Jiangxi
This tree-lined street, and the pathways that branch off it, form a kind of porcelain-production arts district, which is a centre for contemporary…
Must-see attractions in China
Henan
This superb but little-visited museum has three main exhibits: 20 reconstructed tombs (spanning five main dynasties, or over 1000 years), re-created using…
Beijing
A highlight of a visit to the Ming Tombs is to walk the Shen Dao, or Spirit Way, a funerary avenue that plots a sombre course to Cháng Líng, the earliest…
Zhejiang
Oddly overlooked by most visitors, this 400m stretch of 100 (or so) wooden row houses, flanking a narrow canal, is Nanxun's most charming spot. The…
Anhui
When its granite peaks and twisted pines are wreathed in spectral folds of mist, the idyllic views of Huangshan (黄山; Huángshān) easily nudge it into the…
Yulongsi Valley & Mt Gongga Shan
Set at an altitude of 3941m and cut off from the outside world by winter snows for months on end, the Gongga Monastery (also known as the Minya Konka…
Beijing
Remodelled in 2019, UCCA remains the finest contemporary-art gallery in 798, and a contender for the best in the country. Many global art superstars have…
Sichuan
Surrounded by the mud-brick buildings belonging to the smaller of Ganzi's two Tibetan quarters, this 13th-century temple's two dimly lit halls (one…
Hong Kong
This arts and lifestyle hub occupies the multistorey modernist building complex of the old married police quarters (c 1951). Dozens of small galleries and…
Jiangxi
The jewel in the crown of Jiangxi's wéi lóng wū, this fascinating, 350-year-old, four-storey structure is the tallest of a number of crumbling old…
Chengdu
This Tang dynasty monastery is dedicated to Wenshu (Manjushri), the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, and is Chengdu’s largest and best-preserved Buddhist temple…
Macau
St Joseph’s, which falls outside the tourist circuit, is Macau’s most beautiful model of tropicalised baroque architecture. Consecrated in 1758 as part of…
Hunan
The old town can be visited in half a day, and undulates in a delightful, higgledy-piggledy, often steep, maze of narrow stone-flagged alleys and lanes…
Hangzhou
The serene yet monastically active Chan (Zen) Jingci Temple was built in AD 954 and has been fully restored. The splendid first hall contains the massive,…
Qingdao
For a self-serving introduction to China’s iconic beer, head to the original and still-operating brewery. On view are old photos, preserved brewery…
Liaoning
Most visitors to Lushun head straight for the notorious prison that, from 1902 to 1945, housed more than 450,000 war prisoners captured by the Russians,…
Lhasa
The recently renovated tsogchen (assembly hall) has statues of the 16 arhats (literally ‘worthy ones’) and two huge statues of Tsongkhapa (only visible…
Guangdong
The moat of ancient Chaozhou is a lake inside a park well loved by locals. Around the lake are a few notable buildings. Hanbi Building served as a…
Fuzhou
This ‘downtown’ series of ancient residential buildings is known as ‘Three Lanes and Seven Alleys'. Thousands of visitors wander the white-walled streets…
Guangxi
A one-hour walking circuit loops you past limestone caves, primeval vegetation and an underground river in this sinkhole that reaches 312m in height. Trek…
Guangdong
Originally a 12th-century pontoon bridge with 86 boats straddling the Hán River, Guangji Bridge suffered repeated destruction over the centuries. The…
Shenzhen
It's an easy half-hour amble up to the top of this tropical hill in the heart of Futian District for Shenzhen's best skyline photographs. Appropriately,…
Hong Kong
In the 19th century many Chinese who left home in search of better horizons died overseas. As it was the wish of traditional Chinese to be buried in their…
Macau
The historical part of Taipa is best preserved in this village in the south of the district. An intricate warren of alleys holds traditional Chinese shops…
Shanghai
Designed by renowned Japanese architect Ando Tadao, the Aurora Museum is set over six floors of the Aurora building and houses a stunning collection of…
Guilin
This park is named after eight Danxia stone peaks that lie near the border with Hunan. Round, isolated, featuring ringlike troughs and leaning 45 degrees…
Hong Kong
This multilayered museum records 2000 years of Chinese maritime history and the development of the Port of Hong Kong. Exhibits include ceramics from China…
Chengdu
Spanning ancient Shu and pre-Qin dynasties to the Revolutionary era and modern Chengdu, this spectacular five-storey museum (completed in 2016) is packed…
Sichuan
China's leading panda conservation centre and, almost certainly, the best place to see pandas in China, the Wolong Giant Panda Garden is home to 74…
Shanghai
Disney has magicked-up a spectacular theme park in Shanghai, offering a subtly Chinese take on Mickey and Co. Six themed areas encircle Disney’s biggest…
Kunming
The Golden Temple Scenic Area is equal parts religious space, forest park, botanical garden and open-air sculpture museum; it covers 118 hectares on the…
Fujian
This magnificently carved temple is immediately identifiable by its showy dragon-decorated roofs and a shroud of smoke emanating from furnaces burning…
Qingping Chinese Medicine Market
Guangzhou
Just north of the channel that divides Shamian Island from the city, this tumbledown market is a sensory delight, with open-fronted vendors arranged…
Guangxi
In the district of Chengyang, around 18km north of Sanjiang, Chéngyángqiáo is the grandest of over 100 nail-less Wind and Rain Bridges in the area. This…
Henan
This tunnel on the cusp of Guoliang village offers a closer perspective on the plunging cliffs, with dramatic views carved through the rock. The tunnel…
Gansu
Tucked away down the backstreets of Xiahe not far from Labrang Monastery, Snowland Art is a family-style fine art and handicrafts training school set up…
Shanghai
One of the M50 art precinct's most creative, thought-provoking, interactive and engaging galleries is island6. Artist Liu Dao showcases his work and that…
Guangxi
This 970m-long underground river cave shelters the world's largest collection of lotus-shaped limestone formations. While the artificial illumination…
Shenzhen
Built from the vestiges of a century-old Hakka home, this idyllic courtyard gallery was created by Chen Qiuzhi, a contemporary ink artist from Anhui…
Suzhou
On the eastern side of the city, this canalside road has whitewashed local houses sitting comfortably side by side with teahouses and trendy cafes selling…
