The world's most ancient continuous civilization and its most ambitious modernizing nation — the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, and the Forbidden City alongside the world's longest high-speed rail network.
- Capital
- Beijing
- Population
- 1,408,280,000
- Area
- 9,596,960 km²
- Languages
- Chinese
- Currency
- Yuan Renminbi (CN¥)
- GDP
- $19,231,705M
Good to know
Driving side
Right
National dish
Peking Duck
Annual visitors
30,402,000 (2020)
Safety
Very low (0.5/100k)
Big Mac
$3.66
Avg temp
7.6°C
Coast
Coastal
☎ Police 110 · Ambulance 120 · Fire 119
Travel guide
China (中国; Zhōngguó) is one of the world's oldest civilizations. Its long and rich history is present in people's thinking and values, and in the art, architecture, and feats of engineering that remain from dynasties past. In addition to its bustling and futuristic cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen, China boasts an incredible array of breathtaking natural wonders like the karst landscapes of Guilin and granite peaks of Huangshan that have inspired painters and poets for generations. After a tumultuous 19th and 20th centuries, China has dramatically re-emerged as an economic and technological powerhouse. Its rapid development has been paralleled by an ascent onto the international stage. Of course there are growing pains when high-rises and factories surge up to dwarf centuries-old pagodas, but there's also a strong sense of enthusiasm and optimism about what the future holds. If you visit now, you can see the relics of millennia of history and experience the signs of further transformations in progress.
© Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA)
Explore China
Best time to visit
Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are the best seasons. Beijing is beautiful April–October. Guilin and Zhangjiajie best September–November and March–May. Hainan Island best November–April. Summer has heat and rain; winter is cold in the north.
Visa
Most nationalities require a tourist visa (L visa) obtained at a Chinese embassy in advance. China recently expanded 72/144-hour visa-free transit. Some nationalities benefit from pilot visa-free programs — check the latest policies.
Highlights
The Great Wall of China is one of the most notorious structures in the entire world. Great Wall of China one of the largest building-construction projects ever undertaken. The Great Wall actually consists of numerous walls—many of them parallel to each other—built over some two millennia across northern China and southern Mongolia. The most extensive and best-preserved version of the wall dates from the Ming dynasty and runs for some 5,500 miles (8,850 km) east to west from Mount Hu near Dandong, to Jiayu Pass west of Jiuquan,. This wall often traces the crestlines of hills and mountains as it snakes across the Chinese countryside, and about one-fourth of its length consists solely of natural barriers such as rivers and mountain ridges. Nearly all of the rest (about 70 percent of the total length) is actual constructed wall, with the small remaining stretches constituting ditches or moats. Although lengthy sections of the wall are now in ruins or have disappeared completely, it is still one of the more remarkable structures on Earth. The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. Since the wall looks a lot like the stone and soil that surround it, it is difficult to discern with the human eye even from low Earth orbit, and is difficult to make out in most orbital photos. However, this does not detract from the wonder of this astounding ancient structure.
Public holidays
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (85)
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Major cities
Beijing
China's imperial capital — the Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, and the transformation from ancient to ultramodern.
Shanghai
China's most cosmopolitan city — the Bund's art deco skyline, the futuristic Pudong district, and the best food scene in China.
Chengdu
The laid-back Sichuan capital, home to giant pandas, fiery hotpot, ancient teahouses, and the base for Jiuzhaigou valley.
Xi'an
The ancient capital of China, home to the Terracotta Army, Tang Dynasty culture, and the starting point of the Silk Road.
Guilin
China's most otherworldly landscape — limestone karst peaks rising from the Li River, best seen by bamboo raft.
Hong Kong
Asia's most dynamic skyline, with world-class dim sum, Victoria Peak, night markets, and a unique East-meets-West culture.
Yangshuo
A small town in Guangxi with the finest karst scenery in China — cycling between rice paddies and limestone peaks.
Lijiang
A UNESCO-listed ancient town in Yunnan, with cobblestone streets, Naxi minority culture, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Zhangjiajie
The real-life inspiration for the floating mountains of Avatar — quartzite pillars rising from forest mist.
Suzhou
The Venice of the East — classical gardens, silk production, and canals just 30 minutes from Shanghai by bullet train.
Hangzhou
West Lake, one of China's most beautiful scenic areas, surrounded by tea plantations, pagodas, and silk towns.
Chongqing
China's largest municipality — the hotpot capital, a city of fog and hills with the Dazu Rock Carvings and Three Gorges nearby.
Dunhuang
Gateway to the Mogao Caves, the world's greatest repository of Buddhist art, on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert.