Why go?

China’s vast size and expensive visas, coupled with the perceived difficulties of travelling there, means much of the country remains relatively unexplored by international visitors. Thanks to this though, with a little determination and time, it’s possible to wind up in places where locals will have rarely seen a foreign face, such as Cangpo village in Zheijang’s verdant bamboo-covered landscapes. Even in the big cities you will come across domestic tourists for whom foreigners are a novelty.

One-month itinerary

In Beijing, tick off the must-see sights of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, and spend a few surreal minutes walking past the embalmed body of Mao Zedong in his mausoleum. Wander the narrow hutongs (alleyways) of the Wudaoying and Fangjia neighbourhoods, stumbling across hidden bars and restaurants. Visit the Simatai section of the Great Wall for fewer crowds, dizzying climbs and stunning views.

From Beijing, take the train to Xi’an (5-6 hours) or go via the ancient walled city of Pingyao (train, around 4 hours) and stay at Pingyao Jiaxin Guesthouse, an old courtyard building with traditional kang-heated beds (doubles from £11). Xi’an’s Terracotta Warriors are, quite simply, among the great archaeological wonders of the world. After jostling the crowds there, fuel up on some of China’s best food at the Muslim Quarter market.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Simatai section of the Great Wall of China. Photograph: Alamy

From Xi’an take the train to Lanzhou (2-3 hours), a massive, industrial city home to the irresistible Lanzhou beef noodle soup – eat it for breakfast like the locals. Plan a long day trip to see the remote Buddhist sculptures at the Bingling Temple Grottoes, accessed by a speedboat across a vast lake.

If time allows, travel to Chengdu by bus (consult timetables locally) via Xiahe monastery town (staying at the nearby Nirvana Hotel, dorm bed from £7) or visit the Jiuzhaigou or Huanglong national parks for high-altitude hiking past dazzlingly blue natural pools. Alternatively, take an overnight train (around 11 hours) or fly (around 1½ hours).

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Old tea house decorated with cultural revolution-era posters, Chengdu. Photograph: Alamy

Enjoy Chengdu’s teahouse culture at one of the hundreds across the city – keep a lookout for locals nursing hot flasks of boiling water and playing mahjong. Pay the pandas a visit at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding – you can even sign up to be a keeper for a day (from £40pp). And be sure to spend a day visiting the Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest stone Buddha sculpture in the world.

From Chengdu fly to Lijiang (around 1½ hours). After a couple of days in beautiful but crowded Lijiang (the Garden Inn hostel in the old town has dorm beds from about £5), head to Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest canyons in the world, for hiking and spectacular scenery. Stay at Sean Spring Guesthouse (doubles from £8) right in the centre of the gorge.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tiger Leaping Gorge, Jinsha River. Photograph: Alamy

From Lijiang fly to pretty Guilin (around 1½ hours) to travel up the Li River to Yangshuo for picture-perfect karst mountain scenery. Yangshuo is one of Asia’s best destinations for rock climbing. Return to Guilin and fly (1½ hours) or take the train (9½ hours) to Xiamen for some time on one of the city’s public beaches before heading inland to stay at Nanjing Qingdelou Inn, an earthen roundhouse (twins from £21) where you can experience the traditional lifestyle and food of the Hakka ethnic minority people.

From Xiamen, take the train to Shanghai (from £37, fastest train 5 hours). If time allows, stop off at the Wuyi mountain range to explore south-east China’s tea culture and hike through Unesco world heritage-listed scenery.

End your trip in cosmopolitan Shanghai, wandering the back streets of the former French Concession area and marvelling at the views over the river from The Bund. Captain Hostel (dorm beds from £9) is popular for its rooftop views and around the corner from the glamorous Waldorf Astoria hotel – treat yourself to a cocktail in its historic Long Bar.

Getting around

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Train running on the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway in south-west China. Photograph: Alamy

China is massive and getting anywhere will probably take much longer than anticipated, and it gets more time-consuming the further west you go. The comfortable high-speed trains can be a fast way to cover distances (see our guide to travelling by train in China), while the older long-distance sleeper trains make for an adventure. While quicker than trains, domestic flights can be expensive and plagued by delays. Coaches are a good option in places with no railway stations. In towns and cities, public transport is cheap, starting from around 10p for bus and metro journeys.

Accommodation

Youth hostels and guesthouses outside of the major cities are usually extremely cheap – just a few pounds for a bed in a dormitory. According to Hostelworld, the average price of a hostel bed is £10 in major cities and £6 in other areas, though breakfast isn’t always included. If you don’t mind haggling, it’s possible to negotiate a discounted walk-in price, especially outside the Chinese holidays. Expect firmer mattresses than you may be used to as Chinese people, especially the older generation, have a preference for hard beds.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nirvana Hotel, Xiahe, China

Many guesthouses in more rural areas are run by families, often in the family home. These can be a wonderful way to meet local people, enjoy homemade food and stay in traditional-style buildings. Wherever you stay, however, make sure that the hotel is permitted to take foreign guests: in remote locations it is against the law for some cheaper places to do so, so there’s a risk of a visit from the local security bureau if they take you in.

Overrated

Inside the Forbidden City. From the outside the enormous palace is impressive but inside there’s little sense of the fascinating and isolated lives its royal inhabitants must have experienced. Plus, it’s a major tourist attraction and the crowds can get boisterous.

Underrated

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Lake in Jiuzhaigou national park, Sichuan province. Photograph: Getty Images

Almost anywhere outside Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an and Hong Kong but particularly the central western provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai. Here, you can experience Tibetan culture without the hassle of getting a separate entry permit for Tibet.

Need to know

Many Chinese people have a fairly boisterous attitude to etiquette and there’s little the average traveller will do to offend. In restaurants, expect to receive your free glass of water boiling hot even on blisteringly hot days thanks to the belief that cold drinks are harmful. To access the usual apps and websites while travelling, be sure to subscribe to a decent Virtual Private Network (VPN) before arriving. Messaging app WeChat is handy for making local friends and for translation.

For inspiration

Book While it may be almost a decade old, Peter Hessler’s Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip, remains an accurate, funny and moving portrayal of a country in transition. Hessler’s journey from behind the wheel of a car gives a perspective of China few travellers have a chance to experience.

Blog China Mike is an uncensored and irreverent resource for first-time China visitors, answering important questions such as: Is China safe? Does anyone speak English? and What kind of meat is this exactly?

Instagram @chinadestinations has stunning crowd-sourced images from around China.

If you eat or drink one thing

Forget the idea that Chinese food is all noodles and rice. Head to the busy food market in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter and get your hands on a greasy, delicious roujiamo. Usually made from delicately spiced pulled pork (or lamb or beef from a Muslim food store) sandwiched in a round pitta-like bun, these “Chinese sandwiches” are a cheap, filling snack. Ingredients and taste vary from place to place, too, so you’ll never tire of sampling local versions.

Daily budget

While local food is cheap, major tourist attractions can be expensive (although many give discounts to students and seniors). Budget at least £35pp a day. There’s no tipping so this can help keep costs down.

Moving on

Head to Taiwan to see what mainland China might have been without 60 years of Communist rule. There are flights to Taipei from most major mainland cities; popular airlines include Taiwanese carrier China Airlines and Shanghai-based China Eastern. In Taiwan, Mandarin Chinese is used so any words or phrases picked up on the mainland won’t go to waste. You’ll need to brush up on your traditional Chinese characters, though, rather than the simplified version used in mainland China.

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