So my girlfriend and I are planning to travel around China for three months this fall (roughly 15 Sep - 15 Dec), and I was wondering if anybody has any tips on places we absolutely should visit. Or should not visit. This trip is not go related (though if the opportunity arises, I'll visit a club), so I'm looking for general touristy things to do, though not too touristy.

Where have you been in China that was amazing, awesome, interesting or otherwise memorable?

The World Expo 2010 in Shanghai seems an obvious choice.

A cruise down the Yangtze River to the Three Gorges is also quite scenic.

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Well, the Great Wall is a must visit, but I've heard of some trips that are ripoffs, so you might want to take care there.

The Summer Palace, close to Beijing, is lovely, and a great place to spend a day. I went there only for the afternoon.

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We're looking at visiting the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan, near Qinhuangdao, Hebei, which we've heard is very nice not as busy and touristy as places nearer Beijing

Since we're spending three months there, we'll be sure to take our time to visit places. A day at the Summer Palace sounds like a great idea

Three months! I am very jealous.

I highly recommend:

1. Beijing (of course)
- Forbidden City
- Temple of Heaven
- Ming Dynasty Tombs
- Great Wall
- Summer Palace
- Walk through the Hutongs (if any are left at this point...)
- Beihai Park
I thought that the museum right off Tiananmen Square was pretty weak. When I went there it was basically display after display of propaganda with the theme of "We do not oppress our minorities. Really!"

There is lots of touristy stuff to do in Beijing. There will definitely be lots of tourists, but the sights are absolutely worth it. If you are into clubbing, music, Beijing Opera, you can also find that here. Try Beijing Duck. Go to a bookstore and ask for the section on 围棋. You will be amazed at the selection and prices.

2. Xi'an (obligatory)
- Ancient city walls, etc.
- Terra Cotta Soldiers
- Pagodas

No need to spend much time in Xi'an. There are a few big sights (the Terra Cotta soldiers are pretty amazing), but the air quality is so bad that you will not want to stick around.

3. Guilin and Yangshuo
- There are a few minor things to see in Guilin (day trips to minority villages, etc.) but the attraction here is Yangshuo. Take a boat trip and enjoy the sights!
- In Yangshuo you will find an expat haven with lots of restaurants serving Western fare. If you like the atmosphere here (it was fun at 22), great. But the real fun comes in renting a bike and getting out of the city to check out the mountains.
- Half Moon park is cool. Old women run up and down the mountain trying to sell you Coke and water. The price goes up as you climb the hill.

4. Kunming and Lijiang.
- Kunming is a breath of fresh air after cities like Xi'an, Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, or Shenyang. A quiet, fairly clean big city. There is not a whole lot here for the tourist, but this is where you go to get to Lijiang.
- Lijiang is a quaint touristy town out in the mountains. Do not stay in a big hotel. Stay in a bed-and-breakfast type place. The town itself is a little bit China, a little bit ethnic minority, and a little bit "Yangshuo." Walking around the town is fun, and Elephant Hill Park is cool, along with other day trips.

5. Qingdao, Tai Shan, Qufu (memorable!)
- Qingdao is the old German port city. They still brew the famous Qingdao beer here. You can tour the factory and find the pier on the bottle label. Also, there are German-style churches scattered throughout the city. Aside from beer and churches, there are some parks and boardwalks. Most of the action is near the ocean.
- Tai Shan is one of the five sacred mountains in China. Walking up this mountain is quite a hike for a day trip. Start in the morning and bring sunscreen. There are lots of cool temples and good stopping points. You can take a bus back to town rather than retracing your steps. This is a good policy in general--walking down mountains just before hopping on a train or bus is a BAD idea.
- Qufu is the birthplace of Confucius and the ancestral home of the Kong family. I highly recommend a trip here. I walked among the Kong family tombs (a cemetery/park containing monuments going back many centuries) early in the morning, and the whole place was hushed and misty. Very cool.

6. Sichuan: Pandas and Emei Shan
- Pandas!
- Emei Shan is another sacred mountain. Buddhist temples and monasteries dot the mountain, especially at the top. Climbing the mountain, the place was often shrouded in mists. There were times when the steps ahead and behind me both disappeared into the whiteness. Climb at least part of the mountain, and get a room at the top. Wake up early and see a spectacular sunrise. You can take a cable car down the mountain, or you can walk (you will be sore for a week). You may be approached by monkeys. They will steal shiny objects (like cameras).
- Chengdu is an ok city, but I would not linger too long here.

