592 Best Sights in China

Dominating this 740-acre park is a 4,265-foot-high mountain that has fine views of the town from its western peak. The park itself has a bit of everything, including thousands of plants and a collection of birds and monkeys (many of which roam freely through the park).

From its top, looking south, you can see that Qianmen (Front Gate) is actually two gates: the Sun-Facing Gate (Zhengyangmen) and the Arrow Tower (Jian Lou), which were, until 1915, connected by a defensive half-moon wall. The central gates of both structures opened only for the emperor's biannual ceremonial trips to the Temple of Heaven. The gate now defines the southern edge of Tiananmen Square.

A busy maze of narrow streets, Qingping Market is a chaotic and colorful way to get a feel for old Guangzhou. The outdoor lanes have the most ambience, what with the overflowing knickknack stalls and traditional medicinal goods (ginseng, fungi, and the like), but there are also some newer air-conditioned indoor markets that make for a nice reprieve in the humid summertime.

Built during the Tang Dynasty, Qingyang Gong is the oldest Taoist temple in the city, and one of the most famous in China. Six courtyards open out onto each other before arriving at the sculptures of two goats, which represent one of the earthly incarnations of Lao Tzu (the legendary founder of Taoism). If you arrive midmorning, you can watch the day's first worshippers before the stampede of afternoon pilgrims. The temple grounds are filled with nuns and monks training at the Two Immortals Monastery, the only such facility in Southwest China. A small teahouse is on the premises.

This creative community hub is representative of several such spaces popping up in Hong Kong that encourage community interaction. The design of the building is a nod to the industrial heritage of the neighborhood, where the world's largest sugar refinery once stood. The space houses a theater, a workshop, and a community kitchen, where activities like educational tours and culinary lessons are regularly held.

The westernmost gorge of the Three Gorges, Qutang Gorge is also the shortest. The currents here are quite strong due to the natural gate formed by the two mountains, Chijia and Baiyan. There are cliff inscriptions along the way, so be sure to have your guide point them out and explain their significance. Several are from the Warring States period more than 2,000 years ago. Warriors' coffins from that period were discovered in the caves on these mountains, and some still remain.

This scenic area gets its name from the legend of Yunzhang, a 15th-century Buddhist monk who supposedly pleased the gods so much with his recitation of a sutra that they showered flowers on this spot. It was put to a grim purpose in the 1930s, when the Nationalists executed thousands of their left-wing political enemies here. In 1950, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was transformed into a memorial park furnished with statues of heroic martyrs, soaring obelisks, and a museum.

This temple was founded by Queen Wengcheng at the same time as the Jokhang Temple. Its three-story structure dates from the 15th century. Despite restorations in the 1980s, it lost much of its former grandeur after the Chinese used it to house the Communist Labor Training Committee during the Cultural Revolution.

The Ramoche Temple was intended to house the most revered statue of Jowo Rinpoche. A threat of a Chinese invasion in the 7th century induced Queen Wengcheng to hide the statue in the Jokhang Temple. Some 50 years later it was rediscovered and placed within the Jokhang Temple's main chapel. As a substitute, Jokhang reciprocated with a Nepalese statue of Jowo Mikyo Dorje—representing Buddha as an eight-year-old—richly layered in gold and precious stones. It was decapitated during the Cultural Revolution and its torso lost in Beijing. Both head and body were found in 1984, put back together again, and placed in a small chapel at the back of the Ramoche Temple's inner sanctum. Be sure to climb to the temple's roof for a spectacular view of the Potala Palace perched high above the rooftops of Lhasa.

A cornerstone of local life since 1936, Macau’s oldest operating wet market reopened in 2024 with a fresh new look. A two-year renovation fortified the three-story art deco building, replacing walls and tiles, improving lighting, and adding more floor space (not to mention air-conditioning). Now more than 130 vendors venture to the revitalized red brick building each day, offering fresh seafood, vegetables, fruit, flowers, and more. A long-awaited clock now adorns the tower, too, completing architect Júlio Alberto Fernandes Basto’s original vision, back when the building still bordered the sea.

