12 Best Sights in China

Hong Kong's colonial-era police HQ has been reborn as a stylish cultural complex, where you can browse law-and-order museum exhibits and contemporary art exhibitions, as well as drink and dine at glam restaurants and cocktail bars. Tai Kwun, meaning \"big station\" in Cantonese, is a sprawling complex and one of Central’s top sights. The best place to start is the Barracks Block, the handsome colonial building on the south side of the central parade ground. Here you’ll find the visitor centre and an exhibition on Tai Kwun’s history. Then explore the Central Magistracy with its restored courtrooms, before heading to the claustrophobic concrete cells of Victoria Prison. Art fans should make a beeline for JC Contemporary at the rear of the complex, a three-story art gallery by architects Herzog de Meuron. Among the many places to eat and drink are the upscale Magistracy Dining Room, housed in a beautifully restored courtroom, and stylish speakeasy 001. Free English-language guided tours of Tai Kwun can be reserved online via the website.

Nestled in a pocket of lush hillside, this heritage site was once a store for British Army explosives, and now hosts exhibitions, film screenings, and lectures pertaining to Asian countries and cultures. The complex, designed by acclaimed NYC architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, adds contemporary design to the 19th-century compound, incorporating sleek glass-and-metal structures with green terraces. Views from the lush roof garden are spectacular; a walk on the grounds is a must. The Center's AMMO (Asia, Modern, Museum, Original) restaurant and bar is a lovely spot for lunch or a drink. Check the website for heritage tours in English.

Cotai’s glitzy entertainment complex is the living definition of a megaproject. City of Dreams, or CoD for short, boasts three separate casinos with nearly 500 gaming tables, four hotels with around 2,270 total hotel rooms, and 30-plus bars and restaurants. Most know it for its entertainment options, though. The 17,000-square-foot Kids’ City provides four floors of guided playtime and adventure, while the House of Dancing Water dazzled thousands with its aquatic-based spectacles until going on hiatus for improvements.

It’s impossible to miss the six 24-karat gold cupolas of the Galaxy complex towering over the northwestern end of the Cotai Strip. This palatial complex is currently home to seven luxury hotels—including the Banyan Tree, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, and Raffles—and as of 2025, an all-suites-and-villas Capella. The whole complex spans more than 11 million square feet of space and includes 120 dining options, a 10-screen cinema, a white-sand beach and wave pool on the rooftop, a cavernous 16,000-seat arena, a VR entertainment center, and more. Smack in the center is a brightly lit casino floor packed with gaming tables, surrounded by high-end shops where you can actually hear yourself think.

Suzhou is threaded by a network of narrow waterways, with an outer moat surrounding its ancient center. The canals that now seem quaint were once choked with countless small boats ferrying goods between the city's merchants. All of these channels connect eventually to imperial China's main conduit of trade and travel, the Grand Canal, which passes through the town's southern outskirts.

The Grand Lisboa Palace is certainly both grand and palatial. The castle-like facility blends baroque and neoclassical influences with Chinese and Portuguese design elements. Inside, the sprawling resort houses 1,350 ornate rooms and suites, including the exclusive Karl Lagerfeld and Palazzo Versace hotels. These sit alongside a massive casino and a luxury shopping complex led by NY8 New Yaohan, a 160,000-square-foot department store with a supermarket, kid’s zone, and dining center, and Made in Macau, a space that displays products from local brands. Dining options range from high-end restaurants like Zuicho and Palace Garden to the indulgent Grand Buffet—one of the city’s best all-you-can-eat experiences. If you need some serenity, visit Jardim Secreto, a European-style garden with grass mazes and European-style pavilions.

People from throughout Hong Kong come to these two banyan trees to make wishes and offerings. Some burn joss sticks and incense; others used to throw an orange—tied to a wish written on a piece of paper—up into a tree (if it caught on a branch the wish would come true). Unfortunately, the weight of the oranges caused several branches to fall off and the practice has ended. Now, when people visit the trees—often during exam time or when the health of a loved one is in jeopardy—they tie the joss paper onto nearby wooden racks. Take the East Rail line to Tai Po Market train station, then take Bus 64K or 64P, or Minibus 25K.

This sprawling complex of rides, games, and attractions mimics foreign heritage sites with a Disney-esque flair. While the Roman Amphitheatre, Czech Baroque-inspired Harborview Hotel, and kitschy themed shops and karaoke bars won’t impress world travelers, some of the restaurants offer reason to visit. Vic’s Restaurante, for one, stands out for its rich Portuguese seafood rice and harbor views, and Jin Yue Xuan nails Cantonese classics and dim sum, adding a touch of authenticity to an otherwise artificial setting.

Hollywood glamour hits Cotai at this Zaha Hadid--designed art deco complex. Outside, you can’t miss the Golden Reel, a figure eight-shaped Ferris Wheel built into the tower. Inside, you’ll find one of Asia’s largest indoor water parks, a nine-house cinema including VIP rooms and a theater equipped with motion technology, about 20 different dining venues, great cocktail bars like Blind Tiger and A.P.D., and Legend Heroes Park, a family-friendly, tech-based entertainment zone. The casino, meanwhile, boasts 1,233 gaming machines and about 250 tables. When it comes time to call it a night, there are about 2,500 rooms spread across four hotels, including the glitzy W.

Twice the size of its namesake in Las Vegas, The Venetian offers ample opportunities for shopping, dining, gambling, entertainment, and sleeping. Expect faux-Renaissance decoration, built-in canals plied by crooning gondoliers, live carnival acts, and plenty of sheer spectacle. The 550,000 square feet of gaming areas, complete with 3,400 slot machines and 800 tables, make this the world’s biggest casino. The sprawling property also includes 3,000 suites, plus venues like the 1,800-seat Venetian Theatre, which has hosted performances from the likes of Alicia Keys and The Beach Boys, and the newly renovated 15,000-seat Venetian Arena. It’s a must-see megaplex.

Wynn Palace seamlessly weaves Las Vegas–style opulence with Chinese motifs. The 28-story resort houses 1,706 lavish rooms, suites, and villas, all decorated in shades of sunrise yellow, sunset orange, peacock blue, or Wynn gold—complete with gold-hued toiletries. Guests and outsiders alike tend to congregate around Performance Lake, which stages elaborate water, music, and light shows that are best viewed from Lakeview Palace restaurant. The real standout, though, is Macau’s largest spa, The Spa at Wynn Palace. There are 22 treatment rooms, including private spaces offering cryotherapy, float pods, and red-light therapy. The 424,000-square-foot casino offers round-the-clock gaming. When you tire of the tables, go for a walk around the shops to spot rare art, including Qing Dynasty Buccleuch vases; unwind by the mosaic-lined pool; or get a bite to eat one of the 13 excellent dining venues.

What you see today dates from just 1981, a recreation, only semi-faithful, to the original built in AD 223 about 1 km away. Over its long history, Yellow Crane Tower was destroyed and rebuilt some half-dozen times. In the mid 1880s the tower fell to a blaze and was not rebuilt until a century later. Today, the five-storey tower stands 51.4 meters (168 feet), and legend has it that the roof is composed of nearly 100,000 yellow glazed tiles. Climb to the top and, on a clear day, you'll be rewarded with a panoramic view of the city and the Yangtze River.

Avoid this like the plague during public holidays, especially Chinese National Day (Oct. 1-3), when it's a sea of people.