China
Updated October 19, 2026
China is the world's oldest continuous civilisation and one of its largest countries, stretching 5,000 km from the Himalayas and the Gobi Desert to the subtropical coast of the South China Sea. Travellers come for the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, karst mountains along the Li River and skylines t…
Must-See Places in China
Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)
Huangshan, in Anhui province, rises in granite peaks crowned with twisted pines and seas of cloud that have inspired Chinese painters and poets for centuries. The mountain has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990, and cable cars and stone stairways reach the summit area. Stay overnight on top to catch the sunrise. Ideal for hikers and photographers.
Pingyao Ancient City
Pingyao, in Shanxi province, is one of the best-preserved walled towns in China, with 6 km of Ming dynasty walls, courtyard houses and the old banks that made it the financial centre of the Qing empire. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Stay in a courtyard guesthouse and walk the walls at sunset. Ideal for history lovers.
Jiuzhaigou Valley
Jiuzhaigou, in northern Sichuan, is a national park of turquoise and emerald lakes, waterfalls and snow-capped peaks inhabited by Tibetan villages. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, and daily visitor numbers are capped. Autumn, from late September to October, brings the best colours. Ideal for nature lovers and photographers.
Yangshuo and the Yulong River
Yangshuo, a town in Guangxi about an hour from Guilin by high-speed rail and bus, sits among karst peaks and rice fields. Cycle country lanes, float down the Yulong River on a bamboo raft or climb Moon Hill. It is the end point of the Li River cruise from Guilin. Ideal for active travellers and families.
Mogao Caves, Dunhuang
The Mogao Caves near Dunhuang, in Gansu province, hold 492 decorated Buddhist cave temples carved between the 4th and 14th centuries along the Silk Road. Their murals and statues cover about 45,000 square metres. The site has been on the UNESCO list since 1987, and visitor tickets are limited and must be booked in advance. Ideal for art and Silk Road history lovers.
Harbin Ice and Snow World
Harbin, in north-eastern Heilongjiang province, hosts the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival every winter from early January, when temperatures often fall below -20°C. Giant palaces of illuminated ice blocks cut from the Songhua River fill the Ice and Snow World park. The city also has Russian-style architecture from the early 20th century. Ideal for winter travellers.
Leshan Giant Buddha
The Leshan Giant Buddha, carved into a red sandstone cliff where three rivers meet in Sichuan, is 71 m tall and was completed in 803 after about 90 years of work. It is the largest stone Buddha in the world and part of a UNESCO site with nearby Mount Emei. Leshan is about an hour from Chengdu by high-speed train. Ideal for culture lovers.
Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang
The Longmen Grottoes outside Luoyang, in Henan province, contain more than 100,000 Buddhist statues carved into limestone cliffs along the Yi River between the late 5th and 9th centuries. The 17 m Vairocana Buddha is the highlight. The site has been on the UNESCO list since 2000 and is lit beautifully at night. Ideal for history and art lovers.
Unique Experiences in China
Hike the Wild Sections of the Great Wall
Walk from Jiankou to Mutianyu or from Jinshanling to Gubeikou, where crumbling Ming watchtowers stretch along steep ridges with few other visitors in sight.
Cruise the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo
Glide for about four hours between karst peaks, water buffalo and bamboo groves along the stretch of river printed on the 20-yuan banknote.
Ride the Bullet Train Across China
Travel at up to 350 km/h on the world's largest high-speed network, watching rice fields, mountains and cities pass as you sip tea from your thermos.
See Giant Pandas in Chengdu
Watch pandas munch bamboo, climb trees and tumble in the nurseries of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, home to more than 100 pandas.
Stay in a Courtyard Hotel in a Beijing Hutong
Sleep in a traditional siheyuan courtyard house in the old lanes around Houhai and Nanluoguxiang, and explore by bicycle like Beijing residents have for generations.
Travel Tips for China
Set Up Mobile Payments Before You Arrive
Download Alipay and WeChat and link an international Visa or Mastercard before you fly. Almost everything in Chinese cit…
Prepare Your Phone and Apps
Google services, WhatsApp, Instagram and many Western sites are blocked in mainland China. Buy an international eSIM wit…
Avoid the Big National Holidays
Plan around Chinese New Year in January or February, the Labour Day holiday from 1 to 5 May and Golden Week from 1 to 7 …
Book Major Sights in Advance with Your Passport
Many top attractions now sell timed tickets online only, linked to your passport number. The Forbidden City limits visit…
Check Your Visa Options
China has expanded visa-free entry, allowing citizens of many European countries, including Spain, France, Italy and Ger…
Use High-Speed Trains Instead of Domestic Flights
For distances up to about 1,200 km, high-speed trains are often faster than flying once you count airport transfers and …
Must-Try Local Dishes
Peking Duck
Beijing's most famous dish is a whole duck roasted until the skin turns glossy and crisp, carved at the table into more than 100 slices. Diners wrap the meat and skin in thin pancakes with spring onion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce. The recipe dates back to the imperial kitchens. Quanjude and Siji Minfu are classic restaurants, and a whole duck costs about 200–350 yuan.
