Top China Attractions
China's headline sights live up to the hype — and reward a little planning. These guides go deep on each landmark: what makes it special, exactly how to visit, how much time you need, when to go, and how a local guide gets you past the queues and the language barrier.
The Great Wall of China
Beijing
The world's most famous fortification, an easy day trip from Beijing if you pick the right section.
The Forbidden City
Beijing
Beijing's vast imperial palace, the ceremonial heart of China for nearly five centuries.
The Summer Palace
Beijing
Beijing's grand imperial garden of lakes, pavilions and a covered corridor of painted scenes.
The Temple of Heaven
Beijing
Beijing's serene altar complex where emperors prayed for good harvests, set in a leafy public park.
Tiananmen Square
Beijing
The vast ceremonial square at the heart of Beijing and the gateway to the Forbidden City.
The Terracotta Army
Xi'an
Thousands of life-sized clay soldiers guarding a 2,200-year-old emperor.
Li River Cruise
Guilin
The famous Guilin-to-Yangshuo journey past mist-wrapped limestone peaks.
Longji Rice Terraces
Guilin
Centuries-old terraced hillsides that change colour with the seasons.
West Lake
Hangzhou
Willow-lined causeways, pagodas and tea hills around a poet's lake.
The Bund
Shanghai
Colonial-era facades facing a futuristic skyline across the Huangpu.
Yu Garden
Shanghai
Rockeries, pavilions, and koi ponds tucked behind the bustle of Shanghai's old town.
The Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Suzhou
Centuries of scholar-gardens where rock, water, and architecture become poetry.
The Potala Palace
Lhasa
A white-and-red palace rising above Lhasa, once home to the Dalai Lamas.
Jokhang Temple
Lhasa
Tibet's holiest shrine, ringed by pilgrims on the Barkhor circuit.
The Mogao Caves
Dunhuang
Cliffside grottoes near Dunhuang holding some of the world's greatest Buddhist art.
The Leshan Giant Buddha
Chengdu
A 71-metre Buddha hewn from a riverside cliff, an easy day trip from Chengdu.
Chengdu Panda Base
Chengdu
The world's best place to see giant pandas, just outside downtown Chengdu.
Shaolin Temple
Luoyang
The legendary monastery on Mount Song where martial arts and Zen meet.
Longmen Grottoes
Luoyang
Tens of thousands of carved Buddhas lining the Yi River near Luoyang.
Yungang Grottoes
Datong
Towering 5th-century carved Buddhas in a sandstone cliff near Datong.
Zhangye Danxia Landform
Zhangye
Wind-carved hills banded in red, orange, yellow and green on the old Silk Road
Huangguoshu Waterfall
Guiyang
A thundering 70-meter curtain you can walk behind, deep in karst Guizhou
The Dazu Rock Carvings
Chongqing
Thousands of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian figures carved into living rock
Mount Tai
Tai'an
Stone stairways, mountaintop temples and the most famous sunrise in China
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