This extraordinary urban complex of 800 palaces, temples and pavilions containing some 9 000 rooms presents a huge challenge for the millions of tourists who visit the Forbidden City. The seat of power and sacrarium of the Ming and Qing dynasties u..

Built in the 12C, but sacked on several occasions, this summer palace was restored at great expense at the end of the 19C by the empress Cixi, whose megalomania remains legendary even to this day. Situated 12km northwest of Beijing, this enchanting s..

This winding, superhuman construction, which is said to be visible from the moon, runs for a length of 6 000km, punctuated along its route by 40 000 towers and small forts. It follows every contour of the land it traverses, but it is at Simatai, wher..

Simatai is the most spectacular and striking section of the Great Wall as it is here that it traverses mountain ridges, the sides of which plunge dramatically into the void below. In these extreme landscapes, the technical prowess of engineers from t..

These thousands of life-size clay soldiers, either on foot or on horseback, their faces imbued with great solemnity, watch over the imperial necropolis of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi, who ordered their production. The project took 700..

Pingyao’s walls, built in 1370 from brick and compact earth, have the shape of a turtle. 6km in length, they are punctuated with 72 towers and 3 000 crenellations, in reference to the number of disciples and pupils of Confucius. The walls, which make..

Numerous peasants from this region left the land in the 14C to successfully turn their hand to commerce. Like Qiao, Wang Shi was part of this group, going on to establish a dynasty of business dealers. Once he had made his fortune, he built for himse..

The mere mention of the Bund has inspired generations of adventurers. It was here, at the beginning of the 20C, that immigrants trying to make a new life for themselves – and hopefully their fortune – disembarked in Shanghai, at the time an internati..

It is from this square that the frenetic 5km-long pedestrianised Nanjing shopping street cuts a path through the city. The square, and its well-tended adjoining park, are home to the city hall, the Shanghai Museum, the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibit..

The Shanghai Museum is a must for visitors to the city, who should set aside at least a day, or possibly more, to do it full justice. Opened in 1994, its architecture is resolutely modern in style, with a floor plan that is a eulogy to the Earth and ..

The “city of canals and gardens” has stood the test of time in the narrow streets of the old centre, in particular in Pingjiang Street, where a stroll along the canal will bring back some nostalgic memories. A section of the canal network built in th..

Created in the early 16C, the garden was the private estate of Wang Xianzheng, a censor at the imperial court. Its name is inspired by the maxim: “cultivate your garden to meet your needs – this is the policy of the humble”. This garden, extending ac..

The family of the architect, I.M. Pei, who designed the Louvre pyramid in Paris, was born in Suzhou. Pei’s design for this museum incorporated a restrained yet bright look influenced by the local habitat and the Zen-like layout of the town’s gardens...

Although it’s the smallest garden in Suzhou, the Master of the Nets is without doubt the most appealing for visitors. Laid out in the 12C and then abandoned, it was restored in the 18C by a bureaucrat who it is said was tired of his administrative du..

The magnificently laid-out Lingering Garden covers an area of 3ha, in which galleries punctuated by windows boasting delightful views link the main sights. This garden was designed to help the convalescence of the sick – as a result everything here h..

Established by artificial means in the 8C on a branch of the River Qiantang, the West Lake became an immediate success, where palaces, pagodas, temples, kiosks, paths and gardens on its banks and islands have created an enchanting picture-postcard si..

Founded in the 4C by a Buddhist monk from India, the Temple of the Soul’s Retreat has been destroyed and rebuilt on no fewer than 16 occasions, either as a result of war or earthquake. The present building is a restoration of the temple built during ..

To the south of Anhui province lies the arid range of the Yellow Mountains. A maelstrom of canyons, precipices and bare peaks, these mountains are often shrouded with mist and clouds, creating a picturesque sight which has inspired many poets and pai..

At a depth of over 1 000m, the canyon of the Western Sea comprises a granite landscape of cliffs and ridges, with the occasional twisted pine tree clinging to the mountainside. Upstream from here, the gateway to the Western Sea , a balcony jutting..

The highest point of the Yellow Mountains, the Lotus Flower Peak (1 864m) dominates the landscapes of the Sea of Heavenly Clouds, with its isolated peaks and huge expanses of bare rock. A path winds its way around the narrow peak, which at its summ..