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China A guide to the main attractions |
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My pictures of China
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This page provides a list of the main things to see in the Chinese subcontinent. "++"
identifies the top attractions.
BEIJING Beijing (north):
Notes and maps for Beijing HEILONGJIANG (northeast) Harbin: +Snow & Ice Festival (january), Isozaki's Concert Hall (2014) LIAONING (northeast) Shenyang: Gugong (imperial palace of 1636) HEBEI (north of Beijing) Hongyagu: 488-meter glass bridge (longest glass bridge in 2017) East Taihang: cracking glass walkway Chengde/Jehol (3 hr from Beijing): Summer Palace, Liao-period white pagoda/ Yongyousi-Ta (12th c) Mancheng (25 km west of Baoding, near Chengde, 137km south of Beijing): Han-period tomb of Liu Sheng, king of Zhongshan (206 AD) Dingzhou City: Kaiyuan temple with Liaodi Pagoda (1055 AD), 84 meters high, eleven storeys, tallest of all extant ancient buildings Zhengding (200 kms south of Beijing, near Shijiazhuang): Taoist and Buddhist temples in the old town Zaoxian: Zhaozhou bridge (605 AD) Chagzhou: Dulin bridge, Shan bridge Jingxing: +Fuqing Xi/ Fortune Celebration Temple over Cangyan Canyon (with Qiaolou Hall bridge, the highest bridge in China for nearly a thousand years) SHANDONG (south of Beijing) Qufu: +Kong Miao/Temple of Confucius of 1724 (Han dynasty gates, Great Pavilion of Constellations of the Scholars of 1190) and Wung Fu (1567) Taian: Tai Shan (Taoist pilgrimage mountain) Zaozhuang/Taierzhuang: Grand Canal Qingzhou (west of Weifang): museum (with Tang-era Buddha statues unearthed in 1996) Maoshan (Daoist mountain) Qingdao: -Zhanqiao Pier, -Colonial mansions of Badaguan (10 Juyongguan Rd, 18 Huanghai Rd, etc), St Michael's Cathedral (1934, 15 Zhejiang Road), -Jiaozhou Governor's Hall (on Dexian Rd), -Xinhao/ Signal Hill (views of the city), JIANGSU (south of Shandong) Nanjing: Ming tombs on Zijin Shan (Ming Xiaoling) and Zhongshan Ling (1920 mausoleum of Sun Yatsen/ Sun Yixian), Greenland Financial Center or Zifeng Tower, Qinhuai River (prostitutes quarter), Imperial Examination Museum Notes and maps for Nanjing Zhenjiang: Jueshan/Jiaoshan Changzhou: China Dinosaur Park, Tianning Temple, Yancheng Ruins (warning: see the Notes) Wuxi: Wanda Cultural Center (teapot-shaped building, Juqu Rd & Lihu Ave, 1 km south of Changguangxi metro), Lingshan Buddha and Lingshan Buddhist Palace on Taihu Lake Yangzhou: Wuting/ Five-Pavilion Bridge Suzhou (north to south): Suzhou Museum (Pei-designed); Silk Museum (more interesting building than the Museum); Administrator gardens; Confucian Temple/ Wenmiao with stelae carved during the Southern Song dynasty (1137-1279) including a map of old Suzhou, detailing the canal system, and an astronomy stele from 1190 - one of the oldest astronomy charts in the world; Pingjiang Lu (pedestrian area with several opera performances); Gate of the Orient (2014, 3km east of the old town, Dongfangzhimen station of Line 1 metro); Temple of Mystery/ Xuanmiao (Daoist, 1181 and the sole surviving example of Song architecture in Suzhou); Twin Pagodas/ Shuang Ta; +Pan Gate Scenic Area (one ticket for all): Pan Men (1355), Wumen Bridge (Wumen Qiao), Ruiguang Pagoda (Ruiguang Ta); Slightly outside Suzhou (northeast): Yangcheng Lake's Tongtian Butu sculpture in Huayi Brothers Movie World theme park Slightly outside Suzhou (northwest): North Temple Pagoda in Bao'en Si (The tallest pagoda south of the Yangzi); Shantang Street from Changmen Gate (the west gate) on the northern bank of the Shantang River ending at Tiger Hill for seven li (3.5 kms); Tiger Hill/ Huqiu Shan with seven-storey Cloud Rock Pagoda (Yunyan Ta) atop the hill (very popular with Chinese tourists but wildly overpriced); West Garden