Attractions
Chengdu Giant Panda Base
Chengdu, Sichuan
A research and breeding centre for giant pandas in a large bamboo park in Chengdu, where you can see adult pandas, cubs and red pandas.
Travel tips in China
Natural features
Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Suzhou, Jiangsu
Suzhou's classical gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are miniature landscapes of ponds, rocks, pavilions and windows framing views.
Buildings
Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing
Beijing
The vast imperial palace of the Ming and Qing emperors, home to 24 emperors from 1420 to 1912, with nearly a thousand buildings inside its moat and r…
Walks and treks
Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)
Huangshan, Anhui
A range of granite peaks rising above a sea of clouds, with twisted pine trees growing from the rocks, which inspired centuries of Chinese painting a…
Natural features
Jiuzhaigou Valley
Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan
A valley in the mountains of northern Sichuan with lakes of astonishing blue and green, waterfalls and Tibetan villages, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Historic sites
Leshan Giant Buddha
Wutongqiao, Sichuan
The world's largest stone Buddha, 71 m tall, carved into a red sandstone cliff where three rivers meet, in the 8th century.
Natural features
Li River Cruise and Yangshuo
Yangshuo, Guangxi
A river winding between hundreds of tall limestone karst peaks, the landscape on China's 20-yuan note.
Historic sites
Mogao Caves, Dunhuang
Dunhuang, Gansu
Nearly 500 Buddhist cave temples carved into a cliff in the desert near Dunhuang, an oasis on the Silk Road, with murals and statues painted over a t…
Historic sites
Mutianyu Great Wall
Huairou, Beijing
A restored section of the Great Wall about 70 km north of Beijing, with 23 watchtowers along a forested ridge, less crowded than Badaling.
Historic sites
Potala Palace, Lhasa
Lhasa, Tibet
The former winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, a huge red and white building rising up the Red Hill above Lhasa, at 3,700 m, a UNESCO World Heritage Si…
Historic sites
Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Beijing
A Ming dynasty complex where emperors prayed for good harvests, with the circular, triple-roofed Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a masterpiece of C…
Historic sites
Terracotta Army, Xi'an
Lintong, Shaanxi
Thousands of life-sized clay soldiers, archers, horses and chariots, each with an individual face, buried to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, China's…
Historic sites
The Bund, Shanghai
Huangpu, Shanghai
Shanghai's riverside promenade lined with grand colonial-era banks and hotels, facing the futuristic skyline of Pudong across the Huangpu River, incl…
Walks and treks
Tiger Leaping Gorge
Yunnan
A deep gorge where the Jinsha River (upper Yangtze) races between the Jade Dragon and Haba snow mountains, up to 3,900 m deep.
Natural features
West Lake, Hangzhou
Hangzhou, Zhejiang
A famous lake surrounded by hills, pagodas, temples and gardens, celebrated by poets for centuries, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Natural features
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Yongding, Hunan
Thousands of towering sandstone pillars rising from forested valleys, often wrapped in mist, which inspired the floating mountains in the film Avatar.
Historic sites
Fujian Tulou
Nanjing, Fujian
Huge round and square earthen houses built by the Hakka people from the 12th century, each home to a whole clan, with rooms around a central courtyar…
Walks and treks
Ganden to Samye trek, Tibet
Dagzê, Tibet
A classic trek of about 80 km over 4 to 5 days, linking two of Tibet's most important monasteries.
Tours and activities
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
Harbin, Heilongjiang
The world's largest ice festival, held every winter in Harbin from early January, with whole palaces, castles and slides built from blocks of ice cut…
Historic sites
Hongcun Village
Huizhou, Anhui
A village of white-walled Huizhou houses with black-tiled roofs, built around a half-moon pond and a lake that reflect the houses, with water channel…
Historic sites
Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang
Luoyang, Henan
More than 2,000 caves and niches along the Yi River with around 100,000 Buddhist statues carved between the 5th and 10th centuries, from tiny figures…
Historic sites
Old Town of Lijiang
Gucheng, Yunnan
An old town of the Naxi people, with cobbled lanes, wooden houses and canals, at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage S…
Historic sites
Pingyao Ancient City
Pingyao, Shanxi
One of the best-preserved walled towns in China, with Ming and Qing dynasty streets, courtyard houses, temples, and the first banks in China, a UNESC…
Historic sites
Summer Palace, Beijing
Beijing
A vast imperial garden around Kunming Lake, the retreat of the Qing emperors and Empress Dowager Cixi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Historic sites
Xi'an City Wall and Muslim Quarter
Xi’an, Shaanxi
The most complete ancient city wall in China, a 14 km Ming dynasty rampart with gates and towers, wide enough to cycle around; bikes are for hire on …
Natural features
Zhangye Danxia Landform
Zhangye, Gansu
Hills striped in bands of red, orange, yellow and green, the 'rainbow mountains', formed by layers of sandstone and minerals over millions of years.