Province
Shaanxi
The province beyond Xi'an: the five granite peaks of Mount Hua, the Qinling range and the Yellow River at Hukou.
Destinations
Where to go in China
Provinces and cities, each with its own guide. The province tells you what to see and in what order; the city tells you what to do with the days you have.
The short answer
A first trip usually means Beijing, Xi'an and either Shanghai or Chengdu. Add a province for landscape: Guangxi for the Li River, Sichuan for pandas and mountains, Yunnan for a slower week, Shaanxi to go beyond Xi'an itself.
Provinces
Province
Sichuan
Sichuan beyond Chengdu: the turquoise lakes of Jiuzhaigou, the sacred Mount Emei and the edge of the Tibetan plateau.
Province
Yunnan
Yunnan at a slower pace: Dali and Lijiang on the old tea road, Tiger Leaping Gorge and the terraces at Yuanyang.
Province
Guangxi
Guangxi, province of karst: the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo, the Longji rice terraces and the southern coast.
Province
Hunan
Hunan province: the sandstone pillars of Wulingyuan, the riverside old town of Fenghuang and the chilli cooking of Changsha.
Province
Heilongjiang
China's northernmost province: Harbin's ice festival, the ski slopes at Yabuli and the snow town to the south.
Cities
City
Xi'an
Two or three days for the Terracotta Army, the Ming city wall and the Muslim Quarter food street, plus Mount Hua.
City
Chengdu
Two or three days of pandas at dawn, Sichuan food and teahouses, with Leshan and Mount Emei as an easy rail add-on.
City
Kunming
Two days in Kunming itself — the Stone Forest, Green Lake and Yunnan's mushroom cooking — as the first stop of a Dali and Lijiang route.
City
Guilin
Two or three days for the four-hour Li River cruise to Yangshuo, karst hills and the Longji rice terraces, with easy rail links to Guangzhou.
City
Zhangjiajie
Three or four days for the sandstone pillars of Wulingyuan, the Bailong elevator, Tianmen Mountain's cable car and the Grand Canyon glass bridge.
City
Harbin
Two or three days in January for Ice and Snow World, Central Street's Russian architecture and the frozen Songhua River — at −18°C.
City
Dunhuang
Two or three days for the Mogao Caves, the Crescent Lake dunes and the Yardang formations, at the western end of the Hexi Corridor.
City
Hangzhou
Two days for the West Lake circuit, the Lingyin temple and Feilaifeng carvings, the Longjing tea hills and the southern end of the Grand Canal.
City
Lhasa
Three or four days at 3,650 m for the Potala Palace, the Jokhang and the Barkhor, with the Tibet Travel Permit arranged by a licensed agency.
Municipalities
Municipality
Beijing
China's capital in three full days: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall at Mutianyu and the hutong lanes around the Drum Tower.
Municipality
Shanghai
Two days on the Huangpu and a third for a canal town: Shanghai is the easiest first city in China for British visitors.
Municipality
Chongqing
A vertical city of cliffs, cable cars and bridges on the Yangtze, best known now for hotpot and the Hongya Cave lights.
Municipality
Tianjin
Half an hour from Beijing by rail, Tianjin pairs 1920s concession architecture on the Haihe with crosstalk comedy and its own breakfast culture.