5 Places to Visit in China
China has the largest population and is the fourth largest country in area in the world. Going to China is easier than ever. The country has so much to offer and the question is where do you start and what are the best places to visit in China?
If you live in the West Coast, there are
three direct flights from Los Angeles to Beijing and
seven to Shanghai. There are
five from New York to Beijing and
four from New York to Shanghai.
Here are Travelmath’s 5 places to visit in China:
One: Great Wall of China, Beijing
The Great Wall of China is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Built in the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD, this massive structure stretches across 5,500 miles from the east coast through the interior grasslands, desert and mountains of China.
To visit the Great Wall, tours usually start from Beijing, the capital city of China. Beijing is
13 hours two minutes flight from Los Angeles. The popular one day tour takes tourists to the Badaling Great Wall located about 40 miles north of Beijing.
For the adventurous and for those who want to see more of the wall, hiking tours of the Great Wall are available. GreatWallHiking.com has a variety of hiking tours including a one day Jiankou to Mutianyu hiking tour. The tour company provides pick up from Beijing to Jiankou where the hike starts.
This five hour hike will bring you to the unrestored and original sections of the wall, scenic view of China, the watch towers of the Great Wall including Zhengbeilou Tower, ancient calligraphy and decorative arts on walls.
Information:
Great Wall Hiking
Two: The Heavenly Lake and Tian Shan Mountains near Urumqi
Located in the northwest region of China,
1,502 miles from Beijing, Urumqi offers tourists a different feel of China. Here you will find mosques, bazaars like those in Central Asia that sell unique ethnic handmade souvenirs like sweaters, hats and rugs and this is where the Uygur, Kazakh and Mongolian minority groups reside.
Urumqi is the gateway for the Silk Road Tours through Central Asia. Tourists are attracted to the culture and also the natural beauty of the area. Heavenly Lake and Tian Shan Mountains area were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013.
It is one of the most unique and beautiful mountain ranges in the world with snowy mountain glacier-capped peaks, undisturbed forests and meadows, clear rivers and lakes and red bed canyons. According to
UNESCO you get the “visual contrast between hot and cold environments, dry and wet and desolate and luxuriant.”
Three: Giant Panda Center in Chengdu
World Wildlife Organization (WWF) listed pandas as endangered animals and the rarest of the bear family. In fact the WWF logo is a panda. Pandas are found in bamboo forests in the Qinling, Minshan, Qionglai, Daxiangling, Xiaoxiangling and Liangshan Mountains of western China near Chengdu.
Chengdu is a
two hour 34 minute flight from Shanghai. When you visit the Giant Panda Research Center you will see the pandas in their most natural environment.
Information:
Panda Research Center
Four: The Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Suzhou is only
an hour 17 minute drive from the bustling city of Shanghai (without traffic). A visit to China would not be complete without a trip to the nine gardens in the historic city of Suzhou.
UNESCO listed it as one of their World Heritage Site in 2000 and said these gardens dating back to 11th-19th century reflect the profound metaphysical importance of natural beauty in Chinese culture.
Another attraction is the Suzhou Museum designed by I.M. Pei, the architect who designed The Louvre’s glass pyramid in Paris. The museum offers free entrance.
Read more about
Suzhou Museum here.
Five: China National Tea Museum in Hangzhou
Tea was first discovered in China. Tea drinking is an art and tea houses are important meeting place for business and leisure. The best place to learn about the history of tea and the tea culture of China is at China National Tea Museum in Hangzhou.
The museum was opened in 1991 in the tea plantation area of Hangzhou. Hangzhou is located
109 miles south of Shanghai. The museum has six main halls – Hall of Tea History, Tea Kaleidoscope Hall, Hall of Tea Properties, Tea Sets Hall, Tea Friendship Hall and Tea Customs Hall.
Information:
Tea Museum
Whether you are an adventurous traveler, history enthusiast or a culture connoisseur, China has it all.
