{"id":1325,"date":"2023-10-24T03:59:17","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2023\/10\/24\/10-most-beautiful-towns-in-china\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T15:33:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T07:33:07","slug":"10-most-beautiful-towns-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/10-most-beautiful-towns-in-china\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Most Beautiful Towns in China"},"content":{"rendered":"

Think of China and you\u2019ll most likely conjure up images of huge, sprawling cities. But the country is also home to several charming, small towns<\/a>. We explore some of the most picturesque.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Think of\u00a0China\u00a0and you\u2019ll most likely conjure up images of huge, sprawling cities. But the country is also home to several charming, small towns. We explore some of the most picturesque.<\/p>\n

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Zhouzhuang<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Often referred to as the \u2018Venice of the East\u2019,\u00a0Zhouzhuang\u00a0\u2013 located in between\u00a0Shanghaiand\u00a0Suzhou\u00a0in China\u2019s Jiangsu province \u2013 is one of the country\u2019s most beautiful water towns. Simply walking the town\u2019s pretty streets and the charming stone bridges that cross its rivers and waterways is a pleasure in itself. But the 900-year-old town is also home to plenty of sights bound to please history buffs.<\/p>\n

These sights include Zhang Ting \u2013 a sprawling, Ming Dynasty era residence home to six courtyards and more than 70 rooms \u2013 and Quanfu Temple, a beautiful Buddhist temple nestled on the edges of Baixian Lake.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flickr<\/p>\n

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Fenghuang<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Nestled at the foot of verdant mountains on the edges of the Tuojiang River,\u00a0Fenghuangwas hailed as the most beautiful town in China by\u00a0New Zealand-born writer and political activist Rewi Alley. The ancient Hunan town is home to many Miao people whose customs and culture can be seen everywhere.<\/p>\n

There are traditional stilted wooden houses, or \u2018diaojiaolou\u2019, along the river and batik printed cloths sold in its stores alongside local culinary delicacies like spicy pickled red peppers and ginger candy. Meanwhile local historical sites of note include Huang Si Qiao Castle \u2013 built in 687 and China\u2019s best preserved stone castle. It is located a few kilometers west of town.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flickr<\/p>\n

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Heshun<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Over in western Yunnan not far from the\u00a0Burmese\u00a0border lies the small, remote town of\u00a0Heshun, home to just 6,000 people. A former stop-off on the Southern Silk Road, also known as the\u00a0Tea Horse Road, many of Heshun\u2019s earlier residents took advantage of its location and travelled abroad.<\/p>\n

They built splendid houses mixing both Chinese and foreign architectural styles when they returned. This can still be seen in the town today. Walking its pretty cobblestone streets, visitors will come across local sights like Heshun Library, one of the country\u2019s biggest rural libraries. There is also a memorial to Chinese philosopher Ai Siqi.<\/p>\n

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Image: China Highlights<\/p>\n

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Shiwei<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Quite far off the beaten track is\u00a0Shiwei\u00a0\u2013 a tiny frontier town in northeastern Inner Mongolia on the border with\u00a0Russia.\u00a0A cultural enclave for the country\u2019s Chinese-Russian minority, the town\u2019s mixing of cultures is evident everywhere. It can be seen from its architecture \u2013 beautiful Russian-style log houses known as \u2018mukeleng\u2019 \u2013 to its local food, which combines recipes Chinese shao kao barbecue and Russian lie ba bread.<\/p>\n

The town is surrounded by vast and verdant grassland. One of the best ways to explore it and the neighboring area is on horseback.<\/p>\n

Yangshuo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Famed for the dramatic karst mountains that surround it,\u00a0Yangshuo\u00a0is a vibrant, tourist-friendly town nestled on the banks of the Li River in southern China\u2019s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Though the town has seen a boom in visitors in recent years, Yangshuo has managed to retain its historic character.<\/p>\n

Its modern restaurants and stores are concentrated around West Street, the town\u2019s main drag and its oldest dating back more than 1,400 years. Among them, visitors will find plenty of traditional architecture and charm. Indulge in some slow travel and catch a boat down the Li River from neighboring Guilin. It\u2019s undoubtedly the most scenic way to arrive in Yangshuo.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flickr<\/p>\n

