CHINA

The Middle Kingdom

Many people who have never travelled to China have a limited understanding about the country. A common belief is that the China is pretty much the same from border to border. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s an incredibly diverse country, in terms of culture, topography, language, religion, and food. You owe it to yourself to explore at least a little bit of it.
In a country with 1.38 billion people, 41 different ethnic groups and 34 provinces and autonomous districts, there’s bound to be some regional differences. And that’s what makes it so interesting. Photographers would take years to explore the country completely. But you can see parts of it in a couple of weeks, so maybe it’s time to start exploring the Middle Kingdom?
It’s a never-ending task listing all there is to see in China. No list could ever include everything, because there’s just too many choices! But here’s a small list of places, cultural items, and destinations that can be considered in a customized photography tour.

Even if you just visit the major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi’an, you’ll come away with a new appreciation of what makes this country thrive. But if you have the time, travelling into the smaller cities and villages will increase your knowledge and understanding of the China that not everyone will see.

Plan for at least a week, and depending on how many locations you want to see, maybe as much as 2 or 3 weeks.

As always, the length of the journey is your call, since it’s your private tour.

CHINA HIGHLIGHTS

China's Natural Wonders

China's Natural Wonders

• Water Villages of Zhejiang
• Reed Flute Cave in Guangxi
• “Avatar forest” in Zhangjiajie, Hunan
• Rice fields of Yunnan
• Tea fields of Suzhou
• Li River valley with its karst mountains

China's Cultural Visuals

China's Cultural Visuals

• Harbin Snow & Ice Festival
• Pandas of Chengdu
• Xi’an’s Terracotta warriors

Architectural Marvels

Architectural Marvels

• Great Wall across northern China
• City skylines of Shanghai, Chongqing, more
• Fujian Hakka Roundhouse buildings
• Ancient Guizhou wooden village
• Beijing’s Forbidden City

UNESCO World Heritage sites

UNESCO World Heritage sites

• 37 cultural sites
• 14 natural sites
• 4 mixed sites

When to Travel to China

China is incredibly diverse in terms of climate. There is no ‘best time’ to travel here that applies to every region. Check with us for the regions you’re most interested in.

•  Spring is pretty good all over the country, though it may still be cool in the north, or in the evenings

•  April through June are probably the best months nationally, with some notable exceptions

•  Winter in Harbin is extremely cold, but ideal for the Ice & Snow festival

Avoid travel during:
•  Spring Festival (mid-late Jan to early-mid Feb)
•  Golden Week (Oct 1 – 7)
•  Rainy season in the south is April – August

Combines Nicely With...

If you’re thinking of combining a visit to China with a visit to another country, you should consider:

JAPAN

Maybe consider combining your
trip to China with a trip to Japan.
Check it out...

Japan
At Private Photo Tours, the safety and wellbeing of our guests is very important. We do our best to keep up with the latest developments concerning the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, but things are changing pretty rapidly. So we rely on an outside source that collates the latest information in one handy location.

If you would also like more information about travelling to China during the current COVID-19 pandemic, please visit these websites for up-to-date details:  TravelBans.org or Sherpa

With this site, you can identify your nationality or residency, and it will give the most recent information about travel to each country, and any medical requirements or quarantines needed.