Directory
Cities of China
Profiles of 53 cities across mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Each entry is a practical brief — population, climate, what to see and eat, transport, where to stay, when to go and a budget guide.
74 of 74 cities
Anyang 安阳
UNESCO-listed Yin Xu — the late Shang dynasty capital and the earliest Chinese writing site (oracle bones). One of the cradles of Chinese civilisation; an under-touristed essential for serious history travellers.
Beijing 北京
China's capital and political centre — imperial palaces, the Great Wall on its doorstep, hutong neighbourhoods, world-class museums, and the most thoroughly walkable historic core in the country.
Changchun 长春
Capital of Jilin and former capital of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo (1932–45). Manchurian palace, automobile industry, Lake Songhua winter sports nearby.
Changsha 长沙
Capital of Hunan and the home of Hunan cuisine. Hot, humid, gastronomically aggressive, with the Mawangdui tombs and a vibrant night-market food scene.
Chengde 承德
Qing imperial summer mountain resort 230 km northeast of Beijing. UNESCO-listed Mountain Resort and Eight Outer Temples — the Qing emperors' summer retreat from 1703 to 1820.
Chengdu 成都
Capital of Sichuan, the heart of Sichuan cooking and the panda capital of China. A relaxed teahouse-and-mahjong city with imperial sights, the Wuhou Shrine and the Giant Panda Breeding Base.
Chongqing 重庆
China's largest direct-administered municipality, built on the Yangtze in a rumpled landscape of hills and gorges. Home of the spiciest hot pot in the country, the start point for Three Gorges cruises, and a city that has gone viral for buildings whose first floor isn't always at the bottom.
Dali 大理
Walled Bai-minority old town between Erhai Lake and the Cangshan Mountains in northwest Yunnan. Three Pagodas, lakeside cycling, a relaxed travellers' base.
Dalian 大连
Northeast China's port and resort city, on a hilly Liaodong peninsula coast. Russian and Japanese colonial-era architecture, beaches, seafood, and the cleanest air in the northeast.
Datong 大同
Northern Shanxi gateway to the Yungang Grottoes (UNESCO) — the 5th-century Buddhist cliff carvings — and the cliff-side Hanging Temple at Mt Heng.
Dunhuang 敦煌
Silk Road oasis town in western Gansu. The Mogao Grottoes (UNESCO) are 492 Buddhist cave temples carved into a cliff between the 4th and 14th centuries — the greatest surviving Silk Road art repository in the world.
Fenghuang (Phoenix Town) 凤凰
Restored Ming-Qing river town in western Hunan. Wooden stilt-houses (diaojiaolou) along the Tuojiang River, Tujia and Miao minority culture, dramatically lit at night.
Foshan 佛山
Pearl River Delta city famous for ceramics, Cantonese opera, and martial-arts heritage. Bruce Lee's family hometown; the modern Cantonese-opera tradition's institutional base.
Fuzhou 福州
Capital of Fujian, on the southeast coast. Three Lanes and Seven Alleys historic district, the Fujian tea heritage, and the gateway to Wuyi Mountain.
Guangzhou 广州
Capital of Guangdong, the historic southern trading port and the home of Cantonese cooking. The first Chinese city to industrialise, the centre of dim sum, and a working megacity less polished than Shanghai but with deeper food roots.
Guilin 桂林
The northern gateway to the Li River karst landscape — the most-photographed countryside in China, immortalised on the back of the ¥20 note. Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill, and the Yangshuo cruise.
Guiyang 贵阳
Capital of Guizhou, gateway to the Miao and Dong ethnic-minority villages and to the Huangguoshu Waterfall — China's largest. Cool mountain climate, sour and spicy local cooking.
Gyantse 江孜
Historic Tibetan town at 4,040m on the Lhasa-Shigatse road. Pelkor Chode Monastery and the 9-tiered Kumbum Stupa are the Tibet route's photographic centrepiece.
Haikou 海口
Capital of Hainan, the tropical island province. Calm coastal city with a colonial-era arcade district and a launchpad to the beach destinations of Sanya, Boao and Xinglong.
Hangzhou 杭州
West Lake city, ancient capital of the Southern Song dynasty and the home of Longjing tea. Marco Polo's 'Heaven on Earth' and now also the headquarters of Alibaba.
Harbin 哈尔滨
Russian-influenced city on the Songhua River. The Ice and Snow World festival (December–February) is China's most famous winter event; St Sophia Cathedral is the centrepiece of a surviving Russian district.
Hefei 合肥
Capital of Anhui, transport gateway to Mt Huangshan and the Hongcun-Xidi villages. Less of a destination, more of a transit hub.
Hohhot 呼和浩特
Capital of Inner Mongolia. Mongolian and Han cultures intertwined; Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, the Inner Mongolia Museum, and the Xilamuren grasslands within driving distance.
Hong Kong 香港
Special Administrative Region on the Pearl River Delta. Separate currency (HKD), separate visa rules, separate plug type (G), separate legal system. Skyline, hiking, dim sum and Peak Tram.
