55.6 million tourists visit China annually. There are more than 4800 museums in this country alone, and 87% of them are open for free visits. Not sure what to see in China? Take a closer look at Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian, Kunming, Guangzhou, Urumqi.
Holiday season in China
In most Chinese cities, it is best to rest in April-May and September, in Tibet - in May-October, in Hainan - in November-May (it rains on the island in summer, and typhoons in September). In the north of China, it is more comfortable in April, May, September and October, and in the south in October-December. As for the ski resorts, Yabuli, Beidakhu, Chengbai are popular in November-March.
It is worth coming to China during the Mid-Autumn Festival (September-October), the Spring Festival (January-February), the Dragon Boat Festival (V day of the 5th lunar month).
Top 15 places of interest in China
the great Wall of China
the great Wall of China
The height of the Great Wall of China is 6-10 m, and its thickness is 5-8 m. Tourists are interested in the following sections of the wall:
- 50-kilometer section of the wall near Badaling Mountain (from Beijing - 60 km): a ticket will cost $ 6, 60 (the price includes watching a 15-minute film about the construction of the wall and visiting the Museum of the Great Wall).
- section of the Mutianyu wall (90 km from the Chinese capital). The ticket price will be $ 6, 60 + $ 11, 82 (rise to this section by funicular). Here you will get beautiful photographs.
- Jinshanling section (130 km away from Beijing): a ticket costs $ 9, 65, and a funicular ride costs $ 5, 92. There are 24 watchtowers on a 10-kilometer stretch.
Longmen Grottoes
Longmen are Buddhist cave temples carved into the rocks along the banks of the Yihe River (the complex is 12 km away from Luoyang). Official statistics state that Longmen includes 2,345 grottoes with 43 temples. They were famed for images of a religious nature (100,000) and inscriptions (2800). The most famous caves are Fingxian, Binyan, Guyang, the grotto of 10,000 Buddhas: Buddhist deities are installed there, in particular, a 15-meter statue of Buddha Vairochana, and the caves are decorated with reliefs depicting dancers, solemn processions, monks.
From the railway station to Longmen (cost of visiting - $ 17, 65) buses No. 60 and 53 go.
Cave of the yellow dragon
Cave of the yellow dragon
Yellow Dragon Cave (ticket price - $ 15) - 140-meter karst cave with underground rivers (2), galleries (96), pools (3), “halls” (13), waterfalls (4), stalactite and stalagmite formations, natural compositions in the form of the Immortal Falls, the Dragon Palace (tourists will be offered to pass either through the “Longevity” gate to live long, or “Happiness” to find prosperity in family life), the Ballroom (there are draped stone curtains).
The Yellow Dragon Cave Journey is a 2,400-meter walking and 800-meter underground river trail.
Li and Miao Village
Li and Miao Village is an ethnographic complex 30 km away from Sanya. The Li people are engaged in weaving and dyeing fabrics with wild plants. Miao, on the other hand, have their own language, preach animism (everything in nature has a soul) and know how to preserve food. In this complex, all male visitors take as their wife their favorite Li or Miao, after which they take part in the wedding ceremony. Then they continue to explore the village.
Popular entertainment in the village is throwing long darts into the lake, fishing, tasting “Black moonshine” (an alcoholic drink on black rice), visiting temples (in honor of the appearance of wealth and scaring away evil spirits), admiring the “Dance of Poles”, walking along the gorge cable car.
Shaolin monastery
Shaolin monastery
Shaolin Monastery is located on Songshan Mountain. Any tourist can not only visit the monastery on an excursion (all rooms and halls are subject to inspection, as well as 200 sculptures of monks in the first courtyard), but also stay there as a student (they will attend classes in Chinese language, kung fu, meditation and medical practices). In this case, you need to receive an invitation from the monastery (valid for 180 days) along with a visa.
A visit to the temple (07: 30-08: 00 - 17: 30-18: 00) costs $ 16.25, and you can get here from Zhengzhou in about 1.5 hours.
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is a 9999-room palace complex in the center of Beijing. It is surrounded by a 3400-meter wall (its 4 corners are occupied by towers, the roofs of which are decorated with 72 ribs), the height of which reaches almost 8 m.
The Forbidden City lasts for the Outer (you can see the halls of the Preservation of Harmony, Military Greatness, Central and Supreme Harmony) and the Inner (has the halls of Earthly Peace, Heavenly Purity, Intellectual Development, Unification and Peace, the Imperial Palaces, the gardens of Longevity, Kindness and Tranquility).
When visiting the Forbidden City (the entrance ticket will cost $ 9 + $ 1.50 for visiting the Hall of Clocks and the Treasure Gallery), guests will be able to admire the imperial clothes, bronze items, elaborate jewelry, paintings, and a collection of watches.
