历史古迹
Historic sites
A palace, tomb, grotto, city wall, temple, or old town where the monument is the reason to go.
Forbidden City
Historic sites 历史古迹
The palace museum. Real-name tickets open seven days out, and same-day entry is not sold.
Mutianyu Great Wall
Historic sites 历史古迹Hiking and trails 徒步越野
The straightforward Wall day: restored, scenic, and reserved under your passport.
Temple of Heaven
Historic sites 历史古迹
A park and an altar. The Hall of Prayer is the ticket people mean.
Summer Palace
Historic sites 历史古迹
A lake, a long corridor, and a half day in the northwest.
Lama Temple
Historic sites 历史古迹
A working Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the middle of the city.
The Bund
Historic sites 历史古迹
The old riverfront. No ticket, no reservation, best at the end of the day.
Yu Garden
Historic sites 历史古迹
A Ming garden inside a bazaar. The garden is the ticket. The bazaar is not.
Terracotta Army
Historic sites 历史古迹
The pits east of the city. Everyone, including free-ticket visitors, reserves.
City Wall
Historic sites 历史古迹
A bike ride on top of the Ming wall, best in the late light.
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
Historic sites 历史古迹
A Tang pagoda inside Da Ci'en Temple. The grounds and the climb are separate tickets.
Longmen Grottoes
Historic sites 历史古迹
The Buddhist cliff on the Yi River. Reserve it. Go early.
White Horse Temple
Historic sites 历史古迹
The old Buddhist temple east of the city, traditionally the first in China.
Guanlin
Historic sites 历史古迹
The temple and tomb complex for Guan Yu, south of the city.
Pingyao Ancient City
Historic sites 历史古迹
The walls and the streets. The ticket is the monument. The lanes are the night you stayed for.
Rishengchang
Historic sites 历史古迹
The draft bank that stands in for Pingyao’s financial century.
Pingyao County Yamen
Historic sites 历史古迹
The county government courtyard. Courts, a jail, and the everyday architecture of rule.
Shuanglin Temple
Historic sites 历史古迹
Painted sculptures in a temple outside the walls. The art is the reason.
Wang Family Compound
Historic sites 历史古迹
A huge Qing merchant courtyard in Lingshi, a day trip from Pingyao.
Wuhou Shrine
Historic sites 历史古迹
The Three Kingdoms memorial. A real ticket, sold by the museum.
Leshan Giant Buddha
Historic sites 历史古迹
The cliff Buddha south of Chengdu. A separate day, with a real-name ticket.
Dazu Rock Carvings
Historic sites 历史古迹
UNESCO cave carvings, a day trip from Chongqing. Baodingshan is the one to book.
Shamian Island
Historic sites 历史古迹
A shaded island of old consulates. Free, and good for an hour.
Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
Historic sites 历史古迹
Wood, brick, and ceramic figures on every ridge. The folk-art museum.
Gulangyu
Historic sites 历史古迹
The car-free island of old villas. The ferry is the ticket across.
Nanputuo Temple
Historic sites 历史古迹
The Buddhist temple under the south hill, next to the university.
Hulishan Fortress
Historic sites 历史古迹
A late-Qing coastal fort with old guns, on the east shore.
Lingyin Temple
Historic sites 历史古迹
A working Buddhist temple west of the lake, reached through the Feilai Feng rock.
Leifeng Pagoda
Historic sites 历史古迹
The pagoda on the south shore. You pay to go up and look back at the lake.
Humble Administrator’s Garden
Historic sites 历史古迹
The large classical garden. Reserve it. Monday closures and peak-day caps are real.
Lion Grove
Historic sites 历史古迹
The rock garden. Easier to reserve than its famous neighbor, and stranger.
Tiger Hill
Historic sites 历史古迹
A pagoda on a hill at the edge of the old city. The leaning tower is the reason.
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
Historic sites 历史古迹
The blue-tile mausoleum on Purple Mountain. Entry is free and still reserved.
Ming Xiaoling
Historic sites 历史古迹
The Ming founder’s tomb on the same mountain. A sacred way of stone animals, then the mound.
Nanjing City Wall
Historic sites 历史古迹
The longest city wall in the country. You visit a gate, not a single loop.
Yuantong Temple
Historic sites 历史古迹
The old Buddhist temple in the city, with a pond in the courtyard.
Dayan Old Town
Historic sites 历史古迹
The Naxi old town. The entry fee is gone. Some courtyards still charge.
Hongcun
Historic sites 历史古迹
The white-walled village with the moon pond. Book it, then walk early.
Xidi
Historic sites 历史古迹
The other Huizhou village. Fewer reflections, more lanes, often calmer than Hongcun.
Zhanqiao Pier
Historic sites 历史古迹
The pier that is Qingdao’s symbol. A short walk into the bay.
St Michael’s Cathedral
Historic sites 历史古迹
The twin-spired Catholic church in the old town.
Saint Sophia Cathedral
Historic sites 历史古迹
The brick Byzantine cathedral, now a museum of the building.
Central Street
Historic sites 历史古迹
The cobbled commercial street. Pastries, Russian-era facades, no ticket.
Unit 731 Museum
Historic sites 历史古迹Museums 博物馆
The museum on the site of the Japanese biological-warfare unit. A serious visit.
Mogao Caves
Historic sites 历史古迹
The cave-temple cliff. Reserved, guided, and the reason to be in Dunhuang.
Yumen Pass
Historic sites 历史古迹
A Han-dynasty ruin in open desert, west of town. A day for a small building and a large sky.
White Horse Pagoda
Historic sites 历史古迹
A small pagoda in town, tied to a monk’s horse and an old story.