Huangshan / Yellow Mountain region 黄山
UNESCO-listed mountain in Anhui, the most-painted mountain in Chinese landscape art. Granite peaks, sea-of-clouds, ancient pines. Combine with Hongcun and Xidi villages.
Jianshui 建水
Late-Ming walled town in southern Yunnan. The Confucian Temple (the second-largest in China after Qufu), 700-year-old wells supplying the local tofu industry, and a meter-gauge railway built by the French in 1910.
Jinan 济南
Capital of Shandong, 'City of Springs' — 72 named natural springs run through the old town, with Baotu Spring as the centrepiece.
Jiuzhaigou region 九寨沟
UNESCO-listed alpine valley in northern Sichuan with multi-coloured travertine pools and waterfalls. Reopened progressively after the 2017 earthquake. Combine with Huanglong.
Kaifeng 开封
Former Northern Song capital (960–1127), 70 km east of Zhengzhou. Reconstructed Song-dynasty themed old town, the Iron Pagoda, and the night market — one of the country's oldest.
Kashgar 喀什
Western terminus of practical Chinese travel — closer to Tehran than to Beijing. The Old City, the Sunday Animal Bazaar, the Apak Hoja Tomb, and the Karakoram Highway south to Pakistan.
Kunming 昆明
Capital of Yunnan, the 'Spring City' — at 1,900m elevation it has mild weather year-round. Gateway to the Yunnan loop (Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La) and to the Stone Forest.
Lanzhou 兰州
Yellow River city stretched along a narrow valley. Gateway to the Silk Road (Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Zhangye) and the home of Lanzhou hand-pulled beef noodles.
Lhasa 拉萨
Capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, on the Yarlung Tsangpo plateau at 3,656m. Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, the Barkhor pilgrimage circuit. Independent travel is restricted; Tibet Travel Permit required.
Lijiang 丽江
UNESCO-listed Naxi old town in northwest Yunnan, beneath the snow-capped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Cobbled lanes, water canals, the Naxi minority's pictographic Dongba script.
Luoyang 洛阳
Ancient capital of 13 dynasties, on the Luo River. Longmen Grottoes (UNESCO), White Horse Temple (the first Buddhist temple in China), and the Peony Festival in April.
Macau 澳门
Special Administrative Region on the Pearl River Delta. Former Portuguese colony (1557–1999); the only city in the Sinosphere with a continuous Cantonese-Portuguese fusion food culture. UNESCO-listed historic centre.
Nanchang 南昌
Capital of Jiangxi, on the Gan River. Tengwang Pavilion (one of the Three Great Towers of the South), Jingdezhen porcelain town within reach, and Mt Lu's Buddhist heritage.
Nanjing 南京
Former capital of the Ming dynasty and the Republic of China, on the Yangtze. Imperial walls, presidential palace, the Nanjing Massacre Memorial, and Purple Mountain.
Nanning 南宁
Capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the largest Zhuang ethnic area in China. Tropical, green, and the gateway to the Vietnam border crossings and the Detian waterfall.
Ningbo 宁波
Major port city in Zhejiang on the East China Sea. The deepwater port at Beilun handles the largest container volume in China; the historic core preserves Tianyi Pavilion library and Ming-Qing merchant streets.
Nyingchi 林芝
Eastern Tibet Autonomous Region at 2,900m — substantially lower elevation than Lhasa. Forested rather than alpine; the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon and substantial March peach-blossom tourism.
Pingyao 平遥
UNESCO-listed Ming and Qing walled town in central Shanxi — the most completely preserved old walled city in China. Banking heritage and 6 km of intact city wall.
Qingdao 青岛
German colonial-era port on the Shandong coast — red roofs, beer that came over with the Germans in 1903, and the cleanest beaches on the eastern coast.
Quanzhou 泉州
UNESCO World Heritage Site (2021) for its role as the maritime Silk Road's medieval emporium. Mosques, churches, Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries — Marco Polo's 'Zaytun', the largest port in the world in the 13th century.
Qufu 曲阜
Confucius's hometown in southwestern Shandong. The Confucius Temple, Confucius Family Mansion, and Confucius Forest — collectively UNESCO-listed.
Sanya 三亚
China's premier domestic beach destination, on Hainan's southern coast. Yalong Bay, Dadonghai, and a year-round tropical climate. Russia-Chinese resort-tourism culture.
Shanghai 上海
China's commercial and financial centre — a riverside megacity that ran on European concession-era trade, then exploded into the skyline that defines modern China. Walkable, cosmopolitan and the easiest first stop for foreigners.
Shangri-La (Zhongdian) 香格里拉
Tibetan-cultural area at 3,290m on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, renamed from Zhongdian in 2001 after the James Hilton novel. Songzanlin Monastery, Pudacuo National Park, Tibetan grassland life.
Shenyang 沈阳
Capital of Liaoning and historic capital of the Manchu Qing dynasty before they moved to Beijing in 1644. The Shenyang Imperial Palace is a UNESCO-listed smaller cousin of the Forbidden City.
