What to Expect

China rewards slow travel: ancient capitals, mega-cities, mountains, and water towns are all within a train ride of each other. A few places come up again and again — the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing, the Terracotta Army in Xi’an, Shanghai’s skyline along the Bund, and Hangzhou’s West Lake. Each region has its own rhythm and its own must-sees, so I’m building this guide one city at a time, starting with where I’m actually based.