China

Kunqu Opera Museum

Suzhou

Down a narrow lane, this small museum is dedicated to kūnqǔ, the opera style of the region. The beautiful old theatre houses a stage, musical instruments,…

Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition

Shenzhen

One of those thrillingly space-age, 'only in China' architectural projects, this gargantuan exhibition space designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au anchors…

CCTV Headquarters

Beijing

Known locally as Da Kucha (大裤衩, Big Pants), the 234m-tall CCTV Tower is an architectural fantasy that appears to defy gravity. Designed by Rem Koolhaas…

Giant Panda Breeding Research Base

Chengdu

One of Chengdu’s most popular attractions, this panda park 18km north of the city centre is the easiest way to glimpse Sichuan’s most famous residents…

798 Art District

Beijing

Contemporary art meets communist history at this thrilling enclave of international galleries installed within China's model factory complex of the 1950s…

Luoyang Old Town

Henan

Any Chinese city worth its rice has an Old Town. Within Luoyang’s is this scenic area comprising a plethora of water-banquet restaurants, costume shops…

Humble Administrator’s Garden

Suzhou

The largest of Suzhou's gardens, the Humble Administrator’s Garden is often considered to be the most impressive, but its fame draws in constant crowds,…

Army of Terracotta Warriors

Xi'an

The Terracotta Army isn't just Xi'an's premier sight: it's one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world. This subterranean life-size army of…

Victoria Peak

Hong Kong

Standing at 552m, Victoria Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. It is also one of the most visited spots by tourists, and it’s not hard to see…

Ming Xiaoling Tomb

Nanjing

Zhu Yuanzhang (1328–1398), the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty (also known as the Hongwu Emperor), was buried in the tomb of Ming Xiaoling; he was…

Tai Shan

Shandong

The most climbed mountain on earth, and the most revered of China's five sacred Taoist peaks, Tai Shan is one third of Shandong's claim to having 'yī shān…

Badaling

The Great Wall

Historically a strategic portal between the fertile lands of the capital and the more arid plains beyond, Badaling has been called the ‘Key to Northern…

Forbidden City

Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central

Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…

Mutianyu

The Great Wall

Famed for its Ming-era guard towers and excellent views, the 3km-long section of wall at Mutianyu, northeast of Beijing in Huairou County, is largely a…

Jiankou Great Wall

The Great Wall

For stupefying hikes along perhaps Beijing’s most incomparable section of Wall, head to Jiankou, where white-knuckle sections like ‘Upward Flying Eagle’…

National Museum of China

Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central

Vast and energy-sapping, China's showpiece museum is housed in an immense 1950s Soviet-style building on the eastern side of Tian'anmen Sq, and claims to…

Tian'anmen Square

Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central

Flanked by triumphalist Soviet-style buildings, Tian'anmen Sq is an immense void of paved stone (440,000 sq metres, to be precise) at the symbolic centre…

Shanghai Museum

The Bund & People's Square

This must-see museum escorts you through the craft of millennia and the pages of Chinese history. It's home to one of the most impressive collections in…

Rice Terraces

Guangxi

Longji's famed rice terraces have been luring travellers to the region for decades to witness some of China's most spectacular scenery. Rising to 1000m,…

Summer Palace

Beijing

A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…

Presidential Palace

Nanjing

After the Taiping took over Nanjing, they built the Mansion of the Heavenly King (天王府, Tiānwáng Fǔ) on the foundations of a former Ming-dynasty palace…

Temple of Heaven Park

Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South

An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…

Yabuli Ski Resort

Heilongjiang

Yabuli was China’s first destination ski resort. Since 2009 the resort has expanded to cover two mountains and now has a good division of advanced,…

ShanghART

Shanghai

An original M50 gallery and one of Shanghai's first contemporary art spaces, ShanghART is still going strong 20 years on.

Garden of the Master of the Nets

Suzhou

Off Shiquan Jie, this pocket-sized garden is considered one of Suzhou's best preserved. Laid out in the 12th century, it went to seed and was later…

Sanxingdui Museum

Sichuan

The Sanxingdui Museum, 40km north of Chengdu in Guanghan (广汉), exhibits relics of the Shu kingdom, a cradle of Chinese civilisation dating from 1200 BC to…

Hong Kong Global Geopark

Sai Kung Peninsula

Part of the Unesco Geopark network, this spectacular geopark consists of two regions of formations: volcanic rock from 140 million years ago that often…

Yuz Museum

Shanghai

A huge development for Shanghai's contemporary art scene, this enormous gallery is housed in the former hangar of Longhua Airport and sprawls over 9000 sq…

The Bund

The Bund & People's Square

Symbolic of concession-era Shanghai, the Bund was the city’s Wall Street, a place of feverish trading and fortunes made and lost. Originally a towpath for…

Lord Stow’s Bakery

Macau

Though the celebrated English baker Andrew Stow has passed away, his cafe and the original Lord Stow’s Bakery here keep his memory alive by serving his…