It’s common to see travel enthusiasts leaving comments like, “There’s no need to go abroad; if you can travel all around China in this lifetime, your eyes will be filled with magnificent mountains and vast oceans, and your mind will naturally expand.”
Indeed, there are so many stunning landscapes in China that we may not be able to visit them all in our lifetime.
Previously, “National Geographic” selected the “50 Places in China You Must Visit in Your Lifetime,” each one a classic and picturesque destination. This list is suitable for ordinary tourists to use as an inspiration checklist and for experienced travelers to revisit with their parents and children.
Let’s see how many you’ve been to!
(The ranking is not in any particular order)
1.The Great Wall of China
The most stunning miracle project of ancient China
“He who has not been to the Great Wall is not a true man.” Every first-time visitor to Beijing always wants to climb the Badaling section. However, the awe-inspiring Great Wall extends far beyond just Badaling.
2.Qinghai Lake
The largest lake in China
Qinghai Lake is not a sea, but it has the vastness and azure blue of the ocean. Every summer, rapeseed flowers bloom around the lake. Cycling along the lake at this time, you’ll be surrounded by a sea of flowers and a blue lake, an absolutely beautiful experience.
3.Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan
The most beautiful clear waters in China
Everyone is familiar with Jiuzhaigou, a world-renowned fairyland on earth and a synonym for beauty. “After visiting Jiuzhaigou, you won’t want to see any other water.” It’s a place you must visit in your lifetime.
4.Xinghe Apricot Blossom Valley, Xinjiang
The most magnificent apricot blossom sea in China
This is the largest primitive wild apricot forest remaining from the Middle Ages and has graced the cover of “China National Geography” multiple times. In spring, the pink apricot blossoms spread across the green hillsides and valleys, creating a magnificent and beautiful scene.
5.Greater Khingan Range
The green gem on China’s golden crown
The forest coverage rate here reaches 81.86%, and the PM2.5 is close to “0”. The vast primitive forest changes colors with the seasons, and it’s stunningly beautiful in spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
6.Hukou Waterfall, Shaanxi and Shanxi
The world’s largest yellow waterfall
Many people first learned about Hukou Waterfall in textbooks. But seeing is believing; only by coming here can you truly experience the majestic grandeur of “the water of the Yellow River comes from heaven, rushing to the sea and never returning.”
7.Dunhuang, Gansu
The most brilliant page of ancient Chinese art
There are many reasons to visit Dunhuang, perhaps to witness the splendor of the Mogao Caves, to experience the watchful gaze of Crescent Lake, or to hear the singing sand dunes. But perhaps, just the two words “Dunhuang” are reason enough to go.
8.Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia
The largest grassland in China
This place has been featured multiple times in “China National Geography,” and the name “Hulunbuir” has long been synonymous with “grassland.” Come here, ride a horse, and gallop freely across the vast grassland while singing to your heart’s content.
9.Nyingchi, Tibet
The most poetic and picturesque place in Tibet, China
Known as “the Jiangnan of Tibet,” this place has the earliest and most beautiful spring in Tibet. Every year in March, peach blossoms bloom here, creating the most beautiful oil painting with snow mountains, peach trees, and green fields.
10.Lake Namtso, Tibet
One of the three holy lakes in Tibet
This is a sacred lake in the hearts of Tibetans and a place of absolute beauty in the eyes of travelers. Whether it’s the heart-stirring blue lake water or the stunningly shaped Shexian Tianmen (Elephant Trunk Pass), it’s worth a visit.
11.Zhangye, Gansu
The most colorful Danxia landform in China
When it comes to Zhangye, experienced travelers are no strangers. It’s a must-visit place on many classic routes in the great northwest. The colorful Danxia landform here was once named one of the “Top Ten Amazing Geographical Wonders in the World.” If you have the chance, you must come and see it.
12.Yangshuo, Guangxi
The most beautiful karst landscape in China
It’s said that “Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven, and Yangshuo’s landscape is the best in Guilin.” Here, you can take a boat on the river and experience the beauty of the painting-like scenery where strange mountains and beautiful waters blend together.
13.Bashang Grassland
The most beautiful grassland in China in autumn
When grasslands are mentioned, the scenery of blue sky, white clouds, and green grass comes to mind. However, in Bashang Grassland, the most beautiful season is autumn. The golden grass and colorful trees complement each other, and any photo you take can be used as a blockbuster-level wallpaper.
14.Daocheng Yading, Sichuan
The most beautiful sacred land in China
In our short life, there are always a few places that we fall in love with at first sight after learning about them by chance. Daocheng Yading is one of them! It’s known as “the last pure land on the blue planet.” The colorful forests, snow mountains, lakes, and temples are all stunningly beautiful and strike straight to the heart.
15.Ejina, Inner Mongolia
An autumn scenery spot that only shines for 21 days a year
Populus euphratica trees live for a thousand years without dying, stand for a thousand years after dying, and remain unrotten for a thousand years after falling. In autumn, the Populus euphratica forest in Ejina presents an intoxicating golden color, but it only lasts for 21 days a year.
