100 Reasons to Visit China

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James Cameron got fantastical landscape ideas for Avatar from Hunan Province's Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

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Massage is not a special treat in these parts, it's more like a way of life. There are many kinds of traditional massage therapies in Chinese Medicine, but spas and massage parlors offer just about anything you can think of, for a very reasonable price.

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Why not go somewhere absolutely, completely different in every imaginable way? Walk through the rooms that housed ancient emperors in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Forbidden City, once a mysterious fortress home to the Chinese royalty, is today a museum and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The palace complex spans a massive 178 acres and was ordered built by Zhu Di (the Yongle Emperor), who lived in the year A.D. 1360-1424.

Chinese people love kids and are very friendly to them. And we also offer various kids' activities that range from museums and painting class, to exploring the sights you're interested in outside.

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Built in 491, it has survived more than 1400 years. The extant monastery was largely rebuilt and maintained in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

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Jiuzhai Valley provides spectacular scenery throughout the year making it one of China's most treasured scenic sites

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The Maijishan Grottoes are a series of 194 caves cut in the side of the hill of Majishan in Tianshui, Gansu Province, northwest China.

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You'll love taking the adventure to the Great Wall of China. Sections of the Wall vary in terrain ensuring an enjoyable hike for families and hiking afficianados alike.

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Whether you love cities or village dwellings, hiking mountains, cruising rivers or trekking through forests, China’s vast and diverse landscape means that there is something for everyone.

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Beijing was home to the 2008 games, and today, the unbelievable Olympic structures are still there as symbols of Chinese greatness, and the competitive spirit and national pride that the games inspired across the globe.

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Some people are leery of street food, and it is always a bit of a gamble, but one well worth making.

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Karaoke bars in China

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Yuanyang County is located in Honghe Prefecture in southeastern Yunnan province, along the Red River. It is well known for its spectacular rice-paddy terracing. Part of the area now forms the 45th World Heritage Site in China.

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From curios to tea, scarves to bespoke suits, strands of real pearls to the latest in fake handbags, the shopping can be addictive.

Chinese civilization dates back thousands of years

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The Terracotta Army or the "Terracotta Warriors and Horses" is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.

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Always amusing, often confusing, English-language signs in China are an absolute delight.

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Try food from various regions of China

It’s true when people tell you that China is one of the hardest places to travel in. When you arrive it’s one of the biggest cultural shocks you will face.

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Enough said

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Fenghuang County is under the administration of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan province, bordering the prefecture-level cities of Huaihua to the southeast and Tongren to the west.

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Shanghai is a city of contrasts where east meets west, and an historic waterfront faces off with a modern, neon skyline. Shanghai is at its most romantic along The Bund, a sublime riverside walkway and people-watching paradise.

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With a population of 1,324,655,000 (as of 2008), China has had a pretty good reason to develop an efficient, high-capacity public transportation network.

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Pingyao is a county in central Shanxi province in China. It is located approximately 715 kilometres southwest of Beijing and 80 kilometres from the provincial capital, Taiyuan. During the Qing Dynasty, Pingyao was a financial centre of China.

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The Elephant Trunk Hill is a hill, landmark and tourist attraction in Guilin, Guangxi. Elephant Trunk Hill is the symbol of the city of Guilin. It got its name because it looks like an elephant drinking water.

There’s no point to travelling if everything is the same, just like there is no point to an adventure if there is no adventuring!

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The ancient art of Chinese calligraphy cannot be fully appreciated without visiting China and seeing masters create their works of art in person.

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Beijing is the historic heart of China where courtyard homes still line old, narrow alleyways called hutongs and a traditional way of life continues despite the constant threat of redevelopment. The capital city also contains many sites essential to understanding this sometimes baffling country.

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Beijing has been a city for nearly 3,000 years, and has seen 3 different opulent dynasties that have ruled over China.

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As the most populous nation in the world, China has plenty of people to meet. Chinese people generally love Westerners, so most are quite friendly.

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China boasts some of the largest cities in the world and is becoming more modern everywhere you look.

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It's easy to keep costs low when venturing to China. Transportation is cheap as well – taxis are cheap, and public transportation is even cheaper.

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Huanglong is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of Sichuan. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, 150 kilometres north-northwest of the capital Chengdu.

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This Chinese museum proves that it's a watermelon world, we're all just living in it

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The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71-metre tall stone statue, built during the Tang Dynasty.

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An impactful museum ensures notorious war crimes disguised as "medical experimentation" won't soon be forgotten

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Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) is a jagged range of more than 70 knifelike peaks in eastern China’s Anhui province. The region's low-hanging clouds, distinctively shaped granite rocks and twisted pine trees have been subjects of numerous classical paintings and poems. Cable cars provide access to several peaks, and steep paved trails with thousands of stone steps snake past many of the range's famous viewpoints.

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Thousand Island Lake is a large alpine lake in the Sierra Nevada, within the Ansel Adams Wilderness in eastern Madera County, California. The lake is named for the many small rocky islands that dot its surface.

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Changbaishan is on the border between North Korea and China. The border runs through Tianchi crater lake somewhere in the middle.

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The Kingdom of the Little People is sort of like a cross between a theme park and the Shire—located in the Yunnan Province, it encompasses 13,000 acres set aside to build a miniature world that will be populated exclusively by dwarfs and open for tours like a safari.

