5 Lesser-Known but Must-Visit places in China

Where I’m from, when you say traveling to China, it means touring one of these five cities: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Macau and Guangzhou. outside the travel circles and blogging communities, only a few have heard of other Chinese destinations. everything else can already be considered “off-the-beaten-path.” but if there’s one thing that my journey from Guilin to Zhangjiajie has taught me, it’s that this vast, vast country has a gazillion surprises tucked in its provinces.

We asked travel and food enthusiast Wai Zhou, co-founder of eating Adventures Food Tours, for other marvelous places in China that every explorer must experience. She has traveled extensively throughout the country with a particular interest in Yunnan, Guangdong and Xinjiang provinces. here are her recommendations, words and photos by her.

¿Qué está cubierto en esta guía?

1. Wan Feng Lin (10,000 peaks) in Guizhou province
2. Shangri-La in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province
3. Longji Rice Terraces and Longsheng hot Springs in Guangxi Province
4. Jade Dragon Snow mountain near Lijiang, Yunnan Province
5. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region in far Western China

Más consejos en YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Publicaciones relacionadas:

1. Wan Feng Lin (10,000 peaks) in Guizhou province

Wan Feng Lin, which means “ten thousand peaks”, is a collection of around 20,000 karst peak formations that stretch over a length of 200km in southern China. We stumbled across this near Xingyi in Guizhou province during one of our overnight stops on a leisurely train adventures between Guangzhou and Kunming.

Like most Chinese tourist sites, the government has a very well set up and structured way of viewing the site, with shuttle buses taking loads of domestic tourists to and from the viewing point. Not being fond of sticking with the hordes of tourists, we decided to follow a dirt path that weaved through some small farms and then up into the mountains.

Wan Feng Lin
Wan Feng Lin
The walk through the farms right away connected us to another world, with friendly old ladies attending to their crops, local people drying chillies outside their front doors and keeping pigs near their homes. A family was building their new home – it was mansion by Western standards. We started walking up one of these peaks. For a long time, we did not see anything of interest. just when we were about to turn back, we persisted a little longer and arrived at a small Buyi village hidden between the peaks.

Most of the Buyi people live in Guizhou province. They have their own language and normally live in small villages and work as farmers. We saw a young man in front of a simple old house and yelled out “Ni Hao” which means “hello” a few times but he didn’t turn around. We thought what unfriendly locals! then the young man turned around and we could see the surprise and delight in his face. He ran into the house to grab his elderly parents. They invited us into the house and insisted we stay for lunch. We witnessed true hospitality from these people who live such simple lives themselves. We found out later that the young man was mute and deaf.

Cómo llegar allá:
Xingyi is on the train line from Guangzhou to Kunming.
From Xingyi, take bus no.19 (40 minutes) or take a taxi to Wan Feng Lin (costs around CNY35)
Entry fee: CNY80 (Shuttle bus ride extra CNY50)
Opening hours: 8:00 – 18:00
Contact number: 0859-3342299

2. Shangri-La in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province

Shangri-la City, China
Shangri-la is a fictional place featured in lost Horizon, a novel written in 1933 by British author James Hilton. He describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. Shangri-La is actually a Tibetan word which means “sacred and serene land.” people associate the word to an unearthly paradise, a utopia. In 1996, the search for Shangri-La in Yunnan province began. In 1997, the Yunnan government declared they have found this utopia in Zhongdian. Zhongdian was then formerly renamed to current Shangri-La in 2001 to attract more tourists. With many snow-capped mountains and glaciers, hundreds of alpine lakes, gorges and meadows, I think it is well worth the title.

When we arrived Shangri-La town, we felt the effect of Shangri-La has instantly. We were more relaxed but could not think properly. We felt a bit light-headed and sleepy. Well, that was probably due to the high altitude – Shangri-La is 3450m above sea level.

The town itself is very interesting with a large Tibetan population. You see groups of Tibetan women dressed in traditional dresses with their bright pink hair wraps shopping together, all carrying a basket on their back and snuff in their hands. We saw Tibetan men running antique shops, where you can find Tibetan prayer flags and prayer wheels to silver snuff boxes, mingling with other locals.

