Off-the-wall journeys

The Great Wall is, well, great. And armies of travelers conquer the Terracotta Warriors for good reason. But brisk tourism development has conjured some peculiar contemporary Chinese destinations. Erik Nilsson and Xing Yi take outlandish journeys to the Middle Kingdom's fringe attractions.

Watch people thrust their heads into crocodiles' jaws?

Visit a giant-salamander "biotech" museum? See parrots lift weights with their beaks? Feed live cows to Siberian tigers?