Xiaolongbao
These delicate soup dumplings from the Shanghai area are filled with pork and a rich broth that turns to jelly when cold and melts as they steam. Bite a small hole, sip the hot soup from a spoon, then eat the dumpling with a little black vinegar and ginger. Nanxiang in Shanghai and Din Tai Fung are famous. A basket of eight costs about 20–60 yuan.
Sichuan Hotpot
A bubbling pot of beef tallow broth loaded with dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns sits in the middle of the table, and diners cook thin slices of beef, tripe, mushrooms and vegetables in it. The peppercorns create a tingling, numbing sensation called mala. Chengdu and Chongqing are the hotpot capitals. Ask for a split pot with a mild broth if you are new to spice. Expect 80–150 yuan per person.
Dim Sum
Cantonese dim sum is a morning and lunchtime ritual of small dishes served in bamboo steamers with tea, known as yum cha. Favourites include har gow shrimp dumplings, siu mai pork dumplings, char siu bao barbecue pork buns and egg tarts. Guangzhou is its home city, where teahouses fill with families from early morning. A meal for two costs about 100–200 yuan.
Biangbiang Noodles
Wide, hand-pulled wheat noodles from Shaanxi province, as broad as a belt, served with chilli flakes, garlic and green onion over which hot oil is poured with a sizzle. Their name is written with one of the most complex Chinese characters, with more than 50 strokes. They are a staple of Xi'an's Muslim Quarter and cost about 15–25 yuan a bowl.
Kung Pao Chicken
The original Sichuan version of this dish, gong bao jiding, combines diced chicken, roasted peanuts, dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns in a sweet, sour and slightly numbing sauce. It is named after Ding Baozhen, a 19th-century governor of Sichuan whose title was gongbao. The Chinese version is far less sweet than abroad. A plate costs about 30–50 yuan in local restaurants.
Jianbing
China's favourite street breakfast is a thin crêpe of mung bean and wheat batter cooked on a hot griddle, topped with an egg, spring onion, coriander, chilli sauce and a crispy fried cracker, then folded into a parcel. Vendors make them in a minute outside metro stations every morning in Beijing and Tianjin. One costs about 6–12 yuan.
Longjing Tea
Dragon Well tea from the hills around West Lake in Hangzhou is China's most famous green tea, with flat, jade-green leaves and a sweet, chestnut-like taste. The first spring pick before the Qingming festival in early April is the most prized. Visit tea villages such as Longjing and Meijiawu to watch leaves being pan-roasted by hand. A tasting costs about 50–100 yuan.
History
Neolithic Villages and the First Dynasties
Farmers were growing millet along the Yellow River and rice along the Yangtze more than 8,000 years ago, making China one of the earliest centres of agriculture. At Banpo, near today's Xi'an, archaeologists uncovered a village of round houses and painted pottery dating to around 4500 BC.
Bronze and oracle bones
The Shang dynasty, which ruled the Yellow River plain from about 1600 to 1046 BC, left the first Chinese writing, carved on turtle shells and ox bones used for divination at their capital Yin, near Anyang. Its craftsmen cast ritual bronze vessels of extraordinary detail.
The Zhou and the Hundred Schools
The Zhou dynasty that followed introduced the idea of the Mandate of Heaven, the belief that rulers governed only while they were just. As Zhou power broke apart, the Warring States period produced the thinkers who still shape Chinese life.
- Confucius, born in 551 BC in Qufu, taught respect for family, ritual and education.
- Laozi is traditionally named as the author of the Tao Te Ching, the founding text of Taoism.
- Sun Tzu's The Art of War is still read by generals and business leaders.
Visit the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, a UNESCO site, to see how these ideas became a state philosophy.
Climate & Best Time to Visit
Spring
8–25°C
April and May are among the best months to travel, with 15–25°C days in Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai and blossoming trees…
Summer
22–35°C
June to August is hot and humid across most of the country, with 30–35°C in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Wuhan, and …
Autumn
8–25°C
September to early November is often the best season, with clear skies, 15–25°C days and colourful leaves around Beijing…
Winter
-10–18°C
December to February is cold and dry in the north, with -10 to 3°C in Beijing and below -20°C in Harbin, home of the Ice…
Fascinating Fun Facts
One country, one time zone
China stretches across about 5,000 km from east to west, wide enough for five time zones, yet the whole country official…
The Great Wall is not one wall
The Great Wall is a network of walls, trenches and natural barriers built by different dynasties over about 2,000 years.…
Every Terracotta Warrior has a different face
The Terracotta Army near Xi'an includes around 8,000 soldiers, along with horses and chariots, buried to protect the tom…
Tea, paper and the compass came from China
Paper was improved by the court official Cai Lun around AD 105, and woodblock printing produced the world's oldest dated…
Almost everyone pays by phone
Cash has largely disappeared from daily life in Chinese cities, where people pay for almost everything, from metro ticke…
Giant pandas live only in China
Wild giant pandas live only in the mountain forests of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, where about 1,860 remain according to…
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