We were expecting the Tibetan5 Lesser-Known but Must-Visit places in China (###) Where I’m from, when you say traveling to China, it means touring one of these five cities: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Macau and Guangzhou. outside the travel circles and blogging communities, only a few have heard of other Chinese destinations. everything else can already be considered “off-the-beaten-path.” but if there’s one thing that my journey from Guilin to Zhangjiajie has taught me, it’s that this vast, vast country has a gazillion surprises tucked in its provinces.

We asked travel and food enthusiast Wai Zhou, co-founder of eating Adventures Food Tours, for other marvelous places in China that every explorer must experience. She has traveled extensively throughout the country with a particular interest in Yunnan, Guangdong and Xinjiang provinces. here are her recommendations, words and photos by her.

¿Qué está cubierto en esta guía?

1. Wan Feng Lin (10,000 peaks) in Guizhou province
2. Shangri-La in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province
3. Longji Rice Terraces and Longsheng hot Springs in Guangxi Province
4. Jade Dragon Snow mountain near Lijiang, Yunnan Province
5. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region in far Western China

Más consejos en YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Publicaciones relacionadas:

1. Wan Feng Lin (10,000 peaks) in Guizhou province

Wan Feng Lin, which means “ten thousand peaks”, is a collection of around 20,000 karst peak formations that stretch over a length of 200km in southern China. We stumbled across this near Xingyi in Guizhou province during one of our overnight stops on a leisurely train adventures between Guangzhou and Kunming.

Like most Chinese tourist sites, the government has a very well set up and structured way of viewing the site, with shuttle buses taking loads of domestic tourists to and from the viewing point. Not being fond of sticking with the hordes of tourists, we decided to follow a dirt path that weaved through some small farms and then up into the mountains.

Wan Feng Lin
Wan Feng Lin
The walk through the farms right away connected us to another world, with friendly old ladies attending to their crops, local people drying chillies outside their front doors and keeping pigs near their homes. A family was building their new home – it was mansion by Western standards. We started walking up one of these peaks. For a long time, we did not see anything of interest. just when we were about to turn back, we persisted a little longer and arrived at a small Buyi village hidden between the peaks.

Most of the Buyi people live in Guizhou province. They have their own language and normally live in small villages and work as farmers. We saw a young man in front of a simple old house and yelled out “Ni Hao” which means “hello” a few times but he didn’t turn around. We thought what unfriendly locals! then the young man turned around and we could see the surprise and delight in his face. He ran into the house to grab his elderly parents. They invited us into the house and insisted we stay for lunch. We witnessed true hospitality from these people who live such simple lives themselves. We found out later that the young man was mute and deaf.

Cómo llegar allá:
Xingyi is on the train line from Guangzhou to Kunming.
From Xingyi, take bus no.19 (40 minutes) or take a taxi to Wan Feng Lin (costs around CNY35)
Entry fee: CNY80 (Shuttle bus ride extra CNY50)
Opening hours: 8:00 – 18:00
Contact number: 0859-3342299

2. Shangri-La in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province

Shangri-la City, China
Shangri-la is a fictional place featured in lost Horizon, a novel written in 1933 by British author James Hilton. He describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. Shangri-La is actually a Tibetan word which means “sacred and serene land.” people associate the word to an unearthly paradise, a utopia. In 1996, the search for Shangri-La in Yunnan province began. In 1997, the Yunnan government declared they have found this utopia in Zhongdian. Zhongdian was then formerly renamed to current Shangri-La in 2001 to attract more tourists. With many snow-capped mountains and glaciers, hundreds of alpine lakes, gorges and meadows, I think it is well worth the title.

When we arrived Shangri-La town, we felt the effect of Shangri-La has instantly. We were more relaxed but could not think properly. We felt a bit light-headed and sleepy. Well, that was probably due to the high altitude – Shangri-La is 3450m above sea level.

The town itself is very interesting with a large Tibetan population. You see groups of Tibetan women dressed in traditional dresses with their bright pink hair wraps shopping together, all carrying a basket on their back and snuff in their hands. We saw Tibetan men running antique shops, where you can find Tibetan prayer flags and prayer wheels to silver snuff boxes, mingling with other locals.

