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.

Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China · CC0

City guides

Start with a city

Every city guide has a timeline, stories of local figures, must-see sights, festivals and local etiquette.

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

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

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

The Chen Clan Hall's buildings and roof decorations

City lifeLiwan, Guangzhou, China

Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Guangzhou

A jewel of Lingnan architecture, the pinnacle of brick carving, woodcarving and plaster sculpture.

City lifeYuzhong, Chongqing, China

Hongya Cave, Chongqing

Eleven storeys of stilt houses lighting up the Jialing River — a magical night view of the mountain city's terrain.

City lifeQingyang, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

Kuanzhai Alley, Chengdu

Echoes of the Qing-dynasty 'Little City' and old Chengdu's slow life in a cup of gaiwan tea.

The Bund buildings seen from the Oriental Pearl Tower

City lifeHuangpu, Shanghai, China

The Bund, Shanghai

A museum of world architecture facing Lujiazui — one river to understand a century of China's modernisation.