temple/ Xiyuan Si (3km from town), constructed in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the largest temple in Suzhou; +Hanshan temple and Fengqiao/Maple bridge in Fengqiao town (5km west of Suzhou, 1 km from Xiyuan Si), the best temple in the province; Slightly outside Suzhou (southeast): Baodaiqiao/ Precious Belt Bridge (located at the intersection of the Grand Canal and Tantai Lake, 2.5 kms southeast of Suzhou) Watertowns near Suzhou: Tongli and +Zhouzhuang (pronounced Joju-a) Notes and maps for Suzhou SHANXI (between Beijing and Xian) Taiyuan: Shuangta (Twin Pagoda) monastery with 13-storey pagoda, Jin monastery of 1020 (25 km southwest of Taiyuan), cave temples of 6th c (sculptures of Cave 19) on Mt Tianlong (near Jinci, 50 kms from Taiyuan) Notes and maps for Taiyuan Datong/ Tatung: Nine dragon screen in Jiulong Bi, +++Yungang/Yunkang caves of 386-534 AD (++Cave 6 of 5th c AD, +Cave 7 of 480, +Cave9, Cave 12's west wall, +Cave 13, +Colossal 5th c.AD Buddha of cave 20) Notes and maps for Datong Hunyuan: Xuan-kong Si (Hanging Monastery) of 1140 Heng Shan (Buddhist holy mountain) Yingxian: Pagoda (11th c) of Fogong Temple, oldest extant wooden pagoda +Pingyao (traditional village of Ming dynasty, 1.5 hour from Taiyuan) Zhenguo Temple (near Pingyao) Jincheng: Tomb of the Red Emperor (14th c), Jin Dynasty theater, Yuhuang temple (Daoist, with 260 statues), Xiyagou canyon, Manghe natural reserve in Sanglin town, Qinglian temple/ Blue Lotus temple (5th c AD) at Lingshi Mountain (17 km southeast of Jingcheng) Wutai Shan/ Mount Wutai (the five-terrace holy mountain of Buddhists): East Main Hall of Foguang Temple (857), 5kms north of Doucunzhen, and main hall of Nanchan Temple 782), two of the oldest wooden buildings in the world, and Shuxiang Temple Notes and maps for Wutai Shan Ruicheng: The Five Dragons Temple/ Wu Long M¨ao, Taoist temple, with wooden Main Hall of 833 HENAN (between Beijing and Xian) Fuxi mountain: glass U-shaped bridge Zhengzhou: Yellow River Scenic Area, Shang ruins +Anyang Yinxu (200 kms north of Zhengzhou): Yinxu Bowuguan museum, Xibeigang/Hsipeikang cemetery with tomb of consort Fu Hao (1250 BC) at Yinxu (Shang Dynasty ruins), Wenfeng pagoda Luoyang (120 kms west of Zhengzhou): +Longmen Caves of 494-750 AD (1352 grottoes, 40 pagodas including +Seated Buddha in cave 13 of 527, +cave 20, +cave 6, +Pinyang Cave T69 of 6th c AD, Vairocana Buddha of 675), Baima/ White Horse monastery of 1st c BC (oldest Buddhist temple in China, destroyed by the Cultural Revolution), Han-dynasty tomb of 1st c BC (with earliest wall painting of China), Laojun Mountain (Daoist mountain, the mountain with the greatest number of "golden halls" in the world) Dengfeng (60 km southeast of Luoyang): +Mt Sung/Song with 12-sided Songyue Pagoda (6th c), Fawang Temple's pagodas, +Shaolin Temple (the birthplace of Zen Buddhism, with collection of pagoda forest), Zhongyue Temple (one of the earliest Taoist temples), Kaifeng: +Iron Pagoda (1049), Da Xiangguo Si (Song Dynasty's largest temple but rebuilt in 1766) Zhaocun (Lushan County): +128-meters Spring Temple Buddha (tallest statue in the world, 2008) Mt Bao: funerary niches near Lingquan monastery Notes and maps for Henan HUBEI (central) Wuhan: Huang He Lou/ Yellow Crane Tower, Hubu Alley, Guiyuan Temple, Stone Museum, Guqin Tai/ Heptachord Terrace, Baotong Temple, Dong Hu/ East Lake, Han Street along the Chu River, Tan Hua Lin pedestrian street, Wuhan Changjiang Daqiao/ Yangtze River Bridge (built in 1957). Suizhou (border with Henan): Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (433 BC) Yesanguanhen (300 kms west of Wuha, 300 kms east of Chongqing): 1,222 meter long and 500-meter high Sidu River suspension bridge (2009, second tallest bridge in the world in 2016) Notes and maps for Wuhan ANHUI (central) +Huangshan Mountains