Kina

Fuzhou (福州, Fúzhōu) is a handsome provincial capital with charming old town laneways lined with lanterns and traditional architecture pressed up against the backs of shiny shopping plazas. Fuzhou's tea culture is renowned, and you’ll find plenty of purveyors along the banks of the Minjiang River. A short trip to the west lies Gu Mountain and its delightful, accessible hiking paths. A new metro makes the centre easy to access, but most visitors pass through en route to other destinations in southern China, so the only tourists you're likely to see will be Chinese.

For three millennia, this city on the Xiang River (湘江; Xiāng Jiāng) flourished steadily as a centre of agriculture and intellect. In the 1920s it was still so well preserved that British philosopher Bertrand Russell is said to have compared it to a medieval town, but not long after, the Sino-Japanese War and a massive fire in 1938 gave Changsha (长沙; Chángshā) an irreversible facelift, leaving little of its early history. These days it's a modern, energetic city, known mainly for sights relating to Mao Zedong, but with its magnolia-lined streets and riverine aspect, it's a pleasant enough stopover.

Historically, Suzhou (苏州, Sūzhōu) was synonymous with high culture and elegance, and generations of artists, scholars, writers and high society in China were drawn by its exquisite art forms and the delicate beauty of its gardens. Suzhou's historic sites have felt the effects of modern building booms, but the city still retains enough pockets of charm to warrant two to three days’ exploration on foot.

China’s largest tropical island boasts all the balmy weather, coconut palms and gold-sand beaches you could ask for. Down at Sanya it’s see-and-be-seen on the boardwalks or escape altogether at some of Asia’s top luxury resorts. Thatched huts and banana pancakes haven’t popped up anywhere yet, but there’s a hint of hipness coming from the east-coast beachside towns, and the budding surf scene is helping to spread the gospel of chill out.

Wuhan (武汉; Wǔhàn) has matured from the sprawling convergence of three independent cities to central China's main industrial and commercial centre. While there's not much in the way of cultural sites, Wuhan is a major transport hub so you may find yourself here for a night or two.

The remote highways running along the north of Kham can be used to exit the Tibet Autonomous Region into Qinghai, Sichuan, or as part of a long loop around Kham. At the time of writing only one route into Qinghai was open to foreign travellers: Hwy 109 (also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Hwy) running from Lhasa to Xining. As the railway covers the same route most people do not hire private vehicles for this section. A few hardy souls make the trip by bike, crossing into Tibet over the 5180m Tangu-la pass. Under current regulations, a guide still needs to accompany you and your bicycle in a support vehicle. Check out Bike China for more.

An easy half-hour metro ride will take day-trippers from Guǎngzhōu to this city. Fóshān (佛山; literally ‘Buddha Hill’) was famous for its ceramics in the Ming dynasty. Today, it’s better known as the birthplace of two kung fu icons, Wong Fei Hung and Ip Man (Bruce Lee's master), and the Wing Chun style of kung fu developed here.

Known as the 'Vegas of China', Macau is indeed an epicentre of gambling and glitz. While luxury entertainment here is world-class, the city has much more to offer than that. Macau was a Portuguese colony for 300 years, a history marked by a cultural hybridity that manifests itself in all aspects of life: Chinese temples stand on maritime-themed Portuguese tiles; the sound of Cantonese permeates streets with Portuguese names; and when you're hungry, it could be Chinese dim sum, pastéis de nata (Portuguese egg tarts) or Macanese minchi (ground meat stir-fried with potatoes) that come to the rescue.

As the birthplace of Mao Zedong, Communist Party cadres might wax lyrical about the sacred standing of Hunan (湖南; Húnán) in the annals of Chinese history, but it's the province's dramatic scenery that is the real draw. A magnificent landscape of isolated mountain ranges and jagged peaks envelops more than 80% of the province. The most astonishing example is found at the phantasmagorical Zhangjiajie, one of China's most surreal national parks. Here, as in other parts of the province, geological marvels thrust up majestically from green vales fed by tributaries in the fertile Yangzi River basin.

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