CHINAVIKI
China travel guides
Explore practical destination guides that have been reviewed and published in English.
Destinations
55 published guides
Beijing
Beijing is the capital of China and an ancient imperial city that served as the seat of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It is home to numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall, while traditional hutong life coexists with contemporary art. A city where history and the cutting edge intersect, Beijing is the perfect starting point for any journey through China.
Read guideChangchun
Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, is known as one of China's leading car-making cities and a cradle of its film industry. A green "Spring City of the North," it preserves a former imperial palace and a film-studio museum, landmarks that tell its modern history. Winters are severe, but ice-and-snow events brighten the season.
Read guideChangsha
Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, is a historic city on the banks of the Xiang River. The river island of Orange Isle lies in midstream, while Yuelu Mountain rises on the opposite bank with its thousand-year-old Yuelu Academy. The Hunan Museum, home to the Mawangdui Han-dynasty finds, is not to be missed, and the city is the home of Hunan cuisine.
Read guideChengdu
Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province and the central city of the Land of Abundance, spread across the fertile Sichuan Basin. The Giant Panda breeding base, the Wuhou Shrine of Three Kingdoms fame and numbing-hot Sichuan cuisine are the pleasures of a trip here. On the outskirts lie Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng, part of a World Heritage site, in a city where life moves at a relaxed pace.
Read guideChongqing
Chongqing is a directly governed city on the upper reaches of the Yangtze, built on steep hills at the meeting point of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers — nicknamed both the Mountain City and the Fog City for its sloped skylines and frequent river mists. It is the usual starting point for a Three Gorges cruise, and its spicy mala hotpot and the night views of Hongyadong are among the pleasures of the trip. Expect ramps and staircases, rivers and fog.
Read guideDali
Dali is an ancient Bai capital spread along the shores of Erhai Lake in western Yunnan. The old town, with its white-walled houses, and the peaks of the Cangshan range towering behind it make the city one of the highlights of any Yunnan trip. Cobbled lanes and lake views welcome visitors at an unhurried pace.
Read guideDunhuang
Dunhuang is an oasis city at the western edge of Gansu province that flourished as a key stop on the Silk Road. Its greatest draws are the desert scenery of Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, and the Buddhist art of the Mogao Caves. It is a leading destination in western China, where the meeting of eastern and western cultures can still be felt.
Read guideMount Emei
Mount Emei rises in south-central Sichuan as one of China's Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains, with many temples scattered through its slopes. The sea of clouds seen from the Golden Summit and the golden statue lit by the morning sun leave a deep impression. A mountain of faith and nature, climbed by pilgrims since ancient times.
Read guideFuzhou
Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, is a coastal city facing the Taiwan Strait whose mature banyan trees give it the nickname Rongcheng (Banyan City). The Three Lanes and Seven Alleys historic district preserves white-walled, dark-tiled streetscapes, hot springs rise within the city itself, and the cuisine is one of the gentler regional Chinese traditions.
Read guideGuilin
Guilin is a scenic city in northeastern Guangxi, famous for the karst peaks that rise along the Li River. The classic Chinese saying "Guilin's landscape is the finest under heaven" has held for a thousand years. A slow Li River cruise, cycling the rice paddies of Yangshuo, and a stay among the Longji rice terraces let you take in ink-painting scenery up close.
Read guideGuiyang
Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province, is a highland city ringed by karst mountains. So green is the city that it is nicknamed the "Forest City." In the center, the Ming-dynasty Jiaxiu Tower reflects on the Nanming River, while the stone-built Qingyan Ancient Town spreads through the outskirts. The city is also known for its cool summers and for the culture of its ethnic minorities.
Read guideHangzhou
Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang province, a city of water where scenery full of poetic feeling spreads around West Lake. In 2011 it was inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site as the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, and the city is renowned as a home of Longjing tea. Old temples such as Lingyin Temple dot the area, and Zhejiang dishes like Dongpo pork and West Lake vinegar fish can be enjoyed.
Read guideHanzhong
Hanzhong is a town on the plain of a basin spreading at the southern foot of the Qinling range in southern Shaanxi province. It is known as the land that gave the Han dynasty its name, and many historic sites of the Three Kingdoms period remain. In spring rapeseed flowers bloom across the whole basin, spreading a yellow landscape. It is a town where history and flowers overlap.
Read guideHarbin
Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, is China's northernmost major city, steeped in Russian influence. Its winter ice and snow festival is world-famous, while the European-style architecture of Central Street and the onion-domed Saint Sophia Cathedral define the city's look. Ice art in extreme cold and an exotic atmosphere are its twin draws.
