10 Top Tourist Attractions in China

Last updated on July 15, 2014 in Asia 3 Comments

Curator of the world’s oldest continuous civilization, China has a lot of historic attractions to offer such as the famous Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army. In recent years China has modernized rapidly however as the Communist Party decentralized economic decision making and opened the economy to increase foreign trade. The ambitious skylines of Shanghai and other Chinese cities are a triumphant statement of this process.

Traveling around is getting increasingly easier although visiting all of the top tourist attractions in China is exhausting rather than difficult considering the vast size of the country.

10Pudong Skyline

flickr/juank.madrigal

Pudong is a district in Shanghai on the eastern side of the Huangpu River that has emerged as China’s financial and commercial hub. A skyline of gleaming skyscrapers rises out of what was mere farmland only 20 years ago. Skyscrapers includes the symbolic Oriental Pearl Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Jin Mao Building and the Shanghai Tower that should be finished in 2014.

Where to Stay in Shanghai

9Mogao Caves

flickr/sandandtsunamis

The Mogao Caves form a system of 492 temples 25 km (15.5 miles) southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located at a crossroads on the Silk Road. The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art spanning a period of about a 1,000 years. Construction of the Buddhist cave shrines began in 366 AD as places to store scriptures and art. Along with the Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes, the Mogao Caves are one of the three most famous ancient rock-cut temples in China.

8Leshan Giant Buddha

flickr/drs2biz

The Giant Buddha of Leshan is a gigantic Buddha statue carved out of a cliff face in Sichuan, western China. Begun in the year 713 during the Tang Dynasty, the statue was not completed until the year 803, and was the effort of thousands of sculptors and workers. The Leshan Giant Buddha stands about 71 meters (233 feet) high and has three meter (11 feet) long fingers on each of its enormous resting hands.

7Mount Huang

flickr/Jez, Rani & Amrita

One of China’s major tourist destinations, Mount Huang is a mountain range in eastern China also known as Huangshan (“Yellow Mountain”). The area is well known for its scenery, pine trees, peculiarly-shaped granite peaks and views of the clouds from above. In ancient times almost 60,000 stone steps were carved into the side of the mountain range. Today there are also cable cars that tourists can use to ride directly from the base to one of the summits.

6Li River Cruise

flickr/s.laqua

A Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the highlight of any trip to northeastern Guangxi Province. The landscape is decorated with amazing hills, steep cliffs, incredible caves and farming villages, and is lined with bamboo groves. With its breathtaking scenery and taste of a life far removed from the concrete metropolis, the scenery along the Li River is one of the top tourist attractions in China.

5Terracotta Army

flickr/Pedro Szekely

The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang (221 BC-206 BC), the first Emperor of China. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Xián and one of the most popular in all of China. It is estimated that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.

Where to Stay in Xian | Terracotta Army Guide

4Victoria Harbour

flickr/Image Zen

Victoria Harbour is a major tourist attraction in Hong Kong and one of the deepest container ports in the world. The bay offers stunning views of the skyscrapers of Hong Kong island on one side, and the Tsim Sha Tsui shoreline on the other. Victoria Harbour is also one of the busiest harbors in the world with hundreds of ferries, junks and speed boats darting up and down the shore. One of the best ways to see the harbor is a trip on the Star Ferry.

Where to Stay in Hong Kong

3Forbidden City

flickr/Bridget Coila

Located in the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City is the world’s largest palace covering 72 hectares. Built from 1406 to 1420, the palace complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 rooms surrounded by a six meter (20 ft) deep moat and a ten meter (33 ft) high wall. Twenty-four emperors reigned over the country for almost 5 centuries from the Forbidden City until the abdication of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. Today the Forbidden City is a museum and one of the most popular tourist attractions in China.

Where to Stay in Beijing | Forbidden City Guide

2Potala Palace

flickr/reurinkjan

Situated 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. The construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added between 1690 and 1694. The Potala Palace remained the residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India, after the Chinese invasion in 1959.

Where to Stay in Lhasa | Potala Palace Guide

1Great Wall of China

wikipedia/Severin.stalder

The Great Wall of China built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from the attacks of nomadic tribes from the north. The majority of the existing wall were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). The condition of the Great Wall of China ranges from excellent to ruined. The most popular area of the Great Wall is at Bādálǐng. Also renovated but less touristy are Sīmǎtái and Jīnshānlǐng.

Great Wall of China Guide

More China tourist attractions and travel information can be found in the Explore China page.