Potala Palace
Potala Palace
Potala Palace (the main residence of the Dalai Lama) is a landmark of Lhasa. Today Buddhist pilgrims flock here (Buddhist rituals are held in the palace) and tourists (the palace has been turned into a museum). The White (famous for its halls, library, golden stupa-tombs of the 8 Dalai Lamas, solar and eastern pavilions) and Red (there are memorial stupas (8), small and large halls with books, ritual objects, statues of deities, idams are subject to inspection), teachers and Dalai Lamas) palaces.
The Potala Palace is open from 07: 30-09: 00 to 5 pm (ticket price - $ 16).
Lake Xihu
Lake Xihu is located in the center of Hangzhou. Walking along the shore of the lake, you can enjoy the scent of magnolias, hibiscus, sweet osmanthus, sakura, see the graves of the folk hero Wu Song and the poetess Su Xiaoxiao, Buddhist temples Lingyinsi and Jingqissi, visit the tea farm and the "Racing Tiger" mineral spring.
The best view of Lake Xihu is from the rounded bridges located at the Leifeng Pagoda. It is more convenient to get to the lake from Shanghai: the high-speed express train takes about 2 hours.
Leshan Buddha statue
The statue of Maitreya Buddha in Leshan is carved in Lingyunshan Mountain. The 71-meter Buddha (his 15-meter head is at the level of the cliff) “looks” at Mount Emeishan, and his feet rest against the river. The southern and northern walls of Lingyunshan are decorated with stone images of a bodhisattva being (there are over 90 of them). At the head of the Buddha, a pagoda and a temple complex with a park are built (stairs lead to the top). You can fully see the statue from the water, moving a little from the coast on a tourist boat.
For the entrance to the park, tourists will pay $ 13, 25.
Sky Temple
The Temple of Heaven in Beijing has a main hall housed in a circular building with a 3-tiered roof supported by 28 columns. The altar of the temple is built of marble slabs in several tiers. In addition, the complex is equipped with a hall where the emperor came to prepare for prayer; two buildings where everyone will be able to admire ancient musical instruments and objects for rituals; the Huangqunyu temple with the tablets of the rulers of China stored there and a “talking” wall (it is a good conductor of sounds); adjacent park (here people are engaged in gymnastics and martial arts).
The ticket price is $ 1, 50-4, 15.
Reed Flute Cave
The Reed Flute Cave, more than 1300 years old, is 5 km away from Guilin, and rises on the slope of Guangmingshan Mountain. Those exploring its depths (there is an artificial illumination inside the cave), they will visit natural palace halls, see old inscriptions (they were created by people who lived in 618-907), admire unusual stalactite and stalagmitic sculptures - "Fruit Mountain","Dragon Pagoda", "Virgin Forest" and others.
For tourists, a route is provided that allows you to see the most interesting corners of the underground every day from 8 am to 6 pm (a 3-hour excursion costs $ 17, 70).
Three pagodas of Chongsheng temple
Three pagodas of Chongsheng temple
Three pagodas of Chongsheng temple - an architectural ensemble 1.5 km from Dali (you can walk or ride a bike from the old city). In the center of the complex there is a 69-meter Qianxun pagoda of 16 tiers (the facade of each tier is decorated with a white marble statue of Buddha, who sits on a lotus), and to the right and left of it there are 42-meter 9-tier structures (from the main pagoda - 97 m). Well, in front of this ensemble there is a lake.
Three pagodas can be viewed from 8 am to 7 pm for $ 17.66.
Mausoleum of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong's mausoleum is located in Beijing on Tiananmen Square. Its 33-meter building is surrounded by granite 8-sided 17.5-meter columns. In the Northern Hall of the mausoleum there is a marble 3, 45-meter statue of Chairman Mao, in the Hall of Visitors there is a crystal coffin where the remains of Mao Zedong are placed in a gray suit, in the Hall of Revolutionary Achievements there are paintings, letters, photographs (490), documents (over 220), artifacts (over 100), in the South Hall - poems engraved on the marble wall, and in the cinema hall - the film "Tosca", lasting 20 minutes.
Chinese pyramids
The Chinese pyramids are the tombs of nobles and rulers from the Zhou dynasty of the 5th century. BC. - 7th century AD Many structures are located within 100 km of Xi'an. The height of the pyramids on the Sichuan plains varies between 25-100 m, with the exception of the Great White Pyramid (its height is 300 m), located in the valley of the Jia Lin River. The tombs are rectangular and square in plan, although there are also round mounds. Of interest is the tomb of Qin Shi Huang with a stepped profile and stairs (they lead to a flat top).
Lotus mountains
Lotus mountains
The Lotus Mountains rise above the mouth of the Pearl River 20 km from the center of Guangzhou. Those who come to the Lotus Mountains can have fun in the water amusement park, have a bite to eat at one of the restaurants, examine the 40-meter gilded statue of Guanyin Buddha (9 kg of gold were spent on the cladding), explore walking walking routes. Playgrounds have been built here for children.
It is worth admiring the Lotus Mountains at dawn, without leaving Guangzhou (at this time the mountains are painted in pink shades). A visit here should be planned for August: the Lotus Festival is celebrated here, accompanied by costume performances. Entrance costs $ 7.95.
