China Tailor-Made

Beijing is a modern and fashionable city whose cityscape is changing almost daily. However, it is still possible to see parts of the city that have changed little for millennia. Must-sees on any visit include the Forbidden City, built in the 15th century and a forbidden area for 500 years until the revolution of 1911, the intricately carved and colourfully decorated Temple of Heaven and the Imperial Summer Palace, located just outside the city. It is also possible to visit the Great Wall on a da... read more

With a population of 10 million, Chengdu, meaning ‘Perfect Metropolis’, is Sichuan’s capital city. From here it is possible to visit the Giant Buddha of Leshan, the Giant Panda Research Station and Wolong Nature Reserve. As the dominant economic, educational and cultural centre of South-West China, Chengdu is experiencing rapid development and relative prosperity. However, it is still possible to glimpse the old ways of life - traditional wooden houses are still in abundance and t... read more

Guilin, in the southern Guangxi province, is regarded as one of the most beautiful parts of China and has been the subject of innumerable paintings and literary works. The surrounding countryside is reminiscent of traditional Chinese landscape painting. This appealing and quite bizarre scenery is formed by limestone karst hills jutting out of the paddy fields and around the Li River.... read more

Hong Kong is one of the world’s most modern and dynamic cities, yet beneath its gleaming skyscrapers and aside from its streets and shopping arcades of neon, Hong Kong can still give an insight into ancient Chinese customs and traditions. Explore the maze of streets around Western District on Hong Kong Island or Mongkok in Kowloon, with their street food stalls, flower and bird markets or venture into the little known green hills of the New Territories with their traditional small villages.... read more

The whole of Lijiang old town has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is a charming collection of narrow traffic free streets, elaborate sloping-roofed houses, quiet courtyards, winding cobbled streets fringed with tea houses and cafes by the side of small canals with fast running melt water from the peaks. The central square is often filled with local ladies and men in traditional blue and white costumes of the Naxi minority who gather in the afternoon sun to sing enchanting folk ... read more

First the nation's capital in the early years of the Míng dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644), then the capital of the Republic of China from 1911 to 1937, and now capital of Jiangsu Province, this bustling city of 6 million has an important place in China's history. The city has an excellent array of historical sights, museums and cultural sights, and there are also reminders that Nánjing was the seat of the Tàipíng Rebellion and the site of one of history's most brutal massacres.... read more

Pingyao is the best-preserved historic town in the region populated by the Han ethnic group. The old town and city walls are remarkable in their scale and completeness. In 1997 Pingyao was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, who stated "The Old Town of Pingyao is an outstanding example of the Han cities in the Ming and Qing dynasties, retaining all the features of these periods. Pingyao presents a picture of unusual cultural, social, economic, and religious development in Chinese history."... read more

Shanghai has in recent years become one of the world’s most dynamic cities, which can be seen in its gleaming skyscrapers and busy streets of neon. The city does still hold traces of its turbulent history from its boom days of the late 19th, early 20th centuries when as the major port in the East it became synonymous with recklessness and vice, but it is now a cosmopolitan city full of fine restaurants and eye-catching modern buildings.... read more

Xian rests in Shaanxi province and is one of the oldest settled parts of China. The city became world-famous when local farmers discovered remnants of the Terracotta Army when digging a well in 1974. There are thought to be over 8,000 of these life-size warriors and horses in battle formation, with each figure differing in facial features and expressions, and the Terracotta Army has become one of China's most important attractions. Xian itself retains much of its historic character and is laid o... read more

Zhongdian is claimed to be the location of the fabled Shangri-la. It has a strong Tibetan influence due to its proximity to Tibet. There is a large nearby practising Buddhist monastery and is surrounded by some spectacular landscapes of high prairies, crystal lakes and jagged mountains. The altitude at Zhongdian is 3,200 metres which may cause altitude sickness in some people.... read more