10 places to visit in China that you might not know about

When people ask me about China, I always like to make the analogy that it is like a bigger version of Europe. China is a country which is much more culturally diverse than we think in the West.

The majority of international tourists who travel to China do what is called the golden triangle; that’s to say, Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. There are also some who visit Guilin, which is famous for its landscapes, Datong or Pingyao. Panda-lovers may also visit Chengdu. However, China offers many other places that are equally or more spectacular than these ones.

In this article, I have selected 10 places little-known by international tourists, which are very different from one another and which you might include in your trip.

1. Qingdao

Qingdao is a coastal city located in the Shandong province and is considered one of the Chinese cities with the highest quality of life. However, this city is mainly famous for its beer. Tsingdao beer is without a doubt the Chinese beer most consumed on an international level.

Qingdao is ideal to visit in the summer, when the city is filled with terraces which offer fresh seafood and beer at a very good price. In addition to this, it has some pretty beaches, which is not an easy thing to find in China. However, one of its best attractions is the International Beer Festival, which, even though it is not international, is a sight worth seeing.

Warning: Qingdao is not a city for recluses! Beer will make many Chinese people lose their shyness and want to talk to you and invite you to have a few drinks with them.

You can read more about Qingdao by clicking here.

2. Dali

Dali is one of the pearls of the Yunnan province, is the capital of the Dai ethnic minority, and is much less touristy than its neighbor Lijiang. Dali has a particular atmosphere which has made many people fall in love with it. Here, it isn’t rare to see some hippie lost in time. Also, Mount Cang can be hiked from here, and as opposed to the other famous mountains in China, it isn’t packed with tourists.

Click here to read about the legend of Dali and Mount Cang.

3. Kashgar

Located in the Muslim province of Xinjiang, Kashgar is the historical capital of the Uyghur ethnicity and is possibly one of the few remaining enclaves of the ancient Silk Road. Kashgar today remains an important trade center in Central Asia.

Its traditional neighborhoods are some of the best preserved in the whole province and its noisy markets remind you constantly of those which made up the city during the peak of the Silk Road. Out of all of them, the livestock market is a sight worth seeing.

Read more about Kashgar by clicking here.

4. Tianjin

Located at only a 30 minute train ride from Beijing, Tianjin is the third largest city in China. Nonetheless, it is a relatively quiet city which is ideal to escape from the noise of China’s capital for a few days.
Source: http://www.saporedicina.com/english/10-places-to-visit-in-china-that-you-might-not-know-about/