Top 10 Tourist Places in China

China is a country of East Asia and one of the most populous countries, with a population of around 1.4 billion. It has developed and become the second-largest economy in the world. China is not only the largest country in the world but also one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. More than  55 million travelers come to China from all over the world for traveling.

There are plenty of tourist places in China, each destination is different from the last place. China’s geographic form creates some of the best landscapes in the world, it has beautiful mountains, rivers, and gorges in southern China, dominating high plateaus on the southwest, splendid gobi and desert on the northwest, vast grasslands in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, etc. China has the most interesting & fabulous culture and history made by its more than 5,000-year-old civilization. Imperial culture, folk culture (the art of poem), calligraphy, painting, and others are enough for you to get amazed by the extensiveness and profoundness of Chinese culture. 

China with the enormous territory offers so much to visit and explore. Learn about china and other travel information planning to visit is very important. Based on the local expertise, knowledge, and experience, we have listed the top 10 must-visit tourist places in China.

1. The Great Wall of China

China has a popular saying “Nobody can be a true hero unless he has been on the Great Wall”. The great wall is the most visited attraction in china, most travelers come to China to visit the great wall. It is one of the top places among “the New Seven Wonders of the World” and UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Sites.

The great wall of china (known in Chinese as Chángchéng /channg-chnng/ ‘Long Wall’) the largest man-made project in the world stretching from Gansu Province in the west to Shanhaiguan on the Bohai Sea in the east, totally around  21,196.18 km. The great wall has a long history of more than 2,300 years. 

The First Emperor of Qin inked the northern walls to prevent attacks from northern nations. In the Han Dynasty, the emperors stretched the Great Wall far into today’s western China to protect the Silk Road trade. It was a building project with the longest duration and greatest cost in wisdom, dedication, human lives, blood, sweat, and tears. The Great Wall of China is one of man’s greatest human efforts of any ancient construction!  It used 100 million tonnes of bricks, stone, and soil were transported and compiled by millions of soldiers, peasants, prisoners, and animals using basic rope, wood, and basket systems on remote territory ranging from dehydrated desert to steep mountain ridges. The great wall is one of the iconic symbols in china. It shows us not only China’s culture of national pride, grand projects, and defined revolution, but also present China’s fantastic architecture and creativity.

2. The Forbidden City and the Imperial Palace, Beijing

The Forbidden City is the largest and most important building in china, also known as the Imperial Palace. It is located in the very heart of Beijing, is the symbol of imperial power. The Forbidden City construct in 1420, An extravagant demonstration of ancient Chinese architecture. It is covering 720,000 square meters and protected by a 10-meter-high wall. It has 80 buildings contain over 8,728 rooms with golden roofs that are elegantly designed and painted in red and yellow, 24 emperors lived there.  To build the place took 14 years, built by over 1,000,000 workers, including more than 100,000 craftsmen.

The Forbidden City is composed of a ceremonial Outer Court and a residential Inner Court, as well as a private residence used by the emperor. You can see many trees in the Inner Court, but no trees in the Outer Court. Five white marble Golden River Bridges, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a 35-meter-tall building housing the imperial throne, the exquisite emperor’s banquet hall (the Hall of Preserving Harmony), and the Palace Museum with its large collection of art and artifacts from the Ming and Qing dynasties, to name but a few.

The Forbidden City and the Imperial Palace is the largest imperial place in the world. It can be taken as a sample of the traditional Chinese palatial architecture. In 1987, it became a World Heritage Site and also listed as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world by UNESCO.

3. The Terracotta Army, Xi’an

The terracotta army is one of the must-visit attractions for all travelers to China. It is one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. The terracotta army was discovered in 1974, Xi’an terracotta army has been buried underground for more than 2,000 years. The terracotta warriors and horses built by the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. 

The Terracotta Army and horse museum located in the east of Xi’an in Lintong District, around 42 kilometers. There has more than 8,000 life-size warriors, some 520 horses, and more than 100 chariots, along with numerous other non-military characters dating from around 280 BC. It took 720,000 workers to build.  The Terracotta Army and horse museum mainly consist of three vaults and an exhibition hall of the Bronze Chariots. Vault one contains over 6,000 terracotta figures of soldiers and horses, but less than 2,000 are on display(Vault one is usually crowded with tourists), all soldiers and horses face east in a rectangular array. Vault uncovers the mystery of the ancient army array. Vault three is the smallest one. There are only 68 terracotta army figures, many of them are without heads. The two bronze carriages displayed in the hall, the carriage has about 3,400 parts each and were driven by four horses. They were mainly made of bronze, but there were 1,720 pieces of golden and silver ornaments, weighing 7 kg, on each carriage. 

The terracotta army was served by the first emperor Qini\ in his lifetime, he wants to have the same army power and imperial power after his life as he enjoys during his lifetime. 

