The Top Four Tourist Cities in China

By: Anna Yuen
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:42:22
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Do you know that Beijing, Xian, Guilin and Hong Kong are the most visited cities in China?

A lot of people refer it as the 'golden route' or 'presidential route' after Bill Clinton visited these cities in 1998.

Certainly the golden route has a good combination of everything: great historical heritages, beautiful landscape, delicious Chinese food, great shopping and so on.

Best time to visit China is spring and autumn when China has beautiful weather and fewer tourists.

If you are a first-time visitor to China, the golden route is your top pick. You would need at least two weeks to complete the tours.

Beijing – you would need at least four nights to complete what you need to see and do.

Great Wall of China - the longest man-made architecture on earth. This should be your number one destination in Beijing.

Forbidden City - the former palaces and offices of Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is currently a museum with countless treasures.

Summer Palace - the most well preserved royal resort of Qing Dynasty.

Temple of Heaven is the symbol of Beijing. Ming and Qing emperors worshipped Heaven here.

Please do include a hutong tour in order to have an old Beijing feel. After all, don't forget a Beijing duck feast.

Tip: Beijing travel requires a lot of walking. Please be prepared for it.

Xian – everyone should visit Xian at least once in life, Chinese and foreigners alike. Spend three nights here is necessary to cover the most important sightseeing.

Xian has been a capital city for 13 dynasties, totaling 1,100 years. It was the world’s most prosperous city in Tang Dynasty, 1300 years ago.

The Terra Cotta Warriors is a full-scale replication of the Qin Dynasty army. There is no other place in the world you can see a life-size army of over 2,000 years old.

Banpo Neolithic village is a famous site of 6,000 years old which has typical features of a matriarchal society. You’ll also see clues of ancient burial, marriages, creative tools and artifacts.

In Xian, don’t forget to go for a dumpling feast which usually goes with a first class entertainment show of Tang Dynasty music and dance.

Guilin is ranked second on China’s list of top 10 tourists’ destinations. It has beautiful landscape integrated with fabulous countryside. Make sure you won’t miss the Reed Flute Cave, the Crown Cave and some of the beautiful peaks.

Don’t forget to make a day trip to Yangshuo where the best hills and waters are. Go there on a Li River cruise and return by bus. If you choose to stay overnight, you would be able to watch the spectacular ‘Liu Sanjie’ performance, which takes place on the Li River. Yangshuo is truly a place for you to relax and enjoy.

In Guilin, make sure to go for a rice noodle feast. Or you can just eat it as a street food at ?2 per bowl. They are extremely yummy.

A Guilin tour including Yangshuo would require a minimum stay of three nights.

Hong Kong is very different from any other mainland Chinese cities. In Hong Kong, you can experience one-country-two-systems. I would suggest a minimum stay of three nights here.

Being Asia’s World City nowadays, Hong Kong is an important leg on the China travel golden route.

There are several ‘bests’ of Hong Kong. The world’s best night view, best skyline, best shopping paradise, best gourmet’s paradise and so on. You would be able to buy the trendiest everything here at the lowest prices in the world, including authentic luxury goods.

Cantonese cuisine is one of the yummiest among Chinese foods. Don’t forget to go for a dim sum lunch and a typical Cantonese seafood dinner.

China Travel Golden Route

Article source: Expert Articles