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Tongli<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Another of Jiangsu\u2019s picturesque water towns,\u00a0Tongli\u00a0is an idyllic little town just a short journey west of Zhouzhuang. Surrounded by five lakes and crisscrossed by canals, Tongli is made up of seven islands with a total of 49 bridges (of which the majority are a century or more old) linking the town together. Hire a gondola and see the pretty town from the water.<\/p>\n

But make sure to stop off at the\u00a0Tuisi Yuan\u00a0(Retreat and Reflection Garden) \u2013 part of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou. These were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000 and is a beautiful spot worth taking a detour for.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flickr<\/p>\n

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Dunhuang<\/strong><\/p>\n

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An oasis in the barren expanse of the Gobi Desert, is the small northwestern town of\u00a0Dunhuang. Formerly one of the most important stopping points along the Silk Road, this place is a haven for history buffs. There are no less than 241 historic sites of note dotted in and around the town.<\/p>\n

Just outside the town, visitors will find the White Horse Pagoda. This was believed to have been constructed in 382 to commemorate the horse of Buddhist monk that carried Buddhist scriptures from Kucha to Dunhuang. Nearby is the\u00a0Mogao Caves\u00a0\u2013 a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to a treasure trove of Buddhist art.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flickr<\/p>\n

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Gulangyu Island<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A small isle located a short boat ride from the city of Xiamen,\u00a0Gulangyu Island\u00a0gets its name from two Chinese words \u2013 \u2018gu\u2019 meaning drum and \u2018lang\u2019 meaning waves \u2013 and is so-called for the drum-like sounds the tide makes when it hits the reef that surrounds the island. A tranquil retreat from the busy nearby city, Gulangyu is listed by the China National Tourism Administration as an\u00a0AAAAA Scenic Area.\u00a0It was formerly an international settlement and is noted for its beautiful colonial, Victorian-style architecture.<\/p>\n

Home to China\u2019s only Piano Museum, the town\u2019s other must-see local sights include the beautiful Shuzhuang Garden. Meanwhile a trip up Sunlight Rock \u2013 the Gulangyu\u2019s highest point \u2013 offers breathtaking views over the island and coastline.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flickr<\/p>\n

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Hongcun<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Film buffs might recognize\u00a0Hongcun, an ancient Anhui village nestled in the mist-shrouded foothills of Huangshan Mountain, from Ang Lee\u2019s\u00a0Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.\u00a0Home to some of China\u2019s finest Ming and Qing Dynasty architecture, the village provided a befittingly historical and mystical setting for several scenes from the Oscar-winning film.<\/p>\n

Much of the village \u2013 which, alongside neighboring Xidi, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 \u2013 centers around its half-moon shaped pond. Local sights include Chengzi Hall, a grand residence built in 1855. This place has ornate wood and stone carving and now acts as a museum, which is open to visitors.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flickr<\/p>\n

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Dali<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Dali\u00a0is a beautiful old town nestled on the edges of Erhai Lake famed for its natural beauty and stunning locally mined marble. Grand city gates welcome visitors to the town and give way to cobbled streets home to a host of beautifully preserved<\/a> traditional Bai folk houses. The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple \u2013 dating back to the 9th\u00a0and 10th\u00a0centuries \u2013 are a sight to behold. Plenty of authentic handicrafts, from artwork made of local marble to embroidered Bai cloths, are available to purchase on the streets. Another Dali must-do is the three-course tea \u2013 a Bai tradition of greeting guests with courses of bitter, sweet and \u2018aftertaste\u2019 tea.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flickr<\/p>\n

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Source: Culture Trip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Think of China and you\u2019ll most likely conjure up images of huge, sprawling cities. But the country is also home to several charming, small towns. We explore some of the …","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[208,60,29],"class_list":["post-1325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-10-most-beautiful-towns-in-china-1","tag-china","tag-jobs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6905,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325\/revisions\/6905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}