16.Dongji Island, Zhejiang
The Potala Palace on the sea
Han Han’s film “The Continent” made Dongji Island a little famous for a while. However, the island still maintains its original and simple fisherman’s life.
17.Huangguoshu Waterfall, Guizhou
The largest waterfall in Asia
This waterfall is known as the “No. 1 Waterfall in China.” During the high water season, the sound of the waterfall can be heard from ten miles away, which is extremely shocking.
18.Yuanyang Rice Terraces, Yunnan
The stunning rice terraces listed as a World Heritage Site
The most common word used by people who have seen the Yuanyang Rice Terraces is “stunning.” Every year when the terraces are irrigated, viewed from above, the water channels in the mountains are like jade belts, and the layers of terraces are like heavenly ladders, as if looking at a stunningly beautiful pop art painting.
19.Niubeishan, Sichuan
The largest observation deck in Asia
This place is known as the “largest observation deck in Asia.” Sunrise, sea of clouds, starry sky, and Buddha’s light attract countless travel enthusiasts and photography lovers. There’s even a saying, “After returning from Niubeishan, you won’t want to see clouds anymore.”
20.Shunan Bamboo Sea, Sichuan
A sea of bamboo, the most luxuriant under the sky
This place is famous for its tens of thousands of acres of bamboo sea, which is vast and magnificent. Here, you can also take the more than 2,700-meter-high Bamboo Sea Cableway to overlook the entire scenery and taste the locally famous “All Bamboo Banquet.”
21.Enshi, Hubei
A green paradise at 30 degrees north latitude
Enshi was once selected by CNN as “China’s most beautiful fairyland” and by “National Geographic” as “China’s most beautiful place.” Recently, it has become a popular new travel destination in China due to its “water highway” and “glass sea” that have taken the internet by storm.
22.Lugu Lake, Yunnan
The beautiful Eastern Country of Women
The Eastern Country of Women, the home of the Mosuo people, the pure land between Sichuan and Yunnan, and the ancient walking marriage place… Lugu Lake, with countless accolades, has long been a paradise in the hearts of many people. Here, even just sitting quietly by the lake is very comfortable.
23.West Lake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang
The most famous lake in China
“Among the thirty-six West Lakes in the world, Hangzhou’s is the best.” There are actually many “West Lakes” in China, but the most famous one is West Lake in Hangzhou. Countless literati and poets have written poems about it.
24.Erhai Lake, Yunnan
The most artistic “sea” in China
When feeling irritated, one would want to go to Yunnan, to Dali, stay in a homestay by Erhai Lake, cycle by the lake, or sit by the lake, drink tea, and idle away the time.
25.Lhasa, Tibet
The city of sunlight on the snowy plateau
Tibet is a must-visit place in this lifetime, and Lhasa is a must-visit place when coming to Tibet. Visit the highest palace: Potala Palace, watch pilgrims and prayer wheels at Jokhang Temple, and drink tea at the sweet tea house on Barkhor Street… Some say that if you understand Lhasa, you understand half of Tibet.
26.Ngari, Tibet
If you don’t go to Ngari, you’ll regret coming to Tibet
The most extreme place in China is Tibet, and the most extreme beauty in Tibet is called Ngari. In Ngari, Tibet, the extremely beautiful land of adventure, Mount Kailash, Lake Manasarovar, and the ancient Guge Kingdom… are all here.
27.Huangshan, Anhui
The freehand landscape in ink wash paintings
We often say, “After returning from Huangshan, you won’t want to see other mountains.” The best scenery of Huangshan is the sea of clouds at the summit: the ethereal mist, the green, russet, and cyan peaks, the straight guest-welcoming pines… freehand and beautiful.
28.Dongtai Jiner Lake, Qinghai
Qinghai’s Maldives
In the summer of 2020, Dongtai Jiner Lake became famous due to a stunning video. From a distance, it’s a pure Tiffany blue, like the purest color in the world. No matter how you take a photo, it’s a blockbuster that doesn’t need filters.
29.Hailuogou Glacier, Sichuan
The world’s lowest and largest glacier
This place has many “world’s firsts”: the world’s youngest glacier, the world’s loneliest coffee shop, the world’s highest passenger cableway, the world’s lowest and largest glacier… but it has always kept a low profile.
30.Kanas, Xinjiang
Ranked No. 1 in China’s autumn scenery by “China National Geography”
If you miss Kanas in September, it’s equivalent to missing the entire autumn! In autumn, Kanas is like God’s spilled palette, beautiful and colorful, and everywhere is a visual feast.
31.Swan Spring, Xinjiang
A fairy-tale world built by swans and snow scenery
If there is a fairy-tale world in the world, Swan Spring must be on the list.
32.Xiapu, Fujian
The most beautiful beach in China
This place is known as a “photography heaven”: the four seasons of tides, the sky, clouds and shadows, the green sea and silver beach, and the strange fishing stakes… are all excellent photography materials.
