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
What to do and see in China, China: The Best Ancient Ruins
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. Jinshanling Great Wall
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 648 reviews
Jinshanling Great Wall is located in Luanping County, Chengde, Hebei Province, 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Beijing. It used to be a sound defensive system including barrier walls, battlement walls, watchtowers, gun emplacements, shooting holes, horse blocking walls, and branch cities. Today, it is renowned as the "Paradise of Photographers" and a popular tourist destination because of its magnificent appearance and intoxicating scenery.
Reviewed By C7513ZBsued - Worcester, United Kingdom
We did a day trip to Jinshanling from Beijing as part of a 3 week trip to China. That day was the absolute highlight of the holiday. The scenery was breathtaking, the autumn colours stunning and there were so few people around. We were also very fortunate with the weather on the day we were there, 23 October, we were in T-shirts, the sun was out, the sky clear blue, we could see for miles - the perfect setting to see the Great Wall in its full glory. The journey from Beijing took about 2 hours in a private minibus. We hiked from the West Gate to the East Gate, which took just under 4 hours although that did include frequent photo stops, pauses to admire the view and also, at times, a chance to get our breath back after a clamber up a particularly steep bit or to brace ourselves for the next climb! Those challenging sections went towards making it such an amazing experience. I would not recommend the walk unless you are fit. Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes and bring plenty of water although you can buy water and souvenirs along the route.
2. The Great Wall at Badaling
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11,049 reviews
The Great Wall of China is considered to be the only man-made project visible from the moon. Although it was once thought to have been built entirely during the Qin Dynasty between 221 and 238 BC, it is now believed to have been started earlier.Stretching more than 6,400 kilometers in length.
Reviewed By raniil - Santiago, Chile
The Great Wall is one of the seven wonders, so you have to visit it if you’re in Beijing. We booked a tour to get there because it’s outside the city. We went in winter so it was very cold. In spite of this, we really enjoyed the view. We were amazed by the construction.
3. Yungang Grottoes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 973 reviews
There are over 50 caves with over 50,000 well-preserved Buddhist statues from the 5th century.
Reviewed By snowmountainfox - London, United Kingdom
Breathtaking site and grottos, though it is recommended to read up on the history and grottos / watch documentaries before going to grasp the uniqueness and depth of the site. Signage boards only provide limited information and the Museum is currently closed due to Covid. If you speak Mandarin, you could also respectfully ask the friendly security staff in the grottos for explanations. They are very knowledgeable and deserve credit for their willingness to share.
4. Wudang Mountain National Geopark
5. Xi'an City Wall (Chengqiang)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,847 reviews
Xi'an city wall has a history of 600 years. It is the Ming dynasty city wall. The city wall was built to protect the city. It is 12-14 meters across the top, 15-18 meters thick at bottom and 13.7 kilometers in length. There is rampart every 120 meters. The ramparts are towers extending out from the main wall. There are 98 ramparts along the city wall.
Reviewed By CSItraveller - Raleigh, United States
You can walk, push-bike, or ride a golf cart along the top of the wall. It's as wide as a six lane highway between the gates, and even wider at the gates and courtyards. It's an engineering masterpiece, and has to be seen to fully appreciate ancient building skills.
6. 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).
7. Wei-Jin Tombs
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 39 reviews
Reviewed By PARIVRAAJK - Chamba, India
Tombs of Wii-jin is so impressive and i am great full to the shepherd who exigently found it. It shows great history how different cultures use to live and perform then death rituals and understanding of life and after life/
8. Ancient City of Jiaohe (Yarkhoto)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 226 reviews
Reviewed By TanSuoTravel - London, United Kingdom
A visit to these ancient ruins is simply a must for anyone fascinated by the history of the Silk Road! The 2,300-year-old Jiaohe Ruins represent the ancient remains of a Silk Road oasis town named Jiaohe, which was established as far back as the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). This is a real Silk Road oasis town; untampered with and physically resonating with history. Not to mention, it’s not really a very popular tourist site, so we almost had the place to ourselves. The buildings are still relatively intact, which is incredible when you consider how old they are. In particular, the Jiaohe Temple has been so well-preserved that there are still a few visible statues of the Buddha carved into the sides of its walls! The scenic area has been well-mapped out, with signage that tells you what part of the town you are in at any given moment. While the buildings all look relatively similar, it is these signs that really give you an idea of how large and prosperous this oasis town once was. The residential area is particularly fascinating, as you could spend hours imagining what it might have been like to have lived in this deserted place. We'd recommend arranging a taxi from Turpan to the Jiaohe Ruins, as it is in quite a remote location. You'll need your passport in order to buy your entry tickets. At the main entrance area, you can watch a short movie about the history of Jiaohe, although it is all in Chinese. After that, you board a shuttle bus that takes about 15-minutes to arrive at the oasis town itself. At the entrance to the town, there is a small seating area where you can buy refridgerated drinks and fresh fruit. We'd strongly recommended buying or bringing some water, as there is no cover from the sun and it can get blisteringly hot, so it's important to stay hydrated!
9. Phoenix Ancient Town
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,042 reviews
Reviewed By Jordydegraaf - Terneuzen, The Netherlands
This is what people often have in mind of visiting an old Chinese town. Architecture of the buildings are stunning, really amazing. The village though increasingly becomes popular and gets commercialized. Still it has a nice vibe and atmosphere. At night it’s particularly beautiful. You won’t need more than one day. It’s best to stay overnight to experience the village at night. By taxi it takes one hour to Tongren Fenghuang Airport, busses available as well but not that frequent. Additionally Fenghuang has express bus connection to Zhangjiajie & Wulingyuan (village of Zhangjiajie National Park) which takes about 4 hours.
10. Xiaoling Tomb of Ming Dynasty
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 478 reviews
Reviewed By deanosaur89 - Edmonton, Canada
We enjoyed walking through the area on the sacred pathway (lined with stone animals and soldiers) on the way to the tomb. The cost to enter is 70 RMB and you can pay 100 RMB to get a discount ticket to see other attractions in the purple mountain area as of March 2021. The gardens are well maintained and there are plenty of signs to point you in the right direction. The ramps to go to the top of the tomb building are a little slippery and uneven so make sure you have good shoes. There are also lots of cats and pollen in this area when we went in March 2021 so you might want to bring your allergy medication just in case. There were also plenty of mosquitoes but they did not bite at all. Lots of places to grab snacks and drinks in the park area - the highlight for us was a Johnsonville sausage trailer! Closest Metro to the main gate was Muxuyuan. To Didi here you can enter "Ming Xiaoling Masoleum Scenic Area - Ticket Office".
