Beijing - China’s sprawling capital, has history stretching back 3 millennia. Yet it’s known as much for modern architecture as its ancient sites such as the grand Forbidden City complex, the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Nearby, the massive Tiananmen Square pedestrian plaza is the site of Mao Zedong’s mausoleum and the National Museum of China, displaying a vast collection of cultural relics.

Shanghai - on China’s central coast, is the country's biggest city and a global financial hub. Its heart is the Bund, a famed waterfront promenade lined with colonial-era buildings. Across the Huangpu River rises the Pudong district’s futuristic skyline, including 632m Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, with distinctive pink spheres. Sprawling Yu Garden has traditional pavilions, towers and ponds.

Guangzhou - is a sprawling port city northwest of Hong Kong on the Pearl River. The city features avant-garde architecture such as Zaha Hadid’s Guangzhou Opera House (known as the “double pebble”); the carved box-shaped Guangdong Museum; and the iconic Canton TV Tower skyscraper, resembling a thin hourglass. The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, a temple complex from 1894, also houses the Guangdong Folk Arts Museum.
 

Xi’an - is a large city and capital of Shaanxi Province in central China. Once known as Chang’an (Eternal Peace), it marks the Silk Road’s eastern end and was home to the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties' ruling houses. At archaeological sites in Xi’an’s surrounding plains are the famed Bingmayong (Terra Cotta Army), thousands of life-size, hand-molded figures buried with China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

Anhui - is an eastern Chinese province known for its Huangshan Mountains. Their low-hanging clouds, distinctive granite rocks and twisted pines have been subjects of many classical paintings and poems. Trails and aerial cable cars provide access to Huangshan peaks (1,864m Lian Hua Feng is the highest). The gateway Tunxi district and surrounding villages preserve examples of the Huizhou regional architectural style.
 

Baoding - formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately 150 kilometres southwest of Beijing.
 

Changsha - the capital of central China’s Hunan province, is a large city with a history dating to the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 B.C.). Today it’s known for its rare collection of excavated Western Han dynasty tombs, known as the Mawangdui. It’s also associated with Mao Zedong, who studied and lived here before joining the Chinese Communist Party in the 1920s.
 

Changzhou - is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling and Jinling.
 

Changli - is a county of northeastern Hebei province, China, with some Bohai Sea coast. It is under the administration of the Qinhuangdao City, and borders Funing County and Luan County. Both Beijing–Harbin Railway and China National Highway 205 pass through this county.
 

Chengdu - is the capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province. Chengdu's history dates back to at least the 4th century B.C., when it served as capital for the Shu Kingdom. Artifacts from that dynasty are the focus of the Jinsha Site Museum. The city is also home to the famous Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, a conservation center where visitors can view endangered giant pandas in a natural habitat.
 

Chengde - a city in China’s Hebei province northeast of Beijing, was established by Qing-dynasty emperor Kangxi as the imperial summer residence. The city’s core remains the 18th-century Mountain Resort palace complex. It houses villas turned to a museum, Wenjin Pavilion royal library, the yurt-style Menggubao village, plus gardens, pagodas and hunting grounds. Beyond its walls are 8 outlying Buddhist temples.
 

Chongqing - is a sprawling municipality at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers in southwestern China. In the city center, the large, domed Great Hall of the People complex stands above pedestrianized People's Square. On the other side of the square, the Three Gorges Museum features artifacts from the construction of the Three Gorges Dam as well as ancient art.
 

Dalian - is a modern port city on the Liaodong Peninsula, at the southern tip of China’s Liaoning Province. It was founded by the Russians in 1898, and Russian Street (Eluosi Fengqing Jie) is lined with Russian-style architecture. Zhongshan Square is lined with colonial buildings in Renaissance and other styles. Popular beaches include Tiger Beach and Golden Pebble Beach.

