Discover China,
From provinces down to a single 900-year-old village — explore the history, culture, food and practical know-how of every corner of China, all on one interactive map.
Click a region to zoom in · scroll to pan and zoom · use the trail above to go back
Featured destinations
Hand-picked starting points, from megacities to mountain villages.
Beijing 北京
Beijing Municipality
Imperial capital of eight centuries
Xi'an 西安
Shaanxi · Xi'an
Where the Silk Road began
Shanghai 上海
Shanghai Municipality
China's neon-lit window to the world
Yangshuo 阳朔
Guangxi · Guilin · Yangshuo
Karst peaks and lazy rivers
Lijiang 丽江
Yunnan · Lijiang
Naxi old town beneath snow mountains
Hongcun 宏村
Anhui · Huangshan · Yi County · Hongcun
A 900-year-old village shaped like an ox
Bazhong 巴中
Sichuan · Bazhong
Cliff grottoes in the northern hills
Chaozhou 潮州
Guangdong · Chaozhou
Ancient Teochew town of fine crafts
Chengdu 成都
Sichuan · Chengdu
Pandas, hotpot and teahouse calm
Chongqing 重庆
Chongqing Municipality
Vertical megacity of fog and spice
Dali 大理
Yunnan · Dali
Lakeside Bai towns and easy days
Daocheng Yading 稻城亚丁
Sichuan · Garze · Daocheng
The last pure land of blue planet
Dapeng Fortress 大鹏所城
Guangdong · Shenzhen · Dapeng
A Ming garrison by the sea
Datong 大同
Shanxi · Datong
Buddhist grottoes and a hanging temple
Dazhou 达州
Sichuan · Dazhou
Hill country on Sichuan's eastern edge
Deyang 德阳
Sichuan · Deyang
Bronze mysteries of Sanxingdui
Dongguan 东莞
Guangdong · Dongguan
The world's factory floor
Dujiangyan 都江堰
Sichuan · Chengdu · Dujiangyan
A 2,200-year-old irrigation marvel
Dunhuang 敦煌
Gansu · Jiuquan · Dunhuang
Desert oasis of the Mogao Caves
Mount Emei 峨眉山
Sichuan · Leshan · Emeishan
Sacred Buddhist peak in the clouds
Fenghuang 凤凰
Hunan · Xiangxi · Fenghuang
Stilt houses over the Tuojiang River
Foshan 佛山
Guangdong · Foshan
Cradle of Cantonese kung fu and ceramics
Fuzhou 福州
Fujian · Fuzhou
Banyan city of lanes and hot springs
Guang'an 广安
Sichuan · Guang'an
Hometown of Deng Xiaoping
Guangyuan 广元
Sichuan · Guangyuan
Plank roads and an empress's birthplace
Guangzhou 广州
Guangdong · Guangzhou
Cantonese food capital of the south
Guilin 桂林
Guangxi · Guilin
Karst scenery and the Li River
Gulangyu 鼓浪屿
Fujian · Xiamen · Gulangyu
Car-free island of villas and pianos
Hangzhou 杭州
Zhejiang · Hangzhou
West Lake poetry and green tea
Harbin 哈尔滨
Heilongjiang · Harbin
Ice city with a Russian soul
Heyuan 河源
Guangdong · Heyuan
Dinosaur eggs, hot springs and lakes
Huanglong 黄龙
Sichuan · Aba · Songpan · Huanglong
Travertine pools of gold and turquoise
Huizhou 惠州
Guangdong · Huizhou
West Lake calm and an easy coast
Jiangmen 江门
Guangdong · Jiangmen
Heartland of overseas Chinese
Jieyang 揭阳
Guangdong · Jieyang
Teochew temples and jade trade
Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟
Sichuan · Aba · Jiuzhaigou
Turquoise lakes and tiered waterfalls
Kaiping 开平
Guangdong · Jiangmen · Kaiping
Watchtower country of the diaolou
Kangding 康定
Sichuan · Garze · Kangding
Tea Horse Road gateway to Tibet
Kashgar 喀什
Xinjiang · Kashgar
The Silk Road's great oasis bazaar
Langzhong 阆中古城
Sichuan · Nanchong · Langzhong
One of China's best-kept ancient cities
Leshan 乐山
Sichuan · Leshan
Home of the world's largest Buddha
Lhasa 拉萨
Tibet · Lhasa
Roof-of-the-world pilgrim city
Longyan 龙岩
Fujian · Longyan
Hakka homeland of the great tulou
Luoyang 洛阳
Henan · Luoyang
Ancient capital of peonies and Buddhas
Luzhou 泸州
Sichuan · Luzhou
The wine city of the Yangtze
Barkam (Ma'erkang) 马尔康
Sichuan · Aba · Barkam
Capital of the Gyarong Tibetan valleys
Maoming 茂名
Guangdong · Maoming
Lychee groves and a long coast
Meishan 眉山
Sichuan · Meishan
Hometown of the Su literary family
Meizhou 梅州
Guangdong · Meizhou
World capital of Hakka culture
Mianyang 绵阳
Sichuan · Mianyang
Sichuan's science city and Li Bai's home
Nan'ao Island 南澳岛
Guangdong · Shantou · Nan'ao
Guangdong's only island county
Nanchong 南充
Sichuan · Nanchong
Silk city and Three Kingdoms lore
Nanjing 南京
Jiangsu · Nanjing
Solemn capital of six dynasties
Nanping 南平
Fujian · Nanping
