Must-See Sights

• BeijingThe Forbidden CityThe Ming and Qing imperial palace, at the centre of Beijing
• BeijingThe Great WallA day out from Beijing, at Badaling or Mutianyu
• BeijingTemple of HeavenWhere Ming and Qing emperors prayed for good harvests
• BeijingSummer PalaceAn imperial garden of lake, hill and long corridor
• BeijingNational Museum of ChinaAncient China from prehistory to the Qing, on Tiananmen Square
• Xi'anTerracotta WarriorsThe buried army of China's first emperor
• Xi'anXi'an City WallWalk a stretch on top, or cycle the whole loop
• Xi'anShaanxi History MuseumTreasures from the Zhou to the Tang, and Tang tomb murals
• ShanghaiThe BundA riverfront of early-20th-century banks and hotels, facing the Pudong skyline
• ShanghaiShanghai TowerChina's tallest building, with a 118th-floor deck over Lujiazui
• ShanghaiShanghai Museum EastThe Shanghai Museum's new building in Pudong
• SuzhouHumble Administrator's GardenSuzhou's largest surviving classical garden, a World Heritage site
• HangzhouWest LakeCauseways, pagodas and lotus ponds, on foot at dawn or from a boat
• HangzhouLingyin Temple and Feilai PeakA temple nearly 1,700 years old, beside cliffs carved with Buddhas
• HangzhouLiangzhu Ancient CityA city built over 5,000 years ago, a World Heritage site
• ChengduChengdu Panda BaseGo at opening time, when the pandas are usually most active
• ChengduSanxingdui MuseumBronze masks and sacred trees from ancient Shu, over 3,000 years old
• ChengduLeshan Giant BuddhaA 71-metre Buddha cut into a river cliff, a day out from Chengdu
• ChongqingHongyadongStilt-house-style buildings stacked up a Jialing River cliff, lit after dark
• ChongqingWulong KarstThree natural bridges in a deep gorge, a long day or a night from Chongqing
• ChongqingDazu Rock CarvingsMostly Buddhist cliff carvings from the Tang to the Song, a World Heritage site
• ZhangjiajieZhangjiajie National Forest ParkSandstone pillars at Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain
• ZhangjiajieTianmen MountainA cable car from the city, cliff walkways and the stairs to Heaven's Gate
• ZhangjiajieZhangjiajie Grand CanyonCross the glass bridge, then walk down beside the canyon stream
• GuilinLi RiverKarst peaks by boat, from Guilin to Yangshuo
• LijiangJade Dragon Snow MountainThe snow peak above Lijiang, up by cable car
• GuangzhouChen Clan Ancestral HallA Qing clan academy known for Lingnan carving in wood, brick and stone
• GuangzhouCanton TowerThe Pearl River landmark, best seen lit up at night
• GuangzhouShamian IslandColonial-era buildings and banyan trees on a quiet river island

Photos (cropped and resized): Temple of Heaven (Maros M r a z (Maros), CC BY-SA 3.0) · Summer Palace (Regina800809, CC BY-SA 3.0) · National Museum of China (Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Terracotta Warriors (BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Shaanxi History Museum (Danielinblue, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Humble Administrator's Garden (Chainwit., CC BY 4.0) · Liangzhu Ancient City (Siyuwj, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sanxingdui Museum (STW932, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Kuruman, CC BY 2.0) · Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (钉钉, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Chen Clan Ancestral Hall (Shujianyang, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Shamian Island (xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0)