Tomorrow begins the Chinese New Year, also known as the “Chinese Spring Festival” (springFestival Chūn Jié) and this time he will be represented by the water rabbit. The celebrations throughout the territory are full of stories and customs of great cultural voltage.
Without a doubt, China is one of the most visited countries in the world, since it has fascinating places full of stories, glaciers, snow-capped mountains, vast deserts, beautiful islands, beaches, grasslands, natural landscapes and indigenous museums.
Around the New Year there is a unique concentration of travel in the world: it is considered the largest annual human migration.
Below are the most attractive places in China to visit and enjoy throughout the year.
The big Wall
It is the world’s largest engineering feat and one of China’s top attractions. Visiting it is a rule for every tourist who is in the Asian country. They are 21 thousand kilometers long and there are approximately 14 different paths that can be explored, and not all of them are suitable for everyone; some require a certain physical condition. Before visiting it, you should find out about the different options.
This fortification began to be built in the 5th century BC but it continued to be expanded and rebuilt until the 15th century for protection against the constant threats of invasion. Despite the fact that many areas have been heavily damaged, the wall still stands and can be easily visited from Beijing. The best-preserved section and, therefore, the most touristy is Badaling (80 kilometers from the capital), but if you feel like more adventure, it is recommended to visit the Simatai and Jinshanling areas.
Xi’an
It is considered the “museum city” of the country. Xi’an was the capital of many of China’s most influential dynasties for thousands of years, and the city still preserves buildings and structures from those times. Among such monuments are the city wall, 12 meters high, 12-14 meters thick and 14 kilometers long.
In Xi’an you can find the most traditional China represented by a beautiful wall and grandiose towers, as well as an authentic Muslim quarter as if you were in Morocco. Near the south gate of the Xi’an wall is the Stone Stela Forest Museum, where you can see the intricate calligraphy carved into the stones. There you can visit the great mosque, the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower.
Buda de Leshan
On the side of a cliff, at the confluence of the Dadu, Jianng and Qingyi rivers and a few hours from Chengdu, stands the world’s tallest stone Buddha statue. The Leshan Buddha reaches 71 meters in height and was sculpted in the 8th century with the aim of watching over the course of rivers so wild that they swallowed any ship that sailed through them. Currently you can visit its annex temple, that of Dafo, where you can find more Buddhist statues and then contemplate the great Buddha. The Leshan Giant Buddha (Da Fo), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds the record for being the largest Buddha sculpture in the world.
Hong Kong
One of the most modern cities in the world, it is full of contrasts worth admiring: wealth and poverty, light and darkness, oriental and occidental, are some of the classifications that visitors can make. Undoubtedly, the 150 years of colonial influence and the 5,000 years of Chinese tradition have made Hong Kong a place with its own personality. In addition, you will be able to contemplate the fascinating skyscrapers illuminated by their light show every night, from the Avenue of Stars, and visit Victoria Peak, the highest mountain in the city, at sunset. In this city you can enjoy Cantonese food in the night markets, go to the Lan Kwai Fong parties or go up and down again and again on the longest stairs in the world, The Central-Mid-Level escalators.
Shanghai
Shanghai is one of the most impressive places in the world, especially when viewed from the Bund, the city’s colonial-style boardwalk. In China’s second capital, you can stroll along the bustling and modern Nanjing Road (Shanghai’s commercial artery) but also visit the Ancient City and enter the Yuyuang Gardens. Undoubtedly, it is a city that has become a financial, industrial, cultural and tourist giant, capable of combining the modernity of impressive skyscrapers with colonial buildings and traditional houses. Shanghai still retains remnants of its traditional past that make it an exotic, distant and unknown destination. Shanghai currently functions as a crossroads of cultures that make it a cosmopolitan and open enclave that has a lot to offer its visitors.