China attractions

Centerpiece of a megaresort on Macau’s answer to the Vegas Strip, the Eiffel Tower at the Parisian Macao is a half-size replica of the Paris original. There are observation decks on the seventh and 37th floors, and a restaurant, La Chine, on the sixth floor. After dark, the Macau Eiffel Tower lights up in color every 15 minutes.

The Yellow River (Huang He) is massive, but it’s only China’s second-longest river after the Yangtze. Its color comes from yellow sediment in the water from the Loess Plateau. Before it was damned, it flooded regularly, taking lives along with the floods and earning the nickname China's Sorrow. The river water is now crucial for farming in several parts of China.

Located on Canton Road in Kowloon, Ocean Terminal is both a cruise terminal and shopping mall, which provides easy access to bustling Hong Kong. Use Hong Kong Ocean Terminal as a jumping-off point for exploring the cosmopolitan city, a world-class destination known for its skyline, shopping, food, and attractions both modern and ancient.

The Old Town of Lijiang, also known as Dayan Old Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site nestled in the picturesque landscape of the Yunnan Province. This historic enclave, sometimes called the “Venice of the East,” boasts ancient architecture, meandering cobbled streets, and tranquil waterways. Here, you can immerse yourself in Naxi culture as you explore bustling markets, hidden temples, and charming teahouses.

The impressive Shenyang Imperial Palace, also called Mukden Palace, dates back to the Jin and Qing Dynasties in the 17th and 18th centuries when it was the center of Manchurian power before it moved to Beijing. The palace has 114 buildings, all fine examples of traditional Chinese palatial architecture that are well worth a visit.

Ambling along the shore of Tai Hu Lake, one of China’s largest freshwater lakes, the Yuantouzhu Scenic Area offers classically beautiful landscapes that epitomize China’s Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze) style. Come cherry-blossom season, the scent of the flowers fills the air and petals dress bridges in carpets of pale pink. It’s one of China’s most impressive displays.

Opened in 1998, Happy Valley Shenzhen is an 86-acre (35-hectare) theme park in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen. Highlights among the park’s more than 100 rides and attractions are Shooting the Chute, one of the highest free falls in the world; Xueshan Fei Long, China’s first suspended roller coaster; and the Space Shuttle screaming tower.

Pretend you’re traveling back in time along the ancient Silk Road while you hike up and down the sweeping golden sand dunes of Mingsha Shan. When enough sand blows off the top of the dunes in an avalanche, it sounds as if they are singing, or groaning, which is how they got the name of Singing Sand Dunes.

After the decline of the mines, fishing became Lei Yu Mun’s main industry and stilt villages sprung up to house the stock. As trade took off, restaurants appeared, and the Lei Yu Mun Seafood Bazaar became a popular attraction, allowing diners to select their dinner fresh from the stalls, then take it to a local restaurant for an alfresco dining experience.

“The Pearl of the Celestial Mountains” is Heavenly Lake, or Tianchi, in Western China’s Tianshan mountains. Its turquoise blue water, surrounded by white-capped mountains, is a beautiful spot to visit for hikes, picnics, and photography, with fresh air that makes a welcome break from crowded Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, and its nearest big city.

Escape the concrete jungle of Hong Kong and get in touch with nature at Hong Kong Wetland Park, an ecological park dedicated to conservation and education. The park consists of re-created wetland habitats for the native wildlife of the New Territories, and offers an entertaining and informative outing for the whole family.

Sun Yat-sen is considered the “Father of Modern China,” and this impressive mausoleum, set in Nanjing’s Purple Mountains, is a memorial to this Chinese revolutionary who overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Visitors can explore the mausoleum and the grounds, where there are several more landmarks, but first, they need to climb almost 400 stairs to reach them.

A fairytale version of Russia featuring replicas of famous and lost buildings, Volga Manor sits on a river just outside Harbin. The tourist resort is particularly magical in winter when snow decks the trees and frames the onion domes and red-brick buildings, and travelers can enjoy activities like sledding, skating, and saunas, as well as Russian-themed shows, art, and eats.

The Platonic ideal of a Chinese city park, Green Lake Park Kunming is a timeless highlight of China’s Spring City. Wood and stone bridges amble over four lakes, where lotuses bloom in summer amid reflected pavilions. Musicians play live music; old folk sing, dance, and practice tai chi; and young sophisticats sip iced coffee or stroll hand in hand.

Karakul Lake, set in front of the Pamir Mountains and surrounded by grasslands on the other sides, is one of the most visited attractions outside of Kashgar. The lake is often smooth, making for beautiful reflections. When it’s stormy, the lake is also impressive. There’s not much infrastructure around the lake, so it’s a peaceful spot to spend a day out.

