China

The southern district is not only a showcase of history – Pok Fu Lam has the island's last surviving village alongside vestiges of a Victorian dairy – but Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau are also the homes of Hong Kong's fisherfolk, and as such, offer wonderful seafood and boat rides. In addition, Ap Lei Chau has great shopping, and Wong Chuk Hang, contemporary art. The south is also Hong Kong Island's backyard playground, from beaches and seaside dining, to a waterfront bazaar and an amusement park.

Aberdeen & South Hong Kong Island

Fantastical mountainscapes and well preserved villages make Anhui (安徽, Ānhuī) the perfect antidote to the brashness of China’s larger cities. The main attraction is unquestionably Huangshan, a jumble of sheer granite cliffs wrapped in cottony clouds that inspired an entire school of ink painting during the 17th and 18th centuries. But the often overlooked peaks of nearby Jiuhua Shan, where Buddhists bless the souls of the recently departed, have a hallowed aura that offers a strong contrast to Huangshan’s stunning natural scenery.

At the foot of these ranges are strewn the ancient villages of the province formerly known as Huizhou. With distinctive whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs augmented by lush surroundings of buckling earth, bamboo and pine forest, they are among the most picturesque in the country.

Anhui's top sights are clustered in its southeast corner. Easy to navigate and within striking distance of Shanghai, this is rural China at its accessible best.

Anhui

From ancient walled capital to showpiece megacity in barely a century, Beijing (Běijīng, 北京), spins a breathless yarn of triumph, tragedy, endurance and innovation.

Layers of History

Capital of China since Kublai Khan came a-knocking (with a hundred thousand Mongol horsemen behind him), Beijing has hosted the last three imperial dynasties: the Yuan (Mongols), the Ming (Han Chinese) and the Qing (Manchu). Hutong, the city's residential alleyways, are a Mongolian legacy. The Forbidden City? Hat-tip to the Ming. Summer Palace? The Qing. Nor does it stop there. Chairman Mao slumbers in Tian'anmen Square, hallowed turf for the Communist Party of China. And over it all loom giants like the 528m CITIC Tower, which topped out in 2018. What next for this restive superpower? You're about to find out...

Have You Eaten?

In Beijing, chī le ma? (have you eaten?) is literally how locals greet their neighbours. Food is the glue that binds all Beijingren, no matter their beliefs or bank balance. Whether you're slurping noodles, queuing for jiānbing, or guiltily rolling just one more Peking duck pancake, you're in good company. A mouth-watering melting pot, Beijing hosts exotic regional cuisines from across China, which equates to unbridled adventure for foodies.

State of the Arts

From Peking opera troupes to world-class contemporary art, Beijing draws on a profound well of creativity, and that's despite the vagaries of censorship. To give the government its due, museums are more numerous than ever, curation is less prescriptive and innovation is at an all-time high. China's finest universities feed Zhongguancun, the 'Silicon Valley' of Beijing, which is making seismic waves with its breakthroughs in AI and Big Data. At the humbler end, post-punk bands drone away in divey livehouses, local DJs get the hands in the air, while old folks still warble the revolutionary songs in the city parks.

Party Capital

Undisputed party capital – the Communist Party, that is – Beijing is a uniquely micromanaged megacity, a showpiece where the State's latest schemes are piloted to the populace. 'Xi Jinping Thought' is the guiding mantra (Xi being China's prez for the foreseeable future). When Beijing needs to get things done, it gets things done. Air pollution? Improving year on year. Winter Olympics in a snowless city? No problemo. Country-wide surveillance? Easy-peasy. The world's biggest airport, Daxing, was ready to open at time of research, as ever more bullet trains race outwards to the provinces. All in a day's work for Beijing.

Beijing

For three millennia, this city on the Xiang River (湘江; Xiāng Jiāng) flourished steadily as a centre of agriculture and intellect. In the 1920s it was still so well preserved that British philosopher Bertrand Russell is said to have compared it to a medieval town, but not long after, the Sino-Japanese War and a massive fire in 1938 gave Changsha (长沙; Chángshā) an irreversible facelift, leaving little of its early history. These days it's a modern, energetic city, known mainly for sights relating to Mao Zedong, but with its magnolia-lined streets and riverine aspect, it's a pleasant enough stopover.

Changsha

Chengdu (成都, Chéngdū) is no great draw when it comes to major tourist sites, yet this is one of the few super-sized Chinese cities that most visitors do end up enjoying. There's a relaxing teahouse culture – favorite local institutions have been serving the same brews for generations; a lively nightlife that mixes craft beer bars and super-hip clubs with Sichuan opera shows; and delicious food that is famous for its heat, history and variety even in cuisine-rich China, and is very much a point of pride: Chengdu is, after all, Unesco's first-ever City of Gastronomy. Oh, and as if that's not enough, this is the place to come to see China's cutest residents – the giant pandas.

