China at a Glance: Must see and Must avoid

by Confucius - last update: May 30, 2003

Lovely Planet China Guide (Executive Summary)

For the benefit of mankind, Confucius benevolently presents "China at a Glance" for help with China trip planning. Each province is broken down into Must See destinations, Extra Time excursions, as well as any tourist traps to avoid. Not on my list? Give it a miss!

BEIJING
Must see: Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace
Extra time: Hutongs around Houhai, Liulichang culture street, Yonghegong/Confucius Temple, Panjiayuan Antique Market
Avoid: Ming Tombs, Beijing Zoo
TIANJIN
Must see: (none)
Extra time: Huang Ya Guan Great Wall, Food/Culture Streets
HEBEI
Must see: Shanhaiguan Great Wall
Extra time: Chengde, Wuqiao acrobatic village
SHANXI
Must see: Datong, Pingyao
Extra time: Hukou waterfall (Yellow River)
SHAANXI
Must see: Xian (Terra Cotta Warriors, Muslim Quarter)
Extra time: Xianyang museum, Hu County folk art village SW of Xian
Avoid: Hua Qing Hot Springs, Banpo Neolithic Village
NINGXIA
Must see: (none)
Extra time: West Xia tombs near Yinchuan
GANSU
Must see: Dunhuang
Extra time: Jiayuguan Great Wall, Xiahe (Labrang monastery)
XINJIANG
Must see: Kashgar and Karakuli Lake, Turpan
Extra time: Hanasi Lake, Hetian (Hotan)
Avoid: More than 1 day in Urumqi, group tours to Tian Chi
INNER MONGOLIA
Must see: Hohhot, grasslands (Hailaer, Chifeng areas)
Extra time: Desert excursions
Avoid: Baotou
HEILONGJIANG
Must see: Harbin Ice Festival (Jan-Feb)
Extra time: Yabuli ski area (Dec.-March)
JILIN
Must see: (none)
Extra time: Chang Bai Shan/Yanji border excusions to N. Korea and Russia,
Changchun Movie Studio
LIAONING
Must see: Dandong
Extra time: Dalian, Benxi Water Caves
Avoid: Shenyang (left armpit of China)
SHANDONG
Must see: Qufu (Hometown of Confucius)
Extra time: Taishan, Weifang Kite Festival
JIANGSU
Must see: Suzhou (silk embroidery) , Water Village (Either Tongli or Luzhi)
Extra time: Nanjing, Yangzhou, Xuzhou, Yixing/Dingshu pottery village
Avoid: Changzhou, Wuxi, and Zhouzhuang
SHANGHAI
Must see: Shanghai Museum
Extra time: (See Jiangsu must see)
Avoid: Spending more than 2 days touring Shanghai
ANHUI
Must see: Huangshan
Extra time: Jiuhuashan, Ancient villages of Xidi, Hongcun
Avoid: Hefei
ZHEJIANG
Must see: Hangzhou, Xitang village in Jiaxing county
Extra time: Shaoxing, Putuoshan
Avoid: Thousand Island Lake
FUJIAN
Must see: Xiamen, Quanzhou plus Hui'an villages
JIANGXI
Must see: (none)
Extra time: Jingdezhen, Lushan
Avoid: Fireworks factories
GUANGDONG
Must see: Hong Kong/Macau "Special Administrative Regions"
Extra time: Chaozhou, Zhaoqing, and also Genzi but only during lychee/mango season (May-June)
Avoid: Shenzhen (China's right armpit)
HUNAN
Must see: Zhangjiajie/Mengdong River/Tujia and Miao villages
Extra time: Yueyang, Fenghuang
Avoid: Mao Zedong's hometown
GUIZHOU
Must see: Minority villages between Kaili and Congjiang
Extra time: Huangguoshu waterfall/Anshun batik village
YUNNAN
Must see: Kunming/Stone Forest, Dali/Lijiang
Extra time: Xishuangbanna, Zhongdian/Deqin
GUANGXI
Must see: Li River cruise, Yangshuo
Extra time: Guilin
Avoid: Spending more time in Guilin instead of Yangshuo
SICHUAN
Must see: Jiuzhaigou/Huanglong/Songpan, Chengdu, Leshan
Extra time: Emei Shan, Zigong (Lantern Festival/Dinosaur Museum)
CHONGQING
Must see: Dazu
Avoid: Chongqing during July/August
HUBEI
Must see: Three Gorges
Extra time: Wuhan's Yellow Crane Tower
Avoid: Wuhan during July/August
HENAN
Must see: Shao Lin Temple, Luoyang
Extra time: Kaifeng, Song dynasty tombs between Luoyang and Zhengzhou
QINGHAI
Must see: (none)
Extra time: Qinghai Lake
Avoid: Golmud until the Lhasa railroad is completed
TIBET
Must see: Lhasa (at least 3 days)
Extra time: Dingri monastery/Everest base camp
Avoid: Trouble!
HAINAN ISLAND
Must see: Only if you have never been to southern Thailand's beaches or Hawaii