China Tourism

China Tourism Statistics in 2014
In 2014, China received 3,846 million tourists. They brought total revenue of about CNY3,380 billion, an increase of 14.7% compared with 2013.

 Inbound Tourism:
In 2014, China’s inbound tourists reached 128.4983 million and 55.622 million stayed at least one night in China, both sliding slightly compared with the previous year. But still, the foreign currency revenue increased by 10.16% over that of 2013, reaching USD 56.913 billion. The slide of inbound tourists was caused by many reasons, like air pollution, food safety issues, and corruption. But the major reason was that China’s national image declined. Here, TravelChinaGuide.com provides some firsthand data on China inbound tourism for 2014 for your reference:

 Top 20 China Destinations for Overseas Tourists:

1. Hong Kong	2. Shanghai	3. Beijing	4. Macau	5. Guangzhou
6. Shenzhen	7. Sanya	8. Xian	9. Hangzhou	10. Chengdu
11. Qingdao	12. Dalian	13. Xiamen	14. Zhuhai	15. Nanjing
16. Guilin	17. Suzhou	18. Chongqing	19. Tianjin	20. Haikou

 Top Tourist Source Countries:

1. South Korea	2. Japan	3. United States	4. Russia	5. Vietnam
6. Malaysia	7. Mongolia	8. Singapore	9. Philippines	10. India
11. Australia	12. Canada	13. Germany	14. Thailand	15. United Kingdom
16. Indonesia	17. France	18. Kazakhstan

The tourism environment of China improved markedly in 2014. The convenient flight network and the operation of many high-speed trains in recent years (Beijing-Shanghai, Shanghai-Hangzhou, Shanghai-Guangzhou, Zhengzhou-Xian, Harbin - Dalian, Nanning – Guangzhou, and Guiyang – Guangzhou, etc) make traveling in China faster and smoother. The government also adopted many favorable policies to attract overseas visitors, such as 72-hour visa-free transit, incentive policies to travel agencies, and advertising China on international media, etc.
 See detailed information on Inbound Tourism.

 Outbound Tourism:
With the rise of personal incomes and living standards, the outbound tourism market grows by leaps and bounds. Chinese people are eager to go sightseeing overseas which creates an immense market for foreign countries. The popular outbound destinations include USA, Russia, France, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Maldives. In 2014, the number of outbound tourists reached 107 million, up 19.49% compared with 2013. Currently, China has increased the number of permitted overseas destinations for her citizens to 151 countries and regions. A further and sustained growth of outbound tourism is expected.
 See detailed information on Outbound Tourism.

 Domestic Tourism:
China, a country with an amazing population of over 1.3 billion, has an incomparably large domestic tourism market. In the recent decade, domestic tourism had a continuous increase of over 10% each year, and now contributes over 4% to the growth of the country’s GDP and greatly enhances the employment, consumption and economic development of China. The most popular destinations for Chinese tourists include Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin, Hangzhou, Sanya, Lhasa, Chengdu, Lijiang, Hong Kong, and Macau. The tourist volume rockets to amazing numbers during the peak seasons, especially the two golden weeks (the National Day Holiday, from Oct. 1 to 7 and the Spring Festival). This can cause problems with traffic and tourist service quality. When you plan a visit to China you should avoid these rush periods.

According to the latest prediction from the World Tourism Organization, there will be an annual increase of 43 million of international tourists to China over the next 20 years, and the number will soar to 1.8 billion by 2030. The Asia-Pacific area is becoming the hot destination of choice with the largest increase in visitor numbers. We wish you all a wonderful tour to China!

 More Data: Other Facts & Figures

Data Source: China National Tourism Administration

Notre Dame Cathedral

Not the largest cathedral in the world, the Notre-Dame might be the most famous of all cathedrals. The Gothic masterpiece is located on the Île de la Cité, a small island in the heart of the city.

A Religious site

Notre Dame de Paris

The site of the Notre dame is the cradle of Paris and has always been the religious center of the city. The Celts had their sacred ground here, the Romans built a temple to worship Jupiter. A Christian basilica was built in the sixth century and the last religious structure before the Notre-Dame construction started was a Romanesque church.

Construction

Bishop Maurice de Sully started the construction in 1163. The Cathedral was to be built in the new Gothic style and had to reflect Paris's status as the capital of the Kingdom France. It was the first cathedral built on a monumental scale and became the prototype for future cathedrals in France, like the cathedrals of Amiens, Chartres or Rheims, just to name the most famous.