Mountains, rivers and Wuyi tea
Neijiang 内江
Sichuan · Neijiang
Sweet city of painters and sugar
Ningde 宁德
Fujian · Ningde
Mudflat sunrises and sea cliffs
Panzhihua 攀枝花
Sichuan · Panzhihua
Sunshine steel city of the south
Pingyao 平遥
Shanxi · Jinzhong · Pingyao
A walled Qing-era banking town
Putian 莆田
Fujian · Putian
Birthplace of the sea-goddess Mazu
Qingdao 青岛
Shandong · Qingdao
Beaches, beer and red-roofed hills
Qingyuan 清远
Guangdong · Qingyuan
River gorges and bamboo-raft rafting
Quanzhou 泉州
Fujian · Quanzhou
Medieval emporium of the world
Sanming 三明
Fujian · Sanming
Karst caves and ancient villages
Sanya 三亚
Hainan · Sanya
China's tropical beach resort
Shantou 汕头
Guangdong · Shantou
Teochew port of flavour and diaspora
Shanwei 汕尾
Guangdong · Shanwei
Quiet bays and fishing-port faith
Shaoguan 韶关
Guangdong · Shaoguan
Red cliffs and the cradle of Zen
Shawan Ancient Town 沙湾古镇
Guangdong · Guangzhou · Panyu · Shawan
800 years of Lingnan town life
Shenzhen 深圳
Guangdong · Shenzhen
China's instant tech metropolis
Suining 遂宁
Sichuan · Suining
Guanyin temples by the Fu River
Suzhou 苏州
Jiangsu · Suzhou
Classical gardens and silk canals
Tianluokeng Tulou 田螺坑土楼
Fujian · Zhangzhou · Nanjing · Tianluokeng
'Four dishes and a soup' tulou cluster
Turpan 吐鲁番
Xinjiang · Turpan
Grape oasis below sea level
Wuyishan 武夷山
Fujian · Nanping · Wuyishan
Red-cliff peaks and rock-oolong tea
Wuzhen 乌镇
Zhejiang · Jiaxing · Tongxiang · Wuzhen
Canal water town of black tiles
Xiamen 厦门
Fujian · Xiamen
Island city and colonial Gulangyu
Xiapu 霞浦
Fujian · Ningde · Xiapu
China's most photogenic mudflats
Xichang 西昌
Sichuan · Liangshan · Xichang
Moon city, rockets and Yi culture
Xidi 西递
Anhui · Huangshan · Yi County · Xidi
Huizhou village of carved archways
Ya'an 雅安
Sichuan · Ya'an
Rainy city of pandas and tea
Yangjiang 阳江
Guangdong · Yangjiang
Silver beaches and a sunken treasure ship
Yibin 宜宾
Sichuan · Yibin
Where the Yangtze begins and baijiu flows
Yongding Tulou 永定土楼
Fujian · Longyan · Yongding
Earthen castles of the Hakka clans
Yunfu 云浮
Guangdong · Yunfu
Stone-carving hills and a Zen patriarch
Zhangjiajie 张家界
Hunan · Zhangjiajie
The floating sandstone pillars
Zhangye 张掖
Gansu · Zhangye
Rainbow mountains of the Hexi Corridor
Zhangzhou 漳州
Fujian · Zhangzhou
Tulou roundhouses and flower country
Zhanjiang 湛江
Guangdong · Zhanjiang
Seafood capital of the south coast
Zhaoqing 肇庆
Guangdong · Zhaoqing
Crags, lakes and a sacred forest
Zhaoxing Dong Village 肇兴侗寨
Guizhou · Qiandongnan · Liping · Zhaoxing
Drum towers of the Dong people
Zhongshan 中山
Guangdong · Zhongshan
Hometown of Sun Yat-sen
Zhuhai 珠海
Guangdong · Zhuhai
Garden coast and island gateway
Zigong 自贡
Sichuan · Zigong
Salt wells, dinosaurs and lanterns
Zili Village 自力村
Guangdong · Jiangmen · Kaiping · Zili
Diaolou towers in the rice paddies
Ziyang 资阳
Sichuan · Ziyang
Giant Buddha and lotus lakes
Practical tools
The eat-stay-move-connect essentials that make a China trip smooth.
Paying for things
China runs on mobile payments. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your foreign card before you arrive and you'll breeze through almost everywhere.
Getting around
World-class high-speed rail between cities, cheap clean metros within them, and ride-hailing that works in English — moving around China is one of its great pleasures.
Staying connected
Sort out data and a VPN before you land. Many global apps are blocked in China, so a little prep keeps you online with maps, chat and search.
Money & costs
The currency is the renminbi (yuan, ¥). China is mid-range for travel cost — street food and trains are cheap, big-city hotels less so. Convert prices below.
Avoid the rookie mistakes
Honest, no-nonsense tips so your first days go smoothly.
- ✦Set up mobile payments before you land — most places skip cash.
- ✦Carry your passport: it's needed for trains, sights and SIM cards.
- ✦Decline unsolicited 'tea ceremony' and 'art gallery' invitations.
- ✦Screenshot addresses in Chinese to show drivers.
Let AI plan your trip
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