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CHINA
China
From the Terracotta Army and the Forbidden City to Jiangnan gardens and the Tibetan plateau, discover China along six themes: ancient capitals, imperial architecture, water towns, ethnic frontiers, city life and landscapes.
City guides
Start with a city
Every city guide has a timeline, stories of local figures, must-see sights, festivals and local etiquette.
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西安 · 古称长安
Xi'an
4 places
Chang'an, a thousand-year capital: the Terracotta Army, the Wild Goose Pagoda and six-hundred-year-old walls
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北京 Beijing
Beijing
4 places
Eight centuries as an imperial capital: the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace
南京 · 古称金陵
Nanjing
3 places
Splendour of the Six Dynasties and the founding of the Ming: Zhong Mountain, the Qinhuai and the Jiangnan Examination Hall
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苏州 · 古称姑苏
Suzhou
1 places
Cradle of Wu culture: gardens, canals and Kunqu opera
杭州 · 南宋称临安
Hangzhou
3 places
Capital of the Southern Song and West Lake: the lake of Bai Juyi, Su Dongpo and Lady White Snake
ལྷ་ས། · 拉萨
Lhasa
2 places
'Place of the Gods': the Potala Palace, the Jokhang and the Barkhor circuit
Cantonese dim sum
'One pot, two pieces': a pot of tea with two dim sum — Guangzhou mornings begin in the teahouse.
Butter tea
A highland drink churned from tea, butter and salt — the first cup a Tibetan home offers a guest.
Nanjing salted duck
'Jinling's duck dishes are the best in the land': dry-cured, brined and simmered, with pale skin and tender meat.
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Dongpo pork
Red-braised pork belly named after Su Dongpo, the signature dish of Hangzhou cuisine.
Yangrou paomo
Tear the bread into fingernail-sized pieces yourself, then hand it to the cook to simmer in lamb soup.
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Peking duck
From a Yuan court recipe to the old shops of Qianmen: six hundred years of duck rolled in pancakes.