Located in the Northwest suburbs of Beijing, this is a former royal resort of the Qing Dynasty where Emperors went to escape the heat of the city in the summer. Set around the beautiful Kunming Lake, the superb royal gardens have been preserved as a cultural treasure.

In years gone by Emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasty held memorial ceremonies here every winter Solstice praying for a good harvest year. Built in 1420 and renovated during the Qianlong Reign of the Qing Dynasty it is the largest building group for ancient sacrificial rites now preserved in China.

This is the largest square in the world with a total area of 440,000 square metres, spacious enough to accommodate over one million people. The square acts as a huge park, with many annual and special celebrations and assemblies held here. The square is bordered by the Great Hall of the People, Mao's Mausoleum and the Forbidden City

Built between 1911 and 1918 in Song dynasty style, this active place of worship is one of Shanghai's few Buddhist temples. Named after the two exquisite milk-white jade Buddha images which were brought in from Burma, the beautiful seated effigy of Sakyamuni, clearly Southeast Asian in style gazes out from a cabinet. Visitors are not able to approach the statue, but can admire it from a distance.

A similarly elegant jade reclining Buddha can be found downstairs, opposite a much larger copy in stone.

This is China's premier shopping street, just over 3 miles long it starts at the Bund in the east and ends in the west at the junction of Jingan Temple and Yan'an West Street. Today Nanjing Road is a must-see metropolitan destination attracting thousands of fashion-seeking shoppers from all over the world. There are over 600 businesses on Nanjing road offer countless famous brands, superior quality, and new fashions. KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and other world-famous food vendors line both sides of the street. Upscale stores include Tiffany, Mont Blanc, and Dunhill. In addition, approximately a hundred traditional stores and specialty shops still provide choice silk goods, jade, embroidery, wool, and clocks.

A comprehensive complex of children's after school activities demonstrates part of the Chinese education system and you can watch highly talented children perform a variety of different performances.

A sophisticated and informative museum with a fun presentation on old Shanghai. The city's notorious transport domain is the first for examination, and you can size up an antique bus, an old wheelbarrow taxi and an ornate sedan chair. Upstairs, learn how the city prospered on the back of the cotton trade and junk transportation, when it was known as 'Little Suzhou'.
Life-size models of traditional shops are manned by realistic waxworks and a wealth of historical detail abounds, including a boundary stone from the International Settlement and one of the bronze lions that originally guarded the entrance to the HSBC bank on the Bund. Some exhibits are hands-on or accompanied by creative video presentations. Hunt down the amazingly detailed replica of the Dangui Teahouse and look out for the public phones that you can dial up to listen to old operas.

A cool location in summer, the interior galleries - arranged over three floors - are perfectly suited to appreciating art, with well-illuminated alcoves and a voluminous sense of space.
A variety of art exhibitions are held here, ranging from modern oil paintings to traditional Chinese art. The ceiling detail and some other features are original to the 1933 building.

The Oriental Pearl Tower stands by the bank of Huangpu River. It is in the centre of Lujiazui, opposite to the Bund. The tower is 468 meters high and is the highest TV Tower in Asia, the third highest one in the world.

The world renowned city was the ancient capital of China for over 1600 years, starting back in the mid-10th century AD, Xi¡¯an was the capital city of 13 dynasties.

Standing inside three vaults there are over 7,000 life sized Terracotta warriors, horses and chariots, constructed during the Qin dynasty. They were originally modeled from yellow clay, and have been unearthed from where they were buried in imperial tombs more than 22 centuries ago. They were discovered in 1974 by a farmer and the project is still work in progress as more and more objects are discovered.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a sensational archeological find, and has put Xi'¡¯an well and truly on the tourist map. It was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the World¡¯s Cultural Heritages.

The current city wall was built during the Ming dynasty and is now the largest and best preserved extent wall in China and one of the few remaining ancient military facilities in the world.

A master piece of Buddhist architecture, originally built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty by Emporer Gao Zong to house the 600 or so Buddhist scriptures brought to China from India by the famous monk Xuan Zang. It is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists and it stands in the Da C''en Temple complex. Opinion is divided as to whether the temple's name derives from a Buddhist sect in India or a resemblance between the base of the pagoda and a wild goose. It was a tradition in Xi'an for successful scholars to pin poems to the door of the pagoda as a symbol for a bright future and some poems can still be seen on the door frames.

