| Beijing | | | | Tibet |
| With its skyscrapers and relatively wealthy | | | | The "roof of the world" is a place of red-robed |
| population, the capital encapsulates the best of | | | | monks and austere monastery complexes set against |
| modern China but the past survives in some splendid | | | | the awe-inspiring vastness of the Tibetan Plateau. It's |
| imperial icons, including the elegant palaces of the | | | | also labouring under heavy-handed Chinese military |
| vast Forbidden City, and the extraordinary, circular | | | | rule, but even the Dalai Lama, exiled in India, |
| Temple of Heaven. Downtown, look for the | | | | encourages people to visit and see the region |
| ever-dwindling number of hutongs, the narrow | | | | first-hand. Take your time and, after seeing the |
| alleyways which makeup so much of old Beijing. | | | | mighty Potala Place - Tibet's foremost tourist sight - |
| There are also China's foremost restaurants and | | | | in the capital Lhasa, get out to less-youristed |
| nightlife to take advantage of - everything from | | | | monasteries at Shigatse and Gyantse. By 2008 |
| teahouse theatres and acrobatic shows to clubs that | | | | access to Tibet will be possible by what is set to be |
| only play deepest house. Within easy reach of the | | | | the spectacular Qinghai-Tibet railway, the highest in |
| capital you'll also find the imperial Summer Palace's | | | | the world. It will run over 1100km from Golmud to |
| spacious and unpolluted parklands, and the stone | | | | Lhasa, nearly all of it at an altitude of 4000m or |
| guardians and chambers of the Ming Tombs | | | | above, using pressurized compartments to prevent |
| The Great Wall | | | | altitude sickness. |
| This extraordinary feat of civil engineering was begun | | | | Guangxi and Guizhou |
| in the 5th century and stretched 6000km across | | | | The rural regions of these provinces are among |
| China. The most accessible of its remaining sections | | | | China's poorest, but it's worth exploring the minority |
| are within easy reach of Beijing, including at very | | | | communities dotted throughout the fabulously |
| popular Badaling and at less commercialized Simatai | | | | terraced mountains here, especially the Dong village |
| and Jinshanling | | | | of Zhaoxing, in northern Guangxi. The Miao hilltribe |
| Xi'an | | | | settlements around Kaili in Guizhou host riotous |
| Made rich by the old Silk Road trade, Xi'an was one | | | | festivals through the year, featuring bull fights, |
| of China's former capitals. Its most famous sight is | | | | dancing, dragon-boat races and fantastic outfits. |
| the Terracotta Army, life-sized figurines guarding the | | | | Kashgar |
| tomb of the country's first emperor, Win Shi Huang, | | | | An oasis town in China's northwestern deserts, |
| but there's much more to Xi'an, including its two | | | | Kashgar is populated by Muslim, Turkic-speaking Ulgir |
| 1300-year-old Tang pagodas, and the Neolithic | | | | people. Its appeal is in its very remoteness from the |
| remains at nearby Banpo. The famous kung fu | | | | rest of China - and its Sunday Bazaar, an |
| temple Shaolin Si, is within a day's journey to the | | | | Arabian-Nights style affair which draws 100,000 |
| east, near Luoyang - packed with visitors, it's a major | | | | people, including thousands from nearby Krygystan, |
| tourist trap, filled with shops selling weapons and | | | | Turkistan, Tajkistan and Pakistan, to trade in |
| tracksuits, and with wushu students showing off their | | | | everything from camels and carpets to plastic |
| skills. | | | | buckets |
| The Li river | | | | The Silk Road |
| Looking exactly like a Chinese scroll painting, a | | | | Follow the ancient Silk Road between China and |
| procession of tall, wonderfully weathered limestone | | | | Central Asia - a 3000-kilometre-long train and bus |
| peaks flanks 85km of the Li River in southwestern | | | | route from Xi'an to Kashgar. On the way, you can |
| Guangxi province. Base yourself at either the | | | | take in remote sections of the Great Wall, the bird |
| package-tour city of Guilin or the more mellow village | | | | watching lake Qinghai Hu, astonishing eight-century |
| of Yangshuo, then cruise around or rent a bicycle and | | | | Buddhist cave art at Dunghuang, the pleasant oasis |
