Places to visit in China

The Great Wall of China

Constructed from as early as the 7th Century BC the Great Wall of China runs for nearly 9000 km. koala79/shutterstock

Shanghai

The futuristic finance center of Pudong with the rocket shaped Oriental Pearl Tower. chuyu/shutterstock

Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan

Beijing

Chengdu Panda Center, Sichuan

Panda at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. It is believed that fewer than 2000 Giant Pandas remain in the wild. apiguide/shutterstock

Leshan Giant Buddha, Sichuan

The Leshan Buddha, carved from the 7th century AD. It is the largest Buddha statue in the world.

Mount Emei Shan, Sichuan

The golden summit at Emei Shan, one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China. It is regarded as an important place of enlightenment. teo-boon-keng-alvin/shutterstock

Shangri-la, Yunnan

Songzanlin Monastery in Shangri La county. Originally named Zhongdian, the name of the county was changed in 2001 to promote tourism to the region. muellek-josef/shutterstock

Lijiang, Yunnan

Black dragon pool park in Lijiang, a city which was once an important stop along the ancient silk road. meiqianbao/shutterstock

Kunming Stone Forest, Yunnan

Limestone pinnacles in the stone forest. calvin-chan/shutterstock

Dali, Yunnan

Chongsheng monastery in Dali, the ancient capital of the Bai Nanzhao kingdom and the Kingdom of Dali. silver-john/shutterstock

Ancient City of Jiaohe, Xinjiang

Ruins of the city of Jiaohe, an important city along the Silk Road. Constructed on a 1.6 km river island it was destroyed by Genghis Khan in the 13th century. louis-w/shutterstock

Yangshou, Guangxi

Mogao Caves, Gansu

The Mogao caves, a complex of 492 temples near the city of Dunhuang. They were constructed over a period of 1000 years and hold some of the finest Buddhist art in the world. dfrauchiger/shutterstock