1. Anhui: Hongcun Ancient Village (安徽宏村)
The 900-year-old village of Hongcun has long drawn in-the-know Chinese visitors, who love its tranquil vibe and distinctive architecture.
The striking Huangshan mountain backdrop (see No. 2) doesn't hurt, either.
Its classic structures, Moon Lake and picturesque locals have been an inspiration for art students for decades.
Walking the narrow lanes paved with quartzite and seeing farmers working in rice fields, with the reflection of ancient houses in the lake, should provide enough material to get you started on your own visual masterpiece.
Admission: RMB 104 (US$16)
Hongcun Village is roughly 70 kilometers northwest of the city of Huangshan in Anhui Province. Major cities connected to Huangshan Airport by direct flights include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi'an.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site set amidst “the loveliest mountains of China,” Mount Huangshan, aka Mount Yellow, is a once-in-a-lifetime trek for many Chinese.
The 1,863-meter mountain is renowned for its oddly shaped pines, spectacular rock formations, hot springs and seas of misty and melancholy clouds.
A trip here provides a mountain of feeling.
Admission fee: RMB 230 between March 1-November 30, RMB 150 between December 1-February 28,
Major cities connected to Huangshan Airport by direct flights include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi'an.
3.Fujian: Xiapu Mudflat (福建霞浦)
Yes, a humble mudflat is a favorite destination of Chinese photographers.
A small region along the southeast China coastline, Xiapu nevertheless has the largest mudflat in the country, encompassing 40 square kilometers and more than 400 kilometers of coastline.
Along its tiger-striped beaches, bamboo structures and poles, buoys and fishing vessels provide human counterpoints to the area's natural beauty.
Admission fee: Free
The nearest hub of Xiapu Mudflat is Fuzhou, provincial capital of Fujian. It's about 175 kilometers away.
Major cities connected to Fuzhou Airport by direct flights include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi’an.
When the Chinese long for views of the nation’s most scenic hills and rivers, they book a bamboo-boat cruise in Yangshuo.
The riverside town in southern China is most famous for its karst hills and traditional fishing-village lifestyle.
Downtown is touristy.
Visitors can rent bikes and head to the countryside to find a more calming scene: bamboo boats chugging along the river, fishermen setting out with cormorants, farmers toiling in fields with lush peaks soaring high above.
Most travelers reach Yangshuo from Guilin. Buses bound for Yangshuo leave every 15 minutes from Guilin Bus Station on Zhongshan Lu and Guilin South Railway Station. The journey takes around 90 minutes and the fare is about RMB 15 per person.
5.Guizhou: Huangguoshu Waterfall (贵州黄果树瀑布)
The highest waterfall in Asia, majestic Huangguoshu "Yellow Fruit Tree" Waterfall plunges a dramatic 77.8 meters across a 101-meter-wide span.
It's one of a handful of mammoth waterfalls in the world that's accessible for viewing from almost any angle -- from above, below, front, back, left or right.
The best visiting season is June to August, when the water reaches a peak flow of 700 cubic meters per second.
Admission fee: RMB 180 between March 1-October 31; RMB 160 between Novermber 1-February 28
The nearest traffic hub to Huangguoshu Waterfall is Huangguoshu Airport. It's about six kilometers away. Major cities connected to Huangguoshu by direct flights include Beijing and Guangzhou.
6.Hainan: Guanyin Statue (海南南山海上观音像)
Look beyond the beaches of Sanya to find the world’s largest Guanyin statue, erected near Nanshan, China’s southernmost mountain.
The story goes that the three-sided statue faces mainland China, Taiwan and the rest of the South China Sea -- meaning that the bodhisattva blesses not only China, but the whole world.
At 108 meters tall, the figure was raised and enshrined in 2005 and is one of the tallest statues on the planet.
Admission: RMB 150
The Guanyin Statue is located within Hainan’s Nanshan Culture Tourism District, which is some 40 kilometers from downtown Sanya. Shuttle buses are available between Yalong Bay and Nanshan.
7.Hainan: Yalong Bay (海南省亚龙湾)
Hainan delivers the best tropical setting in China. Yalong Bay is the pinnacle of the resort getaway.
The 7.5-kilometer crescent beach is the most popular and developed stretch of Hainan’s southern coastline.
It provides all the quintessential experiences of a Southeast Asian holiday, with as many luxury hotels as palm trees -- more than 20 international luxury hotels line the beach of Yalong Bay.
The beach is also a haven for water sports warriors, including surfers who sometimes ride uncrowded waves all day.
If you visit in July, August, October or during Spring Festival, you'll be surrounded by Chinese families, mostly sporting old-school swimsuits.
Yalong Bay is 28 kilometers southeast of Sanya. Sanya Airport operates flights to all major Chinese cities, as well as nine international cities including Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul.
8.Hebei: Chengde Mountain Resort/Rehe Palace (河北承德避暑山庄/热河行宫)
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this mountain resort was once a summer palace used by Qing Dynasty emperors on holiday.
Delicate gardens and a 70-meter pagoda remain.
Lush grasslands, marvelous mountains and tranquil valleys still make it a cool place to avoid the heat.
Admission fee: RMB 120
Shuttle buses depart from Beijing to Chengde hourly during the day, ticket is RMB 50
9.Heilongjiang: Saint Sophia Cathedral, Harbin (黑龙江省哈尔滨市圣索非亚大教堂)
The largest Orthodox church in East and Southeast Asia stands in China’s most Russian-accented city, Harbin.
Russian expats built the 54-meter-tall, 721-square-meter neo-Byzantine structure in the early 20th century as a spiritual symbol for the local Orthodox community after the Russian-Japanese War.
The church was used as a warehouse by the Communist Party for about two decades and is now a state-run museum showcasing the city’s architecture, art and heritage.
Admission: RMB 15
88 Xiulong Jie, Daoli District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 黑龙江省哈尔滨市道里区透笼街88号
10.Jiangsu: Brahmā Palace (江苏梵宫)
Feng shui and Buddhism have deep influences on China.
Both can be found at Brahmā Palace.
Beneath the foot of Little Lingshan Mountain, and near Taihu Lake and the 88-meter-tall Lingshan Giant Budda, the palace epitomizes Chinese feng shui -- it's surrounded by mountains and water, portending both good fortune and health.
Built for the Second World Buddhism Forum in 2009, the Buddhist theme park is filled with luxury, with gold and glamour gilding many surfaces.
Admission fee: RMB 210
Major cities connected to Wuxi Airport by direct flights include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou.
11.Zhejiang: Yunhe Rice Terrace (浙江云和梯田)
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.
Admission fee: RMB 80
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.
12.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.
Fee for bamboo catamaran drifting: RMB 30-70, depending on route.
13.Sichuan: Hailuogou Glacier National Park (四川海螺沟)
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.
Admission: RMB 70 for the national park and RMB 120 for hot springs.
The nearest traffic hub to Hailuogou Glacier National Park is Chengdu, 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.
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