| pedal off through the countryside. | | | | town of Turpan and the scorching sands of the |
| Shanghai | | | | Taklamakan desert. |
| With over thirteen million residents, Shanghai is the | | | | Hangzhou and Suzhou |
| world's most populous city. It's buzzy, style-conscious | | | | Once a vital trade centre on the 1800-kilometre-long |
| nightlife is second only to Beijing's, and the shopping | | | | Grand Canal in eastern China, Hangzhou is set around |
| is fantastic, with good bargains for tailor-made | | | | the famed beauty spot of Xi Hu, or West Lake, |
| clothes and plenty of glamorous malls to peruse. | | | | ringed by pagodas and wooded, hilly parkland, its |
| Though the city has few unmissable sights, the | | | | surface dotted with fishing boats. It's also worth |
| beautifully presented Shanghai Museum offers the | | | | making the haul 60km north to Suzhou, another canal |
| perfect introduction to China's phenomenal artistic | | | | city with a host of traditional Chinese gardens. |
| heritage. Shanghai also sports pockets of impressive | | | | Changbai Shan nature Reserve |
| European ART Deco architecture along its riverfront | | | | Set right up on China's frontier with North Korea, |
| esplanade, a legacy of its time as a former colonial | | | | Changbai Shan is hard to reach even when the road |
| concession, strategically close to the mouth of the | | | | opens in summer, but the rewards are the stunning |
| Yangzi river. | | | | blue Tian Chi - "Heaven's Lake" - and the faint chance |
| Hong Kong | | | | you may spot Siberian tigers. More likely, you'll get to |
| Hong Kong's cityscape is one of the modern wonders | | | | sample some of the rare fungi and medicinal herbs |
| of the world, best seen at night while crossing the | | | | which locals harvest here and serve up in restaurants; |
| harbour on the Star Ferry, though taking the famous | | | | Changbai Shan's ginseng is considered the best in |
| tram up to Victoria Peak gives you another classic | | | | China. |
| panorama. Shopping is a major Hong Kong pastime, | | | | Yunnan in Sichuan |
| at the excessively glitzy shopping malls, at the | | | | China's mist varied region, these two provinces |
| chaotic Temple Street Night Market and in the more | | | | stretch from Tibet to the steamy tropical forests of |
| traditional Stanley Market. Hong Kong is also the place | | | | Xishuangbanna, and also share borders with Laos, |
| for unrivalled dim sum brunches. Away from the | | | | Vietnam and Burma. Top spots are Sichuan's holy |
| commercial hub, the Ten Thousand Buddha | | | | mountain, Emei Shan, where you can sleep and eat in |
| Monastery at Shatin offers fine temple statues and | | | | the dozen or more Buddhist temples; the |
| hill views, and there's historic interest at the Qing | | | | Yunnannese town of Dali, with its ethnic Bai |
| dynasty walled village of Kat Hing Wai. Or spend a | | | | population and vivid mountain and lake scenery; |
| day or two poking around the less-developed outer | | | | Lijiang, a delightful maze of cobbled lanes and |
| islands, exploring Lantau's small beaches and wooded | | | | wooden houses, home to the Tibetan-descended |
| hills or visiting the former Portuguese enclave of | | | | Naxi people; and the stark, dramatic scenery of Tiger |
| Macau | | | | Leaping Gorge, the deepest canyon in the world, with |
| Three Gorges | | | | a drop of 2.5 kilometres. |
| The latter stage of the 6400-kilometre-long Yangzi | | | | Chaozhou |
| River, in Chinese, and is still used as a transport | | | | A self-conciously traditional town in southern |
| artery. Catch a ferry through the Three Gorges, | | | | Guangdong province, Chaozhou has |
| between the Sichaunese city of Chongqing and | | | | nineteenth-century streets and even older |
| Yichang in Hubei, a three-day 250-kilometre journey | | | | architecture, including its city walls and beautiful |
| past ancient towns, turbulent shoals and spectacular | | | | Kaiyuan Temple, which make it a pleasure to explore. |
| cliff scenery, some of it under threat of submersion | | | | Foodies will also need to try out Chaozhou's |
| from a massive and highly controversial dam project | | | | restaurants, famed for their bitter, refreshing gongfu |
| that's due to be completed in 2009 | | | | tea and fruit-flavoured sauces. |