Kina

Shenyang (沈阳, Shěnyáng) is a provincial capital on the rise. Its sleek metro hums beneath wide boulevards and contemporary glass monoliths, while an underrated Imperial Palace and tomb complex – sadly overlooked by all bar the history buffs – lies at either end of its park-lined urban centre.

Det är dags att åka till Hongkong innan staden helt och hållet uppslukas av fastlands-Kina. Men var finns metropolens själ? Vi söker bland häxor, hästar, spansk gin och pirater.

The gleaming manifestation of China's economic miracle, Shēnzhèn (深圳) has risen from the marshy Pearl River Delta into one of the world's most mega megacities in less time than it took London's St Paul's Cathedral to be built. Millions of migrants have been drawn to its golden gates from the Chinese countryside since the 1980s; now, Shēnzhèn attracts high-flying tech graduates and global corporations.

Fotografierna av den kinesiska landsbygden lockar fotofantaster från hela världen. Staden Xiapu har blivit en av landets mest virala destinationer. Men allt är iscensatt!

At China’s cartographic bullseye, Lanzhou (兰州, Lánzhōu) marks the halfway point for overlanders trekking across the country. Growing up on a strategic stretch of the Yellow River (黄河, Huáng Hé), and sitting between competing Chinese and Central Asian empires, Gansu’s elongated capital city frequently changed hands, reflected today in its mix of ethnic groups and cultures. These days, Lanzhou is perhaps most well known for its favourite food – Lanzhou beef noodles (牛肉拉面, niúròu lāmiàn) – and with several excellent night markets, this is an excellent place to sample the delights of Chinese Silk Road fare.

A zip – and an entire world – away from Shanghai, well-irrigated Jiangsu (江苏, Jiāngsū) spills over with as much charm and history as the waters that flow through its shimmering canals. The province, which owed its historical wealth to silk and salt production, boasts the Grand Canal as well as elaborate waterways that thread through this Yangzi River (Cháng Jiāng) region. It’s known throughout China for its cute canal towns, enchanting gardens and sophisticated opera and folk arts.

How popular is this time-locked place? Lijiang’s (丽江, Lìjiāng) maze of cobbled streets, rickety (or rickety-looking, given gentrification) wooden buildings and gushing canals suck in over eight million people a year. So thick are the crowds in the narrow alleys that it can feel like they've all arrived at the same time.

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.

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.