Attractions:

China's attractions are so many and its landscapes so vast, you'll need a lifetime to explore this fascinating and impossibly diverse country. That said, the must-see sights are fairly obvious and highly accessible, and, as previously restricted areas open up, the list of world-class attractions keeps growing. In addition to big draw cards like the Great Wall, the Xi'an Terracotta Army and the Forbidden City, you get to choose from a huge range of cultural treasures, traditional temples, incredible landscapes, wonderful national parks and fascinating festivals.

One of the most amazing sights, however, is the one you can see in every Chinese city every day: the incredible pace of modernisation reflected in the energy of the people, frenetic urban development and relentless embrace of capitalism, with all its virtues and vices. These are probably the impressions that leave the deepest mark on visitors to China.

China is a year-round destination although you might want to plan around Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) in late January and early February when much of the country shuts down for a week and public transport is completely booked up.