Your trip to China can become a trip of a lifetime. Even a quick glimpse of its tourist attractions reveals the richness and diversity of this land. China is a huge country with rich history and culture. It makes this country one of the most interesting tourist destinations in the world.
If you haven’t climbed the Great Wall, it means that you’ve never been to this country. The longest wall in the world is the most famous fortification of the past. It was built in the 6th century and then rebuilt many times until the 16th century. The goal of this fortification was to protect the country from nomadic tribes who lived in the northern steppe. During the Ming Dynasty the Great Wall was 8852 kilometers long. Built for military defense, it played a very important role. The Great Wall helped to consolidate the country and create centralized state. The Great Wall includes passes, fortresses, castles, watchtowers, erected between the Wall.
Xi’an is the ancient capital of China, which was also fortified with massive stone walls. The walls in this city are well-preserved in comparison with defensive fortifications in other places. The wall is 12 meters tall, while its width 15 meters at the bottom.
Some stone attractions were created by nature itself, for instance, Shilin Stone Forest that is located in the south of China. Numerous karst formations of stone look like stalagmites in the cave but you will see them in the open air. It is considered that they are 270 million years old. The scientists think that these magnificent pinnacles were created by water and this place was the ocean floor in the past.
Other weird-looking peaks can be found in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, which attracts tourists from all over the world. Subtropical vegetation makes the place even more picturesque. This is one of the parks in Wulingyuan, where 3000 quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks are located. Some of them are 200 meters high. Also, there are streams, waterfalls, about 40 caves with calcite deposits and 2 natural bridges there.
Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo is a very picturesque place that even entered the list of “World’s Top Ten Watery Wonders” by America’s National Geographic Magazine. Karst landscape on the banks, bamboo groves, cliffs and hills around make a breathtaking scenery along the Li River.
Lovers of nature miracles will love Mount Huang that is also called Yellow Mountain. It is located in eastern part of the country. The scenery is spectacular there with all those unusual shapes of peaks and views from the top on the clouds and sunset can’t be compared with anything else. 60000 stone steps on the side of the mountain range were made for tourists in ancient times. Now you can enjoy all this incredible beauty from the cable cars that take you right to the top.
Another scenic place is Wudang Mountains – most sacred Taoist mountain range. There you can find Nanyan Temple, the most beautiful one of the 36 temples on Wudangshan, the structures of which are created of rock.
Hanging Temple is one of the most impressive temples in the world. It is suspended on the rock 75 meters above the valley near Mount Heng, Hunyuan County, Datong City. Also, this temple is known for combination of 3 traditional religions of China: Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Hanging Temple entered the list of the world’s most odd dangerous buildings in the “Time” magazine.
The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974 and now you have a chance to look at it too. It includes thousands of warriors, horses and chariots of a real size. It has stayed underground for over 2000 years. The models represent the real army that dominated over other armies of China in the Warring States Period, which continued 75–221 BC. Thanks to this army the united China was formed. Nobody knows why the Terracota Army was made. It still remains a secret.
Leshan Giant Buddha built in the 8th century is the biggest statue of sitting Buddha in the world. It was built to calm the river. The massive statue is carved to the cliffs. There is a stair for tourists that gives the opportunity to look at the statue closely.
The top 10 must-see places have not included many iconic places of China and sights that represent the country such as:
Victoria Harbor with its iconic scenery, a symbol of success and prosperity,
The Potala Palace, a symbol of Tibet,
Beautifully crafted landscape in Hangzhou with its garden-style parks,
Spectacular Yuanyang Rice Terraces that made landscape look surreal.
However, you can always expand the list to see them all.