17 Best Places to Visit in China
Vast and diverse, China is a giant of a travel destination.
This Ancient Chinese Capital Is Home to an Army of 8,000 Clay Soldiers
Standing at the eastern terminus of the ancient Silk Road, this historic city has played a central role in shaping one of the world’s oldest civilizations.
China Temples Are Where Time Seems to Stand Still
China is home to one of the oldest cultures on earth and its massive empire is dotted with Buddhist Temples.
7 Unforgettable Day Trips From Hong Kong
The nonstop city of Hong Kong is packed with exciting things to do and see.
8 Wonders of China Not to Be Missed
China is a marvelous country to explore.
9 Incredible Day Trips from Beijing You’ll Never Forget
Beijing is a top destination for travelers to China, but the Chinese capital is huge and teems with millions of people.
Where to Stay in Hong Kong: Best Neighborhoods & Hotels
Hong Kong is a myriad of islands on the southwest coast of China. It was a British territory for more than a century before being handed back to China recently.
Why Many First-time Travelers End Up Spending Most of Their China Trip in the South
China and the United States take up about the same amount of land, but China is home to nearly a billion more people.
A Guide to China’s 9 Beautiful Regions
China is the world’s second-largest country and home to a plethora of different natural environments to explore.
Where to Stay in Shanghai: Best Neighborhoods & Hotels
The coastal hub of Shanghai is a wild place to visit. China’s biggest city is as famous for its lively traditional restaurants as it is for its colonial architecture.
10 Attractions You Shouldn’t Miss in Beijing
Beijing is a bustling city teeming with people and sounds. The Chinese capital is a fascinating city that is quickly modernizing but keeping some aspects of its glorious past.
The Remote Himalayan City Once Forbidden to Nearly the Entire World
Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, can be found on the northern bank of the Lhasa River in the Himalayas.
10 Attractions You Shouldn’t Miss in Yangshuo
Set on the banks of the Li River, Yangshuo is a scenic resort town in southern China’s Guangxi region, known for its extraordinary scenery.
10 Most Amazing Destinations in East China
Eastern China is a world unto its own. It’s rich in history, with some towns going back 6,000 years.
Hidden Away From the Megacities, China Towns Tell a Different Story
China is westernizing so rapidly, even old China hands may not recognize it when they return for a visit.
Introduction
China, the gateway to East Asia, is a fascinating country. It is an ancient nation that gave the world Peking Man, gunpowder and noodles. Chinese civilization has endured through millennia of tumultuous upheaval and revolutions, golden ages and periods of anarchy alike.
Through the recent economic boom initiated by the reforms of Deng Xiaoping, China is once again one of the leading nations in the world, maintained by its large, industrious population and abundant natural resources. The depth and complexity of the Chinese civilization, with its rich heritage, has fascinated travelers such as Marco Polo in centuries past, and will continue to excite and bewilder the tourist today.
Visitors making their first trip to China usually stick to three cities: Beijing, the capital with the Great Wall and Forbidden City; Shanghai, the largest city with its architecturally innovative skyscrapers, and Xi’an, an ancient capital that is home to the famed Terra Cotta Warriors who guarded the nation’s first emperor, Qin Shuhuang Di, in the afterlife. Sometimes, travelers will take a cruise on the Yangtze River with its Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in the world.
More adventuresome or experienced visitors to the Middle Kingdom will strike out in other directions, where traveling may be a bit more frustrating because of the language barrier, but most definitely doable for independent travelers. They’ll seek out the rice terraces of South China, the silk factories of Suzhou, and the Tibetan villages in Sichuan and Gansu provinces. They’ll enjoy peeking into the past at minority villages where life goes on much as it has for centuries.