The Building

Gargoyle

It took until 1345 before the cathedral was completed, partly because the design was enlarged during construction. The result is an overwhelming building, 128 meters long (420 ft) with two 69 meter tall towers (226 ft). The spire over the crossing reaches 90 meters (295 ft) and was added in the nineteenth century by Viollet-le-Duc. The Notre-Dame Cathedral has several large rose windows, the northern thirteenth-century window is the most impressive. The massive window has a diameter of 13.1 meter.

Gallery of Kings

The frontal west facade features three wide portals; above the portals is the Gallery of Kings - 28 statues of Judean Kings - and higher up are the famous gargoyles and grotesques. The spectacular eastern flying buttresses at the east side of the building are 15m wide.

Restoration

During the Revolution, many of the cathedral's sculptures, gargoyles and interior was removed or demolished. Even the gallery of Kings was severely damaged: the revolutionaries though the statues represented 

Inside the cathedral

French Kings.

It wasn't until the nineteenth century before the Cathedral was fully restored thanks in part to the writer Victor Hugo, who with his book 'Notre-Dame de Paris', made the Parisians realise the cathedral was worth restoring. The twenty-year-long restoration was led by a local architect, Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. Viollet-le-Duc made drastic, controversial modifications to the building and even added a spire. The cathedral was restored again between 1991 and 2001, this time the historic architecture was carefully preserved.

NIGHT SHOWS IN NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS

NIGHT SHOW “REJOICE, MARY”

EVERY SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS AT 9.15PM

© NDP

For several years, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris gives a regular appointment in the evening to thousands of visitors from around the world for night events. They are audiovisual shows projected on a screen of tulle, of over 100 square meters hanging in the nave. The entrance of these shows is free.

IN MAY AND JUNE 2014

 Every saturdays and sundays at 9.15 PM

In May and June, the Notre-Dame Night Services will project the image opera REJOICE, MARY. Free admission, donations accepted.

Discover some of the greatest masterpieces of art, accompanied by the singing of the hymn to the Virgin Mary: The Akathist Hymn. This hymn is one of the Byzantine tradition’s greatest and most famous prayers to the Virgin. This literary and theological masterpiece from the 7^th century presents the Church’s universal and common faith in the Mother of God. The Byzantine liturgical song, the music of Josquin des Près and Monterverdi, and texts by Paul Claudel highlight this hymn’s joy, peace and grace. This hour-long projection is accompanied by the beauty of Eastern and Western Christianity’s greatest works of art, set off against the prestigious setting of Notre Dame de Paris.

Rejoice, Mary is an image opera directed and produced by Jean-Michel Mahenc.

PRAYING, REFLECTING

© NDP

Notre-Dame de Paris is entirely devoted to religion. Some sites, indicated on the map below, serve more specific purposes to encourage pilgrims and visitors to reflect and pray.

1. Christ on the Cross (19^th century) : you can reflect, pray, or light a candle.

2. and 3. Reception Chapels Saint-François-Xavier and Sainte-Geneviève : you can meet with priests every day of the week to discuss matters or receive sacrament of reconciliation. Click herefor more information.

4. Prayer books, at the foot of Notre-Dame de Paris, where anyone can write down prayer requests. They are prayed every evening at the end of the last mass.

5. Virgin with Child, or Notre-Dame de Paris (14^th century), located at the entrance to the choir : you can go there to reflect, pray, or light a candle.

6. Main altar (20^th century) where daily services, the Vespers service, the noon mass, the last mass of the day, and all Sunday services are celebrated.

7. Cathedral choir where mass is celebrated at 8 am and 9 am, Monday to Saturday.

8. Apsidal chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows : this chapel holds the Holy Sacrament. In particular, you can go there to reflect, pray, or light a candle.

9. Statue of Saint Denis (18^th century), martyr, first bishop of Paris in the 3^rdcentury : you can go there to reflect, pray, or light a candle.

10. Virgin with Child, dedicated to Our Lady of the Students (18^th century) : you can go there to reflect, pray, or light a candle.

11. Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe (20^th century) dedicated in 1963 on the request of the Mexicans of Paris : you can reflect, pray, light a candle

Accueil | Practical information

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© Godong

Pour le parvis (extérieur) de la Cathédrale s’adresser au Service Presse de la Mairie de Paris.
Pour le circuit commercial de visite des Tours de la Cathédrale contacter les Monuments Historiques.