| A whole panoply of attractions span the entirety of | | | | One of the more bizarre yet also one of the most |
| this enormous, ancient and diverse nation. China is | | | | famous places in China is the Museum of Emperor Qin |
| packed with monuments and artefacts that predate | | | | Shihuang's Terra Cotta Warriors & Horses. As |
| those in most of Europe, Australia and the USA. | | | | the name suggests, this is a tomb containing hundreds |
| Despite political upheavals like the Cultural Revolution, | | | | of ceramic models dating back to 210 BC. |
| such iconic structures as the Great Wall and Potala | | | | For sheer aesthetic beauty alone, Potala Palace is |
| Palace remain. | | | | unrivaled anywhere in the world. This 1,000-room |
| More than 2,000 years old, the Great Wall is the | | | | complex in Lhasa, Tibet, was originally the home of the |
| best-known and most awe-inspiring sight. It stretches | | | | spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, |
| 6,400 km (4,000 miles) across large parts of the | | | | currently exiled by the Chinese occupying forces. The |
| country, with its most popular section in Badaling | | | | palace's architecture merges wonderfully with the |
| County, Beijing, amidst a beautiful mountain range. It is a | | | | natural features of the Red Mountain, which it is built |
| myth that the Wall can be seen from the moon, as no | | | | into. |
| astronaut has ever reported this as being possible. | | | | On the Yungui Plateau, the Dian Chi Lake is another of |
| One of the other more famous places in China is the | | | | the more famous places in China. Rising almost 2,000 |
| Forbidden City in Beijing, an assemblage of grand | | | | metres in altitude, the lake can sometimes appear to |
| palaces where 24 emperors previously lived. The | | | | be joining with the sky above it, a curiously wondrous |
| casual visitor would need days if not weeks to visit | | | | effect that many visitors have commented upon. At |
| every room in the Forbidden City, so best to | | | | dawn and dusk, the sunlight refracts the sunlight in such |
| concentrate on the throne room of the magnificent Hall | | | | a way that it embles many silver fishes. Arguably the |
| of Supreme Harmony and the 120,000 square metre | | | | best view of the Dian Chi Lake is from the West |
| Imperial Garden. | | | | Mountain. |
| Shanghai's Bund is a chic, art deco district that was | | | | 3 of Yellow Mountain's 72 peaks are all above 1,800 |
| once home to the concessions of the European | | | | metres tall. Its four most appealing spots are the Pine |
| imperial powers. To its east is the Huangpu River and | | | | Forest, the Strange Stone, the Cloud Sea and the Hot |
| the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, while on its main drag | | | | Spring. It is located in the bucolic Anhui Province. |
| are the Huifeng Bank and the Shanghai Customs | | | | These are just some of the many famous places in |
| House. JG Ballard immortalized the city in his novel | | | | China, with many more located around this unique |
| 'Empire of the Sun'. | | | | country. |