China is an incredible country to travel to – and that’s a fact!! Its hospitality, safety, ancient architecture, customs, arts and festivals are beautiful, captivating and inspiring. But trust me – we know nothing about China unless we travel there. This country fascinated me for so long and I knew I’d be able to visit places that don’t exist anywhere else in the world, but I had no idea I would witness such breathtaking wonders of China. The more I traveled within the mainland the more outstanding sights I discovered, from surreal mountain landscapes to the most thrilling adventures on heights – like the highest and longest Skywalk, the biggest Ice and Snow Festival in the world, or the largest stone Buddha Statue marvel. There are important landmarks like the Great Wall of China or the Forbidden City, but there are also a lot more, which are equally or even more priceless to visit. Here are 7 wonders of China that should be placed on your China itinerary for lifetime memories. 🐉
China travel information.
VISA: You need to apply for VISA well in advance.
TRAINS & FLIGHTS: TRIP.COM is the best online booking service in China for train and flight tickets – shows all direct and indirect connections for speed and slow trains, easy to purchase and cancel.
CURRENCY: Yuan, 100$ ~ 715 Yuan (airport rate is much lower).
ATM’s: available in Banks.
SAFETY: China is considered very safe – it was probably the safest country I traveled to so far (and I’m close to half 😉 ).
1. The Yellow Mountains (Huangshan).
The Yellow Mountains were one of my primary destinations in China. Since I love mountains, I had to place the surreal landscape of the Yellow Mountains among the most stunning wonders of China. I spent a few days in Huangshan to explore the town and local communities and plan a few hiking trips and I highly advice to do the same.
- Location: Anhui Province
- Terrain: Surreal scenery of peculiarly shaped granite peaks (Huangshan pine trees are a local symbol).
- Significance: The mountains have been a source of inspiration for Chinese art and literature.
READ: Hiking Huangshan Mountains – Avatar Yellow Mountains Scenic Area in China.
2. Harbin Ice & Snow Festival.
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is the world’s largest ice and snow wonderland and one of the most magnificent wonders of China. The Ice Festival is an experience out of this planet! This was one of the best decisions I made to travel to see the Ice City of Harbin.
Harbin Ice & Snow Festival usually lasts from mid-December till February (although the opening and closing dates can vary depending on weather conditions).
TEMPERATURE: Winter temperatures in Harbin are brutal and estimate around: -15 up to -35 – you have to prepare if you want to survive and enjoy the magic ice wonderland.
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is present in Harbin city but the main exhibition is located in Songbei District /within the town. I highly suggest purchasing tickets in advance – you can get them online on Klook. However, I was lucky the tickets were available on-site as well. Be prepared for enormous queues in freezing temperatures!
The festival showcases the ice and snow sculptures illuminated with colorful lights, creating truly a breathtaking experience like in a fairytale.
READ: How to visit the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in China.
I highly recommend spending a few days in Harbin – this is an incredible place in the world with endless entertainment opportunities, like you’ve never seen before.
A few top budget-friendly and super comfy accommodation picks:
- Extremely popular and high rated James Joyce Coffetel Harbin Central Street.
- Exceptional Vienna Hotel Harbin Haxi High-Speed Railway Station Wanda Plaza.
- 4 star Zmax Hotel·Harbin Bingxue Big World.
- Browse all Harbin accomodations.
3. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is another surreal landscape of towering sandstone pillars, which were an inspiration for the floating Hallelujah mountains in the movie “Avatar.”
One of the most stunning attractions in the park is glass skywalks – you have to go for it! But there are few other massive attractions in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, which are true wonders of China and which you should absolutely try to visit:
- Zhangjiajie Skywalk Bridge and the Canyon – you can do a long hike exploring the magnificent nature,
- Tianmen Mountain – Heaven’s Gate – a fascinating natural wonder.
Glass Bridge - the world's highest and longest skywalk.
Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge: built in 2016.
Location: Hunan Province in China.
Zhangjiajie is the world’s longest and highest glass bridge suspended between two mountains in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. Walking the bridge is a thrilling experience but the canyon hike was a great extension of this experience – it takes about 3 hours to walk down via tiny steep steps and forest paths to reach the final stage – the river boat trip.
4. Tianmen Mountain - Heaven's Gate.
Tianmen Mountain is an incredible natural phenomenon, also called ‘Heaven’s Gate’, considered one of the greatest wonders of China.
It is located in Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park. You will be able to test the longest Cable Car in the world to get to the top of the mountain to visit Tianmen Mountain Temple and the amazing 999 steps – ‘Stairs to Heaven’.
5. Leshan Buddha - the largest stone Buddha statue in the world.
The Leshan Giant Buddha: located in Sichuan Province.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest stone Buddha statue in the world, standing at an impressive height of 71 meters.
