China is an interesting country. I have a hard time giving a purely ‘travel outlook’ on it because I didn’t just travel through it, I lived there. But whenever someone asks me about what it’s like, I say the same thing: It’s beautiful. It may be a hard place to travel through and very unenjoyable at times but there are so many beautiful places in China to see.
The country is huge and the landscape is incredibly diverse. You have mountains and formations, deserts, islands, you name it. It truly is a beautiful country and the landscape in China is worth seeing. But fair warning, the things worth seeing are not the easiest to see. Let me reiterate how hard it is to travel through China as a foreigner: it is HARD. But if you feel up for an adventure, these are some of the most beautiful places in China.
The Great Wall of China
Location: Northern China, close to Beijing
Obviously it’s hard to find a traveler’s bucket list that doesn’t include seeing the Great Wall of China; so let’s just get this one out of the way first. The wall runs along the northern Chinese border, but only a few sections are restored. The part closest to Beijing is the most restored and the further you venture out, the more wild and unkept it gets.
Depending on which part of the wall you go to, there are sometimes cable cars or slides to get you to or from the entrance. No matter which section you visit, you won’t be disappointed—the wall extends as far as the eye can see and is a remarkable landmark in Chinese history.
READ MORE: Visiting the Great Wall at Mutianyu
Yellow Mountain (Mount Huangshan)
Location: Anhui Province, 3.5 hours west of Hangzhou
The Huangshan National Park is a mountain range with granite mountain peaks, which are most often seen jutting out of the clouds. The World Heritage Site is a popular tourist destination, no doubt visited for its views from above and the high quality teas produced in the area.
Yangshuo
Location: 40 miles SE of Guilin
One of the most beautiful places in China is the town of Yangshuo. It’s located along the Li River just down from Guilin. It has some of the most remarkable scenery with beautiful mountains along the river. The town itself is quite touristy, but is a fun place to walk, shop and dine.
The best part of Yangshuo lies in the countryside just outside the town, which is best seen by renting a scooter. If you’re not too keen on riding a scooter, you can still take in the scenery by hopping on a bamboo raft and cruising along the Yulong River. OR ditch the roads from Guilin and hop on a cruise down the Li River to get a surreal experience of the jagged mountain scenery—which happens to be printed on the back of the ¥20 note.
Terra Cotta Warriors
Location: 45 minutes outside Xi’an
The Terracotta Warriors are one of the most famous landmarks in China and a sight you need to see to believe. It’s said that they were made to depict the army of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, and protect him in the underworld. There are roughly 8,000 clay soldiers that have been found buried underground.
The warriors were found in 1974 by a group of farmers. The land was eventually seized and excavated. At one point, a few of the farmers were paid a small sum to show up at the museum and sign autographs.
Huanglong National Scenic Reserve
Location: Northern Sichuan Province in the southern part of the Minshan Mountain Range.
If you’ve seen the tiered pools from Italy that have gone viral, the Huanglong National Scenic Reserve is similar. The valley is comprised of natural pools, snow capped mountains, hot springs and waterfalls. The most beautiful sight is the blue pools formed by calcite, some of which are clear.
‘Huanglong’ in Chinese means “yellow dragon” and the formations are said to resemble a dragon amongst the trees. While you can’t get into the pools here, you can walk along side them and get beautiful views from the viewing platforms. The area is also a Unesco World Heritage site.
Zhangjiajie National Forest
Location: Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province
Zhangjiajie is also at the top of the list for most beautiful places in China. The jagged sandstone mountains are columns that jut into the sky, often surrounded by mist and clouds. The landscape here is so phenomenal that it was actually the inspiration for the movie Avatar.
It’s not an easy place to get to but one of the most rewarding. Our cable car quickly disappeared between formations and clouds. While we weren’t able to see much at the top, the views from below were pretty incredible.
