Almost all of us are familiar with the great man-made attractions Beautiful Places In China: The Forbidden City in Beijing, The Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an, and Shanghai’s skyscraper forest in Pudong. For a country of its massive size and varied geography, however, it’s
Legend holds that only the lucky will be treated to this view. Also known as “Conch Gully,” Hailuogou park sits at the eastern foot of Gonggar Mountain in southwest China’s Sichuan province.
According to legend, the gully was a wasteland until a renowned Tibetan monk played his treasured conch there and attracted many animals, who became so enchanted with the place that they took up residence. To memorialize the monk and his conch, the gully ever after became known as Conch Gully.
The magnificent glacier, which drives through woodlands, cliffs, peaks and gullies, is accessible all year round. It appears at its best in early morning sunshine. More than 10 hot springs are spread beneath the glacier. Two are open to the public, including one at an elevation of 2,600 meters.
The nearest traffic hub to Hailuogou Glacier National Park is Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province. It’s about 300 kilometers away. Major cities connected to Chengdu Airport by direct flights include Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Xi’an.
Almost all of us are familiar with the great man-made attractions in China: The Forbidden City in Beijing, The Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an, and Shanghai’s skyscraper forest in Pudong. For a country of its massive size and varied geography, however, it’s surprising how few people outside Beautiful Places In China appreciate the extent of the country’s other attractions, many of them natural wonders to rival any in the world. Here is an alphabetical list of some of those places.
1. Sichuan: Hailuogou Glacier National Park
(四川海螺沟)
Legend holds that only the lucky will be treated to this view. Also known as “Conch Gully,” Hailuogou park sits at the eastern foot of Gonggar Mountain in southwest China’s Sichuan province.
According to legend, the gully was a wasteland until a renowned Tibetan monk played his treasured conch there and attracted many animals, who became so enchanted with the place that they took up residence. To memorialize the monk and his conch, the gully ever after became known as Conch Gully.
The magnificent glacier, which drives through woodlands, cliffs, peaks and gullies, is accessible all year round. It appears at its best in early morning sunshine. More than 10 hot springs are spread beneath the glacier. Two are open to the public, including one at an elevation of 2,600 meters.
2. Sichuan: Jiuzhaigou (四川九寨沟)
This massive lake is the crown jewel of Jiuzhaigou, a region full of stunning alpine lakes and waterfalls.
The lake is filled with incredible water that changes color throughout the day and year. The color comes from the reflection of the surrounding landscape, as well as algae and calcified rocks at the bottom of the shallow lake. Autumn is the best time to visit, when the lake surface appears as a multihued painter’s palette.
Direct flights are available between Jiuzhaigou’s Jiuhuang Airport and major Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an and Chengdu. The nearest traffic hub to Jiuzhaigou is Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, which is one hour by air or 11 hours by bus south of the lake.
3. Tibet: Potala Palace (西藏布达拉宫)
The former winter home of the Dalai Lama and seat of the former Tibetan ruling government, this nine-story attraction stands 3,700 meters above sea level, making it the highest palace on the planet. The Potala Palace’s current incarnation is a state museum. More than 1,000 rooms remain, as well as the original layout of the White Palace (living quarters of the Dalai Lama) and the Red Palace (once a spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism).
All visitors to the palace are restricted to a one-hour stay.
Potala Palace issues a limited number of tickets every day. To secure a ticket during peak season (May 1-October 31), independent travelers are advised to pick up a ticket coupon outside the palace a day before their visit.
4. Xinjiang: Lake Karakul (新疆喀拉库勒湖)
This stunning view is the reward after a thrilling ride over one of the world’s most dangerous roads, Karakoram Highway. The many “landslide site” signposts along the way haven’t stopped devoted travelers, who mostly set out from Kashgar (喀什), the westernmost city in China. Standing 3,600 meters above sea level on the Pamir Plateau, the glacier lake’s water reflects the surrounding mountains like a huge mirror. The best time to go is May to October.
