A country · 735 places · 32 regions
China, all of it.
735 curated places across 32 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.
The 4 biggest regions — Beijing, Yunnan, Shanghai and Sichuan — read below as chapters, with 28 more waiting past them.
Chapter I · Beijing · 116 places
Beijing
A historic zoo in western Beijing dating to the Qing dynasty, best known internationally for its giant pandas. Traditional garden landscaping surrounds the older enclosures.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter II · Yunnan · 46 places
Yunnan
One of the deepest river gorges in the world, Tiger Leaping Gorge runs for 16 kilometres where the Jinsha River is compressed between the Jade Dragon and Haba snow ranges. The two-day high trail hugs cliff faces several hundred metres above the water and passes through Naxi minority villages. The gorge earns its name from a mid-river boulder where, by legend, a tiger escaped hunters.
✦ April to June and September to November · $
Chapter III · Shanghai · 38 places
Shanghai
The financial district on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River presents one of the most striking modern skylines in Asia, anchored by the Shanghai Tower, Jin Mao Tower, and the distinctive pearl-sphere form of the Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower. The Bund promenade on the western bank offers the classic across-river vantage. Blue-hour photography from the Bund captures both the lit skyline and its reflection in the river.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter IV · Sichuan · 38 places
Sichuan
A conservation facility on the northern outskirts of Chengdu dedicated to the captive breeding and research of giant pandas and red pandas. The base houses several dozen giant pandas across enclosures designed around naturalistic bamboo forest habitats. Pandas are most active in the morning hours when feeding takes place, making early arrival the preferred strategy for observation and photography.
✦ Year-round; mornings preferable · $$
Regions of China
- Beijing116
- Yunnan46
- Shanghai38
- Sichuan38
- Jiangsu37
- Zhejiang30
- Shanxi28
- Shaanxi27
- Xinjiang27
- Guangdong25
- Tibet Autonomous Region24
- Hunan22
- Guizhou21
- Gansu20
- Henan20
- Guangxi18
- Fujian15
- Hebei14
- Hubei14
- Chongqing11
- Shandong11
- Anhui10
- Hong Kong10
- Jiangxi10
- Inner Mongolia9
- Liaoning7
- Qinghai7
- Tianjin6
- Hainan5
- Jilin3
- Heilongjiang2
- Ningxia1
Every place in China
735 places, one country.
Potala Palace
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
✦ April to June, September to October · $$
Jokhang
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
✦ April to June, September to October · $$
Barkhor
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
✦ April to June, September to October · $$
Yamdrok Lake
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
✦ May to October · $$
Mount Everest
Tibet, China
✦ April to June, September to October · $$
Namtso
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
✦ May to October · $$
Tashilhunpo Monastery
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
✦ April to June, September to October · $$
Gyantse
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
✦ April to October · $$
Ganden Monastery
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
✦ April to October · $$
Pelkor Chode Monastery
Tibet Autonomous Region, China
✦ April to October · $$
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Hunan, China
✦ April to November · $$
Longji Rice Terraces
Guangxi, China
✦ May to June (flooded) or September to October (harvest) · $
Li River
Guangxi, China
✦ April to October · $$
Yangshuo
Guangxi, China
✦ March to May and September to November · $
Zhouzhuang
Jiangsu, China
✦ March to May and September to November · $$
Wuzhen
Zhejiang, China
✦ April to June and September to November · $$
West Lake
Zhejiang, China
✦ March to May and October to November · $
Tiger Leaping Gorge
Yunnan, China
✦ April to June and September to November · $
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Yunnan, China
✦ March to May and October to December · $$
Yuanyang rice terraces
Yunnan, China
✦ November to March (flooded, best reflections) · $
Shangri-La
Yunnan, China
✦ June to September · $$
Pudong
Shanghai, China
✦ October to April · $$
The Bund, Shanghai
Shanghai, China
✦ October to April · $
Yu Garden
Shanghai, China
✦ March to May and September to November · $