China - Places to Visit
Best Places to Visit in China
China is a huge country, both in terms of area and population. It also has a written history of more than 3000 years. The vast diversity in geography, culture coupled with its long history and super modern lifestyle make China one of the best travel destinations in the world.
Some places like Beijing let you to enjoy the modern lifestyle of cities, at the same time let you dwell in the rich history of China. There are many such places to visit in China. So, lets get started.
Hangzhou
When Marco Polo came to Hangzhou in 13th century, he called it the most beautiful and elegant city in the world. There is also a popular saying in China which say "Above there is Heaven and below there is Hangzhou and Suzhou".
Hangzhou boasts 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, The West Lake and the Grand Canal. West Lake is also the symbol of Hangzhou and also one of the best sights in China. It has a perfect combination of temples, pagodas, pavilions, gardens and artificial islands. Hangzhou also has the largest public bicycle system in the world. A bicycle ride along the West Lake while enjoying the idyllic scenery and lakeside causeway can easily be your best memory of your trip.
Hangzhou is also famous for its water towns. Wuzhen and Nanxun are well known among them. Wuzhen is usually more crowded and has a commercial atmosphere as compared to Nanxun.
Lingyin temple and a boat ride through the Grand Canal other places worth visiting in Hangzhou.
The Great Wall Of China :-
They say that 'You have not visited China, if you have not climbed the Great Wall' . The Great Wall is one of the 7 Wonders of the world and the only one that cam be seen from space. It is one of the greatest sites in the world, an awe inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. Here are some facts about the Great Wall.
- Its Chinese name is Changcheng or Long Wall.
- Its total length is around 21,196 kms, when measured across all its sections.
- The Wall is more than 2300 years old.
Many people say that it was built by Emperor Qin, but actual construction of the Wall began in Zhou Dynasty during the Warring States Period. During this period different sections of the Wall were built in different regions.
Later Emperor Qin linked all these sections in the northern part of China. During the Han Dynasty, Han Wudi extended the wall beyond Yumen Pass. During Ming Dynasty, Hero General Qi Jiguang rebuilt the Wall around Beijing.
Currently, Beijing is the best place to visit the Great Wall.
Xian
Xian is the second most famous of China's ancient capital cities after Beijing. Xina was the first capital of united China in 220 BC during the Qin Dynasty. Thus, it is blessed with a lot of precious relics and historical sites.
The most famous among them being the Terracotta Army. It was constructed to accompany the tomb of China's first emperor to guard him in after life. It was discovered just about 44 years back in 1974 by a group of farmers while digging a well. There is an array more than 2000 soldiers and 38 horse driven chariots.
The Ancient Wall of old Xian is also one of the famous tourist attractions. It is along wall about 13.7 km in length, 12 m high and 18 m wide. At every 120 m there is a flanking tower which allowed soldiers to keep an eye on anyone who was trying to climb the wall.
The other major tourist attractions include Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Great Mosque. Xian is also famous for its Muslim Street Food.
Huangshan
Huangshan meaning 'Yellow Mountains' in Mandarin, is 250 sq km scenic area in the eastern part of China. The Yellow mountains are arguably the most beautiful mountains and one of the must-see places in China. The Yellow Mountains are known for their five wonders : sunrise, sea of clouds, oddly shaped rocks, pine trees and hot springs.
Due to its breath taking beauty, the Yellow Mountains are captured in many classical Chinese paintings. Some parts of the movies "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Avatar" were filmed here.
You can use cable cars or hike through the mountains to get to the top. Tangkou is the starting point for two cable cars and the third one can be accessed from Taiping.
Apart from Yellow Mountains, you can also visit Hongcun and Xidi villages which are famous for their traditional Ming and Qing era traditional courtyard houses. You can also taste Huangshan's most famous tea - maofengtea, which is one of China's top 10 teas.
Beijing
The capital of China, is a major tourist attraction for everyone.It has been the capital of China for last 800 years since the Liao Dynasty. Thus, you can find a unique blend of modern lifestyle coupled with ancient culture. There are a lot of amazing places to visit in the city.
At first comes The Forbidden City, which consists of the Imperial Palace of the Chinese Emperor is located at the center of Beijing. It was constructed during the early Ming Dynasty and is now recognized as one of the five most important palaces in the world. It has 10m high defensive wall around it, with a watch tower at each corner. The city has 90 palaces and courtyards, 980 buildings and more than 8500 rooms.
The other famous destination is the Temple of Heaven. It is considered as one of the most holy places in Beijing and was built by emperor Zhu Di of Ming Dynasty.
The Bird's Nest is one of the modern buildings that you can find in the city. It was designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron and Chinese architect Li Xinggang. It is the largest steel structure in the world. It was also the man menu for 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Two major sections of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section and the Badaling section can be reached from Beijing.
The other major things that you can enjoy in Beijing include discovering the hutongs, which are alleys of traditional houses in rickshaws, having a Peking roast duck which is a famous dish from Beijing and watching Opera and Kung Fu show.