33.Xishuangbanna, Yunnan
China’s warm capital, as if stepping into Southeast Asia
If you feel that life has lost its color, then please come to Xishuangbanna. This is a kingdom of colors, with highly saturated blue sky and white clouds, colorful flowers, colorful tropical fruits, and Dai girls and boys wearing bright clothes. Being in it, your mood will also become bright.
34.Mount Gongga, Sichuan
The king of Shu Mountains with the highest altitude in Sichuan
“China National Geography” once commented that it is: “half in the sky and half in the world.” The main peak of Mount Gongga is 7,556 meters above sea level, and the top of the mountain is often covered by clouds and fog, so friends who can see its true face are quite lucky.
35.Seda, Sichuan
A red Buddhist country far from the world
This place has the world’s largest Buddhist academy, Wuming Buddhist Academy. The dark red flat houses stretch for several kilometers, and the huge scale often makes people who first arrive in Seda stunned.
36.Devil City, Wuerhe, Xinjiang
World Devil City
This is a typical Yadan landform. The giant stone columns on the Gobi are strange and varied, like yellowish medieval ancient castles, weathered and a bit gloomy. And between the stone columns, there are often howling winds, like the howling of ghosts and wolves, making people’s hair stand on end when they hear it.
37.Xitang, Zhejiang
The water town in the hearts of Chinese people
Many people have a complex about Jiangnan. The misty and hazy water towns have fascinated countless people; and Xitang has the appearance of the water town you imagine.
38.Shennongjia, Hubei
The “Central China Ridge” full of unsolved mysteries
Shennongjia, covered with primitive forests, has well preserved the scenery of the prehistoric times. It is true that there are many Chinese medicinal herbs here, and the legend of wild people makes it shrouded in a layer of mystery.
39.Danba Tibetan Village, Sichuan
The most beautiful village in China
Danba Tibetan Village, represented by Jiaju Tibetan Village, was rated as the first of the “six most beautiful ancient villages and towns in China” by “China National Geography”. From a distance, Tibetan-style buildings, watchtowers, and pear trees are scattered on the hillside like stars, as beautiful as a painting.
40.Zhouzhuang, Jiangsu
The best water town in the world
“There is heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below, and Zhouzhuang in between.” The whole town is built along the river, with bridges and streets connected, giving it an ancient and quiet atmosphere.
41.Wuyuan, Jiangxi
The most beautiful countryside in China
“Life is only suitable for growing old in Wuyuan”. Wuyuan is a poetic place. Here, there are ink-like mountains and forests, white-walled and black-tiled Huizhou-style buildings, and old streets and alleys paved with bluestone, all full of poetic charm.
42.Pingyao Ancient City, Shanxi
The financial center of China in the late Qing Dynasty
Pingyao, with a history of 3,000 years, has been commercialized, but walking in the ancient city hung with red lanterns, you can still see the atmosphere of Jin merchant culture everywhere.
43.Fenghuang Ancient Town, Hunan
The No. 1 ancient town in western Hunan
“Pingyao in the north and Fenghuang in the south.” If you are visiting western Hunan for the first time, you should always visit Fenghuang Ancient Town. Even if it may be commercialized and crowded, in the early morning when you get up early, or somewhere in the night with dim lights, you will find its beauty different from that of Jiangnan’s ancient towns in western Hunan.
44.Longmen Grottoes, Henan
The first of China’s major grottoes
This is a World Heritage Site and a treasure of Chinese grotto art. On the cliffs stretching for one kilometer, there are a total of more than 97,000 Buddha statues, condensing the wisdom and culture of the ancients.
45.Stone Forest, Kunming, Yunnan
The essence of the world’s karst landform
The Stone Forest is known as the “world’s first wonder” for its magnificent and precipitous karst landform.
46.Tengchong, Yunnan
The world’s first ginkgo kingdom
There is the quieter Heshun Ancient Town than Lijiang, one of the four major volcano groups in China, the Volcano Park, and China’s second largest hot spring: Rehai; but the most stunning thing is the Gudong Ginkgo Village, which is golden all over in November.
47.Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan
The habitat of the giant pandas that are cute all over the world
This is the home of the national treasure giant pandas, and there are many pandas in the park, all looking cute and lovable.
48.Xiaodongjiang, Hunan
The “Oriental Little Maldives” with misty fairyland scenery
This place once became popular on social media due to a set of beautiful photos of misty lakes and fishermen casting nets. Now it has become a favorite photography spot for photographers.
49.Jinli, Chengdu, Sichuan
The most popular street in Chengdu
Hundred-year-old wooden doors, thousand-year-old stone-paved roads… When you come to Chengdu, you must come to Jinli. On this street, the essence of Chengdu life is condensed: there are teahouses, inns, restaurants, bars, stages, snacks, handicrafts, local specialties…
50.Bahaheba, Xinjiang
The “Oriental Little Switzerland” on the China-Kazakhstan border
There is no disturbance from large tour groups, only heavenly majestic snow mountains, vast forests, fairy-tale wooden houses no less than those in Northern Europe, and leisurely grazing cattle and sheep… How can one not be intoxicated by such scenery?
In addition to these 50 places, in vast China, there are too many beautiful landscapes waiting for you to explore their beauty in person.