Dongguan - an industrial city in China’s Pearl River Delta, encompasses a densely populated urban center and surrounding prefecture. Green spaces include the central Qifeng Park, Keyuan Garden featuring local architecture, and the mountain b ous Yinxian Resort with a Buddhist temple and statues. In the port town of Humen, with its striking suspension bridge, the Opium War Museum explores the 19th-century Opium Wars.
 

Dunhuang - is a city in China’s northwestern Gansu Province, on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Once a frontier garrison on the Silk Road, it’s known today for the Mogao Caves, a complex of 492 grottoes adorned with Buddhist statuary and frescoes. Carved into the cliffs above the Dachuan River, the caves were created between the 4th and the 14th centuries.
 

Fujian - is a southeastern Chinese province known for its mountains and coastal cities. In Xiamen, a port town and former foreign concession, the island of Gulangyu has pedestrianized streets and 19th-century colonial villas. Fuzhou, the provincial capital, is a transportation hub for destinations such as the city of Quanzhou. Once visited by Marco Polo, it offers temples, an old-town district and a Maritime Museum.
 

Foshan - alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers 3,848 km² and has an urban population around 7.2 million in 2012. The city is part of the western side of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone.
 

Fuzhou - the capital of southeastern China's Fujian province, is a sprawling industrial and transportation hub. Its downtown includes the "3 Lanes and 7 Alleys" quarter of preserved Ming and Qing dynasty buildings. The mountaintop Yushan Scenic Area features the restored 10th-century White Pagoda. West Lake Park, dating to 282 A.D., is an urban green area with bridges and pavilions.
 

Gansu - is a province in north-central China. Its city of Jiayuguan is known for the striking Overhanging Great Wall and imposing Jiayuguan Pass fortress complex, both part of the Great Wall of China. The nearby city of Jiuquan is a gateway to the July 1st glacier, which crowns the Qilian Mountains to the south, and to the Gobi Desert. Jiuquan's Silk Road Museum houses artifacts from this ancient trade route.
 

Guangdong (formerly Canton) - a coastal province of southeast China, borders Hong Kong and Macau. Its capital, Guangzhou, sits within its industrial Pearl River Delta region. This sprawling port is home to the octagonal Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, commemorating the founder of modern China. The city’s colonial history is evident in its garden-lined boulevards and the 19th-century European architecture of Shamian Island.
 

Guizhou - is a mountainous province in southwest China. It's known for its traditional rural villages, inhabited by minority groups like the Miao and Dong. It's also famed for 74m-high Huangguoshu Waterfall. Nearby, Dragon Palace Cave is an extensive underground system with waterways. Zhijin Cave’s vast caverns house karst formations. Outside Guiyang, the capital, is the 14th-century Qingyan fortress and town.
 

Hangzhou - the capital of China’s Zhejiang province, is the southern terminus of the ancient Grand Canal waterway, which originates in Beijing. Its West Lake, celebrated by poets and artists since the 9th century, encompasses islands (reachable by boat), temples, pavilions, gardens and arched bridges. On its south bank is 5-story Leifeng Pagoda, a modern reconstruction of a structure built in 975 A.D.
 

Haikou - a port city and the capital of China's island province Hainan, sits on the island's north coast facing the mainland across the Qiongzhou Strait. Its old town quarter features a mix of Chinese and colonial European architecture. The Hainan Provincial Museum has exhibits on the region's ethnic culture and history. Qilou Snack Street is an emporium where food stalls sell local specialties.
 

Wuhan - the sprawling capital of Central China’s Hubei province, is a commercial center divided by the Yangtze and Han rivers. The city contains many lakes and parks, including expansive, picturesque East Lake. Nearby, the Hubei Provincial Museum displays relics from the Warring States period, including the Marquis Yi of Zeng’s coffin and bronze musical bells from his 5th-century B.C. tomb.
 