Read guideHefei
Hefei is the capital of Anhui Province, a city that still shows the traces of its role as a Three Kingdoms battlefield and as the birthplace of the upright Song-dynasty magistrate Bao Zheng (Bao Gong). The Baogong Park complex honors his memory, the water town of Sanhe lies in the suburbs, and the city has grown into a quieter national center for science and education. It is a city where history and the present sit side by side.
Read guideHohhot
Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, means "blue city" in Mongolian. Tibetan-Buddhist temples and the Zhaojun Tomb, said to date to the Han dynasty, survive in the city, and the culture of the Mongols and other peoples lives on. Grassland spreads to the north, bringing nomadic culture within reach.
Read guideNanjing
Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, is an ancient capital on the lower Yangtze. Several dynasties made their seat here, and on the slopes of Purple Mountain the Ming-dynasty Xiaoling Mausoleum stands quietly. City walls and the Confucius Temple area carry the weight of history through a calm, settled city.
Read guideJinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province and is called the City of Springs for the many springs that rise within it. Among them, Baotu Spring is renowned as the number one spring under heaven. Together with Daming Lake and Thousand Buddha Mountain it forms Jinan's three great sights, in a calm old capital of water and greenery also known as a home ground of Shandong cuisine.
Read guideKaifeng
Kaifeng is a city in eastern Henan that prospered as the capital of the Northern Song dynasty, one of China's seven great ancient capitals. It still conveys the image of the splendid city depicted in the painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, and historic sites such as the Kaifeng Prefecture and Daxiangguo Temple are scattered throughout. Its night market food culture is also thriving.
Read guideKunming
Kunming is the capital of Yunnan province, a highland city that goes by the name Spring City. Because the temperature varies little across the year and flowers keep blooming through all four seasons, it is also called the City of Flowers. The karst terrain of the Stone Forest, the scenery of Dianchi Lake, crossing-the-bridge rice noodles and pu'er tea, along with diverse ethnic cultures and rich food, are its appeal.
Read guideLanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu Province, a northwest Chinese hub where the Yellow River runs through the center of the city. Long a Silk Road gateway for travelers heading west, it is best known across China as the home of beef noodle soup. Hui Muslim culture is part of daily life — mosques are part of the skyline, and Lanzhou is the natural starting point for journeys deeper into the northwest.
Read guideLhasa
Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region and a holy place of Tibetan Buddhism opening deep within the highlands. Its temples, where pilgrims gather, and its townscape — above all the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple — are inscribed as a World Heritage site. It is a city with scenery unlike anywhere else, ringed by clear blue sky and mountains.
Read guideLijiang
Lijiang lies in the northwest of Yunnan province, a highland town known as the ancient capital of the Naxi people. Its old town area, where waterways run along cobbled lanes, is inscribed as a World Heritage site and conveys a distinctive charm. Together with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rising behind it, it is a destination that forms a highlight of any Yunnan trip.
Read guideLuoyang
Luoyang is one of China's four great ancient capitals, a city where historic sites such as the Longmen Grottoes and White Horse Temple carry its long history. In spring, peonies color the streets, and many people come to see the flowers. It is a city that combines the cultural relics nurtured as a center of Central Plains civilization with the charm of a renowned flower destination.
Read guideMacao
Macao is a special administrative region of China in the Pearl River Delta of the south. Its historic quarter, which keeps the look of the Portuguese era, is included in a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage area, and the Ruins of St. Paul's and stone-paved squares draw travelers. Walking the lanes, the sea and history feel close at hand.
Read guideNanchang
Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi province, is a historic city on the banks of the Gan River. The Tengwang Pavilion, one of China's famed towers, and a 160-meter Ferris wheel mark its skyline. Blessed with rivers and lakes, it offers waterside scenery and the simple tastes of rice noodles and pot-brewed soup.
Read guideNanning
Nanning is the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and its year-round greenery has earned it the nickname Green City (Lü Cheng). Its green spaces such as Qingxiu Shan and Nanhu Park, its Zhuang culture, and its night-market street food — laoyou fen among them — are the city's main draws, and its closeness to the Vietnamese border gives it a Southeast Asian feel.
Read guideQingdao
Qingdao is a port city on the south coast of the Shandong peninsula, known for the harmony of its German-concession-era red-roofed villas and the blue of the Yellow Sea. The pier stretching out to sea, the foreign villas of the Badaguan area, the Tsingtao Beer Museum and fresh seafood combine seaside charm with a strong European note.
