City: China
Top Things to do in China
Top Hotels in China
- 1. InterContinental Century City Hotel Chengdu
- 2. Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West
- 3. Crowne Plaza Hangzhou HEDA, an IHG hotel
- 4. Holiday Inn Chengdu Century City-WestTower, an IHG hotel
- 5. Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
- 6. Holiday Inn Chengdu Century City-EastTower, an IHG hotel
- 7. Wyndham Grand Shenzhen
- 8. Crowne Plaza Xi'an, an IHG hotel
- 9. Alva Hotel by Royal
- 10. The Arca
Top 10 Historic Sites in China, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.404 billion. Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third- or fourth-largest country by total area, depending on the source consulted. China also has the most neighbor countries in the world. Governed by the Communist Party of China, it exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Restaurants in China
1. Shamian Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,950 reviews
This lovely, tree-lined neighborhood bordering the Pearl River was once home to foreign merchants, and today is a laid-back area ideal for strolling or stopping for a meal or cup of tea.
Reviewed By TheUhlmen - Yakima, United States
We stopped by after hearing about this area of town from plenty of other folks. We took a cab over from our hotel- roughly 15 minutes - and walked around for about 2 hours. Even at 9 am in the summer, it’s hot! We went through plenty of water and even found a 7-11 where we got a slurpee! I hadn’t had one is about 20 years, but that cools to the core! The white swan hotel, the fingerprinting guy at Helen’s place and the fabled friendship garden statues were all on the agenda and made for a good morning. We got plenty of souvenirs at Michael’s place and worked up an appetite sweating the rest of the morning! Takeaways - the maps here are not helpful and things can be hard to find. If you can map things out s bit beforehand, it’s worth it...or just get on WiFi. A great half day excursion that can go, basically as long as you want it to! Worth checking out for sure!
2. Mogao Caves
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 874 reviews
Located in the Gobi desert, the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas feature beautiful wall fresco paintings and more than 3,000 sculptures dating from the forth to the fourteenth century.
Reviewed By garyr0bertb - China, null
The Mogao Caves or grottos, Dunhuang are amazing and one of the best places I have been to in Asia. I visited Mogao on New Year’s Day 2021, minus 6 degrees centigrade but no snow. I had an English-speaking Chinese tour guide who was excellent – her English was very good; her knowledge of history, art and religion was extensive; and she was gracious in answering my questions. I’ve studied Chinese history at university but Western lecturers and textbooks are no match for a local person who is a part of the culture! I visited 12 caves as this is the low season. If you visit in other seasons, you will see 8 caves. I was mesmerized by the Buddhist sculptures and murals, especially as I could see an evolution of styles through the centuries. The 492 Mogao Caves have art works ranging from the 5th to the 17th Centuries CE with restorations occurring during the Qing Dynasty, even into the early 20th Century. I was amazed at the resilience of the art to earthquakes and humidity, but also perturbed by the looting and vandalism of European and American treasure hunters in the early 20th Century. I spent 5 hours at the caves. This included the tour, visiting the museum (which has special exhibitions), buying books at the giftshop (two in English), having a coffee at the café, and wandering around taking photographs. Some Important Tips: # In high season, there is a daily limit of visitors. # You cannot take photos inside the caves and in parts of the museum. This is important as the light from phones and cameras (even without flash) damages the murals. Be respectful, don’t complain. # You need to go to the Mogao Caves Exhibition Centre first to purchase a ticket (140RMB). This is 5 kms from the centre of Dunhuang town. (Taxi – 30RMB or bus). Here you can watch a film if you wish. Please ask about the frequency of shuttle buses, especially in low season. In 2021, you will need a clear Health Code on your mobile phone (same as per booking into your hotel). # The shuttle bus will take you to the Mogao site 20 kms away (part of the ticket price). # Follow the passengers to the entry gate and show your ticket. If you want an English tour guide, please let them know here. I am unsure which other languages are available. # You cannot choose the caves you wish to see but all groups will see the main ones. # Don’t forget the onsite museum, gift and bookshop and café. # Shuttle buses leave regularly to the Exhibition Centre. From here, hop on a town bus or grab one of the waiting taxis in the car park back to Dunhuang town. # Doing a little reading about Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism, and Chinese history beforehand might influence your experience.
3. Lingyin Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,460 reviews
Built in 326 A.D. at the foot of Lingyin Mountain, this temple features a main hall extending 33.5 meters in height, a statue of Sakyamuni carved out of 24 pieces of camphor wood and a laughing Buddha covered in gold.
Reviewed By SueF_Trips - Tulsa, United States
Past the perfectly manicured tea groves of a picturesque country lane is the home of Hangzhou's amazing ancient Feilai Feng scenic area and Lingyin Buddhist Temple. Countless perfectly detailed reliefs, statues, and buddhas are carved eveywhere into the mountainside amongst tall beautiful trees, caves, pathways, and a quiet stream. Would have loved to spend many more hours exploring the site but moved along with my family to tour the Buddha statues and structures of the Lingyin Temple. The scenic area is one of the must peaceful settings I've ever experienced. Not far away though near the entrance you're back to civilization with many small shops, restaurants, not one, but two separate Starbucks, and most importantly...a Western styled ladies room!
