Kina

Shangri-la (香格里拉, Xiānggélǐlā), formerly known as Zhongdian (中甸, Zhōngdiàn) and sometimes 'Gyalthang' in Tibetan, is where you really start to breathe in the Tibetan world – if you can breathe at all, given the altitude.

The road between Jishou and Zhangjiajie runs through hills, terraced fields and minority villages, and past rivers and lush, verdant scenery via the Tujia settlement of Furong (芙蓉镇; Fúróng Zhèn), an old town elevated to fame in the 1986 film Hibiscus Town. Until around 10 years ago, the town was simply called Wang Village (王村; Wáng Cūn), before being renamed in honour of the movie. Wandering down the steps of the old riverside town is charming, but the main draw is the gushing waterfall alongside the hamlet, splendidly illuminated come nightfall.

Rising from the subtropical and temperate forests of northwest Hunan, Zhangjiajie (张家界; Zhāngjiājiè) has a concentration of quartzite-sandstone formations found nowhere else in the world. Some 243 peaks and more than 3000 pinnacles and spires dominate the scenery in this Unesco-protected park. If caught in the right light or when the early-morning mountain mist rolls in around them, the effect is otherworldly.

Guiyang (贵阳, Guìyáng) is an unpretentious, relatively youthful provincial capital under seemingly continual construction. While it may not leap out at the traveler, there are some interesting sights and affordable fine hotels, and the city's location makes it a perfect base for exploring the surrounding southern countryside, especially Huangguoshu Falls, the villages around Kaili, and historic Zhenyuan.

It's Hángzhōu, the handsome capital city, that lands Zhèjiāng (浙江) on many a traveller's itinerary. Home to picture-perfect landscapes of classical Chinese beauty (and just a short train ride from Shànghǎi), Hángzhōu is the obvious highlight. Yet the province offers so much more. There are water towns with spiderweb networks of canals and restored Ming and Qing dynasty merchants' homes (Wūzhèn and Nánxún), also in easy striking distance. Among the thousands of islands dotting a ragged and fragmented shoreline is the island of Pǔtuóshān, one of China's four most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites. More intrepid travellers can head west, where ancient villages retain their traditional architecture and bucolic charms. Meanwhile travellers looking for the opposite of intrepid can hole up in one of the stylish resorts nestled among the hillside bamboo groves and tea fields of naturally cool Mògànshān.

Vagabonds guide till vad du inte får missa i Hongkong. Tips på hotell, restauranger och sevärdheter.

Turpan (吐鲁番; Tǔlǔfān) is China’s Death Valley. At 505 ft below sea level, it’s the second-lowest depression in the world and the hottest spot in China. In July and August, temperatures soar above 40°C and even 50°C, forcing the local population to sleep on their roofs and visiting tourists into a state of semi-torpor.

In the southwestern corner of Guizhou, on the borders with Yunnan and Guanxi, lies the beautiful region of Xingyi (兴义, Xīngyì). The city itself is unremarkable – most people come to spend time among the magical karst mountain landscape of the Wanfenglin Scenic Area.

It's fitting that an ancient form of opera and magic called biànliǎn (face-changing) originated here, for Sichuan (四川, Sìchuān) is a land of many guises. Capital Chengdu shows a modern face, but just beyond its ring roads you'll find a more traditional landscape of mist-shrouded, sacred mountains, and a countryside scattered with ancient villages and cliffs of carved Buddhas.

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.