National Park ("Yellow Mountains") with Valley of Wild Monkeys, Huangshan City: Cheng Dawei Abacus Museum (more than 1,000 abaci), Cheng's Three Houses , MAD Architects' mountain village at Huangshan Taiping Lake (2016) Huangshan City: traditional villages of southern Anhui, i.e. Wan Nan (Hongcun, +Xidi) Chizhou: Jiuhua holy mountain Notes and maps for Anhui province JIANGXI (northeast) Sanqingshan National Park (40 km north of Yushan County) Nanchang: Jiangxi Provincial Museum in Xinzhou (with +Dayangzhou tomb artifacts of 1000BC) HUNAN (central) Zhangjiajie (northwestern Hunan): +Wulingyuan National Park; 430-meter long and 300-meter high glass bridge of Tianmen Shan (2016, tallest in the world), the world's longest cable car ride at Tianmen Shan, Tianmenshan Temple at Tianmen Shan Hengyang: Grand Temple/ Nanyue Damiao of Mount Heng, largest temple complex in China Fenghuang: ancient town +Changsha: +Zaha Hadid's Meixihu International Culture & Arts Centre, +Next Architects' undulating red Lucky Knot Bridge in Meixi Lake (2016), Yunxi Urban Complex (2019), Xie Zilong Photography Museum (2017), Pozi Street Pingjiang: Shiniuzhai National Geological Park with +Brave Man's Bridge/ Haohan Qiao (2017) Notes and maps for Hunan province SHAANXI (central) Xian/ Xi'an
Notes and maps for Xian SHANGHAI (central East Coast)
Notes and maps for Shanghai ZHEJIANG (south of Shanghai) Hangzhou: West Lake and +Liuhe Pagoda (Six Harmonies Pagoda) of 1165 AD, Carlos Ott's Hangzhou Grand Theatre, +Lingyin Temple, Wansong Academy, Longjing village (tea village), Qiaoxi (Qiao Xi Li Shi Jie Qu) along the Grand Canal, Southern Song Imperial St and Hefang St, +Life Plaza (with the Intercontinental Hotel and many other futuristic buildings), West Lake Cultural Square, Grand Canal (Qiaoxi to Dadou), Wang Shu's and Lu Wenyu's Xiangshan Central Campus of China Academy of Art (2007), Wulin Square Notes and maps for Hangzhou Yuhang (40 kms northwest of Hangzhou): Liangzhu Museum (David Chipperfield, 2008) for Liangzhu culture (3400-2250 BC) Wuzhen water town: +Dongda Jie (one hour from Main Bus Station), Opera theater, Munxi museum Huzhou: Sheraton Hot Spring Resort (Taihu Lake, north Zhejiang) Xinye (near Xin'anjiang) traditional village Putuoshan holy mountain of Guanyin Buddha (300 kms from Hangzhou): Duobao Pagoda (1334), Puji Temple (Song dynasty), Nanhai Guanyin (giant Buddha statue) Jinhua (170 km southwest of Hangzhou): Lanxi Zhuge Bagua ("Eight Trigrams") ancient village, laid out in the form of eight trigrams Mount Tiantai: Guoqing Temple (with memorial pagoda of Monk Yi Xing, builder of the world's first mechanical clock) Jushui (Qingyuan County): Buchan Bridge Taishun: Santiao covered bridge, Wenxing covered bridge, Xidong covered bridge, Beijian covered bridge, Xuezhai covered bridge Qingyuan: Rulong covered bridge, Houkeng covered bridge FUJIAN (south of Zhejiang) Quanzhou: twin pagodas of Kaiyuan temple, Emporium of the World +Anxi temple and old town Ningde: CATL's headquarters, shaped like an oversize lithium battery Fuzhou: Sanfang Qixiang (architecture of Ming and Qing dynasties), Buddhist temples (Yongquan Temple, Xichan Temple, Linyang Temple, Dizang Temple, Wanfu Temple and Xuefeng Temple) Xiadang (Shouning County): Luanfeng Bridge GUANGDONG (southern East Coast) Guangzhou/Canton:
Notes and maps for Guangzhou Shenzen:
Notes and maps for Shenzhen Kaiping: 1800 watchtowers Macau: colonial architecture, Mazu temple, +Grand Lisbon Notes and maps for Macau Hong Kong:
Notes and maps for Hong Kong GUANGXI (south) Guzhou/ Rongjiang old town Lijiang (Li River) National Park Sanjang: +Chengyang bridge, Bajiang bridge, Batuan bridge TAIWAN Taipei:
