China Travel Guide
China is going through change right now. You may see the tradition market gathering in town, only to be parted by a BMW slowly traveling down the road. The immense history has remained visible and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing doesn' t hurt either. The population growth as well as their stake in the world' s business affairs is truly a marvel that can only be appreciated up close and personal.
Beijing
The entire area of Beijing within the city limits is - in many ways - one great historic museum. The original city plan was divided in four. The innermost rectangle is the Forbidden City, now a museum and public park, but formerly the residence of the Ming and Qing emperors.
Xi’an
The capital of Shaanxi Province and often regarded as the true historic capital of China, Xi’an was once amongst the most magnificent cities in the world. For 13 dynasties, from the 11th century BC, the city was also the capital of China.
Jinan
The capital of Shandong Province, Jinan is known as the ‘City of Springs’; these provide the main tourist attraction. The city also has Buddhist relics, parks and lakes. Of particular interest is the Square Four Gate Pagoda, the oldest stone pagoda in China.
Shanghai
This is one of the world’s largest cities and one of China’s most famous - more like New York or Paris than Beijing. Lying on the estuary of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River, it is the center of China’s trade and industry. European-style architecture, traditional Chinese buildings and sleek modern developments all co-exist in this cosmopolitan metropolis.
Hangzhou
Situated about 190km (120 miles) south of Shanghai, Hangzhou is one of China’s seven ancient capital cities. Known as ‘Paradise on Earth’, Hangzhou was also described by Marco Polo as ‘the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world’. The city is also famous for its excellent silk and tea products.
Hangzhou water gardens
Hangzhou's riverside streets are reminiscent of Venice and there are many famous water gardens. There are over 400 historical sites and relics under the protection of the Government, such as the Blue-Waves Pavilion Garden on the outskirts, the Lion-Grove Garden which has rockeries resembling lions, the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Garden of the Master of the Nets.
Wuxi
This industrial and resort city on the north bank of Lake Taihu, some 125km (75 miles) west of Shanghai, has some celebrated lakeside parks and gardens. Yangzhou to the west, supposedly once governed by Marco Polo, has a fine poetic tradition of gardens such as the Xu Garden and others along the Narrow West Lake, and old merchant houses.
Chengdu
This booming capital of mountainous, distinctive Sichuan Province lies at the foot of the Tibetan plateau. Attractions include Tang Dynasty shrines, the house of the celebrated poet Du Fu, ancient parks and bamboo forests (the last stronghold of the giant panda), Buddhist temples and an ancient Buddhist monastery.
Chongqing
Located east of Dazu, Chongqing is perched magnificently above the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River. A prosperous rather than beautiful city, it is a natural starting point for excursions to the Yangtze Gorges, whose most popular stretches are further east with poetic names like Witches Gorge and Shadowplay Gorge.
Fuzhou
Situated in Fujian Province on the southeast coast opposite Taiwan, this beautiful city lies on the banks of the Min River. Dating back some 1400 years (to the Tang Dynasty), the city has numerous parks and temples, including the White Pagoda and Black Pagoda, and maritime reminders of its past as a colonial Treaty Port.
Guangzhou (Canton)
Sometimes known as the ‘City of Flowers’, Guangzhou is a subtropical metropolis on the south coast. As a Special Economic Zone only 182km (113 miles) from Hong Kong, Guangzhou is developing at breakneck speed, but it has more established attractions, since it dates back to 221 BC and first welcomed European traders in 1516.
The Silk Road
This ancient trading route was opened up by Han Dynasty power from 138 BC when Emperor Han Wudi sent a mission into Central Asia and launched westwards extensions of the Great Wall into the Gobi Desert. Used by silk merchants from the second century AD until its decline in the 16th century, the Silk Road is open in parts to tourists eager to explore its heritage.
Lushan Mountain
Lying approximately 150km southeast of Wuhan, this is a well-known scenic area and summer resort with tranquil scenery and a comfortable climate. The mountain has been a haven for poets and hermits for centuries, and more recently for Chiang Kaishek, Mao Zedong, Harry Truman and other dignitaries. At its center is Guling Town, at an altitude of 1167m.
Guilin
Located to the northwest of Guangzhou (Canton), Guilin is famous for its spectacular landscape of bizarre limestone formations, echoed so evocatively in the paintings and wall-hangings well known in the area. Steep monolithic mountains rise dramatically from a flat landscape of meandering rivers and paddy fields. Visitors can climb the hills, take river trips and visit the parks, lakes and caves.
Kunming
The capital of Yunnan Province, which borders Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos, has its own distinctive identity as a newer, showcase city with some temples and very pretty lakeside parks. It is known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’ or the ‘Geneva of the Orient’ because of the pleasant alpine climate.
Hainan Island
This tropical island off the south coast of Guangdong Province has some fine beaches, palm groves, fresh seafood and coconuts.
Tibet (Xizang)
Known as ‘the Roof of the World’, Tibet has only been open to tourists since 1980. Although it is possible to go to Tibet as an independent traveller (provided a permit is obtained), it is much more straightforward to go as part of a tour group on an organized itinerary.
Lhasa
Known as ‘city of the gods’, Lhasa stands at an altitude of 3700m (12,000ft). Its wonderful light and clear skies are peculiar to its high mountainous terrain, but for six months of the year it is bitterly cold.
Forbidden City
It's not forbidden and it's not a city, but it is the best-preserved collection of imperial architecture in China.
Terracotta Warriors
See X?’?n's motionless ranks of warriors staring out through the silent millennia of history.
The Bund
Amble along Shanghai's fabulous neoclassical and art deco sweep of architectural grandeur.
The Great Wall
Visit this serpentine bastion from Beijing, or aim for original and unrestored sections such as Jiànkòu.
Li River
Succumb to the seductive, other-worldly panoramas of this slow-moving river on the way to Yángshuò, where a profusion of karst peaks draws in legions of travellers.