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Dunhuang is a city in China’s northwestern Gansu Province, on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Once a frontier garrison on the Silk Road, it’s known today for the Mogao Caves, a complex of 492 grottoes adorned with Buddhist statuary and frescoes. Carved into the cliffs above the Dachuan River, the caves were created between the 4th and the 14th centuries.

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The Li River or Lijiang is a river in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It flows 83 kilometres from Guilin to Yangshuo, where the karst mountains and river sights highlight the famous Li River cruise.

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Near the Russian border, this northeastern Chinese city has annual ice and snow sculpture festivals, with massive creations that stay frozen till spring. With temperatures dipping down below zero Fahrenheit (that’s about -20 Celsius), you’ll want to bundle up as you explore the fantastical frozen creations and try out the ice slides.

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he Summer Palace, known as Yiheyuan in Chinese, is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing, China. It serves as a popular tourist destination and recreational park.

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The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven, is a medieval complex of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing.

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Just across the water from the coastal city of Xiamen in southern China, this walkable island features European architecture, fresh-from-plastic-tubs seafood, a bird sanctuary, and a beachy vibe—get into the spirit by donning a paper sun hat like the Chinese tourists do.

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Cuandixia, also spelled Chuandixia, is a historic village dating from the Ming dynasty located in Mentougou District in Beijing, China. It is a popular tourist attraction known for its well preserved courtyard homes.

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Each year, this coastal city opens up its Xinghai Square for the summertime China International Beer Festival, an event that attracts far fewer international tourists than the similar festival in Qingdao.

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West Lake is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. It is divided into five sections by three causeways. There are numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake.

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The Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower is a TV tower in Shanghai, China. Its location at the tip of Lujiazui in the Pudong district by the side of Huangpu River, opposite The Bund, makes it a distinct landmark in the area.

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'Yu Garden the forbidden city' or Yuyuan Garden is an extensive Chinese garden located beside the City God Temple in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai.

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Jinshanling, is a section of the Great Wall of China located in the mountainous area in Luanping County, 125 km northeast of Beijing. This section of the wall is connected with the Simatai section to the east.

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The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China. The first Ming emperor's tomb is located near his capital Nanjing.

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Beihai Park was an imperial garden and now a public park located to the northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

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Dali is one of the pearls of the Yunnan province, is the capital of the Dai ethnic minority, and is much less touristy than its neighbor Lijiang. Dali has a particular atmosphere which has made many people fall in love with it. Here, it isn’t rare to see some hippie lost in time.

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Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, or simply Chengdu Panda Base, is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas and other rare animals. It is located in Chengdu, Sichuan.

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The Single's Market – also know as the “Marriage Market” – is a weekly meeting location for those who have a son or daughter that still isn’t married.

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The Yonghe Temple, also known as the "Yonghe Lamasery", or popularly as the "Lama Temple", is a temple and monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism located in the Dongcheng District, Beijing.

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The Jin Mao Tower, also known as the Jinmao Building or Jinmao Tower, is an 88-story landmark skyscraper in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai. It is 420.5-metre and is the 18th tallest building in the world.

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Dujiangyan is an irrigation infrastructure built in 256 BC during the Warring States period of China by the State of Qin. It is located in the Min River in Sichuan near the capital Chengdu.

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People's Square is a large public square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai. It is south of Nanjing Road and north of Huaihai Road.

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The Jade Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple in Shanghai. As with many modern Chinese Buddhist temples, the current temple draws from both the Pure Land and Chan traditions of Mahayana Buddhism.

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Giant Wild Goose Pagoda or Big Wild Goose Pagoda, is a Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

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The Mogao Caves or Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, form a system of 492 temples 25 km southeast of the center of Dunhuang.

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The small island of Putuoshan is a few hours by ferry from the mainland city of Ningbo, and only an overnight boat ride from Shanghai. Still, after coming from China’s congested coast, Putuoshan seems like another world.

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Mount Emei is a mountain in Sichuan Province, China, and is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. Mt. Emei sits at the western rim of the Sichuan Basin. The mountains west of it are known as Daxiangling.

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The Old Town of Lijiang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Lijiang City, Yunnan.

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Yalong Bay is a 7.5 kilometres beach located southeast of Sanya City, Hainan Province. It is also known as the Yalong Bay National Resort.

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The Reed Flute Cave is a landmark and tourist attraction in Guilin, Guangxi. It is a natural limestone cave with multicolored lighting and has been one of Guilin’s most interesting attractions for over 1200 years.

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The Longmen Grottoes or Longmen Caves are one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Buddha and his disciples, they are located 12 kilometres south of present-day Luòyáng in Hénán province.

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The Shaolin Monastery or Shaolin Temple is a Chan Buddhist temple in Dengfeng county, Zhengzhou, Henan province. The name refers to the forests of Shaoshi mountain, one of the seven peaks of Song mountains.

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The Window of the World is a theme park located in the western part of the city of Shenzhen. It has about 130 reproductions of some of the most famous tourist attractions in the world squeezed into 48 hectares.

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The Shanghai Tower is a megatall skyscraper in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai.

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Mount Hua, or Hua Shan, or Xiyue is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi province, about 120 kilometres east of Xi'an. It is one of China's Five Great Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance.

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Mount Mian, which is in close proximity to Beijing, Xian, Datong and Pingyao (the closest) is now a privately owned complex of temples built into the high cliff faces and their jagged edges, with incredible views across the valley, as well as in caves and underground.

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It’s rare that elements of the beautiful, ancient China still exist, but in Xian and Pingyao the city walls are a preservation of the country dynastic history and a wonderful way to explore the past.