Shenzhen - in southeastern China, is a modern metropolis that links Hong Kong to China’s mainland. It's known for its shopping destinations, including Luohu Commercial City, a massive mall with a vast array of wares, from tailors’ custom clothing to faux designer bags. The city also features contemporary buildings, such as the 600m-tall skyscraper Ping An International Finance Centre, and a number of amusement parks.
 

Sanya - a city on the southern end of China’s Hainan Island, has several bays with large beach resorts. Yalong Bay is known for upscale hotels, while Wuzhizhou Island and its coral reefs are destinations for scuba diving, surfing and other water sports. At the city's expansive Nanshan Temple complex, a 108m-high Guan Yin bronze statue rises on an artificial island. Tibet-Holy Site of Buddhism or Xinjiang. Shenzhen and Guangzhou are well-known coastal cities with fast economic development; Hangzhou and Suzhou boast beautiful water towns, lakes and gardens as well as favorable climate; Guilin, Lijiang and Jiuzhaigou are famed for unique natural scenery, and characteristic ethnic minorities' culture. Tibet has mysterious religious beliefs, vast grasslands and highest mountains; and Xinjiang attracts visitors by its various ethnic minorities and numerous historical relics along the Silk Road.
 

Beidaihe - is a coastal resort town on northeast China's Bohai Sea. Its long beaches are known for their shallow waters. The seaside Tiger Stone Park, named after the supposed shape of its boulders, offers bathing spots, boat cruises and an amusement park with a playground. The Mount Lianfeng (Lianfengshan Park) area, known for its migratory birds, features forested peaks, hiking trails and caves.
 

Changchun - is the capital of northeast China's Jilin province. Its sprawling Puppet Manchurian Palace Museum is a replica of the former home of China’s last emperor. Outdoor sculptures dot Changchun World Sculpture Park to the south. To the southeast, Jingyuetan National Key Scenic Area’s forest offers outdoor sports and a lake. Changchun Film Century City Theme Park showcases special effects with films and rides.
 

Guilin - is a city in southern China known for its dramatic landscape of limestone karst hills. At its center are 2 lakes, Shanhu (Cedar) and Ronghu (Banyan), remaining from a medieval-era moat that once surrounded the city. Boats travel through these and other lakes via connected rivers. On Shanhu Lake’s shore, twin pagodas, the Sun and Moon, light up the sky at night.
 

Guangxi - is an autonomous region in southern China, bordering Vietnam. The area is known for its rivers, caves and towering karst formations. Boat cruises on the Li River connect Guilin and Yangshuo, cities punctuated by toothlike karst peaks. Guilin is the site of Ludi Yan (Reed Flute Cave), a limestone cavern noted for its stalactites and stalagmites.
 

Guiyang - is the capital of Guizhou province of the People's Republic of China. It is located in the center of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. The city has an elevation of about 1,100 meters.
 

Hainan - is an island province of China and the nation’s southernmost point. It's known for its tropical climate, beach resorts and forested, mountainous interior. The southern city of Sanya has many beaches that range from 22km-long Sanya Bay to crescent Yalong Bay and its luxury hotels. Outside Sanya, the hilly hiking trails of Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone pass over suspension bridges and by waterfalls.
 

Heilongjiang - is China's northernmost province, with remote mountain ranges and a flat interior plain. It's named for the Heilong (Black Dragon) river, bordering Russia. Harbin, the capital, is known for Russian architecture, including Russian Orthodox Saint Sophia Cathedral, as well as European-style houses on Zhongyang Street. The city is also famous for its annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.

Henan - a province in Central China’s Yellow River Valley, is widely recognized as the place where Chinese civilization originated. There are 4 ancient capitals within its borders. Luoyang, capital during multiple dynasties, is home to Baima Si (White Horse Temple). Founded in the 1st century, it's among China’s first Buddhist temples. Nearby, the Longmen Grottoes have Buddhist rock carvings dating to the 5th century.

Hohhot - abbreviated Hushi, formerly known as Kweisui, is the capital of Inner Mongolia in the north of the People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrative, economic and cultural center.