Read guideShanghai
Shanghai, China's largest economic metropolis, is situated at the mouth of the Yangtze River, where the historic architecture of the Bund contrasts with the towering skyscrapers of Pudong. It is a vibrant international city that offers a rich historical experience, from Yu Garden to the Shanghai Museum, and delights visitors with delicacies such as xiaolongbao and Shanghai hairy crab—day or night.
Read guideShenyang
Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province, is a historic city that prospered as the birthplace of the Qing dynasty. The Shenyang Imperial Palace, built before the dynasty entered the pass, and the tombs of its early emperors survive, and are inscribed as World Heritage. It offers Manchu heritage and northeastern cuisine.
Read guideTaiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital of Shanxi province and an old capital with a long history. Sights gather within the city: Jinci Temple, known for its Northern Song Hall of the Holy Mother, Yongzuo Temple with its Ming-dynasty twin pagodas, and the Shanxi Museum, which tells the province's history. Shanxi cuisine built on noodles and vinegar adds to the appeal of a city that feels the weight of its history.
Read guideTianjin
Tianjin is the largest port city on the Bohai coast of northern China. Since it was opened to foreign trade in 1860, British, French, German and Italian concessions left the city with a streetscape of European villas that earns it the nickname Museum of World Architecture. Stroll the Five Great Avenues, take in the view from the river-spanning Tianjin Eye, and finish with goubuli baozi and jianbing guozi — Tianjin pairs its modern history with a strong street-food culture.
Read guideUrumqi
Urumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, an oasis city opening at the northern foot of the Tianshan range. Far inland from any sea, it flourished in ancient times as a strategic point on the northern Tianshan route of the Silk Road. Uyghur, Kazakh and other peoples live here, and the bustle of its markets and the flavors of Central Asia greet travelers.
Read guideWuhan
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, is the largest city in central China, where the Yangtze meets its Han tributary. Sights range from the Yellow Crane Tower overlooking the river to the Hubei Provincial Museum's Zeng Marquis Yi chime bells and the first Yangtze bridge, and the city is famous for its breakfast culture.
Read guideXi'an
Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province, one of China's foremost old capitals, once known as Chang'an. Dynasties from the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang established their capitals here, and it flourished as the eastern starting point of the Silk Road. Historical legacies such as the Terracotta Army of Qin, the Ming-dynasty city wall and the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, along with a food culture built on wheat and lamb, are alive here still.
Read guideXiangyang
Xiangyang, formerly known as Xiangfan, is a historic city in the north of Hubei province, known as a setting of the Three Kingdoms story. It retains Gulongzhong, where Zhuge Liang took refuge, as well as city walls overlooking the Han River and old streets. It is a city with a palpable depth of history, where historic sites and river scenery can be enjoyed together.
Read guideXining
Xining is the capital of Qinghai province, a highland city at the gateway to the Tibetan Plateau. Hui, Tibetan and other communities live here, and mosques stand alongside Tibetan Buddhist temples in the same city. As a base for Taer Monastery and Qinghai Lake on the outskirts, it offers both multi-ethnic cultures and plateau scenery.
Read guideHuangshan
Huangshan is a famous mountain rising in southern Anhui province, a scenic area known for its curious pines, fantastic rocks, sea of clouds and hot springs. At its foot lie Tunxi Old Street and old villages such as Xidi and Hongcun, registered as World Heritage sites. It is a destination where nature and Huizhou culture can be enjoyed together.
Read guideYinchuan
Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is an oasis city nourished by the Yellow River. West of the city spread the imperial tombs of the Western Xia dynasty, and at the foot of the Helan Mountains stands an old fort known as a film location. It offers Hui culture and landscapes where desert and greenery meet.
Read guideZhengzhou
Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, is the central city of the Zhongyuan region on the south bank of the Yellow River. Shang-dynasty capital ruins survive within the city, and the Henan Museum, with its bronzes and oracle-bone script, ranks among China's finest. The city is also a gateway to Shaolin Temple, Luoyang and Kaifeng.
Read guideChangzhou
Changzhou, in southern Jiangsu, sits almost midway between Shanghai and Nanjing, with a canal running through its center. The Tang-era Tianning Temple and its 153.79-meter Tianning Pagoda rise above the old town, while the Spring-and-Autumn Yancheng ruins and a dinosaur theme park spread through the outskirts — an old canal town that lives with modern entertainment.
Read guideDalian
Dalian, at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula in southern Liaoning, is a port city on three sides of sea. Coastal squares and roads open onto grand seascapes, while old Western-style buildings shaped by Russian and Japanese influence survive in the town. It offers Bohai seafood and a city alive with sea and history.
