MUST SEE SIGHTs of CHINA for your FIRST VISIT! (Top 10)

These are my TOP 10 MUST SEE SIGHTS and HIDDEN GEMS that we saw during our 5 weeks in China. From busy cities to cute hipster towns. Natural wonders to man made gems. China really has everything need to make it your next favourite travel destination: this is your China travel inspiration!

In this video, we look at the best places to visit and some of the most useful China travel advice for your first visit: including train travel, how to access the internet through a VPN and how to deal with culture shock.

EVERY PLACE FEATURED IN THE VIDEO (in alphabetical order).

APPS TO DOWNLOAD
I should really have mentioned this in the video. Before your trip, make sure you download WeChat (it's free) for scanning things in shops and restaurants for translation. Didi is also a good one, it's the Chinese Uber!

BEIJING
The capital of China is a big, busy city but it's little hutongs are a lot of fun to explore. The Summer Palace and the Forbidden City are both really worth seeing as well.

A lesser visited gem, located about 4 hours away from the city of Xining in Qinghai province. Famous for it's mirror-like reflections of the sky.

CULTURE SHOCK
I received a lot of comments saying that people had some reservations and fears about visiting China. To be honest, I felt the same way before I went.

An ancient city in Yunnan province that has a little bit of everything that I love! There's nature on the shores of Erhai Lake and up in the heights of Canshan Mountain. The stunning Three Pagodas temple and the bustling culture of the ancient city.

Requires no introduction. But I really recommend exploring the wilder and more remote areas of the wall, rather than the touristy sections. In this film I looked at 3 different areas and compared the strengths and weaknesses of each.

A giant, sprawling city. Which also has some amazing natural spots like Lantau Island and Kowloon Park, That's what I focussed on in my travel film.

Kunming has a reputation for being a transport hub, but it's actually a really fun city to spend a few days. The Dragon Gate and Green Lake Park are particularly great and are the main focus of my travel guide linked above.

A beautiful ancient town with stunning maze like streets. It rained most of the time we were there, so I went searching for the little hidden gems of the streets.

This was the best day that I had in China. Away from the Danxia Landform Geopark is a peaceful national park that is so worth exploring. It feels more like Australia or the US than China.

The last stop that we had in China. You can get some amazing views from the World Financial Centre Viewpoint.

TRAIN TRAVEL IN CHINA

VPN (virtual private network)

I spent 24 hours exploring Xian and it definitely wasn't enough time. The Terracotta Warriors are amazing, but my film focusses on the other gems of the city.

Home to the best view in China: Laozhai Mountain.

Beautiful karst mountains, rivers and hiking. My video guide features everything we did there and it's a pretty extensive list! Including instructions on how to get to the best viewpoint in the area.

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[OneShotAdventures]

Thanks so much for watching guys! Obviously China is pretty massive, so you can only see so much in a 5 week trip. Which places did I miss? I would love to hear your recommendations for my next visit, plus it would be really helpful for anybody else who is here when planning their China trip! 😊

[haibohu]

Your channel are definitely under-appreciated. I am amazed by the quality of the pictures, the perfect cinematography, the very informative and helpful narratives. Hopefully it will reach to much more(like 1M+) viewers very soon.

[JamesandLaurent]

Ryan, congratulations on reaching 1, 000 subscribers. You are one of the most talented YouTubers in our c/t group and it is heart-warming to see that talent and hard work is finally paying off. See you in a couple of weeks when you reach 2, 000 😊.

[TheWorldnUs]

A truely fantastic guide Ryan 👍 We’re looking to move abroad mid year. I trying to convince my wife to consider China. This video should help 😉

[nickandhelmi]

Good job ryan, glad you came up w this guide 😀🙏 really enjoyable, been a while since your last post 😀

[eddiesimba]

Chengdu is underrated
1. Spicy food (UNESCO food city)
2. Giant Panda reserve
3. Largest building by volume (New century Globe Center)
4. Science Museums
5. Surreal History and Nature (Jiu zhai gou, Leshan buddha, Yading Nature reserve, Emei Mountain and many more)(not in chengdu but day trip)

[LL-lses]

I’m touched by these videos from China. You’re a very talented YouTuber. Congrats.

[AdventureEverywhere]

Amazing views in this one Ryan. I don't know why I'm so amazed about how diverse the landscape is there in China... it's a pretty big country, after all. Lol at the slippers and lack of Western style toilets, btw. Thanks for taking us along for the ride in China. Can't wait for Japan.

[suarditan]

Great vlog 😍
Greeting from Indonesia Youtuber😋

[ssaahhrraa]

I've been to China twice now and I thought I had covered most of the best things to do but your list has really made me think otherwise arghhh I have to go back soon!!! I hope you go and see Zhangjiajie (it was my favourite place in all of China). I spend all my days trying to convince people that China is sooo beautiful and diverse and well worth several visits!

[WorlderingAround]

That's so useful. There is so much to see in China. The country is so massive! I especially like the hidden gems :)

[Betterlife]

Your videos are awesome with high quility. You are supposed to have more subscriptors. Love your videos.

[SenjaAldee]

always great video and thank you for sharing

[BarnabyAldrick]

Your China Series are great mate! Thanks so much for all the effort you put into these! I'm about to head out for a shlep from Hong Kong > Shanghai and they've been so helpful. Well done!

[GoTravelOnTheCheap]

We really enjoyed seeing the bits of footage that we previously had not seen...it was very easy to pick out since we've practically memorized each one of your videos! 😜 The "one Ryan wide" made us laugh; so did the "small slippers"! Seems like you were actually longer than the room. 😉 Have you seen Forrest Gump? Your blip about the different kinds of Great Wall of China options reminded me of "...shrimp kabobs...fried shrimp...shrimp scampi...shrimp gumbo...barbequed shrimp...blackened shrimp..." 😂 c/t

[cellscribe]

Google translate does not require a VPN to use. Confirmed just now. You just need to download Chinese first to use offline. Microsoft Translate also works on and offline without a vpn.

[SamWasHere]

Great list, I haven't done China mainland yet but in Hong Kong I paid nearly £100 for an illegal unlicenced room no bigger than a bathroom (it used to be one), then decided to walk around and try random hostels - found one with a double private room and ensuite for £34 per night!

[TiaandAndy]

The part about a western style toilet made us laugh! We've been to some parts of China already and are going again this year and Tia's one requirement is a western style toilet in the hotel! haha

[MrPeterzhu]

Japanese architecture is in the style of Chinese Tang dynasty, Korean architecture is in the style of Chinese Ming dynasty, They are all deeply influenced by China.Learning Chinese history will help you a lot when you travel in China.

[Sletnes]

Me and two friends are going on a 4 week trip to china in just under two month. This video will help alot. Amazing stuff :)