China
China is one of the world’s great countries. Despite what you hear on the news about it’s growing economic heft, it has a lot to offer to travelers in the form of culture, diversity and beauty. It is one of very few countries that has tropics, year-round snow capped mountains, deserts, forests and everything in-between. That is not to mention the 5000 year old culture, history and epicurean delights. After traveling for over three months and 20,000 km through the country we felt we only scratched the surface, but many of the highlights can be seen on separate trips. While communication is difficult, the people of China proved to be among the most helpful and trustworthy of any we have encountered. Travel in China is becoming easier by the day so dream up the things you would like to see and China won’t disappoint.
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DON’T MISS: Yunnan, better known for it’s most famous city: Shangri-La.
MUST SEE: Where to start? How do you list the “must sees” of Europe or the USA? If you are looking for Wild West and mountains, head to the South and make your way from Yunnan to Tibet. If you want history fly to Xi’an and take the train to Beijing via Pingyao and Datong. If you want modern cosmopolitan China visit Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
MUST TASTE: Shanghai soup dumplings, Xiaolongbao and Beijing’s famed Peking Duck
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TRIP PLANNING: China is a huge country; you really have to decide the activities you want to do and plan around that. The gorgeous natural scenery of the south (Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet) can be seen in a rushed two weeks. The tourist hoards of Xi’an and Beijing can be suffered through in a one-week tactical strike. The whole shebang, as we did, takes at least three months, more comfortably six months.
GETTING AROUND: Trains. China has the world’s best long-distance train system and is very affordable. For any trip longer than four hours buy a hard or soft sleeper ticket, which requires a 5-10 day advance purchase. Click here to learn more about buying train tickets in China.
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OUR COST PER DAY (2 ppl): $47.62 (excluding Tibet, which was $395.40/day, and Hong Kong, which was $116.72/day excluding accommodations as we stayed with a friend)
COST OF A BEER: $0.80-1.20 for a big beer from local restaurants and convenience stores.
KEY MONEY-SAVING TIP: Stay at hostels rather than hotels, they are a fraction of the cost in comparison with a hotel. Every hostel we stayed at in China was new, clean and offered modern amenities along with a friendly atmosphere to meet other travelers. The private rooms were typically $30 USD or less and dorms were half that ($5-8 per person).
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YOU NEED TO KNOW: Get used to using charades to communicate. Outside of major cities little English or European languages are spoken. The nice thing is that people genuinely want to help you and won’t try to cheat you (outside of tourist markets), don’t get frustrated and you’ll get what/where you need.
IF WE KNEW WHAT WE KNOW NOW: We do not recommend under any circumstances trying to travel during Golden Week, Chinese New Year or any other major Chinese holiday. It might be interesting to be in the country, but plan ahead because with that many people on the move it is not fun to be part of one of the world’s largest human migrations. Read Crowded China to understand the experience of Chinese crowds.
HELPFUL LINKS TO LEARN MORE: Best of Shanghai in 3 days, China city and travel guides (Travel China Guide), Discount China hotel and flight booking (CTrip), Seat 61 for train information and buying guide, China train schedule and price finder. Please send us any sites you found useful and we’ll add them!
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WE WERE THERE FOR: 14 weeks
OUR HIGHLIGHT: Tibet
WHERE WE WENT: Qingdao, Tai’an, Luoyang, Xi’an, Pingyao, Datong, Beijing, Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse, Shegar-Everest, Chengdu, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Dali, Kunming, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Xiejie, Diashou, Shenzhen, Guanzhou
WE REGRET MISSING: Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
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- North China Index: Beijing, Xi’an, Tai’an, Datong, Pingyao, Luoyang, Qingdao, Xi’an
- South China Index: Lijiang, Chengdu (Panda Bears!), Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, Chengdu, Dali, Kunming, Shanghai
- Tibet Index
- Hong Kong Index
- Sample the delicacies of different parts of China
- See our China Article Index
- Search for articles on our Interactive Map
- Return to the China main page
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Short on time? The highlight reel of our 14 week trip to China including terra-cotta warriors, ancient Buddhas, modern metropolises, Pandas, a 10,000 foot deep gorge, monks and more. Tour China in under 40 photos!
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Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average elevation of 4,900 meters (16,000 ft) and one of the most fascinating places we have visited on our trip. The incredible spirituality and devotion of the Tibetan Buddhists just add to the intrigue of this region. Nestled among the Himalayas the location is stunning and a place you have to see to believe. This collection of photos is the best of what we saw.
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Tibetan monasteries are deeply spiritual places, you can't help but feel the presence of the Dalai Lama himself. From Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace in Lhasa to Tashilunhpo in Shigatse and the Kumbum in Gyantse all the way to Rongphu the highest monastery in the world we were awestruck by their beauty.
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Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, is at an altitude of 3,490 meters (11,450 ft), making it one of the highest cities in the world. It is also the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism. It is home to some of the holiest places, which attract thousands of pilgrims and tourists alike.