Shenzhen 深圳
Mainland China's youngest megacity, just over the Hong Kong border — the original Special Economic Zone, now home to Tencent, Huawei, DJI, BYD and a tech industry that powers most of what's in your pocket.
Shigatse 日喀则
Tibet's second city at 3,845m, the seat of the Panchen Lama and home to Tashilhunpo Monastery. Standard inclusion in Lhasa-area Tibet Travel Permit itineraries.
Shijiazhuang 石家庄
Capital of Hebei, an hour from Beijing on the HSR. Modern industrial city with limited tourism but as a launchpad for Mt Cangyan and Zhengding Old Town.
Suzhou 苏州
City of canals and classical gardens, half an hour from Shanghai. UNESCO-listed gardens, the cradle of Kunqu opera, and the historic centre of Chinese silk production.
Taiyuan 太原
Capital of Shanxi, gateway to the Pingyao ancient walled town and the Yungang and Datong-area Buddhist cliff carvings. The home of vinegar.
Tengchong 腾冲
Far-western Yunnan border city near Myanmar. Volcanic landscapes, hot springs, and the Heshun ancient town — a centuries-old overseas-Chinese hometown of stone-paved lanes and Western-influenced returnee mansions.
Tianjin 天津
Beijing's port city, on the Bohai Gulf — a former treaty port whose nine European concession districts left the most coherent collection of late-19th and early-20th-century European architecture in mainland China.
Turpan 吐鲁番
Desert oasis 150 km southeast of Urumqi at -154m below sea level — the lowest point in China. Jiaohe ancient ruins, Bezeklik Buddhist caves, the Karez well system, Flaming Mountains, and the country's grape capital.
Urumqi 乌鲁木齐
Capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The most westerly major Chinese city, with Uyghur and Han culture, the Heavenly Lake, and the gateway to Kashgar and the Pamirs.
Weihai 威海
Cleanest air in eastern China by AQI — a small coastal Shandong city with substantial Korean tourism, the Liu Gong Island naval-history park, and the country's most-photographed coastal cycling route.
Wenzhou 温州
Coastal Zhejiang city famous as the engine of the Wenzhou model of private entrepreneurship. The Wenzhou diaspora is among the largest Chinese commercial diasporas globally.
Wuhan 武汉
China's central transport hub at the meeting of the Yangtze and Han rivers. Yellow Crane Tower, East Lake, the spicy noodle breakfast (re gan mian), and the country's largest university belt.
Wuyishan (Mount Wuyi) 武夷山
UNESCO mixed natural-and-cultural heritage site (1999). The most-celebrated oolong tea region in the world (Da Hong Pao, Lapsang Souchong), set against Danxia geological landscapes and Han-dynasty Yuewang Cheng walled-town remains.
Xi'an 西安
Ancient Chang'an, capital of 13 dynasties including the Tang, eastern terminus of the Silk Road, gateway to the Terracotta Army, and the cultural heart of the Muslim Quarter.
Xiamen 厦门
Coastal Fujian island-and-mainland city. Gulangyu (UNESCO) is a car-free European-villa island; the city has clean beaches, a relaxed pace and the warmest mainland climate north of Hainan.
Yan'an 延安
Loess plateau city; the Communist Party's wartime capital from 1937 to 1947. The substantive site of revolutionary-tourism in northwest China; cave dwellings (yaodong), the Yan'an Pagoda Mountain, and the Forum on Literature and Art site.
Yangshuo 阳朔
Small town on the Li River 65 km south of Guilin. The most popular base for cycling, climbing and river-rafting in the karst landscape. West Street is the backpacker spine.
Yangzhou 扬州
Grand Canal city in central Jiangsu. The Slender West Lake, classical gardens, and Yangzhou's signature breakfast tea-and-dumplings tradition.
Yantai 烟台
Coastal Shandong port and wine region. The Changyu Wine Culture Museum documents the 1892 founding of China's first modern winery; nearby Penglai is the legendary 'Eight Immortals' coast.
Yichang 宜昌
Yangtze River city at the eastern end of the Three Gorges. The Three Gorges Dam (the world's largest hydroelectric station) is 40 km upstream; most Yangtze cruises terminate or originate here.
Yinchuan 银川
Capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Western Xia tombs, Hui Muslim culture, the Helan Mountains and the Yellow River desert oasis landscape.
Zhangjiajie 张家界
Wulingyuan / Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (UNESCO) — the sandstone pillars that inspired the Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar. Half-day to multi-day hiking and cable cars.
Zhangye 张掖
Hexi Corridor city famous for the multicoloured Danxia rainbow mountains (UNESCO) and the 11th-century Giant Buddha Temple housing the largest reclining Buddha in China.
Zhengzhou 郑州
Capital of Henan, transport hub of central China, and gateway to the Shaolin Temple, the Yellow River, and the Buddhist cliff carvings of Longmen.
Zhuhai 珠海
Special Economic Zone facing Macau across the Pearl River estuary. The most-walkable mainland Chinese city — a 53 km Lover's Road coastal promenade, 146 km of beaches, and the world's longest sea-crossing bridge.