China Route: Great Wall to Li River, 38 Places to See

Mode

Places

Start

Welcome to China

End

Lugu Lake

Stops

38

Video author

travmap

Updated

August 27, 2026

Stops on this route

1. Welcome to China — East Asia's largest nation spanning diverse landscapes from mountains to coastlines, offering millennia of cultural heritage and modern innovation.
2. Great Wall of China
3. Terracotta Army
4. Forbidden City, Beijing — Imperial palace complex of nearly 1,000 buildings where Chinese emperors ruled for five centuries, showcasing Ming and Qing dynasty architecture.
5. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park — UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hunan Province featuring towering sandstone pillars, glass skywalks, and Avatar Hallelujah Mountain that inspired James Cameron's Avatar film.
6. Li River, Guangxi — Scenic karst river valley famous for dramatic limestone peaks rising from misty waters, inspiring classical Chinese landscape paintings.
7. Yellow Mountains, Anhui — UNESCO site renowned for granite peaks, sea-of-clouds vistas, and ancient pine trees that exemplify traditional Chinese mountain aesthetics.
8. Lijiang, Yunnan — Ancient Naxi trading town with well-preserved wooden architecture, canal systems, and cobblestone streets preserving ethnic minority culture.
9. Zhouzhuang, Venice of the East — Ming and Qing dynasty water town featuring arched bridges, traditional houses, and waterway networks reflecting classical Chinese garden design.
10. Xi'an — Ancient capital city in Shaanxi Province, home to the Terracotta Army—thousands of life-sized clay soldiers crafted 2,000+ years ago for Emperor Qin Shi Huang's burial.
11. Beijing
12. Forbidden City — Vast 15th-century imperial palace complex spanning 180 acres with intricate carvings, colorful paintings, and symbolic decorations reflecting Ming Dynasty grandeur.
13. Guilin — Mountain-surrounded city celebrated for stunning karst scenery, riverside landscapes, and access to natural wonders throughout the region.
14. Shanghai — Bustling eastern coastal metropolis blending historic colonial architecture with futuristic skyscrapers, home to the Bund waterfront and Pudong skyline.
15. Jiuzhaigou Valley — Tibetan plateau nature reserve featuring crystalline lakes, waterfalls, and virgin forests displaying dramatic seasonal color transformations.
16. Dunhuang — Ancient Silk Road oasis town home to the Mogao Caves, containing thousands of Buddhist sculptures and manuscripts spanning centuries.
17. Pingyao — Walled Ming dynasty town preserving traditional merchants' houses and financial institutions that once dominated China's banking system.
18. Yunnan Province — Southwest region rich in ethnic diversity, tropical landscapes, and cultural heritage featuring dozens of minority groups and natural attractions.
19. Stone Forest — UNESCO geological wonder in Yunnan with thousands of limestone pillars rising from karst terrain, sacred to local Yi ethnic people.
20. Giant Buddha of Leshan — Tang dynasty stone sculpture carved into a cliff face standing 71 meters tall, representing one of the world's largest Buddha statues.
21. Fenghuang — Ancient riverside town featuring Miao and Tujia ethnic architecture, wooden stilt houses, and narrow alleys suspended over the Tuojiang River.
22. Hong Kong — Former British colony and global financial hub blending Eastern traditions with Western influence, featuring harbor skyline and vibrant street culture.
23. Wuzhen — Six-century-old water town in Zhejiang with traditional architecture, narrow canals, and preserved workshops showcasing textile and blue-dye crafts.
24. Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park — Rainbow-colored sandstone mountains displaying vibrant geological layers of reds, oranges, and purples across dramatic erosion formations.
25. Longmen Grottoes — Buddhist cave complex with over 2,300 grottos containing thousands of statues and inscriptions carved into cliffs spanning 1,000 years.
26. Jiayuguan — Ming dynasty fortress marking the western terminus of the Great Wall, controlling Silk Road trade routes through the Gobi Desert.
27. Qinghai Lake — China's largest saltwater lake on the Tibetan plateau, surrounded by mountains and grasslands with important ecological and cultural significance.
28. Kashgar — Ancient Silk Road trading hub in Xinjiang featuring a vibrant bazaar, Islamic architecture, and centuries of cultural crossroads history.
29. Hongcun — Well-preserved Ming and Qing dynasty village renowned for traditional architecture, waterways, and its iconic reflection in Moon Pond.
30. Xiapu Mudflat — Coastal tidal flats in Fujian province offering dramatic landscapes where kelp farms create geometric patterns at sunrise and sunset.
31. Mount Wuyi — UNESCO-listed scenic mountain range famous for dramatic red cliffs, ancient temples, and its role in Chinese Confucian philosophy.
32. Nanjing — Historic capital along the Yangtze River with significant cultural monuments, ancient city walls, and crucial role in Chinese imperial history.
33. Tongli
34. Huangguoshu Waterfall — China's largest waterfall cascade in Guizhou province, creating a thunderous natural spectacle surrounded by karst limestone scenery.
35. The Gobi Desert — Vast arid landscape spanning multiple provinces with dramatic dunes, archaeological sites, and pristine wilderness showcasing northern China's raw terrain.
36. Gardens of Suzhou — UNESCO-recognized classical Chinese gardens exemplifying centuries-old principles of landscape design, architecture, and harmony with nature.
37. West Lake in Hangzhou
38. Lugu Lake — Mountain lake on the Yunnan-Sichuan border home to Mosuo ethnic minority culture, pristine waters, and dramatic alpine scenery.

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