The size and magnitude impress from first sight. The giant Buddha is carved out of a cliff, facing the three rivers. The construction of the Leshan Giant Buddha began in the Tang Dynasty in 713 AD and was completed in the early part of the 9th century.
It took over 90 years to carve the massive statue into the cliff.
- The Leshan Giant Buddha is a symbol of Buddhism.
- The statue represents the Maitreya Bodhisattva, who is believed to bring happiness, good fortune, and prosperity to the people.
- The presence of the Buddha was believed to protect and bless sailors and travelers passing through the area.
- In 1996, the Leshan Giant Buddha was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, acknowledging its cultural, historical, and architectural significance on a global scale.
Visiting advice – tickets are available onsite but after traveling across China – my advice NO 1 is – to purchase entry tickets for all attractions you have in mind as early as possible! The amount of visitors is insane!
For example – to enter the Forbidden City in Beijing, you should purchase tickets at least 3-4 days in advance.
For many attractions in China, tickets are not available onsite, you need to purchase them online in advance.
Visiting Leshan Buddha will probably take a full-day. Visiting crowds can be enormous – some people said it took 4 hours to queue one way. The path leads through steep stairs and it took me 2 hours to walk them down, and it wasn’t as crowded as usual.
The place is unreal, the cliff stairs and Buddha are absolutely breathtaking!
6. The Great Wall of China.
The Great Wall in China is an amazing, man-made wonder that must be seen!
One of the most iconic symbols of China, the Great Wall is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, built along the northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against invasions.
The Great Wall was probably the reason you came to China 😉 This one of the seven wonders of the world the Great Wall of China stretches for over 13 000 miles. It’s divided into several parts, so you would need to make a choice which section you want to explore.
Visiting the Great Wall of China is and isn’t easy. If you choose to go by public transportation (which is doable) it might take a lot of time and you will be under time pressure as the buses don’t run frequently.
There are many sections of the Great Wall, different lengths and distances from Beijing.
I eventually booked the Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour from Beijing, which was fantastically organized and wrapped in a dinner with other amazing travelers. here are few most recommended options for visiting the Great Wall of China from Beijing:
- Mutianyu Great Wall Day Trip with Transfer
- Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour by Bus with Options
- If you prefer to use a cable car – Mutianyu Great Wall & Cable Car Ticket
- I would highly recommend merging the Forbidden City with Tiananmen Square, which is nearby: Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City 4-Hour Small Group Tour.
The Forbidden City.
If you are in Beijing visiting the Great Wall of China, I strongly suggest to check out the Forbidden City.
Forbidden City (Palace Museum), located in the heart of Beijing, is the most visited attraction in the capital city and one of the most known wonders of China. For hundreds of years, the mysterious Palace was a center of political power in China. It is an architectural masterpiece and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In 1925 it was fully opened as a public museum and now it is fully accessible for visitors.
Important advise: Purchase Beijing Palace Museum Ticket (The Forbidden City) in advance! There is no such thing as last-minute ticket purchase given tens of thousands of visitors each day, of which 99% or maybe even 99.9% of them are locals. Alternatively, you can go for a highly popular Forbidden City and Royal Treasure Museum Half Day Tour.
7. Phoenix Ancient Town.
FENGHUANG ANCIENT CITY also known as Phoenix Ancient Town is located in Huan Province a sight that will totally blow your mind, especially at night time when the whole ancient city turns into a fairytale. Its 400-year-old city is among the most unbelievable wonders of China – it also used to be praised as the most beautiful city in China – just as Louis Aileen, the famous writer described.
At night time when the city lights up, coloring the wooden houses and stone-paved streets. The picturesque city amazes on every corner with 3D shows, incredible decorations, artistic touch and incredibly tasty cuisine.
Magic things to see in Phoenix Ancient Town in Fenghuang County in China.
Mount Everest - the highest mountain in the world.
Mount Everest, while not entirely within China (shared with Nepal), Mount Everest is the world’s highest mountain holding spiritual significance. The Himalayan landscape is in my opinion the most beautiful place on earth and should be listed among the wonders of China.
The north face of Everest can be accessed from the Tibetan side, offering challenging climbing opportunities.
Few other amazing wonders of China:
To properly visit China a year’s time is probably not enough. From what I’ve seen during the incredibly intensive month of traveling in China, just made me eager for more. I went crazy with my travel itinerary wanting to see as much as possible from all the wonders of China. Here are few other breathtaking places, which I also was lucky to visit:
XIAN CITY (Tripadvisor top rated):
- Mini Group Xian Day Tour to Terracotta Army, City Wall, Pagoda and Muslim Bazaar
- 2-Day Customized Warriors Tours & Xian Top Attractions
RICE TERRACES:
1-Day Guilin Tour to Reed Flute Cave, Xianggong Hill, Bamboo Boat and Night Show
Eastern China - Shanghai & Beijing.
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