• Attractions In China

• There are a wealth of attractions in China and not just tourist sites. This page shows our classification of these so that you can make sense of the many options

  Provinces

  We include provincial level administrative regions not as attractions in themselves but as a top-level way of categorising the other lists. Once you have a rough idea of the provinces that you will be passing through you can review the main travel opportunities. It is good to return to this level again later when you feel bogged down with detail.

  There are four types of these regions:

  Provinces are the most common form. These tend to be located in the eastern half of the country and dominated by the Han ethnic group.

  There are a number of Autonomous Regions, being areas where one of the officially recognised ethnic minorities predominates. These exist at the outer edges of the mainland.

  Four cities qualify as Municipalities, and these hold the same administrative powers as a province.

  Lastle, Hong Kong and Macau have the status of Special Administrative Regions since they were, until recently, held by foreign powers (the UK and Portugal respectively) and certain transitional arrangements are still in place.

  Each province is given a write-up that includes a map showing the location, a brief summary of its key characteristics and then information specifically aimed at visitors. You will also see that the red scrolls beneath the content include only prefectures and sites in the province, in order of their rating. This gives you another quick way to see what is popular and to navigate straight to the relevant page.

  Prefectures

  Prefectures are an additional level of administration required in this vast and heavily populated land. Large cities tend to count as their own prefecture, often with rural counties included until all land has been allocated. The very largest cities have been promoted (see municipalities above).

  Using prefectures rather than the term cities allows us to place specific sites within a consistent definition and gives us an easy way to cross-reference sites that are close together. For instance, the Terracotta Warriors are located in the rural district of Lintong to the north-east of Xi'an city proper. Listing them under Lintong would be to bury them (again) and to lose the indication of proximity.

  Routes

  A travel plan depends most heavily on the route; the budget and allocation of time should follow from this.

  Choosing the most appropriate route requires a good appreciation of the options. Our Routes page looks at various itineraries with a strong theme. It is also well worth checking our standard packages to get an idea of what routes work well. In each case there will be reasons why we have included some stops and not others. A quick review of the maps on our All China Journeys page will let you see our choice of routes at a glance.

  You may prefer to choose a completely different route specifically to avoid the crowds and do your own thing. Our Tailor-made Service can help with such plans.

  Events

  Visiting sites is only one of the reasons for travelling. A well-timed trip can also take advantage of one of the many festivals or holidays to add interest in a way that can be hard to predict.

  Many traditional festivals are based on the lunar calendar and, therefore, dates according to the western solar calendar do vary year on year. We indicate the relevant dates for a couple of years in advance and can always check further ahead if required.

  Travel services during festivals and holidays can be chaotic. To be sure that you are not disappointed, wWe advise that you book these well in advance with a reputable travel service, even if that is not with us.

  Sites

  The above two classifications are really about organisation and are most relevant to those who are still deciding which parts of the country to visit at a very general level. What will be of most interest eventually are the detailed descriptions of the sites.

  Rating the interest of sites is very difficult as there are many different reasons why they could be attractive to some visitors.

  We have classified each site as follows, with some sites belonging to more than one category:

  • Historical
  • Cultural
  • Religious
  • Physical
  • Wildlife

  Obviously, this categorization is very limited. If you have a particular 'special interest' then contact us and we will prepare a list accordingly.

  Each site is described in general terms and then specifically for visitors. Where possible we include a few photos to give a better impression. We do not aim to include information for independent travellers but are always willing to answer questions about getting to sites by public transport, opening times and entrance fees where we are able.

  Some Specific Types Of Attractions

  Family Attractions

  Summary

  If you are just starting to plan your trip it will help to bookmark this page and then use the links to access our pages in an order that follows the general flow; that is, from the general to the specific.

  It helps to keep a broad picture of the route that includes the attractions that are most precious to you and then focus your research on other attractions nearby. In the early stages you may find that your route changes frequently as you discover new opportunities. This is not a problem unless your departure is near.

  Thorough preparation will make your trip more enjoyable even if you travel with one of our groups and let us take care of the many arrangements. We hope you enjoy browsing through our site and only ask that you give us feedback through the ratings system as this helps us focus our attention more appropriately.

  Bon voyage

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• Current Comments

  2 comments so far (post your own)

  Thank you Sienna. Do let us know if there are any sites or other topics you would like us to cover.

  Posted by China Journeys on Thu 12 Jan, 2012

  Really useful, thank you. I'll be reading those other pages now

  Posted by Sienna on Sat 7 Jan, 2012

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