim Ho Wan - it's a small chain of dim sum places that are some of the cheapest Michelin-star rated restaurants in the world, and their BBQ pork buns are to die for.

>Shenzhen or Macau
it depends on your interest - the only reasons I could see anyone going to Shenzhen for a day is to either buy cheap things, or if you're into tech check out Huaqiangbei (the largest electronics market in the world). Since most of the people who live in Shenzhen are transplants from elsewhere in China you could probably have some other types of Chinese food if you wanted.

For actual tourist sites check out Macau, there's the Portuguese fort to see, the facade of St. John's cathedral, and walking through the casinos is kinda interesting even if you're not planning to gamble. Macanese food is pretty nice, personally unless I was gambling I wouldn't stay in Macau for more than a day but just for a side trip it's perfectly fine.

Also if it makes any difference you have to take a somewhat expensive ferry to Macau (like 50 USD round trip) while you can take the MTR (Hong Kong metro) straight to the Hong Kong/Shenzhen border.

>>1272894
IMO staying overnight in Jiufen is pretty much essential for having an enjoyable time. 95% of tourists just do it as a day trip from Taipei so once it hits about the pm the whole town is literally deserted. That's when I felt it changed from a shitty tourist destination full of package mainland tourists to really magical.

>>1273838
I spoke to a girl and she said that. Later turned out she owns a guesthouse there so... kind of a vested interest.

I believe it probably does look nice at night but it looked nice enough in the day, I saw some cool stuff and I'd have got bored there on my own in the evening I think.

>>1272895
lantau is a tourist trap

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>>1272903
Shenzhen has the oil painting village if that interests you, google will fill you in but its basically what it sounds like with lots of oil paintings.
Shenzhen is also a good place to get a massage, all of the HKers go to Shenzhen for massage because it is cheaper and the shopping is decent there.

I haven't been to Macau.

I'm going to HK in a few weeks, here's a few culinary suggestions I have had passed on;
Yung Kee Restaurant - They specialize in roast goose, according to some the best in HK.
Atum Desserant - looks like an interesting dessert restaurant that was recommended to me.
Tim Ho Wan - Dim sum restaurant, Michelin star and very affordable but long lines to get in.
Chi Lin restaurant - Apparently a very good vegetarian restaurant.
Other things to try would be Egg waffles (street food), Hong Kong style french toast, Cantonese roast goose or duck, fish balls on a stick (street food) and plenty more I am probably forgetting.

>>1274135
Wanna suggest an alternative and maybe qualify that? It looks like the best area for hiking~ on such a short trip

>>1274597
wanna shut the fuck and stop being a smartass?

Lantau is shit, yeah the hike is alright but what's on top doesn't quite make up for the walk.
If want selfie stick waving Chinks in front of a tacky big buddha then go ahead.
Or maybe check out that 4D cinema they have there. It's a shitty theme park.

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Just got back from Kinmen.

Pretty awesome place.

Make sure to brush up on your Mandarin before you go though, anons (or have a Chinese speaker in your group).

>>1276036
Did you visit the Kinemn Gaoliang Distillery? I know they have guided tours for the mainlanders visiting via the Xiamen Ferry.

Last time I was there in 2011 and thanks to two cousins and an uncle who all worked at the distillery, I had possibly the longest blackout episode in my life so far.

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>>1276414
>Did you visit the Kinemn Gaoliang Distillery?
Nope. Maybe I'll save that for next time.

Was surprised by how much there is to see and do on that little island to be honest; beaches, hiking, plenty of cool war museums, wind lion hunting, etc...

>>1272905
>Shenzen is good ffor making quick cash
Hmm how?

Totally agree abould night markets, I don't know why they excite real travelers so much.

I'm planning on visiting HK late September, I want to spend a night or tow in one of those vast tacky casino hotels on Macau, is it worth it?

>>1277304
>Hmm how?
Well to be honest, those days are probably gone now. Been a few years since I was in the mainland. But you can see that China's economy is slowing down and beginning to stagnate now. Too much corruption, too much credit expansion, too much wasted investment.

But during the era of social mobility of the 80s and 90s, it was a place where a lot of smart ambitious young Chinese from the interior or small towns went to try to get ahead - Beijing and Shanghai had established structures in control of everything that looked down on the provincials. But Shenzhen was being built from nothing so you had a better chance of getting ahead without some local guy taking advantage of his connections to steal everything from you. In that environment there was a lot of money being made and entrepreneurial stuff you could get in on.

I remember dating a girl from the country. She had lived in Shenzhen and moved to Beijing - and absolutely hated it there. She moved back to SZ in the end.