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One of the highlights of any trip to Tibet is the strong devotion of the locals and pilgrims. The Barkhor is the epicenter of spiritual life in Lhasa and the destination for many Buddhists. We were enchanted by the people in Lhasa and beyond, always kind and welcoming. We couldn't resist featuring an entire gallery of the wonderful people we met throughout our trip in Tibet.
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Hong Kong is one of two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbor. With a land mass of 426 square miles and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Hong Kong's population is 95 percent ethnic Chinese and 5 percent from other groups. It was one of the most beautiful and intriguing cities we have ever visited and was one of our favorite stops on the trip.
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Beijing, Xi’an, Tai’an, Datong, Pingyao, Luoyang, Qingdao, Xi’an
Founded in 200 BC, Datong is famous for the Yungang Grottoes filled with over 50,000 carved images and statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, ranging from 4 centimeters to 7 meters tall. Most of these carvings exceed 1000 years old and retain their original pigment. This was one of the most impressive historical sights we visited in China. Datong is a short trip from Beijing and worth spending a night in to see the Yungang Grottoes.
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Pingyao is renowned for retaining many of it's Ming and Qing dynasty buildings and city walls dating to 1370 AD. While many of the traditional cities in China have been rebuilt, the effort to retain the original buildings earned the city a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. It is located 715 KM from Beijing and is an easy night-train escape from the bustling city to the quiet streets of Pingyao.
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One of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, Luoyang is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. It has been settled since 2070 BC and has one of the greatest repositories of ancient Buddhist art in the Longmen Grottoes. A UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 1,400 caves filled with carved Buddhas, inscriptions and paintings dating to 493 AD.
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Qingdao, or Tsingtao, is best known for its namesake beer. The city and brewery were built when it was a German colony and still has the charm of an European seaside city. It is considered on of China's most beautiful cities and a beach vacation destination during the summer. This was the first city we visited in China and was a great place to start our Chinese adventure.
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Tai'an is home to Mount Tai is one of the "Five Sacred Mountains". It is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal, and is often regarded the foremost of the five. Mount Tai has been a place of worship for at least 3,000 years and served as one of the most important ceremonial centers of China during large portions of this period (source Wikipedia). All the great leaders of China from Confucius to Chairman Mao have climbed the 7,000 steps to the Jade Emperor Peak, and so did we...in one long day.
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Xi'an is one of China's Four Ancient Capitals, with more than 3,100 years of history. It is home to more than seven million people, but it's most famous residents are the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. There are many other royal tombs near the city including pyramids.
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Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the largest cities in the world with almost 20 million residents. It is the center of Chinese government and industry, along with the home to many historical sights. We stayed in the city twice as a base for trips to North Korea and Tibet, otherwise the city quickly loses its appeal due to massive crowds.
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Lijiang, Chengdu (Panda Bears!), Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, Chengdu, Dali, Kunming, Shanghai
Lijiang Old Town, in the Yunnan Province, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to it's 800 year history as a trading hub on the old tea horse road.
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Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010. Located in the Yangtze River Delta in eastern China it is influential not only because of it's location, but it's residents, which include many large corporations. Visiting Shanghai you may even wonder if you have temporarily left the chaos of China behind.
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Yuanyang county covers an area of 2200 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 365,000 (2002), of which 88% belong to ethnic minorities and 95% is associated with agriculture. The main attraction here are the gorgeous terraced rice fields as far as the eye can see. We enjoyed getting lost among the rice and meeting the warm and friendly local people.
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Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the world's deepest gorges, with 18,360 foot Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on one side of the 15 km gorge. It offers a stunning hike along the side of the gorge, finishing with a steep descent to the river. It is a highlight of Yunnan Province and conveniently located between Lijiang and Shangri-La.
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Shangri-La, in the Yunnan Province, named after the fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon, fulfills its reputation as an earthly paradise for tired tourists. Tourist arrive from a bruising 5 day bus trip or hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge to find comfortable, affordable places to stay and a plethora of international foods. The old town has is filled with Tibetan and Chinese small town charm, along with a gorgeous lakeside monastery, Zhongdian.
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Chengdu is capital of the Sichuan Province, known for it's spicy foods. The city is the center of an urban area with over 14 million residents, but is one of China's cleanest, nicest and most organized large cities. The highlight of our trip to Chengdu was visiting the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, the world's center of attempts to save the Pandas from extinction.
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Dali, in the Yunnan Province, is the ancient capital of both the Bai kingdom, which flourished during the 8th and 9th centuries, and the Kingdom of Dali, which reigned from 937-1253. It has become a major tourist destination with a bohemian arts scene, international cuisine, and a quiet atmosphere that is a great break from more bustling parts of China.
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Yangshuo is a popular destination for both domestic and foreign visitors due to its incredible karst scenery, beautiful mountains, rivers and caves as well as its laid back cafes and bars. Renting a bike to explore the countryside made for a nice laid-back vacation from the rest of China's busy cities.
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