Few cities in China can boast the same concentration of magnificent historic sites and ancient temples as Hangzhou (Hangchow). This extensive collection is concentrated around the magnificent West Lake, a six-kilometer-square body of water at the southernmost end of China’s renowned Grand Canal, surrounded by various hills, pagodas, and temples. West Lake is located in the center of the old city.
It’s a lovely location to stroll around as you pass from one body of water to another, just to come upon another collection of stunning older structures. It is separated into five distinct portions by 11th-century artificial causeways. It’s charming in the spring when the many peach trees bloom.
One of the best old bridges on the lake is the Broken Bridge (Duanqiao), which connects the Baidi Causeway with the coast. Another enjoyable activity is to explore Little Paradise Island, which has four mini-lakes connected by the zigzagging Bridge of the Nine Arches.
Longjing Village is known for its distinctive Longjing Tea and is surrounded by vast regions of tea plantations. Like a swaying green ocean, you could see the terraced fields gradually covered with tea trees. Visitors can try picking tea leaves, making their own, and tasting freshly produced Longjing Tea in addition to taking in the stunning surroundings. You could visit Longjing Village after viewing West Lake because it is located near West Lake to the south.…
Shanghai’s magnificent riverside promenade, the Zhongshan Lu, also known as the Bund (Wàitan), is a remarkable example of thoughtful city planning and preservation. While strolling along the Huangpu Jiang River, you’ll almost forget you’re in the heart of China’s largest city (Shanghai has a population of more than 24 million people).
The Bund is famous for its European feel, which stems from its past as the city’s International Settlement location. It is also renowned for its 52 preserved English- and French-influenced buildings, now restaurants, cafés, stores, and art galleries. The architecture includes highlights such as the old harbor customs office with its bell tower and the majestic Peace Hotel, which represent a variety of influences ranging from Gothic to Renaissance styles.
Huangpu Park is situated along the riverbank near the northernmost point of the Bund. This little green space is attractive, beautifully planted, and a great location to unwind after a stroll along the river. The Monument to the People’s Heroes, a sizable concrete edifice that honors individuals who put their lives in danger in Shanghai’s revolutionary struggle against foreign forces, is also located in Huangpu Park. The World War Monument commemorates Shanghai-born soldiers who lost their lives in World War I.
The Customs House, an eight-story building constructed in 1927, is a further well-liked stop on any walking tour of the Bund. The Customs House has represented the Bund for a long time, together with its neighboring HSBC skyscraper. The structure is renowned for having a giant clock tower called “Big Ching.”…
The magnificent Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, is another of China’s most recognisable historic structures. Built as a fortress and residence for the Dalai Lama, it was a centre of political and religious power for centuries and houses many of the religion’s most important treasures.
The Red Palace, the first of the two Potala Palaces, was built in the 17th century and houses the complex’s most important shrines. These can be found in the Enthronement Hall, which has murals depicting scenes from the lives of the Dalai Lamas and Tibetan kings on its walls. Other highlights of the Red Palace include its many vast halls devoted to religious teachings and a number of elaborate tombs (known as “stupas”).
The building also housed residences for senior lamas like instructors, regents, and others. The aristocratic order of monks had a large printing house and a seminary to instruct government officials. Thousands of gilded sculptures representing Tibet’s pantheon of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, saints, and demons are scattered throughout hundreds of intricately painted chapels, shrines, halls, and corridors.
The equally impressive White Palace was completed in 1648 and includes sleeping quarters, studies, and reception rooms, most of which have remained untouched since the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959. Visit the magnificent Jewel Gardens while in Lhasa. These 90-acre gardens, which are part of the Dalai Lama’s summer residence, were established in the 1840s and include everything from grand palaces and pavilions to pleasant lakes.…
The Classical Gardens of Suzhou should be high on your China travel itinerary because they are considered one of the world’s most important historic gardens, as evidenced by their designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These magnificent gardens, located in the historic city of Suzhou in Jiangsu province, were established in the 11th century, when the city was experiencing unprecedented growth, and were among some 270 or more gardens planted here.
The lovely Garden of Lingering, a seven-acre facility planned in 1800 on the site of a park constructed during the Ming Dynasty, is the most well-known of the remaining restored gardens. One of China’s most famous gardens features a pool, several attractive buildings, an artificial hill, a grove of peach trees, and a lovely covered pathway on the walls, which hang more than 300 stone tablets engraved with old Chinese characters.
The Canglang Pavilion is Suzhou’s oldest garden and is situated in the city’s southern region. In contrast to other gardens, Canglang Pavilion has a pool of green water that visitors may see before entering the park. Amazing artificial rockeries make up most of the interior environment, and Canglang Pavilion, a stone pavilion, is located above them. You can see the entire garden in stunning detail from where you are standing. Additionally, two verandas connect the waterscape outdoors with the indoor rockeries.…
The Yangtze River, known in China as Chang Jiang (“Long River”), stretches for more than 6,000 kilometers, making it the longest and most important river in China and the third longest in the world after the Amazon and the Nile.
The Yangtze River, which flows from Tibet in the west to Shanghai in the east through eight provinces, has been China’s main transportation route for over 2,000 years (some 2,700 kilometers are navigable). Its vast catchment area, with its 700 tributaries, covers roughly one-fifth of the country’s total area and includes a quarter of its agricultural land.
While the river’s length allows it to be visited at a variety of locations throughout China, the most popular for tourists is the stunning Three Gorges – Qutang, Wu, and Xiling – a 200-kilometer stretch between the towns of Fengjie and Yichang. The river winds its way through the gorges and their rugged cliffs and high mountain peaks in a time of scenery as dramatic as the Grand Canyon, in places a mix of raging torrents and dangerous shallows.