This park gives you a picture-perfect view of the snowcapped Heavenly Mountains (Tian Shan) and the ever-expanding Ürümqi cityscape. An array of incongruously grouped objects—including an eight-story pagoda built by the emperor in 1788 to suppress an evil dragon—are reached via a long set of stairs. Arrive in the early evening for the pleasure of seeing the city bathed in the setting sun's golden light. Ignore the cheap carnival rides near the entrance. The park entrance is hard to find, and few tourists venture here, so take a taxi.

The beach in this upscale neighborhood is large and wide, and can get very crowded on summer weekends. Two huge statues, of the goddesses Tin Hau and Kwun Yam, stand at the east end of the beach, part of a kitsch collection of shrines and statues built in the 1970s. Look for a famous apartment building with a hole through it—following the principles of feng shui, the opening allows the dragon that lives in the mountains behind to readily drink from the bay. To get here, take Bus 6, 6A, or 260 from Exchange Square Bus Terminus in Central. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

A cool oasis of water, paths and trees just west of the Central Business District, Ritan Park (also known as "Temple of the Sun Park") is a popular place to go for some peace and quiet, and is where many locals head to stretch their legs. Stop in at the Stone Boat café if you're in need of refreshment.

Although this park along the Huangpu River has a sterile atmosphere, it offers the most beautiful views of the Bund. As you stroll on the grass and concrete, you get a perspective of Puxi unavailable from the west side.

You can visit the world's highest monastery, Rongbuk Monastery, on your way to Base Camp. There were once 500 monks living here, but now there are only 20 monks and 10 nuns, who delight in the company of visitors. It is 8 km (5 miles) along a dirt road from the monastery to Base Camp. The 15-minute drive from the monastery is no longer officially allowed, but plenty of jeeps get through with a little cajoling and perhaps a bit of cash. It's more thrilling, however, to make the three-hour walk, even if it is just to say that you trekked the Everest region. Horse-drawn carts are also available for Y30 per person one way, making the trip in about an hour.

Established in 1893, this shop has thick bolts of silk, cotton, cashmere, and wool piled high, in more colors than you'll find in a box of crayons: chartreuse, candy-pink, chocolate-brown, fresh-cut-grass-green—you name it. Clerks deftly cut yards of cloth while tailors take measurements for colorful qipaos (traditional gowns). Even though you might not be shopping for fabric, in this corner of Beijing, life seems to continue much as it did a century ago.

In the heart of the old city, this Catholic church is the seat of the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Guangzhou. With gorgeous stained glass windows and impressive high ceilings, the church is known to locals as shíshí (stone house) The Gothic-style cathedral was completed in 1888, and is one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Masses are popular with the city's expatriate community.

An interesting legacy of the German influence in Shandong is a handful of concession-era churches, this Gothic cathedral being the most impressive. Constructed around 1901 and resembling the Notre Dame in Paris, it can hold 800 worshippers.

One of China's first serious attempts at ecotourism, the 900-acre Sanchahe Nature Reserve is home to wild elephants. Two hours north of Jinghong, the park also features a butterfly farm and a cable car that offers breathtaking views. Lodging is in "tree houses" about 25 feet above ground—a unique place to spend a night.

One of the largest casinos in Macau until Cotai’s megaprojects stole the spotlight, the Sands is the first casino you’ll see on the peninsula, even before disembarking from the ferry. Now more than 20 years old, it’s no longer the biggest or shiniest game in town, and the focus here is clearly just gambling, often the inveterate kind---but it can still be a sight to behold. There’s a sparkling 50-ton chandelier over the entrance and rotating live cabaret shows in the middle of the action, where you can play a mix of Asian and Western games, including blackjack, three-card poker, and slots.

Sanlitun is the nightlife hub of Beijing. Vics and Mix at the north gate of the Workers' Stadium are two clubs always packed with people looking for a big night out, while the bars at The Opposite House hotel are a swank respite. Taikoo Li, Beijing's hottest shopping complex, can be credited with changing the face of what was once a fairly seedy area. The Japanese-designed open-air center includes a number of international shops as well as a movie theater and some of Beijing's best restaurants and cafés, and has become the city's major hangout for the in-crowd, both local and foreign.