Chengdu is the transport hub for the entire region and most travelers in China's southwest pass through this way at some point. Just make sure you don't rush your visit.

Chengdu

The most important city in western China and the economic engine of the upper Yangzi, Chongqing City (重庆; Chóngqìng) is a massive and enthralling urban sprawl. Chongqing makes up for a lack of top-notch sights with fantastic food and charismatic geography: its combination of steep hills at the confluence of the Yangzi and Jialing Rivers is a prelude to the even more dramatic scenery of the Three Gorges downstream. Be aware that navigating some parts of the city on foot, particularly near the riverbanks, can be like a real-life game of chutes and ladders. Something that looks close on a map might be separated by hundreds of vertical feet – expect to climb lots of stairs while absolutely drenched in sweat, or save your energy and hail taxis with abandon. When we last visited, a new port area for Three Gorges cruises at Chaotianmen was in the midst of reopening.

Chongqing City

Dali Old Town (大理古城, Dàlǐ Gǔchéng), the original backpacker hang-out in Yunnan, was once the place to chill, with its stunning location sandwiched between mountains and Erhai Lake. Loafing here for a couple of weeks was once an essential part of the Yunnan experience.

In recent years, domestic tourists have discovered Dali in a big way and the scene has changed accordingly. Instead of hippy Westerners, it's young Chinese travelers who walk around with flowers in their hair, and face-lifts of the old town precede apace.

Surrounding Dali there are fascinating possibilities for exploring, especially by bicycle and in the mountains above the lake. Or you can do what travelers have done here for years – eat, drink and make merry.

Dali

Surrounded by the Yellow Sea, Dalian (大连, Dàlián) is one of China's most cosmopolitan cities. Its temperate climate, clean air and early-20th-century architecture alone attract the attention of international travelers from the region. But the second-tier city's tree-lined streets and impressive, swimmable seaside beaches, flanked by an undulating walkway, combine to create a seductive effect on China-hardened travelers and first-time visitors on three-day visa-free stopovers.

With a decent bar and seafood scene – and status as a Special Economic Zone to attract foreign investment – Dalian is a fine place to soak up a few days. But after lazing on the beaches and strolling along the southwest coastline, pay a visit to the historic port town of Lushun. The old battlefields and cemeteries offer a rare first-hand glimpse into some of the north’s most turbulent days.

Dalian

Datong (大同, Dàtóng) today is fascinating, and charming to boot. Come nighttime, the old-town sensations – with red lanterns swinging in the breeze and wind chimes tinkling on the illuminated city walls – evoke Datong's past glories as an ancient capital. No matter that most of this has been recreated from scratch: an estimated ¥50 billion has been ploughed into a colossal renovation of the old quarter. The city wall has been rebuilt in its entirety, enclosing a retinue of renovated (or newly built) sights. But it's beyond the wall where Datong really comes into its own. The town is the gateway to the awe-inspiring Yungang Caves, one of China’s most outstanding Buddhist treasures, as well as a launchpad to the photogenic Hanging Monastery, the world’s oldest wooden pagoda, crumbling earthen sections of the Great Wall and onward trips to sacred Wutai Shan.

Datong

The fertile Dunhuang (敦煌, Dūnhuáng) oasis has for millennia been a refuge for weary Silk Road travelers. Most visitors stayed long enough only to swap a camel; but some stayed, building the forts, towers and cave temples that are scattered over the surrounding area. These sites, along with some dwarfing sand dunes and desertscapes, make Dunhuang a magnificent place to visit.

Despite its remoteness, Dunhuang's per capita income is among the highest in China, thanks to a push into wind and solar energy production. The town is thoroughly modern, but has maintained its distinctive desert-sanctuary ambience – with clean, tree-lined streets, slow-moving traffic, bustling markets, budget hotels, cafes and souvenir shops.

Though relatively small, it's a clean and terrific walking town with wide footpaths and narrow alleys opening up into squares, markets and the lives of ordinary citizens.

Dunhuang

Wedged between high, glacial mountain peaks on the northern side of the Chola Mountains is the vast monastery and shedra (Buddhist college) complex of Dzogchen (竹庆寺; Zhú Qìng Sì), one of the most important seats of the Nyingma (Red Hat sect). Exploring this massive and ever-expanding complex of temples, prayer halls, stupas and meditation retreats alone could keep you busy for a day or three, but there's more to Dzogchen than spirituality. With snow capped mountain peaks on one side and rolling grasslands with wandering yaks and nomads on the other there's plenty of scope here for several days of exciting walking.