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city in China and has a modern atmosphere like the one you can experience in New York or London. It is the best city to experience urbanization rush in China
The Bund has been a symbol of pride for Shanghai for more than a century. Here you can see a living museum of the colonial history from the 1800s. It is a stretch of 52 buildings of various architectural styles including Gothic, baroque and neoclassical. It is also called as the 'Museum of Buildings'. Various things you can enjoy here are a boat cruise through Huangpu river, taking a walk along the road and enjoying the night scenery.
The other places that you can visit include the Yu Garden, Disneyland and having a bird's eye view of the city through the financial center. Shanghai does not have many tourist attractions like Beijing.
The Nanjing road near the Bund is amongst the busiest shopping streets. There is a long line of shopping malls, old-brand shops and traditional eateries. You can also enjoy a ride in the fastest train in the world, The Maglev.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is an autonomous territory of China and a former British colony.The culture of Hong Kong is a fusion of its colonial past, the British rule and Chinese traditions. Majority of the people living here are Chinese but can speak English. Due to less language barriers, Hong Kong is one of the best holiday destinations in Asia.
Major tourist attractions in the city include Victoria Peak, Victoria Harbor and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. The museum has a collection of more than 100 wax figures of internationally known personalities. They are arranged in various categories like Hong Kong glamour, Musicians, Historical and National Heroes and The Champions and World Premiers. The Victoria Harbor is known for its night view of Avenue of Stars and Symphony of Lights.
Hong Kong is also known for its street markets. There are 7 major street markets in the city, which sell local products like clothing, electronics and many more things. Each markets is famous for its unique products like Ap Liu Street market is famous for its electronic goods, Ladies Market is famous for its feminine goods. Hong Kong is also famous for its awesome street food.
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Suzhou
As the Chinese saying says "Above there is Heaven and below there is Hangzhou and Suzhou", Suzhou is one of the most beautiful traditional places in China. It was built in 514 BC and has a history of more than 2500 years. Since 42% area of the city is covered with water, it is also called the "Venice of Orient". The city has still retained its original double chessboard layout, with streets and rivers running side by side and land and water routes running parallel to them.
Suzhou is mainly famous for its water towns and traditional gardens. Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden and Master of the Nets Garden are more famous. The other major attractions include Suzhou Museum, Silk Museum, Jinxi Ancient town and Luzhi Ancient town.
Zhouzhuang Water town is known for its profound culture and its well preserved ancient houses. Taking a ride in gondola, you can admire some of the breathtaking sites one after the other.
Lhasa, Tibet
Lhasa literally means 'Place of Gods' in Tibetan language. Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet Autonomous region in southwest of China. It is located at an altitude of 3500 m, which makes it one of the highest capital cities in the world. It has many Buddhist cultural sites like Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka Palace.
Potala Palace is situated on Red Hills in central Lhasa and is the highest ancient palace in the world. It was built by the then Tibet King Songtsen Gampo to greet his princess bride Wen Chung of Tang Dynasty. The palace also served as a house to Dalai Lama. Jokhang Temple is a part of Potala palace and is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
Norbulingka Palace is situated on the bank of Kyichu river to the southwest of Potala palace. It has a garden cover of almost 360,000 sq m and is the biggest man made garden in Tibet.
The best way to get to Lhasa is by train. You can enjoy the beautiful and stunning views of the mountains and it also gives you time to acclimatize to the altitude.
Harbin
Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang, the northern most province of China. It grew in the later part of 19th century due to the construction of eastern part of Trans-Siberian railway. The city is mainly known for its Russian architecture. The major attractions like Saint Sophia Cathedral and cobblestone Central Street can give you quick glance of the city's Russian past.
The other major attraction in the city is the Harbin Ice and Snow festival. It was started in 1963 and is every year between January to mid-March till the ice starts melting. It is known for its huge ice sculptures and castles which lit up at night time by colorful lights placed in ice blocks. Sun Island and Zhaolin Park are best places to visit during the festival.
The other attractions in the city are Harbin Polarland, Jile Temple and Siberian Tiger park.
Guilin and Yangshuo
These are some of the offbeat destinations in China. They are mainly known for their outdoor adventures, hiking and rice terraces.
These cities are just at an hour distance from each other and are best places to wander off freely and enjoy the country side views. Guilin has some of the best natural monuments you can ever see. It is known for its pleasant parks with stunning peaks and limestone caves.
One of the best activities here is cruise through Li river from Guilin to Yangshuo which is around a 4 hour trip. Yangshuo is a small rural city and a popular tourist destination. You can spend time here biking, hiking, rock climbing or just wandering around and exploring the area.
Chengdu
The tour to China cannot be complete if you don't see the pandas and there is no better place than Chengdu. Visit Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding where you can see these endangered animals in their natural habitat. You can also join the panda keeper program and help take care of these awesome animals.
Chengdu is also known for its historical site. You can visit the Wuhou Memorial Temple, Jinsha ruin and Leshan Giant Buddha. With a height of 71 meters, it is the largest stone Maitreya in the world.
Chengdu is also famous for its spicy-hot flavored Sichuan food. The major dishes include the kung pao chicken and the hotpot.
So, what do you think ?? If you did not have China on your bucket list, I hope it is now. Let me know what would be your favorite destination in China. Check out my post on How to travel China without a Visa. It can help you plan your travel trip to China.
Also about which country's culture, history, and traveling would you like to know more.
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