Cities

Imperial capital, hutong breakfasts, and the Wall a day trip away.

A walled Ming town, best after the day-trippers leave.

Riverfront art deco, plane-tree streets, and the best transit in the country.

West Lake at dawn, tea terraces, and under an hour by train from Shanghai.

Classical gardens and canals, half an hour from Shanghai.

Teahouses, hot pot, pandas, and a city that refuses to rush.

A vertical city on two rivers. Spicy, foggy, loud in a good way.

Lake, mountains, and the slowest pace on this list.

Karst peaks and the Li River. Most people base themselves in Yangshuo.

The Terracotta Army, a city wall you can cycle, and street food in the Muslim Quarter.