We were expecting the Tibetanmonks to be simple vegetarians and do not indulge in the materialistic world. However, we saw them driving nice four-wheel drives, smoking, talking on their fancy mobiles and eating meat in the best restaurants in town. While we were in this restaurant enjoying our yak hotpot, we saw a group of monks and out of curiosity we asked the waitress what the monks were eating. She replied “Everything! mismo que usted.”

Just 5km outside town, there is a big Tibetan monastery called Gadan Songzanlin Monastry. It is the biggest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan province. built in 1679, it is typically referred to as “Little Potala Palace”. If you are not visiting Tibet and are interested in seeing a Tibetan monastery, it is worth a visit.

The best way to explore and enjoy the beauty of Shangri-La is by hiring a bicycle and start riding away from the town. You are not going to only ride through stunning meadows and lakes but you will meet a lot of friendly locals. On the day we went riding, it was raining and the local Tibetan invited us into his house for a tea to get out of the rain. We helped out some locals who were trying to move a log and we got invited into their grand Tibetan house, an impressive two storey structure elaborately decorated with Tibetan wooden carvings with the tea making stove at the centre of their living room. Shangri-La is living museum with so much to offer.

Cómo llegar allá:
You can fly into Diqing Shangri-La airport from Beijing, Chengdu, Kunming, Lhasa, Shanghai and Chongqing.
However, most people will be coming from Lijiang. From Lijiang, you can either take a bus (4 hours) or hire a automobile with driver to take you to Shangri-La.
Bicycle rental: There are several places to hire bicycles or mountain bikes in town. Please check the condition of the bikes carefully.
Songzanlin Monastry: 5 kilometres north of town. You can either take bus no. 3 or a taxi (CNY10). entry fee is CNY115. open from 7:30 – 18:30. Enquiry number: 0887-8222455

3. Longji Rice Terraces and Longsheng hot Springs in Guangxi Province

Longji Rice Terraces
Longji Rice Terraces is one of the highlights in the Guilin region. located 75km from downtown Guilin, the rice terraces are cut into the mountainside from an elevation of 380m to 1180m and spans across an enormous area. The rice terraces are over 700 years old and there are 7 heritage listed buildings in the area over 150 years old. one of these buildings and a museum are opened to public for free. It is stunning area to check out and makes for a relaxing stroll around through the rice paddies and villages. The villages are populated by Zhuang and Yao minorities with their noticeable distinctive architecture.

You need to pay an entry fee to enter the area. Whilst there are plenty of tour guides who will offer to take you around, our idea is to stroll around by yourself. This way, you can avoid the tour groups, have a private experience and meet friendly locals. The two main villages to check out are Ping An Zhuang village and Jin Keng Hong Yao Village.

How to get there: From Guilin, there are buses every 30 minutes from Guilin Qing Tan Bus station to long Sheng town. It takes around 1.5 hours and costs CNY27 per person. Alternatively, you can hire a automobile with driver to take you from Guilin.

From long Sheng town, there are buses to take you to different villages of Longji which is about 13km from town.

Entry fee: CNY80
Opening hours: All day
Contact number: 0773-7583088

The Longsheng hot springs are set in the mountainside in a truly natural and relaxing environment. The hot spring water originates from 1200m underground, with the source water varying in temperature from 45 to 48 degrees Celsius. There are 16 pools with varying temperatures. There are also a 4 star and a 5 star hotel attached to the hot springs if you would like to stay overnight.

How to get there: Longsheng hot spring is 32km from Longsheng town. There are buses from Longsheng town which takes around 40 minutes and costs CNY8 per person. Alternatively, simply take a taxi.
Entry fee: CNY98
Opening hours: All day
Contact number: 0773-7482241

4. Jade Dragon Snow mountain near Lijiang, Yunnan Province

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Jade Dragon Snow mountain (or “Yu long Xue Shan” in Chinese) is located 15km north of Lijiang city. There are 13 peaks in total and Shanzidou is the highest peak with an altitude of 5596m. It stretches 35km long and 20km wide. It is the southern-most glacier in the northern Hemisphere. As such, you can experience scenery from a Subtropical zone, Temperate zone to Frigid zone all in one place. It is also a holy place for the Naxi people who lives in this region.

There are few scenic spots in the area. the most important experience is unquestionably the trip on the long Ropeway. The long Ropeway departs from an elevation of 3356m. We were there in September and the temperature was not too low and quite pleasant. Sin embargo,