The High Road to China (The Drew Carey Show)

Filming took place at several ancient landmarks, including the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.

"The High Road to China" was seen by an estimated 11.2 million viewers, finishing inside the top 20 in the ratings for the week of November 16–22, 1998.

A Newsweek reporter thought the episode had "a bizarre plot twist", while Paul Brownfield from the Los Angeles Times called it "outlandish".

Drew manages to gets a ride into the nearest village, where he meets Ming (Lin Liu), a young woman who speaks English.

After Drew sings a McDonald's jingle, the manager takes pity on him and gives him the phone number of their customer service line and offers to buy him some food.

[2] While thinking of "remote and outlandish" countries for Drew to wake up in, director Gerry Cohen believed China was ideal as it was far away from the United States.

[6] The plot sees Drew (Carey) stranded in China without money or his passport, as part of a practical joke executed by his office enemy Mimi Bobeck (Kathy Kinney).

[5] Carey regretted not visiting China before the script was written, as it caused problems during the filming of the village scenes in the Hubei province.

[5] While filming the final scene of the episode, Carey laid down on a stone carving at the Temple of Heaven, causing the Chinese police to halt the shoot and issue him with a fine.

[2] In its original broadcast, "The High Road to China" finished 15th in the ratings for the week of November 16–22, 1998, tied with the CBS program JAG.

[9] Norman Chad from the same publication compared Carey's appearance in China to the Atlanta Falcons making the Super Bowl, saying "It is a statistical and sociocultural improbability.

"[10] The Florida Times-Union's Nancy McAlister opined that sweeps week "brings out the absurd and the hyperbolic", and wrote "The Drew Carey Show takes a road trip to China for some inexplicable reason for a frothy sitcom.

"[11] Paul Brownfield from the Los Angeles Times branded the episode "outlandish",[1] while a Newsweek writer thought it was "a bizarre plot twist".

[4] A Beaver County Times reporter observed that "Mimi's scheming against Drew reaches an all-time high" during the episode and also named it as a highlight of the day.