Top tourist attractions in China
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The Great Wall The Great Wall , literally meaning “Long Fortress”, is an ancient Chinese fortification, built to protect against the invasions from the Huns in the north. It stretches over a formidable 6,400 km, from the boundary with Korea on the Yalu River ) to the Gobi desert . |
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Forbidden City Forbidden City is the largest palace complex and one of the most dazzling architectural masterpieces in the world. This compound covers 74 hectares and contains immense courtyards, terraces, and magnificent buildings with golden roofs, red columns and green, red and yellow facings. |
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Terracotta Army The Terracotta Army is only a short distance away from the Qinshihuang Mausoleum near Xi’an. There are four large pits built on site covering a total area of about sixty square kilometers. There are over 7000 life sized terra cotta soldiers and 1000 have been preserved. There are generals, archers, horses, foot soldier and more. Every soldier had individual features and his own personality. |
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The Bund The Bund is one of the top attractions in Shanghai. For over one hundred years,the Bund has been regarded as the symbol of Shanghai. It stretches almost one mile along the west bank of the Huangpu River. Across the river is the newly developed Pudong commercial district, where the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Jin Mao Tower are the most prominent buildings. |
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Potala Palace Potala Palace was originally built by King Songtsen Gampo in 637 to greet his bride Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty of China. The structure is 117 meters (384 ft) of height and 360 meters (1,180 ft) of width. Reserve two hours for this place, one hour for climb up and down the steps to and from the palace, and one hour for tour inside the building. |
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The Yangtze River & the Three Gorges Dam The mighty Yangtze, or Changjiang , is said to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. The Yangtze cruise is a ‘must do’ for any tourists because of its most spectacular scenery imaginable.The most impressive section of the river is the three Yangtze River gorges, collectively known as the Three Gorges, and the controversial dam. |
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Lijiang River Lijiang River is one of China’s most famous scenic areas. The poetic and picturesque Lijiang River winds and meanders its way for 170 kilometers before joining the western tributary of the Pearl River. The rolling peaks, steep cliffs, green hills and clear water along the river create a fascinating hundred-mile picture gallery. |
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West Lake West Lake is Hangzhou’s top tourist attraction, renowned for panoramic natural scenery, weeping willow trees, showy flowering bushes, rockeries, and ancient stone bridges. It covers an area of 6 square kilometers and is dotted with some of Hangzhou’s most famous historical pagodas, cultural sites, and beautiful hills. |
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Mogao Grottoes (Dunhuang) Mogao Grottoes is the largest, best preserved and richest treasure house of Buddhist art in the world. There are about 2,100 colored statues and 45,000 square meters of murals in 492 caves. Today the murals are still brightly colored, with clear lines after hundreds years of erosion. |
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Huangshan “No need to see any other mountains after Huangshan”, as the old saying goes. Huangshan , or literally Yellow Mountain, is known for its breathtaking views and incredible landscapes. It covers an area of 1,200 square kms (about 470 sq miles), stretching 40 kms (25 miles) from north to south and 30 kms (about 19 miles) from east to west. Huangshan is famous for its four unique scenes: queer pine trees, shaped rocks, hot springs, and sea of clouds. The exquisite scenery varies with the four seasons. Most spectacular ones are blossoms in spring, waterfalls in summer, forest in fall and snow in winter. |
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Jiuzhaigou Jiuzhaigou, composed of three valleys (Shuzheng, Rize and Zechawa) in the form of a letter Y, is a beautiful “fairyland valley” running over 40 km through snow-covered mountains, lakes, waterfalls and forest.The valley derives its name from the 9 ancient Tibetan villages within the valleys. Its highest point, located at the end of the valley, is 4,700 m above the sea level. Other main sight-seeing spots are between 1,980 meters and 3,000 meters high. Jiuzhaigou has many rare animals and rich plant resources. |
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Dali Dali is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China. It’s one of the most sought-after attractions to westerners and expats because of its historic sites and its “western” flavor of some streets in Dali’s Old Town: western music, western food, and English-speaking shop owners. The top attractions are the silver Cangshan Mountains (about 4,200 meters at the peak) to the west of Dali Old Town, and the jade Erhai Lake a few miles to the east of Dali. |
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Suzhou Suzhou is famed for its beautiful gardens and traditional waterside architecture . The most well-known gardens are Humble Administrator’s Garden of Ming Dynasty style, Lion Grove Garden of Qing Dynasty style, Surging Wave Pavilion of Song Dynasty style, and Lingering Garden of Yuan Dynasty style. Suzhou is also popularly known as the ‘Venice of the East’ because of its network of ancient bridges and canals. Today Suzhou is an important center for China’s silk industry, and one of the most prosperous cities. |
| Links to Travel Attractions of Chinese Cities |