7. Three Gorges
- I took this trip before they completed the dam. I went to many cool places that are now underwater. I thought "three little gorges" were actually more scenic. If you are uncomfortable with mice and roaches, this is not the boat tour for you.

8. Inner Mongolia.
- There is some charm here, but it is like driving through Nebraska. A Nebraska that spawned Genghis Khan. You can drink horse milk alcohol and get your fill of fresh mutton. To get much out of a trip here you will likely need to have some contacts. For me the highlights included meeting and dining with a local Catholic bishop, visiting a rural seminary, and reading Tesuji twice (improving four stones without playing a single game).

9. Sanya
- If you want to relax on a beach in China later on your trip, you can head to Haikou via boat from Guangdong or plane from most big cities in China.
- Monkey Island is a fun day trip.

10. Avoid Shenzhen and Zhuhai. I never saw Guangzhou in daylight, but I would guess that it is not a city for tourists.

11. Hong Kong is like a Chinese New York. Macau has some charm and is one of the few places in China where you can get a decent bottle of wine at a reasonable price.

12. If you find yourself in Liaoning province, Anshan is cool, and Shenyang's Beiling and Dongling parks are pleasant. I lived in Shenyang for two years... so many memories here...

OTHER NOTES
- October 1 is National Day. Buy your train/plane tickets early if you plan to travel around this time. Tiananmen Square and downtown Chongqing on October 1 were the two busiest, most crowded places I have ever been. (Fun, though!)
- Plan to take a train or two. You can meet other travelers, both foreign and Chinese. I highly recommend "hard sleeper" class tickets.
- If you find it, have a bottle of Snow Beer. I drank this tasty beer daily while I lived in Shenyang.
- Do not buy Chinese art on your first trip through Beijing. You will pay too much for bad art, and you will have to lug it around for three months.
- If you know anyone who lives in China, visit them. They will order good food and take you to some fun places.
- Cities in the north (Beijing, Xi'an, etc.) will be very warm in September and freezing in December).
- Have someone write down the dishes you like so you can have them again.
- Food in Sichuan tends to be spicier; food in the northeast tends to have more garlic, onion, oil, etc.; food in the south tends to be lighter; *everything* is on the menu in Guangdong.
- Random local restaurants often serve up food just as tasty as more expensive restaurants. Competition is fierce enough that bad restaurants seem to disappear.
- Read up on Chinese history before you go
- At hotels, the sports channel is CCTV-5. You may see anything from a Twins-Yankees game to Go lessons. CCTV-9 is the English channel.
- Buy a Lonely Planet: China. Great book!

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I am Tartuffe from GoDiscussions.com

Thanks for the detailed advice, Peter. I'm also off to China later this year, and this was very useful.

Apparently we can't "like" posts in this subforum, so I'm thanking you the old fashioned way.

Peter has covered most details comprehensively, so I can not add much. However, if you do take some time to enjoy the Shanghai Expo (highly encouraged, unless you're claustrophobic) you will absolutely want to take advantage of Shanghai's proximity to many other locales.

You are highly encouraged to visit the West Lake park in Hangzhou and also the Republican era capital Nanjing (especially if you appreciate Chinese history.) Zhongshan national park is great.

Many people often hear that they should visit Suzhou but I think your time is best spent elsewhere. I have been there three times and it is disappointing.

After living here for three years, Xiamen is my favorite city in China (excluding Beijing, my home.) Gulangyu Island is wonderful, and the rest of the city is clean, green and well-laid out. You can eat some wonderful seafood there too.

I am jealous too.. You've been to so many places that i have never been .

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Thank you Peter for the many tips! I'm going to go over the list with my girlfriend tonight, the planning in itself is already exciting

I'm definitely going to see if we can meet up with any locals we know

I would love to visit these places... I wish I was back in China! Visiting the cities of the "old silk road" (Turpan and Kashgar) would be fun, too.

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I am Tartuffe from GoDiscussions.com

Kashgar is my #1 travel destination in China, alas sadly, there are plans to reconstruct the whole city on the presumption of "modernisation."