Culture-heritage
Xi’an Terracotta Warriors
The Terracotta Army is a vast collection of life-size sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang.
Xi’an Ancient City Wall
Enlarged in the early Ming Dynasty, Xi’an’s brick city wall remains the most impressive ancient city wall still standing in China.
Xi’an Small Goose Pagoda
The Small Goose Pagoda stands on Youyi Road in what was once Jianfu Temple of Tang-dynasty Chang’an.
Guilin Li River
The Li River is one of China’s most popular scenic waterways and is often listed among the world’s top watery wonders.
Guilin Elephant Trunk Hill
Elephant Trunk Hill is the symbol of Guilin, with Water Moon Cave framed between the elephant’s trunk and body.
Guilin Reed Flute Cave
Reed Flute Cave is a limestone cave in Guilin, named for the verdant reeds outside that can be made into flutes.
Leshan Giant Buddha
Carved into a cliff at the confluence of the Min and Qingyi rivers, the Leshan Giant Buddha sits about 170 kilometers from Chengdu.
Chengdu Panda Base
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is a non-profit facility for giant pandas and other rare animals.
Jiuzhaigou Valley National Park
Jiuzhaigou means “Valley of Nine Fortified Villages,” stretching over 75,000 hectares on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau.
Datong Yungang Grottoes
The Yungang Grottoes in Datong hold 256 caves and some 52,000 statues of fifth- and sixth-century Buddhist cave art.
Datong Hanging Temple
About 65 kilometers southwest of Datong, the Hanging Temple clings to a cliff with some 40 rooms linked by dizzying passageways.
Pingyao Ancient City
Pingyao is one of China’s most famous ancient towns, an exceptionally well-preserved Han Chinese city founded in the 14th century.
Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden
The Humble Administrator’s Garden is regarded as the greatest of southern Chinese gardens, laid out in eastern, central, and western parts.
Suzhou Lingering Garden
Lingering Garden is a renowned classical Chinese garden and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hangzhou Lingyin Temple
Lingyin Temple is one of the largest temples in southern China, founded in 328 AD and rebuilt many times since.
Hangzhou West Lake
West Lake is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, ringed with temples, pagodas, gardens, causeways, and ornamental islands.
Lhasa Potala Palace
The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama and is now a museum and World Heritage Site.
Lhasa Jokhang Temple
Jokhang Temple is the holiest site in Tibetan Buddhism, founded during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo.
Zhangjiajie Tianzi Mountain
Tianzi Mountain forms a “golden triangle” with Zhangjiajie Forest Park and Suoxiyu Valley in Hunan.
Zhangjiajie Golden Whip Stream
Golden Whip Stream is the largest brook landscape in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and one of its most beautiful walks.
Zhangjiajie Bailong Elevator
The Bailong Elevator is a glass lift built onto a cliff in Wulingyuan, opened to the public in 2003.
Lijiang Tiger Leaping Gorge
Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the world’s deepest gorges and one of China’s finest treks through dramatic landscapes.
Lijiang Jade Dragon Mountain
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rises near Lijiang in Yunnan and is deeply revered by the Naxi people.
Tianjin Eye
Tianjin Eye is a 125-meter Ferris wheel built over Yongle Bridge — said to be the only wheel of its kind constructed over a bridge.
Beijing Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved imperial palace complex.
Beijing Great Wall
The Great Wall can be visited at many sections along its thousands of kilometers and is one of the seven wonders of the world.
Beijing Summer Palace
The Summer Palace is a vast lake, garden, and imperial retreat in Haidian District, about 17 kilometers from downtown Beijing.
Beijing Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square sits at the heart of Beijing and is among the largest city squares in the world.
Beijing Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven in Dongcheng District expresses the ancient Chinese idea of the relationship between earth and heaven.
Shanghai Museum
Founded in 1953, the Shanghai Museum holds a vast collection of Chinese art, including over 120,000 nationally significant objects.
Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple
Jade Buddha Temple is a Buddhist monastery in downtown Shanghai, named for its jade Buddha statues.
Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower
Completed in 1995, the Oriental Pearl Tower is a TV tower on the Huangpu River in Pudong and a 5A scenic area.
Shanghai Yuyuan Garden
First built in 1560 in the late Ming Dynasty, Yuyuan Garden is a classical garden in the heart of Shanghai’s Old City.
Jade
Jade (yu in Chinese) has been prized since ancient times and is closely woven into Chinese culture.
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber that can be woven into textiles and has long defined China’s luxury crafts.
Pearl
The majority of cultured freshwater pearls originate in China.
Cloisonné
Cloisonné is a traditional enamel ware known as the “Blue of Jingtai,” with more than 600 years of history from the Ming Dynasty.
Tea
Chinese tea is a beverage made from tea-plant leaves and boiled water, with a culture stretching back millennia.
Impression West Lake
Impression West Lake is a lakeside show that brings Hangzhou folklore, mythology, and history to life against the real landscape.
Guilin Impression Liu Sanjie
Impression Liu Sanjie is a large-scale landscape performance on the Li River, directed by Zhang Yimou and others.
Chengdu Face-Changing Show
Sichuan opera’s face-changing stunt turns a character’s hidden emotions into a sudden, visible change of mask.
Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show
This show blends Tang-dynasty dance and music with Central Asian and Western influences from China’s cosmopolitan golden age.
Peking Opera Show — The Quintessence of Chinese Culture
Beijing Opera, with its magnificent music, singing, and costumes, is a national performing art of China.
Kung Fu — Chinese Martial Art
The theory of Chinese kung fu is rooted in classical Chinese philosophy.
Chinese Acrobatics Show
Acrobatics has more than 2,000 years of history in China and remains a beloved national art.