Less well known than some of China''s other promises, situated in the south-western corner of China lies a province that is incredibly varied and visually stunning. Overlooked in the North by Tibet on one side, in the West by the jungles of Burma (Myanmar) and by Laos and Vietnam in the south the provinces sheltered location provides relief from inclement weather, hence why the provincial capital Kunming is called Spring City.
Half of China's 55 ethnic minorities call this area home from the blue-clothed Naxi of Lijiang to the often elusive tribes of the southern region. The capital Kunming is an ideal starting point for the region with many historic temples and pagodas but the surrounding area may prove more enticing with the Golden Temple, The Bamboo Temple, Lake Dain, Daguan Tower and the Stone Forest.
In the foothills of the Himalayas lies Lijiang with its old town still a maze of traditional Naxi architecture, gushing canals and narrow cobbled alleys, all making the area a photographers dream. Set within a picturesque valley the traditional buildings with their grey tiled roofs that seem to stretch forever this town is well worth a visit.

Hailed by many as the ¡°most beautiful place¡± in China and a must-see destination for most foreign visitors. The stunning landscape in which the city is situated has a kind of magic that is all its own. The strangely shaped hills, or karsts, with the verdant vegetation ranging from bamboo to conifers together with wonderful caves make Guilin such an attraction for tourists.

Located almost 4 miles northwest of Guilin city is the Reed Flute Cave which goes 240 meters (790ft) into the mountain. This cave is named after the reeds which grow at its entrance that were once used to make flutes with legendary musical qualities.

Cruise along the Lijiang River from Guilin to Yangshuo is the centerpiece of any trip to northeastern Guangxi Province. Gorgeous Karst peaks give you surprises at each bend of the river, water buffalo patrol the fields, peasants reap rice paddies, school kids and fisherman float by on bamboo rafts. With its breathtaking scenery and taste of a life far removed from the concrete metropolis, the scenery along the Li River become one of China's top tourist destinations

This small town is surrounded by 18 peaks like a blooming lotus flower, it's natural and rural scenery is reputed to be the best in Guilin.

There is no better way to experience China's stunning landscapes, ancient culture and unique architecture than on a Yangtze River Three Gorges cruise. These cruises covers the most beautiful portion of the entire river and the spectacular scenery and several exiting excursions ashore make the trip truly memorable.

Having a history of nearly 2,000 years, Fengdu County has formed a special culture of ghosts and the afterlife. Well known as the resting place of the spirit of the dead, Fengdu is now the most characteristic and reputed historic and cultural town in China. This city was believed to be the home of ¡°devils¡± and is a well known resting place for the spirits of the dead, hence the city¡¯s notoriety as the ¡°City of Ghosts¡±.

Qutang Gorge which at 8 km long is the shortest of the Three Gorges although maybe the most imposing, it starts at Baidicheng and ends at the Daixi township. With vertical cliffs of some thousand meters high as its two flanks, the waters flow rapidly through the gorge, the effect can be thrilling. There are inscriptions in Chinese carved into the rock faces and look out for the ¡°Monk Hung Upside Down¡± a formation that resembles a suspended figure.

80 km in length stretching from Xiangxikou to Nanjinguan. The whole Gorge area is covered with high mountains, gullies, dangerous shoals and hidden reefs of various sizes. The best-known perilous shoal is Qing Shoal. It's formed by collapsed craggy cliffs. Surging waves and rapid currents churn over the shoal embedded with rocks and stones here and there, and then drop two meters in elevation. Ships go downstream over the shoal at an arrow speed, but up the shoal it's as difficult as climbing a steep hill.

At 4-5,000m and hemmed in by the Himalaya Mountains, it is affectionately known as "The Roof of the World". Tibet has spectacular and fascinating snow-capped peaks (including Mt Everest), glaciers, wide rivers, unique highland lakes, geothermal springs, vast pastoral areas, magnificent monasteries, brilliant religious arts and interesting ethnic customs.
Traditionally the home to the Dalai Lamas, the holy capital city of Lhasa has some famous scenic and historical sites, which include the Potala Palace - a huge walled castle towering on the slopes of the Red Mountain and Jokang Temple one of the oldest buildings in Lhasa and Tibet's holiest temple.
Today Tibet exists as an autonomous region of China home to more than 2.25m people, principally the Zang Nationality, although there are also Han, Memba, Luoba and Hui Nationalities.