Read guideFoshan
Foshan is a historic city in central Guangdong, just west of Guangzhou. It is remembered as a cradle of Chinese martial arts and Cantonese opera — the hometown of Wong Fei-hung and Ip Man — and packs three strong identities into a compact footprint. The Northern Song-era Zumiao Temple, a kiln that has burned for over 500 years and the celebrated food of nearby Shunde district make it an easy day out from Guangzhou.
Read guideFushun
Fushun is an industrial city in the eastern part of Liaoning, developed around its coal mines. A vast open-pit mining site remains within the city, a vivid reminder of the area's industrial past, and the surrounding hills also hold Qing-era imperial tombs that have long been part of the region's history.
Read guideHaikou
Haikou, the capital of Hainan province, is the gateway to a tropical island resort facing the South China Sea. Palm-lined shorelines, the historic Qilou Old Street built by returned overseas Chinese, and a landscape shaped by volcanoes all unfold here. With its warm climate, Hainanese chicken rice and fresh tropical fruit, it is a relaxing year-round destination.
Read guideSuzhou
Suzhou, in southern Jiangsu, is an ancient city of canals and stone bridges, often called the "Venice of the East" for its whitewashed walls and dark-tiled houses. Classical gardens dot the town, many of them inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, and the city is equally famed for its embroidery and silk.
Read guideJiaxing
Jiaxing is an old water town in northern Zhejiang, sitting almost midway between Shanghai and Hangzhou. Canals and lakes adorn the city, which keeps the atmosphere of a Jiangnan water town in full. It is the gateway to Wuzhen and Xitang, listed on the tentative list for World Cultural Heritage as Jiangnan Water Towns, and its famous zongzi can be enjoyed as well.
Read guideJiuzhaigou
Jiuzhaigou is a natural scenic area spread across the highlands of northern Sichuan, inscribed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. Its landscape, woven from lakes shining emerald and cobalt, multi-tiered waterfalls and forests of many colors, has long been called a fairyland. It is a treasure house of nature that represents China.
Read guideQinhuangdao
Qinhuangdao is a port city on the Bohai Sea in eastern Hebei. It holds Laolongtou, where the Great Wall meets the sea, and Shanhaiguan, the "First Pass Under Heaven," bringing you face to face with the Wall's eastern end. Beidaihe has long been a summer retreat, and the city is a seaside resort close to Beijing.
Read guideQuanzhou
Quanzhou is a historic port on the southeast coast of Fujian, long a major port on the maritime trade routes and a meeting ground of many religions. The old Chinese name Zayton marks a city that, between the 10th and 14th centuries, drew traders from across Eurasia. Surviving mosques, Hindu remains and Buddhist temples justify the city's frequent description as a museum of world religions, and the red-brick lanes and Fujian snack stalls are reason alone to visit.
Read guideQufu
Qufu lies in southwestern Shandong province, a holy place of Confucianism known as the hometown of Confucius. The Temple of Confucius, which honors him, the Kong Family Mansion of his descendants, and the Cemetery of Confucius are collectively called the Three Confucian Sites and form part of a World Heritage site. Many people from home and abroad visit for the magnificent traditional architecture and the memorial ceremonies for Confucius.
Read guideTai'an
Tai'an is a town at the foot of Mount Tai, foremost of China's Five Great Mountains, in central Shandong province. Mount Tai was inscribed in 1987 as a UNESCO World Heritage site of both natural and cultural value, and the Dai Temple at its foot is included among its component parts. The climb to greet the sunrise at the summit and the air of a sacred mountain where emperors of successive dynasties performed the Fengshan rites are its attractions.
Read guideXiamen
Xiamen is a port-and-island city on the southern coast of Fujian, facing the Taiwan Strait. Most travelers come for Gulangyu, the car-free island whose 19th-century foreign settlement was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017, and where cobbled lanes wind between old villas and gardens. Mild year-round weather, Fujian cooking and fresh seafood complete the appeal.
Read guideZhongshan
Zhongshan is a Pearl River Delta city in southern Guangdong, best known as the birthplace of the figure the city is named for. The Cuiheng Village memorial district draws the visitors; the city's reputation as a Cantonese-food town and a regional hot-spring center rounds out the appeal. Compared with its Delta neighbors, Zhongshan is a quieter, more local stop.
Read guideZhuhai
Zhuhai is a seaside city in southern Guangdong, sitting just across the border from Macau. One of China's original Special Economic Zones, it has grown into a long, open coastline of green, palm-lined streets. The 55-kilometer Lovers' Road promenade, the resorts on Hengqin Island, and fresh Cantonese seafood make it a relaxed base for combining a coastal stay with a Macau visit.
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