The reality of travel is that the unreal has become real.

(Xun Zhou, China) Everyone likes to save money, right? Of course, that’s why American’s invented Walmart and people worldwide flock to Ikea. During my visit to Xun Zhou, I got a pretty good lesson in why those stores are so cheap.

Shot in Xun Zhou, China, the rural fishing village I visited, it’s my version of MTV Cribs: China. See the video What It’s Like To Walk Though A House In A Rural Fishing Village In China.

Located on the southeast coast of China, Xun Zhou is a rural fishing village whose inhabitants make their living farming fish, clams, vegetables and rice. I spent a five days there as a guest of the Zheng family, who graciously invited me to experience life in rural China (and being reported the first American to ever visit the island). See a collection of my photos from the village here.

Shot in a very rural fishing village in China, the team heads out on a mission to buy a duck with no supermarkets in sight. No commentary, no real editing—it’s raw and uncut so you might know “what it’s like” yourself.

The next installation in my ongoing series of “Guest Traveler” posts, written by people I’ve met along the way. This post is from 陈峦 Helen Chen Luan, a Chinese friend of mine who lives in Shanghai. She writes about her trip to Lugu Lake in the Yunnan Province of China.

After an hour by train, five by bus, two by taxi and a short trip aboard a small wooden ferry boat, I stepped onto the beach of the small island of Jin Xua in the south eastern part of China. I was, reportedly, the first American to ever visit the island’s small fishing village of one thousand people, of which exactly none spoke English…