4. Yuantong Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 252 reviews
Reviewed By DereckDC - Guiyang, China
I went the weekend of the tomb sweeping festival. Not too many people. The entrance fee is ¥6. I was there for maybe 45 minutes. You may take more time if you are able to read Chinese or if you have more than one person in your party. Decent place to take pictures (not of the inside of temples of course).
5. Chongsheng Three Pagodas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 516 reviews
Reviewed By Travdon - Philadelphia, United States
The grounds of this complex are sprawling, and you could easily spend half a day exploring. The three pagodas are great to see, as they've been standing for over 1000 years. But after you pass those, there are myriad temple buildings to explore. There are some buildings stuffed with numerous gold-coated statues of various individuals - not really sure what it was or who they were, but they were interesting to see. The path continuously hikes upwards, and you have to navigate several sets of steps, but it's worth it. Some buildings you can walk up to the top and have great views of the lake and city. The entrance fee to the complex is 75 RMB/person, plus an additional 35 RMB if you want a shuttle to take you from the three pagodas to the main temple (not worth it, as the leisurely stroll is part of the fun).
6. Our Lady of Penha
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 314 reviews
Reviewed By thobias567 - Singapore, Singapore
An iconic Church which is out of ytourist hotpots. Making it best for taking photos. Sublime view of Macau. Only bad thing is that you need to walk uphill or taxi doesn't passby that place that often.
7. Sun Yatsen Mausoleum (Zhongshan Ling)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,695 reviews
Reviewed By ursbruno - Basel, Switzerland
This is a Mausoleum worth to visit. Beautiful Trees are on both sides. The steps , 392, representing the 392 million people at that time, are well set. From above, you only see the platforms! The coffin is very big for the 159cm Sun Yatsen... It is a miracle, that this Mausoleum survived the Revolutions.
8. Tongli Town
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 915 reviews
Reviewed By denisepeterr
You can really get a "feel" of this water town as you walk in and stroll the streets with crafts to witness from clothes, indigo dyed fabric (well, that is what I was interested in), ceramics and on to architecture and people. There is a charm and intimacy as one sees daily living in what is also a well served tourist town.
9. Lugu Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 888 reviews
Reviewed By Sijia22 - Sydney, Australia
One of the last female dominant societies in China, nested away around a fully natural lake, outside the busy cities and approx. 3000m above sea level. We stayed here for one night during April 2019 and whilst everything looks old, the lake is a beautiful light blue-ish silk colour that we have never seen before. It is truly unique and we have been to many famous lakes around China and all around the Asia Pacific. No lake is as tranquil or natural as the Lugu lake. We came via car from Lijiang (4 hour drive) but it's also possible to enter from the eastern Chengdu side. We went around the lake, took the boat to a famous little island where they shot a popular entertainment show, crossed the wedding bridge, experienced the bonfire dance at night and stayed at a nice hotel at the edge of Da Luo Shui. The hotel was called 'San Se Yun' or 'three colour cloud' but I couldn't find it on TripAdvisor. If you don't mind the long drive (or you can fly here from Kunming or Chengdu) and want to experience going back in time to a nice hideaway tribal village, then spending a day (or a few days) at Lugu Lake would be a nice choice.
10. The Lingering Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 838 reviews
A Brief Description of the Lingering Garden Located at the outer side of the Chang Gate and built in the 21st year of the reign of Wanli under the Ming Dynasty (AD 1593), the Lingering Garden is reputed to be one of the four most famous gardens of China. In 1961 it was listed from the very first as cultural relics of national importance. Since 1997 it has been inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List. The Lingering Garden, covering 23,310 sq.m., is divided into the middle, eastern, western and northern parts. The middle part features fascinating landscapes and waterscapes. The eastern part is noted for its architectural beauties and limestone rockeries. The northern part is famed for its beautiful bonsai garden. And the western part boasts the mountain forest scenery and the delights of wilderness. Celebrated for its superb handling of architectural space and spatial relations, the Lingering Garden serves as a fine specimen of ancient Chinese garden and landscape design and reputably tops all the well-known gardens in Suzhou. The Lingering Garden provides English tour guide for free every hour since 2017. You can also choose to pay for a professional English guide with different guiding route or a guiding machine. Hope that during your short stay here, you can not only satisfy your eyes, but also experience the real Chinese culture and have a better understanding of our philosophy.
Reviewed By BillPNo1 - Friendswood, United States
On our entire trip to China, The Lingering Gardens at Suzhou, was one of the most memorable places we visited. The extent of the Lingering Gardens is difficult to describe. The Gardens, seemingly, went on and on and there was another lovely fascinating sight around each corner of the winding paths. Meticulously groomed, cleaned (constantly) and maintained, the whole Gardens were beautiful, whether you were looking at rock gardens, winding paths, ponds or fish pools, little bridges, or flowering plants, trees, and shrubs! How could so many things still be in bloom in November? I think my favorite things were the extensive bonzai tree collection in their area. All old (ancient?) and perfectly groomed, they seemed like silent sentinels of the past left for us to view and appreciate now in modern times. Even the bathrooms were works of art and the finest examples of WC's that we saw anywhere during our trip! The entire group decided that the Lingering Gardens WC's were Five-Star! DO NOT miss a visit to the Lingering Gardens if you are anywhere in the area. They are exquisite and I wish that we had several days to more fully explore the Gardens than the too short time that our group tour schedule allowed. The Lingering Gardens was definitely as high as the Great Wall and Terra Cotta Warriors in my esteem!
