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Hulunbuir grassland, Inner Mongolia
Many people don't even know that Inner Mongolia is part of China, and even fewer have actually visited it. Those who have been to Inner Mongolia usually only go to famous places like the capital Hohhot or the Gobi Desert. However, if you want to experience Mongolian life, try visiting the Hulunbuir grasslands.
There are no roads in the Hulunbuir grasslands. To explore this area, you need to book a group tour from the small town of Hailar. From there, off-road vehicles will take you to the Hulunbuir grasslands – a place that will leave you in awe.
With grasslands stretching to the horizon, birch forests, windswept rivers, and wild herds roaming everywhere, Hulunbuir has everything you'd think China can't have.
Dunhuang, Gansu
With a population of only 200,000, Dunhuang is much smaller than many other cities in the world. Yet, it lies on the famous Silk Road and boasts two of Gansu Province's most famous tourist attractions: Yue'e Spring and the Mogao Caves.
Nguyet Nga Tuyen is a crescent-shaped freshwater lake that has existed for over 2,000 years. Located next to the lake is an ancient temple and many souvenir shops. Visitors often come here by camel riding across the desert sand dunes.
The Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves or Dunhuang Caves, is a system of 492 temples. It is famous for its important Christian artifacts and Buddhist art.
Fujian Tulou, Fujian
Fujian Tulou are buildings with a distinctive architectural style in Fujian Province. These doughnut-shaped houses originate from the Hakka people. Each house consists of an outer circle surrounding an inner temple.
Fujian Tulou, with their large scale and exquisite structure, are a popular tourist destination in the region but are not yet widely known to international visitors. Currently, only over 20,000 tulou remain in southern Fujian, some of which have been recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage sites.
Tianchi Lake, Jilin
Lake Tianchi is located in the heart of the Changbai Mountains – the land border between China and North Korea. It is a crater lake formed at the summit of Mount Baekdu. North Koreans say that Kim Jong-il was born on a mountain near the lake. In 2007, a video was even filmed of a creature resembling the Loch Ness Monster in Lake Tianchi.
Huashan, Shaanxi
Instead of leaving Shaanxi Province after visiting Xi'an, head to nearby Huashan Mountain for some of the most challenging mountain climbing activities. Climbing Huashan Mountain will allow you to stand on the edge of the mountain, admire some of the most beautiful scenery in the area, and have a great story to tell when you return home.
Climbing Mount Huashan is listed among the world's most dangerous mountain climbing expeditions, so take the cable car if you're not a professional climber.
Volga Manor, Heilongjiang
Tourists often visit Heilongjiang province in China during the winter because that's when it's at its most beautiful. However, because all the attention is focused on the Harbin Snow and Ice Festival, the nearby Volga Manor has virtually no visitors.
This manor house is a Russian-style forest. Most of the buildings here are replicas of real Russian buildings destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. In addition, there is a Russian restaurant, a church, and a frozen lake with winter sports.
Lexiaguo terraced rice fields, Yunnan
Many people think the photo of the Lexiaguo terraced rice fields near Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, is a product of Photoshop because of its diverse colors. The colors of each terrace are different because the locals are free to grow whatever vegetables they want on the barren soil.
Despite being a remote mountainous region with limited infrastructure and not even listed on Chinese tourist maps, the unspoiled and abundant beauty of Lexiaguo makes it an irresistible destination for photography and nature lovers. Visit in November – when the colors are most vibrant – to fully appreciate the scenery of Lexiaguo.
Shanhaiguan, Hebei
Beijing isn't the only place to see the Great Wall. At Shanhaiguan in Hebei province, you can experience the Great Wall from a completely different perspective, as it borders the sea and is less crowded than Beijing.
This is also where the Manchu forces invaded China and established the Qing Dynasty – the last dynasty in feudal Chinese history.
Zhangye National Geopark, Gansu
Zhangye National Geopark is one of the few places in the world where you can see a unique geological phenomenon: the rainbow mountains.
Each mountain here boasts a different color, ranging from bright red to chestnut, lime green, yellow, orange to blue, all interwoven together. These layers of color are the result of geological formations of red sandstone and other minerals, which, over time, have been subjected to rain, wind, erosion, and oxidation to create the various colors, like a rainbow, across the undulating mountain ranges.