No public transportation is available between Kashgar and Karakul, but plenty of tour companies and hotels in Kashgar organize small groups and customized trips to the area. The lake is about four hours from Kashgar by road.
5. Xinjiang: Nalati Grassland (新疆那拉提草原)
This sub-alpine meadow is so distinct in northwest Beautiful Places In China that, according to legend, one of Genghis Khan’s troops was so awed by its color that he gave the area the name “Nalati” (meaning “place where the sun emerges” in Mongolian). The prairie is a great place to experience Kazak customs. Locals still play traditional sports, live in yurts and raise falcons to hunt for the family dinners. Best time to go is July to October.
China Southern operates a daily return flight between Urumqi and Nalati.
6. Yunnan: Three Pagodas, Dali
(云南省大理崇圣寺三塔)
These Buddhist towers are the chief landmark of Dali, an ancient town in China’s southwest Yunnan Province. The main tower was first built in mid-ninth century in the hope to easing regular flooding. At 69 meters and 16 stories high, it was a “skyscraper” for the Tang Dynasty and is still the tallest pagoda Beautiful Places In China. Each of it tiers is decorated with Buddha statues.
The other two identical towers stand 42 meters and were erected almost a century later. The three holy structures form an equilateral triangle. Shutterbugs can get great shots from many different angles.
The three pagodas are just north of downtown Dali. Direct flights (30 minutes) and train (eight hours) are available between Dali and Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan.
7. Yunnan: Pudacuo National Park, Shangri-la
(云南香格里拉普达措国家公园)
Pudacuo is the first national park Beautiful Places In China to meet the criteria set by The World Conservation Union, a major global environmental organization. More than 20% of the country’s plant species and around one-third of its mammal and bird species call this wetland plateau home. Photographers especially love the area’s many types of orchids and China’s highly endangered black-necked cranes. In Bita Lake in the park, the Bita double-lip fish is an ancient fish dating back 2.5 million years.
Pudacuo is 22 kilometers east of Shangri-la, a tourist town in northwest Yunnan Province.
8. Zhejiang: Nanxi River (浙江楠溪江)
With its mountain backdrop and shores lined with ancient houses, the Nanxi River inevitably became the cradle of classic Chinese water-and-ink painting. By drifting down the Nanxi River on a bamboo craft, travelers can enjoy views of locals doing laundry along the river and fishermen employing traditional methods of using cormorants to catch fish. The xiangyu is a rare freshwater fish unique to the Nanxi.
The nearest traffic hub to Nanxi River is Wenzhou, a major city in Zhejiang Province. It’s about 23 kilometers away.
Major cities connected to Wenzhou Airport by direct flights include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou. There are nine established drifting routes on the river, ranging from one to 10 kilometers in length.
9. Zhejiang: Thousand Island Lake (浙江千岛湖)
In the 1950s, the Chinese government evacuated and flooded 928 square kilometers of villages, plains and hills to build a reservoir. The indirect result was a surreal view. Around 1,078 islands dot the lake.
Outdoors activities are the draw of this ginormous recreation and resort area — speedboating, water skiing, animal-themed island-hopping, mountain climbing. Travelers can also find excellent seafood and everything from budget cabins to five-star hotels.
Direct buses run from Hangzhou West Bus Station to Thousand Island Lake Town. Buses depart every 30 minutes — then take a taxi or bus to the scenic area.
10. Zhejiang: Yunhe Rice Terrace (浙江云和梯田)
“Here’s an idea. Let’s make farming even more difficult.”
Literally meaning “peaceful clouds,” Yunhe and its surrounding rice terraces have been home to farmers for at least 1,000 years. Winding in a maze up mountainsides from 200 to 1,400 meters, individual terraces can be constructed of as many as 700 layers. Rainy days are the best time to visit, when steam from evaporating river water floats through the terraces, creating a kind of agricultural dreamscape.
Yunhe County is 67 kilometers southwest of Lishui city. Shuttle buses between Yunhe and Lishui are available at Lishui Train Station. To get to Lishui, take a train from big cities including Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing.