Although the traditional way of life along the river is vanishing, the Yangtze River is the best witness to ancient China. Thanks to the river’s stunning natural landscape and historical monuments, you may enjoy its magnificent vistas and learn about the local culture of that time period.
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Since the world first learned about China through the traveller Marco Polo’s writings more than 700 years ago, it has been seen as the personification of all that is enigmatic and strange.Even after decades of economic growth, this vast country has not lost its allure. Indeed, the contrast between ancient Chinese customs and the emerging ultra-modern state has only heightened interest in a culture that dates back millennia.
It’s a culture that the Chinese cherish, as evidenced by the preservation of significant historic sites like Beijing’s Forbidden City and Summer Palace, both of which recall the days of China’s emperors. Then there’s the famous Great Wall, which stretches 6,700 kilometers from the Yellow Sea to Central Asia, with countless shrines exuding the spirit of ancient Eastern religions.
As a tourist destination, China provides limitless opportunities for exploration due to its size. No matter if you choose to take a luxurious cruise ship down the scenic Yangtze gorges, visit a bustling city, or seek out the peace of an ancient temple, this country is bursting with great experiences and sightseeing opportunities.
1. The Great Wall of China
“Nobody can be a true hero unless he has been on the Great Wall,” says a famous Chinese proverb, emphasizing the significance of this unique ancient monument.
The magnificent Great Wall of China stretches more than 6,000 kilometers from the fortresses of Shanhaiguan in the east to Jiayuguan in the west, passing through Hebei, Tientsin, and Beijing – where the best-preserved sections of the wall can visit – Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Gansu.
The wall contains multiple battlements and watchtowers, and its height ranges from six to eight meters on average but can reach 16 meters in some areas. The earliest defenses on the wall date to the seventh century BC and the best-known portions were added when its numerous parts were brought together in 210 BC.
The stretch of the wall that receives the most visitors nowadays is located northwest of Beijing, close to Badaling Pass, and is easily reachable by organized tours or public transit. Other restored units worth seeing include those near Gubeikou, 130 kilometers from Beijing, and Mutianyu, 70 kilometers northeast of Beijing.
2. The Forbidden City & the Imperial Palace, Beijing
China’s largest and most significant structure, the Forbidden City (Zjnchéng), also known as the Imperial Palace, is a must-see for anybody travelling there. A large portion of the structure was constructed between 1406 and 1420 under the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). 24 Ming and Qing Emperors lived in this vast complex, which was only accessible by the imperial family and their courtesans because to their presence.
This massive complex, covering 720,000 square meters and protected by a 10-meter-high wall with watchtowers and a wide moat, consists of ceremonial and administrative areas and the emperor’s private residence. Highlights include the five white marble Golden River Bridges; the 35-meter-tall Hall of Supreme Harmony, which houses the imperial throne; and the exquisite emperor’s banquet hall (the Hall of Preserving Harmony). The Palace Museum houses an abundant collection of art and artifacts from the Ming and Qing dynasties (English-language museum tours are available).
Other notable attractions in the Imperial Palace’s vicinity include Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven, one of the country’s most important religious sites dating back to the 15th century.
3. The Terracotta Army, Xi’an
In the 1970s, farmers digging wells on the outskirts of Xi’an discovered what would become China’s most important archaeological find: the Terracotta Army. The discovery, which was spread across three large underground pits and built to guard the tomb of the First Emperor, included over 8,000 life-size warriors, 520 horses, and more than 100 chariots, as well as a large number of other non-military figures from around 280 BC.
Although some were severely damaged over time, many unearthed statues have been painstakingly reassembled and stand as a testament to the emperor’s and the afterlife’s importance. One of China’s most popular tourist locations is part of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum Site Park. It offers visitors the unique experience of standing in front of this group of soldiers and horses as though watching a centuries-old parade. There are guided tours offered in English.
4. Cruising the Li River, Guilin
Guilin, located in the northeast corner of Guangxi, has some of the most beautiful countryside in China and is known for the Li River, which passes through the town and surrounding karst mountains. While this unique scenery has attracted poets and artists for hundreds of years and has been the subject of countless fairy tales and legends, it is now popular with tourists worldwide who want to see this natural splendor up close.
A cruise down the Li River is the best way to experience the area. The river meanders peacefully through some kilometers of remarkable rock formations and caves with romantic names like the Mount of Unique Beauty, Elephant Trunk Hill, and Reed Flute Cave on its most famous stretch, which runs from Guilin to Yangshuo. Trips can last from a few hours to several days, depending on the type of boat used (from a tourist cruise ship to small bamboo punts).
5. The Summer Palace, Beijing
The sumptuous Imperial Summer Palace (Yhé Yuán), located just 15 kilometers from Beijing, is set among more than 700 acres of beautiful parkland and is one of China’s most visited attractions. While the palace was constructed in 1153, the large lake was added in the 14th century to complement the Imperial Gardens.
The magnificent Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Renshou Dian), complete with the throne, and the beautiful Great Theatre, a private three-story structure built in 1891 to satisfy the imperial family’s love of opera, are both highlights. This historic venue is still used for traditional Chinese plays and musical events and is well worth a visit for a performance or show.
The Hall of Happiness and Longevity, with its exquisite gardens and courtyards, as well as miles of picturesque paths and walking trails, are additional highlights. Visit the Old Summer Palace’s ruins, once one of the nation’s most ornate and elegant palaces, if time permits. Sadly, this once-impressive building was destroyed by colonial forces in the middle of the 1800s.