The Hanging Monastery at Mount Hengshan
Location: Datong, Shanxi Province
Mount Hengshan is one of the five sacred mountains located in the north of China. What’s interesting here is the Hanging Monastery (also called the Xuankong Temple). The monastery was built in 491 and just seems to hang 50 meters in the air on the side of a mountain. Apparently, the wooden pillars weren’t in the original construction but people were too scared to visit the place without them!
Rainbow Mountains
Location: Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park, Gansu province
There are several rainbow mountains around the world. The ones in China are called the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park. What makes them so colorful is the different colored sandstone and minerals pressed together over years with water and wind erosion. It also happens to be a Unesco World Heritage Site. I really wanted to go to this place, but alas, there were only so many times I could get lost trying to find off-the-beaten-path places.
The Harbin Ice Festival
Location: Harbin, Heilongjiang Province
The Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is one of the top ice and snow festivals in the world. I’m listing it as one of the most beautiful places in China because what they do with ice here is insane. There are entire buildings made of ice. They had ice castles, gigantic ice sculptures, and even ice slides. At night, the ice sculptures are lit up with different colored lights and it is truly beautiful to see.
The town of Harbin in winter is a fantastic place to explore and there are a lot of things to do in Harbin. But be prepared for the cold. Harbin is in north China, next to the Russian border and it’s the coldest I’ve ever been in my life.
Suzhou Canals
Location: Suzhou, Jiangsu Province
Suzhou, China is often referred to as ‘The Venice of the East’. This is because the city is connected with canals and bridges. Think ancient city with hanging lanterns and willowy trees hanging down. The city I lived in, ShaoXing, was also dubbed an ‘Oriental Venice’ but Suzhou’s are on a much greater scale I imagine. Why? Because there’s a replica of the Suzhou canals at the Summer Palace in Beijing that one of the emperors had made.
Though I haven’t been to Suzhou, I imagine they are just as charming as the ones in ShaoXing. There are little boats you can ride along to see the houses sitting on the canals and people walking over the bridges. It really is peaceful and the canals are beautiful places in China to visit.
Mount Huashan
Location: 1.5 hours outside of Xi’an
Mount Huashan is another of the Five Sacred Mountains and is infamously known for its fear-inducing, cliff-hanging trek known as the Plank Walk. The Plank Walk is optional, as is the Soldier’s Way up the mountain which consists of 4,000 steps—some of which are at a 90°angle. But don’t worry; there are five peaks and two cable cars with plenty of opportunities to make your stomach drop, your heart race and your muscles fatigued.
There are lots of areas to explore on Mount Huashan, and you can easily spend all day here. However, it’s not the easiest place to get to either. There were lots of mishaps along the way but they are some of our favorite travel stories!
Yueyaquan Crescent Lake
Location: 3 km South of Dunhuang, Gansu Province
Yueyaquan is a crescent shape fresh water spring in the desert. This picture doesn’t quite do it justice because it’s shaped like a crescent moon. It’s an interesting spot because you just don’t think of deserts and China together. But in the middle of the sand is a little Chinese oasis. It’s quite small, so you can imagine that it can get overcrowded, much like everywhere else in China. And I’ve heard it is touristy, but it’s still a cool spot and something you wouldn’t picture being in China.
Longji Rice Terraces
Location: Longji, 1-hr north of Guilin
The Longji Rice Terraces in Guilin (also known as Longshen) are another interesting spot to visit. I have to say, they weren’t as pretty as I imagined them to be when we visited, but it greatly depends on time of year and weather. Sometimes the terraces can be more yellow and sometimes the terraces can all be filled with water, creating gorgeous reflections.
It was a bit on the brown side for us but it was still beautiful in a way. The surrounding town is very rustic and if you get away from the tourists spots, you’ll experience a glimpse into rural China.
As I’ve said before, there are SO many beautiful places in China. However, our trips exploring were often filled with missed planes/trains and getting lost. At times it felt like we were lucky to see as much as we did! They aren’t always easy to get to but it’s so rewarding when you do!
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