China

Five thousand years of history: the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, ink-wash landscapes and an ancient culture

China is a country-continent where five thousand years of history coexist with dizzying modernity. Where the Great Wall snakes through endless mountains, where landscapes look like ink-wash paintings and where each province is a different world.

China is too big for just one trip. It is the third largest country in the world and the most populated, with 56 recognized ethnic groups, dozens of languages and a geographic diversity ranging from Silk Road deserts to Yunnan tropical jungles, from Inner Mongolia steppes to Himalayan peaks. Beijing and the Great Wall are the classic starting point: the Forbidden City, traditional hutongs, Ming tombs. Xi'an holds the Terracotta Warriors and marks the start of the Silk Road. Guilin and Yangshuo offer the karst landscapes that inspired a thousand paintings. Shanghai is the future: skyscrapers, avant-garde gastronomy, contemporary art. But China is also mystical Tibet, Longsheng rice terraces, the Yangtze River and Three Gorges, water towns of the delta, Sichuan cuisine. A country that requires multiple visits to begin understanding it.

Beijing and Great Wall

The imperial capital: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, hutongs. And the Great Wall at Mutianyu or Jinshanling, away from the crowds.

Xi'an and Silk Road

The Terracotta Warriors, city wall, Muslim quarter with its gastronomy. Historic gateway to the Silk Road.

Guilin and Yangshuo

Otherworldly karst landscapes: mountains emerging from rice paddies, Li River cruise, cycling through countryside. Postcard China.

Shanghai and Surroundings

China's most cosmopolitan city: the Bund, futuristic Pudong, French Concessions, gastronomy. Nearby: Suzhou, Hangzhou and water towns.

The Great Wall: mankind's work

Over 20,000 kilometers of wall snaking through mountains and deserts. The largest structure ever built by humans. Seeing it without tourists is possible.

Experiences

China offers experiences ranging from walking the Great Wall without tourists to seeing giant pandas, from cruises through ink-wash landscapes to Peking duck dinners.

Great Wall without crowds

Walking restored but little-visited sections like Jinshanling or Gubeikou. The wall snaking through mountains just for you.

Li River cruise

Sailing through karst mountains from Guilin to Yangshuo: the landscapes that inspired a thousand Chinese paintings. Best at sunrise.

Pandas in Chengdu

The Giant Panda Breeding Center: watching pandas eat bamboo breakfast, play and rest. Best to arrive early when they are active.

Hutongs by bicycle

Exploring Beijing's traditional alleys by bicycle or rickshaw: hidden courtyards, temples, local life. The other side of the capital.

Shanghai: the future is already here

Futuristic skyscrapers reflected in the Huangpu, the elegance of the colonial Bund, avant-garde cuisine and contemporary art. Shanghai is 21st century China.

China has exceptional luxury hotels in major cities and charming boutiques in rural areas. International brands are very well represented.

Aman at Summer Palace

The Peninsula Beijing

Banyan Tree Yangshuo

Amanfayun Hangzhou

The PuLi Shanghai

St. Regis Lhasa

Ready for five thousand years of history?

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