Yangshuo is well-known for its limestone karst formations, which dominate the countryside. Less known are the numerous caves within these karst formations, formed by thousands of years of erosion. Explore Yangshuo’s Longmen Water Caves, and finish off with a mud bath and a swim in an underground pool.

Located in south Xiamen at the base of Wulaofeng Mountain, South Putuo Temple (Nanputuo Temple) is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in Xiamen and Fujian. The expansive temple complex features four main buildings and numerous smaller rooms built along the mountainside and is a popular attraction and pilgrimage site.

Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves are in the Flaming Mountains near Turpan in Xinjiang, China. The journey to the caves goes through a dramatic landscape, which is part of the experience. Culture and history are part of a visit here, too—as the area was once a hot spot on the Silk Road, traders and pilgrims slept in the caves, often leaving gorgeous works of art.

The Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Hu Qing Yu Tang)—located off Hangzhou’s historic Qinghefang Ancient Street—is a part of Hu Qing Yu Tang, a still functioning pharmacy from the Qing dynasty. Learn about traditional Chinese medicine while appreciating the historic architecture of the 29,000-square-foot (2,700-square-meter) complex.

Beijing Opera (Peking Opera) has been around since the late 18th century and was originally performed for the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty. It has enjoyed something of a revival since the Cultural Revolution, with visitors from around the globe coming to see the highly stylized costumes, dances, and singing.

Shekou, a waterfront neighborhood on the southern tip of Shenzhen, faces Yuen Long in Hong Kong across Shenzhen Bay. The biggest attraction in this expat enclave on the mainland is a Western-style entertainment center known as Sea World with a 3-D cinema, hotel, nightclub, and several restaurants built up around a grounded Minghu ship.

A space-age structure with a sloping grass roof that echoes Mongolia’s rolling steppes, Hohhot’s Inner Mongolia Museum boasts more than 100,000 exhibits spanning eras from dinosaurs to space launches, plus cultural treasures. However, it’s paleontology that draws most travelers here, particularly the 85-foot (26-meter) nurosaurus skeleton and the wooly rhinoceros.

Baoguo Temple is one of the oldest preserved wooden Buddhist temples. It’s distinctive in other ways too, since along with honoring Buddhist bodhisattvas, it’s also home to Confucian and Taoist spiritual statues. There are several different halls to explore, areas to light incense and offer prayers, and beautiful gardens to stroll. It’s also possible to stay overnight and get up at dawn with the monks.

The beating heart of historic Harbin, Harbin Central Street (Zhongyang Pedestrian Street), extends for almost 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) through a bewildering mishmash of European architectural styles—a legacy of the city’s Russian influences. It’s particularly special after dark in ice festival season, with the gateway and ice sculptures lit up for the night.

Go back in time to 600 years ago with a visit to Qingyan Ancient Town, where the stone walls, temples, walkways, and pavilions date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Over the years, prominent figures in Chinese culture have lived here, such as artists, scholars, and revolutionaries. When visiting the town, get your cameras ready to capture ornate details carved into Buddhist temples, impressive mansions, and elaborate palaces.

This Tibetan Buddhist temple—all that remains of what was once a much larger temple complex—is one of Hohhot’s most interesting places of worship. Its five pagodas are decorated with more than 1,500 colorful Buddha reliefs, and on one of the walls you’ll see a unique Mongolian astronomical map, carved in stone.

Dafo Temple of Zhangye in Gansu is home to one of the longest reclining Buddhas, measuring around 125 yards (115 meters) and painted in bright colors and gold. Besides the Buddha, you find wooden engravings and other Buddhist sculptures in the 2-story Giant Buddha Hall. Plus, there are pagodas, frescoes, and layers of Buddhist history.

China’s largest construction project since the Great Wall and the biggest dam in the world in terms of installed capacity, the Three Rivers Dam spans 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) and is more than 600 feet (183 meters) tall. The dam is an impressive feat of engineering despite the controversy surrounding its environmental and human impacts.

Spanning 11.8 million square feet (1.1 million square meters), the Galaxy Macau is a massive resort on the Cotai Strip. Featuring six luxury hotels, over 120 restaurants and bars, more than 200 shops, and options ranging from gaming machines and tables to laser shows to wave pools and waterparks, there’s plenty to keep you entertained.

Part of Shanghai Port International, Waigaiqiao is located northeast of Shanghai, and offers berthing for ships too large to navigate past the low bridges on Huangpu River. A cosmopolitan and dynamic city, Shanghai is one of the most popular cities in China to visit and is a highlight of any cruise in the region.