Founded in 1569 by Dom Belchior Carneiro, Macau’s first bishop, the Macau Holy House of Mercy is coastal China’s oldest Christian charity. It continues to take care of the underprivileged with regular donations and a range of social services, operating a nursery, a house for the elderly, and a center for the blind. The exterior of the heritage-listed building is neoclassical, but the interior is done in an opulent, modern style. The second floor houses a museum of Roman Catholic relics, displaying portraits of its earliest benefactors, including pioneering patroness Marta da Silva Merop.

This large, family-friendly park has extensive botanical gardens, ponds, and waterfalls, as well as the popular Giant Panda Pavilion and a walk-through aviary with more than 200 bird species. There are lots of things of interest to children, including playgrounds, a minizoo with flamingos, monkeys, and other animals, and an interactive museum with exhibits on nature and agriculture.

This park gets its name from the arrangement of its hills, said to resemble the Big Dipper. At the center of this huge park is Putuo Mountain (Putuoshan), atop which sits a lovely pavilion housing a number of famous examples of Tang calligraphy. Indeed, calligraphy abounds on the side of this hill, mostly the work of Ming Dynasty Taoist philosopher Pan Changjing. Nearby is Seven Star Cliff (Qixing Dong), with several large caves open for exploration. The largest contains rock formations that are thought to resemble a lion with a ball, an elephant, and other figures. An inscription in the cave dates from AD 590. Seven Star Park also contains the Guilin City Zoo, only worth a stop if you have kids in tow.

Whether you enter Sha Tin by road or rail, you'll be amazed to find this metropolis in the middle of the New Territories. One of the so-called "new towns," Sha Tin underwent a population explosion starting in the mid-1980s that transformed it from a town of 30,000 to a city of more than a half million. It's home to Sha Tin Park and the fantastic Hong Kong Heritage Museum, which is devoted to Chinese history, art, and culture.

This 200-acre urban garden is best visited during spring, when it's covered in roses, azaleas, bamboo, and orchids. Do visit the penjing garden; penjing translates as "pot scenery" and describes the Chinese art of creating a miniature landscape in a container. More than 2,000 bonsai trees line the penjing garden's courtyards and corridors. The Chinese cymbidium garden has more than 300 varieties. Within the Grand Conservatory are towering palms and more than 3,000 varieties of tropical plants.

Covering more than 14,400 square feet, Shanghai's first state-owned modern art gallery wraps around a metal spiral staircase that's a work of art in itself. The frequently changing exhibits are cutting-edge for Shanghai. They've showcased electronic art from American artists, examined gender issues among the Chinese people, and featured musical performances ranging from Chinese electronica to the dombra, a traditional Kazak stringed instrument. A tiny shop sells art books.

This sleek museum is on the site of Shanghai's 2010 World Expo, which was held in areas along both sides of the river. It takes its name from its sponsor, Minsheng Bank, which opened it to showcase contemporary art in all mediums, from photography to sound, by artists from China and beyond. The museum is housed in the former French expo pavilion and is within walking distance from China Art Palace.

This impressive museum in the base of the Pearl Tower recalls Shanghai's pre-1949 history. Inside, you can stroll down a re-created Shanghai street circa 1900, or check out a streetcar that used to operate in the concessions. Dioramas depict battle scenes from the Opium Wars, shops found in a typical turn-of-the-20th-century Shanghai neighborhood, and grand Former French Concession buildings of yesteryear.

As you stroll through the aquarium's 120-meter (394-foot) glass viewing tunnel, you may feel like you're walking your way through the seven seas—or at least five of them. The aquarium's 10,000 fish represent 300 species, five oceans, and four continents. You'll also find penguins and species representing all 12 of the Chinese zodiac symbols, such as the tiger barb, sea dragon, and seahorse.

This family favorite has more than 100 hands-on exhibits in its sprawling galleries. Earth Exploration takes you through fossil layers to the earth's core for a lesson in plate tectonics. Spectrum of Life introduces you to the animal and plant kingdoms in a simulated rain forest. Light of Wisdom explains basic principles of light and sound through interactive exhibits, and simulators in AV Paradise put you in a plane's cockpit and on television. Children's Technoland has a voice-activated fountain and a miniature construction site. Two IMAX theaters and a "4-D" IWERKS theater screen larger-than-life movies, though some are in Chinese. All signs are in English.