Those who like to hike to China, on the other hand, may prefer to explore the seven-star park. However, the name in no way describes the quality of the park, as regular hotel guests might think, but comes from seven mountains whose formation resembles the constellation of the Great Bear. Another interesting destination for hikers are the Longji rice terraces, which give the mountains about 100 kilometers from Guilin a very typical appearance.
In addition to sprawling cities and picturesque landscapes, China has countless other sights to offer. Some of them testify to the Chinese past, while others make it clear how extreme modern China can be.
7. The Great Wall of China
In fact, there are also sights that combine ages and extremes. The best example of this is the Great Wall of China, without a visit to which no trip to China is complete. Even if, contrary to popular legend, it cannot be seen from space, the more than 2,500-year-old fortification remains a structure that is difficult to grasp in its size – which, by the way, does not consist of a single wall, but of various parts which are often not connected to each other due to the geographical conditions.
All in all, taking into account all parts, the wall, which was only included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, comes to a length of more than 20,000 kilometers. There are a large number of opportunities to stroll through the complex yourself, the most popular sections can be reached from Beijing on day trips – the popularity of the wall means that such tours are used by many excursionists.
8. Qin Shihuangdi’s army of terracotta warriors
At the time, their discovery was an unexpected sensation and since then the contents of Qin Shihuangdi’s mausoleum in Xi’an, central China, have lost none of their fascination. The grave of China’s first emperor, discovered by chance in 1974, is not only his final resting place, but also home to thousands of individually designed soldiers made of terracotta – Qin’s clay army.
The grave complex is impressive enough in itself, it covers more than 90 square kilometers and reveals so much material that only a quarter of the entire complex has been exposed since it was discovered. The burial mound itself is still completely untouched.
Like the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. A museum makes parts of the previous excavations accessible to visitors; the vaulted main pit, which contains a large part of the figures, but only a part of which is shown, is particularly spectacular.
9. For cat lovers: Hello Kitty Park in Anji
Parents of girls of kindergarten or elementary school age are sure to know her, if not necessarily love her – Hello Kitty, the cute little Japanese comic book character who for decades has obviously been wrongly mistaken for a cat. But regardless of whether it’s a cat or a girl in cat costume, for 40 years Hello Kitty has adorned everything that makes girls’ hearts beat faster and that is pink and glittering.
This also largely describes the design of the theme park built in her honor in Anji. Ferris wheel, carousels and other rides are not the focus of the park, but the comprehensive Hello Kitty experience. There are hotels, theatrical performances and, of course, a parade that could otherwise only come from the imagination of little girls.
10. As good as the original: Famous buildings made in China
The Chinese industry has built a dubious reputation over the years when it comes to counterfeit products of all kinds. So it was probably only a matter of time before the construction industry caught up, and that’s exactly what it did. However, people who may not be able to choose between Europe and Asia no longer have to be ready for a holiday: the Chinese architects offer a comprehensive cross-section of the sights and the original features of European architecture.
A prominent example that has been fully processed by the media is the fairly exact replica of the Austrian town of Hallstatt. An enlarged copy of the UNESCO World Heritage town, including the lake location of the original, can be visited in Guangdong Province.
Otherwise, there are literally no limits to the Chinese people’s frenzy of copying. Castle tours in Neuschwanstein, strolling through the streets of Paris or Manhattan, excursions to Venice or (supposedly) typically English, Dutch or Swiss towns – according to the Chinese version of the motto “The world as a guest of friends”, all of this is possible. After all, maybe it will help one or the other tourist against his homesickness.