4. The Yangtze River

The Yangtze River is the most important and the mother river of the Chinese Nation.  The Yangtze is the largest and longest river in China and the third-longest in the world. The length of the river over 6,300 kilometers and flowing through 9 provinces. Traditionally, the Yangtze River has been considered a dividing line between North and South China. 

The Yangtze River flows with some of China’s most attractive and famous sites, including the stunning Three Gorges. As the largest water system in China, the Yangtze River is historically, economically, and culturally important to the country.

It has provided the Yangtze for power and navigation with the world’s biggest dam. The Three Gorges Dam project on the river is the largest dam project and a hydropower station in the world.

5. Cruising the Li River

The Li River was classified as one of the “World’s Top Ten Watery Wonders” by America’s National Geographic Magazine. The Li river is in Guilin, Guangxi Province. Li River, expressed perfectly the inner core of the landscape and also the custom of the city – mild, delicate, genial but also proud.

Li River Scenic Area is the biggest and the most enchanting Karst tourist site in the world. There are various ways to tour the Li River includes take a relaxing cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo, a bamboo raft trip, and hiking alongside the Li River to get closer to nature. The best way to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the karst landscape along the river is to take a Li River cruise. The Li River cruise stretch is from Guilin to Yangshuo boasts the most beautiful scenery. Where the river meanders peacefully flow along the 86-kilometer waterway, you will see remarkable karst peaks, grazing water buffalo, farmers working in the fields, and traditional villages nestled at the bases of the hills.

6. Giant Pandas in Chengdu

The Gaint pandas are not only national treasures of china but beloved by many foreigners, not just children, adult people also.  Chengdu is the hometown of Giant pandas. There have many zoos in china where you can see giant pandas, but Chengdu is the best place to see giant pandas in a close approximation to their natural habitat is at the excellent Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu. 

The Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base located in the province of Sichuan. The research center not look like a zoo, it does not focus on displaying the animal. It is fully designed for giant panda breeding, With a baby panda house, several rooms for adult pandas and cubs, health stations, a giant panda museum, and a laboratory. The research base creates as an approximation of the panda’s wild living environment, and to train the pandas to adapt to wild living. There has a great number of plants and thousand of bamboo plants and bushes have been cultivated to provide for the animals’ diet and habitat.

7. Yellow Mountain

The Yellow Mountains is one of the most famous and beautiful mountainous areas in China. The mountain is located in Anhui province, it is  Yellow Mountain is one of the top mountain-view spots of China. It is famous for the five wonders includes oddly-shaped pines, spectacular rocky peaks, a sea of clouds, hot spring, winter snow fantastic caves, and those peculiarities that make the mountain outstanding among others.  

The yellow mountain is not called because the mountains are yellow. This was named after the legendary Yellow Emperor. It has become a top tourist place because of its beautiful view. It was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990, as well as one of the most visited scenic destinations in China.

8. The Potala Palace

The Potala Palace is located in  Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. It has 1,300 years of history and a model of ancient architecture and home to over 100,000 cultural relics. The palace is an imposing architectural complex originally built in the 7th century by Tibetan King Songtsa Gambo and developed in the 17th century by the fifth Dalai Lama. Potala Palace is the highest ancient place in the world, now it is the most visited place for Tibet tourists. The highest reaching point of the palace 3,750 meters above sea level, towering 100 meters (300 feet) above the city of Lhasa.

The Potala palace structure in two parts the Red Palace and the White Palace. The Red Palace is the higher of the two palaces and is made up of several chapels. The White Palace was the home of ten successive Dalai Lamas and their courts. In 1994 The palace was listed on the World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.

9. The Bund, Shanghai

China has a says “You are never been to Shanghai if you haven’t seen the Bund”. The Bund also called Waitan, is a waterfront area in central Shanghai.  The bund is famous for The Bund is famously known for the grand western-style buildings that were built in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The Bund has been one of the most recognizable symbols and the pride of Shanghai. The main highlight is the architectural style, the architecture along the Bund is a living museum of the colonial history of the 1800s.

The bund is a stretch of waterfront along the Huangpu River. To the west stand 52 buildings of various architectural styles, including Gothic, baroque, and neoclassical styles. It is often referred to as “the museum of buildings”. The best way to enjoy the buildings is to have a walk along the Bund.

10. West Lake, Hangzhou

West Lake is located west part of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. It is a beautiful lake stretch a six-kilometer-square of water in the heart of the old city and embraced by green hills by three sides, plenty of historical sites, this lake is reputed for beautiful scenery, brilliant cultural relics, and a profusion of native products. 

West Lake is an iconic and symbolic sight in Hangzhou. Hangzhou is known as China’s “paradise on earth” owing to its magnificently crafted landscape. The lake is more than 3km long and less than 3km wide, the average depth is a little more than 2m and it covers an area of about 6 km.

The Last Word

China has a history of over 5,000 years with one of the richest and textured histories of all civilizations. With a huge territory and a long history, China offers so much to see and explore. If you are visiting China for the first time, the list of the top 10 tourist places in China will be very helpful for you to visit China.