I realise this is an extremely broad question but I'd love some feedback from people who've travelled (or lived) in China.

My husband and I are flying into Beijing next week for a month and have nothing planned other than a few days in Beijing, a desire to see Xián and a hankering to explore the region.

What would you do with a month in China? We're open to travel on trains, planes or buses. Prefer to see rural life and places of interest rather than big cities, if possible.

Thanks for any ideas you can provide

Big week long holiday in China, starting, i think, 1 October. Travel plans then ?? Big headache. Take a high speed train to Tianjin, or even farther out, to say, TaiYuan, in shanxi. Now there's the grubby china, for sure. If TianJin take a bus to QingDao, by the sea. Nice town i hear, esp for OktoberFest. Trains and buses more interesting than air. You will be hampered with no language as English not too common, often rare. Or head west to Ulumuqi, there's a looong train ride. Off to Kashgar, one of the most interesting cities in China, coz it aint' Chinese. Strong Uiygur, turkish/muslim city, of SilkRoad fame, now under severe attack by Han folks (CCP). China huge, population monstrous, sights limitless, food glorious; see it soon.

You can hike the glorious mountains of Tiger Leaping Gorge and enjoy relaxation in beautiful Lijiang. Chengdu has the pandas. And there's always Hong Kong (and Macau). You could also head north by train to Mongolia and visit Ulaan Baatar and the thriving rural economy there for a few days. China has so much.

Now YOU are freewheeling... leaving in a week for a month with no plans other than land in Beijing! What a change from the minute by minute planned out schedule.

I hope you'll report back. Have fun!

For part of your trip, follow the.Silk Road....visit Dunhuang and the Mogao Caves, Turpan, Kashgar.

You should have planned more as you are going at the worst possible time.
First, go to your local bookstore and buy a travel book about China. Go through it quickly, as you do not have much time, by looking at photos and see what you like. I will also help you have some clues about some places suggested above, some of which make no sense for you in my opinion.

I spent a month in northern China a few years ago. I researched that trip extensively and I had an itinerary in mind, but I didn't have any reservations other than a hotel for the first few nights I spent in Beijing. You might find some useful info in my trip report -- just click on my name to find it.

Um, NoFlyZone. Did U know that Mongolia and Ulan Baator are not China? A totally different, yet interesting, country. UB the capital city of Mongolia. Now the Chinese province called Inner Mongolia IS China but offers only slight sightseeing opportunities. OP, if you want to go to Mongolia, check your Chinese visa for multiple entries.

We're actually happy travelling this way as we don't need a specific schedule and like to hear about places along the way. We're wrapping up a month in India when we did just that and had an incredible experience.

We have a couple of contacts in Beijing that we're meeting up with and are aware of the October holiday (thank you for the reminder) and would love to hear your ideas, JPDeM (checked out your trip report, kja, thanks!)

Jobin, duh. Of course Mongolia's a different country. Nonetheless, it's an interesting and easy place to visit when someone is in China, especially if it fits in with their desire to see rural life and interesting places. Plus, if they are American no visa is required.

I've been living in China for 3 years now, and my favourite city so far is Shanghai:
http://www.youdolife.com/2013/09/tri...mber-2013.html