LIJIANG, CHINA - Daylight is fading when we set out in the direction of the Tea Horse Road — southern China’s version of the Silk Road — which is just outside this renowned UNESCO World Heritage city.

LOUYANG, CHINA - While walking along this ancient city’s lovely riverbank, admiring the legendary Longmen Grottoes along with the wide-eyed Korean and Japanese tourists surrounding me, I suddenly realize I am a stranger in this land of my ancestors’ birth.

BEIJING - The iPod plugged into my ear was playing David Bowie’s China Girl as I stepped aboard the Hainan Airlines flight at Pearson International Airport that was taking me back to my China roots.

BEIJING - When my Dad announced that our 2011 family summer vacation would be spent in China, I started packing — weeks in advance.