Pingzi: Lantern Festival (february) Beigang: Chaotien Temple (Taiwan's oldest Matsu shrine) Chiayi: 16m-high shoe-shaped glass church (Chiayi Budai Seascape Park) Alishan National Scenic Area Kenting National Park -Puli: Chung Tai Shan temple Kaohsiung (3 hours by train from Taipei): Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center (the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, with Buddha Memorial Center and 36-meter Buddha statue, 1975), Lotus Lake/ Lianchi Tan with Dragon and Tiger Pagodas/ Longhu Ta (1976) -Tainan, ancient capital: Confucius Temple (1665), Nankunshen Daitian Temple Taichung: Rainbow Village in Nantun District painted by Huang Yung-Fu Notes and maps for Taiwan TIBET (southwest) Lhasa: +++Potala Palace, +Jokhang Temple, +Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery Near Lhasa: ++Ganden Monastery, Reting monastery/ Radreng monastery Far from Lhasa: ++Shigatze, +Gyangtse, +Samye monasteries, +Sakya monastery (near Nepal border) Very far from Lhasa: Lake Manasarova, ++Mt Kailash Mt Kailash Notes and maps for Tibet QINGHAI (southwest) Sanjiangyuan National Park SICHUAN (Eastern Tibet) Le Shan: ++Da Fo, largest Buddha in the world of 803 Emeishan (near Leshan) pilgrimage mountain Chengdu: Manjushri Monastery (Wenshu Yuan), Qingyang Gong, Qintai Rd, +Science Fiction Museum (Pidu district), +Natural History Museum (Chenghua district), Co-Innovation and Cooperation Center (Dayuan district), Baoguang monastery of 2nd c AD (18 kms north of Chengdu) Jianchuan Museum Cluster (one of the largest private collections in the world, near Chengdu) Anren (one hour from Chengdu): Jianchuan Museum Cluster (largest museum complex in China in 2005, official propaganda about Mao's times) Pools of Huanglong ("Yellow Dragon", 150 kms northwest of Chengdu) Garze/Ganzi: Kandze monastery/ Ganzisi of 1642 (west of Aba) Baiyu County: Yarchen Gar in Garze/Ganzi prefecture: nun city (Yaqen Orgyan Temple) Sertar County: Seda in Garze/Ganzi prefecture: Larung Gar Buddhist Institute, the largest Tibetan Buddhist institute in the world Dege County in Garze/Ganzi prefecture: Dzogchen monastery (main Buddhist temple in East Tibet), Palpung Monastery, Gongchen Monastery, Kathok Monastery, Palyul Monastery, Shechen Monastery Nuorilang: Jiuzhaigou nature reserve (Arrow Bamboo Falls, Five Flower Lake, Pearl Shawls Falls) Sanxingdui Museum (+2.6-meter bronze statue from 1,000BC, +bronze tree) Qinglinkou: old town with Hongjun bridge Xiaobei (180 kms northwest of Chengdu): +Jiemei bridges Dujiangyan: Anlan suspension bridge (261 m) Notes and maps for Sichuan CHONGQING (east of Sichuan) Chongqing. Jiulongpo District: +Huangjueping Graffiti Street, the largest graffiti art in China, starts from Huangjueping Railway Hospital and ends at 501 Art Gallery, with a total length of 1.25 km. Yuzhong District (subway line 2 to Linjiangmen Station): Hongya Cave (view from Qiansimen Bridge); +Guotai Arts Centre (red building); Skyscrapers (WFC, IFC, etc); +Times Square (pedestrian area amid the skyscrapers). Yuzhong District (subway line 2 to Zengjiayan Station): +Great Hall of the People, and across the square the Three-gorges Museum (with Han artifacts). Yuzhong District (subway line 2 to Fotuguan Station): General Stilwell Museum - Flying Tigers Museum (68 Jialingxin Road). Line 2 +Liziba station (high-rise light-rail station). Jiangbei District (line 6 to Grand Theater station: +Opera House and Science and Technology Museum. +Qiansimen Bridge (connects Opera House and Hongya Cave with great views of the skyline). +Moshe Safdie's "horizontal skyscraper" Raffles City (under construction in 2018). Bishan Cultural and Art Center (2016): Dai Shan Da Dao, Bishan Qu, Chongqing Shi. Dazu: +Beishan caves of 9th-13th c (10,000 carved stone statues with 250m-long Buddha Crescent), +Baodingshan caves of 1179-1249, Duobao Pagoda (12th c) Cruise to Yangtze gorges: Shibao Zhai temple on an island Notes and maps for Chongqing GUIZHOU (south) Fanjingshan 