TRAVEL
TERRACOTTA ARMY, XI’AN, SHANXI PROVINCE
More than 2000 years old but only discovered in 1974
Burial site of first emperor of China
Thousands of statues of soldiers made from terracotta
GREAT WALL
Building started in 7th century BC
Estimated to be 13,000 miles long!
Get the cable car up, hike along the wall and then toboggan down
Visit less touristy parts of the wall (Jiayuguan - end of the wall, fort in the desert. Shanhaiguan - other end of the wall, where the wall meets the sea. Mutianyu - hike the unrestored areas).
FORBIDDEN CITY, BEIJING
- Former Imperial palace
TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, BEIJING
World heritage site
Set of Taoist religious buildings
ZHANGJIAJIE, HUNAN PROVINCE
World heritage site
Inspiration for Pandora from Avatar
JIUZHAIGOU, SICHUAN PROVINCE
National park
World heritage site
Crystal clear blue lakes
YUNNAN PROVINCE
Traveller heaven, bohemian towns like Dali and Lijiang
Hot weather all year
Southeast Asian feel
TULOU BUILDINGS IN FUJIAN PROVINCE
Circular buildings, made of ‘rammed earth’, housing entire villages
Mistaken for missile silos by Americans during the cold war
TIGER LEAPING GORGE, YUNNAN
- One of the deepest and most spectacular canyons in the world
CHENGDU, SICHUAN PROVINCE
Panda breeding centre
World-famous food, spicy, sichuan (szechuan)
SANYA, HAINAN ISLAND
- ‘China’s Hawaii’!
YUNGANG CAVES, DATONG
5th century Buddhist caves carved into cliffs
Huge Buddha carvings
798 ART DISTRICT, BEIJING
- Contemporary art galleries, restaurants, cafes in disused industrial Mao-era factories