Things to do in China

Beijing, the capital, holds the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, with sections of the Great Wall within a day's reach. Shanghai, on the Huangpu River, pairs the grand waterfront of the Bund with the soaring towers of Pudong, and classical gardens and canal towns lie nearby.

Xi'an, the start of the Silk Road and capital of many dynasties, is home to the Terracotta Army and intact city walls. Beyond these, the karst peaks of Guilin and the Li River, the pandas of Chengdu, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze and the sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie reveal the country's vast range of scenery.

Chinese food varies enormously by region: Peking duck and dumplings in the north, soup dumplings in Shanghai, hand-pulled noodles in Xi'an and fiery Sichuan dishes in the west. Comfortable spring and autumn weather suits most journeys, and the lunar new year, in January or February, hangs red lanterns everywhere as millions travel home to their families. High-speed trains link the major cities.