1,341-meter long and 564-meter high Beipanjiang Bridge (tallest bridge in the world in 2016), connecting Guizhou and Yunnan YUNNAN (south of Sichuan) Lugu Lake: Mosuo matriarcal tribes Kunming: Qiongzhu temple Shi Lin: +stone forest (100 km southeast of Kunming) Lijiang (border of Tibet): +old town, water wheels, Naxi people (matriarchal and polytheistic) Baisha (10 km north of Lijiang): Mural of the Liuli Dian temple and Dabaoji Gong palace Hutiaoxia/Qiaotou (near Lijiang): +Tiger Jumping Gorge (16-km hike and "Sky Ladder", series of vertical ladders) Dali: old town, three pagodas Jinghong: Dai villages (e.g. Banla) Damenglong (south of Jinghong just a few kms from the border): Hanfeilong pagoda of 1204 Shangri-La/ Zhongdian: +nature Shigu: great bend of the Yangtze around Cloud Mountain Notes and maps for Yunnan HAINAN ISLAND (south) +Nanshan Park in Sanya (Buddhist temples, statues and gardens, including Nanshan Temple, and the 108-meter statue of goddess Guan Ying) Notes and maps for Hainan INNER MONGOLIA (north) Dongsheng: Genghis Khan's mausoleum (1952) Kublai Khan's palace of Xanadu (destroyed) Ordos: Exhibition Plaza (Kuanlu Architects, 2015) with +City Library and +Ordos Museum GANSU (east of Xinjiang) Dunhuang/Tun-Huan: +++ Mogao caves of 366-907 AD (Cave 272 of 420s with "Dome of Heaven" and "Lantern Ceiling"; Cave 259 of 450s with "Treasure Stupa"; Cave 254 of 470s with stupa pillar and Sivi and Mahsattva Jatakas; Cave 249 of 540 with fresco of Buddha in preaching pose and ceiling imagery mixing Chinese tradition and Buddhist belief; Cave 285 of 538 with Vihara architecture and ceiling imagery with traditional Chinese iconography; Cave 428 of 570 with stupa pillar, gable roof, decorative "Lantern" ceiling; Cave 96 of 690s with a female Buddha Maitreya; Cave 217 of 710 with western Paradise and Lotus Sutra; Cave 1's wall painting of Manjusri's pilgrimage; Cave 70's landscape painting of 8th c; Cave 139A's wall painting of the Western Paradise) Lanzhou: White Pagoda (seven-storey eight-sided pagoda with images of Buddha of 12th c) Tianshui: +Maijishan/ Mai-chi-shan rock-cut Buddhist caves with 7,200 Buddhist sculptures and over 1,000 square meters of murals (+stele of Cave 133) Jiayuguan fort of the Great Wall (1372) Jiayu Pass: remnants of the original Great Wall XINJIANG (far west) Urumqi: architecture (City Commercial Bank, New Holiday Inn and Xin Jiang Grand Hotel, Mopark , Jin Gu Hotel, China Construction Bank & Jinsin building, Entertainment Square, People's Hotel & Construction Bank, Hong Xin hotel, Hoi Tak hotel, Bank of China, Fountain Plaza, Hong Xin hotel, Li Hua hotel) Kashgar: 17th c mausoleum of Apak Khoja, 11th c mausoleum of Uygur poet Yusup Has Hajib, Id Kah mosque of 1442 Kucha/Kuche (between Kashgar and Turfan): Buddhist monastery of Kyzyl Kara, Thousand Buddha caves of Kezier Qianfo Dong (70kms from Kucha, but very little left to see) Near Kucha: Kizil/Qizil Caves (6th c frescoes) Turfan: +Jiaohe (ancient capital of the Cheshi kingdom of 7th-10th c), +Gaochang (ancient Uygur capital) Artux (northwest of Kashgar): +Shipton's Arch/ Toshuk Tagh, world's tallest natural arch |
Notes
The Best
This list is limited to the coastal regions, between Hong Kong and Beijing.
It does NOT include the attractions that require lengthy
detours (e.g. Tibet, Xinjiang, Gansu, Yunnan...).
And assuming that you want to see
#5 Great Wall (Jinshanling or Badaling, 2 hours from Beijing) #6 Xian (Terracotta soldiers) #7 At least one "temple" (which are really cities), best is Lingyin Temple (1 hour from Hangzhou, 2 hours from Shanghai) #8 At least one medieval town. Easiest to reach and probably best is Wuzhen (1 hour from Shanghai), although it has become very commercial (warning: millions of tourists during weekends!) #9 Hangzhou (Life Plaza, West Lake, Imperial Song St) |