Tunxi, a town which became wealthy thanks to the tea trade, makes a good base for exploring the Yellow Mountains. The Lao Jie, or “old street”, is the only really attractive part of this otherwise rather dull town. The paved street has retained its t..

The three most famous villages in the Anhui province – Xidi, Hongcun and Nanping – form the district of Yixian, which was long overlooked by visitors and specialists alike. The region’s sumptuous houses adorned with wooden carvings tell the story of ..

Now a World Heritage Site, Xidi has a long history and is one of the best places to see architecture from the Ming and Qing periods. Built by merchants who made their fortunes from the salt and tea trades, these houses are remarkable, with their whit..

In a narrow street to the rear of the central pool, Chengzhi House (the house “of aspiration”, dating from 1855) is the most attractive merchant’s house in the region and was built by Wang Dinggui who made his fortune in the salt trade. Built around ..

A wide façade lined with pillars guards the entrance to this large temple, which was built in the 16C to honour the ancestors of the Luo clan. The temple’s two courtyards and three pavilions are decorated with symbolic animals: fish, dragons and phoe..

Liwan Museum offers a convincing immersion into what was a wealthy residence during the colonial era (late 19C/early 20C) before the Revolution. The delicate glazing of the windows is striking, with stained glass filtering an iridescent light into th..

Comprising a ceremonial room, an area for trade and a temple dedicated to the ancestors, this huge, late-19C complex is typical of Confucian-style architecture. The luxurious decoration reflects the wealth of the Chen family. The temple roof is adorn..

This museum is built on the burial site of King Zhao Mo of the Yue dynasty, who ruled in the 2C BC with Guangzhou as his capital. It was the fortuitous discovery in 1983 of the king’s incredible tomb which led to the creation of this museum. The king..

Cheung Chau Island is 14km from Hong Kong. With a surface area of 2.5km 2 , the island has 30 000 inhabitants concentrated in a town with alleyways so narrow that bikes are the only vehicles that can use them. The rest of the island boasts beautiful ..

With its skilfully built wooden houses, drum towers – each of which demonstrates the power of a clan – and bridges of wind and rain believed to protect the village, Zhaoxing is a typical Dong village. Thanks to its friendly inhabitants, delightful, t..

Perched on a hill overlooking the whole of the Zhaoxing valley, Tang’an is without doubt one of the most charming villages in this region. It boasts a pretty centre, with paved streets and an attractive fountain. A small museum has just opened next..

Approximately four million Miao people live in the province of Guizhou, with around 2 000 of them in the village of Biasha. It’s easy to understand why these people are known for the beauty and diversity of their costumes when you see the men carryin..

Longji is home to Zhuang and Yao villages, as well as grandiose landscapes of rice terraces, all of which resembles a kind of land art . The site is divided into two “regions” of terraces: Jinkeng (23km from the entrance) and Ping’an (17 km away..

The village of Ping’an in the Longji region is inhabited by the Zhuang and Yao people and boasts some spectacular views. As far as the eye can see, rice terraces appear to be sculpted into the hillside, their gentle curves giving the impression of ..

This temple, which stands on Yuan hill in the suburbs of Kunming, was built during the period of the Nanzhao kingdom, then rebuilt between 1833 and 1850, following a fire. Traditional in style, the temple is famous for its room of five hundred luoha..

Shilin, the Stone Forest, boasts a fantastic landscape of karst peaks reaching for the sky. This extraordinary stone landscape has given rise to numerous Chinese legends and magical characters. The 80ha park is also home to a Sani (Tibetan-Burmese) v..

With its magnificent landscape of rice fields, each more delightful than the last, Yuanyang is a truly unforgettable region. The scenery changes constantly whatever the season and the views are particularly breathtaking at sunset. There are viewpoint..

Laomeng Market (54km from Yuanyang) is without a doubt the most impressive market in the region. It brings together 13 different ethnic groups from both sides of the Chinese-Vietnamese border, including the Miao, Yi, Hani, Yao, Zhuang, Han and Dai. E..

Around Yuanyang, the valleys sculpted into rice fields form a delightful picture – a kind of fascinating land art that changes according to the weather and the seasons: in the mist, at sunrise, at harvest time or during transplanting. At Bada, ther..

This region known as the “tiger’s mouth” ( laohuzui ) – although some say the resemblance is closer to a horse – has an incredible concentration of rice fields. A wonderful location for watching the sunset.