6 of China’s greatest attractions

By Ben Groundwater
Published: Tuesday, July 16, 2019

From a cliff carved in the shape of a Buddha to a glass bridge, snaking around vertical cliffs, we reveal 6 attractions to check out in China.

1. Leshan Giant Buddha

Seventy-one metres: that’s how tall the Leshan Giant Buddha is. That’s about the same height as the tallest tip of the Sydney Opera House. It’s huge, and it’s particularly impressive given this statue was carved out of a cliff face at the confluence of the Min and Dadu rivers in the Sichuan province, back in the year 713. To this day, the giant Buddha is an important tourist attraction and a stunning sight.

Tourists looking at the Leshan giant Buddha, China.

The Leshan Giant Buddha in China was carved out of a cliff face.

2. Yellow Mountain

This is the spectacular Chinese countryside you’ve probably been picturing. Huangshan, literally meaning Yellow Mountain, is an alpine range in the southern Anhui province – a jagged, vertiginous landscape of sharp granite peaks and thick pine forests. There are some amazing hikes here, with paths clinging to cliff tops, brushing the area’s famous ‘sea of clouds’ and calling past numerous hot springs.

Mount Huangshan, which means Yellow Mountain, offers spectacular views of the countryside.

3. Tianmen Mountain Glasswalk

Think you have a head for heights? You’re going to need it at Tianmen Mountain Glasswalk. Located within Tianmen Mountain National Park in the northwestern part of the Hunan Province, the mountain features a terrifying glass walkway which slithers around the vertical cliffs and, without fail, brings adrenaline junkies to new heights. The views are incredible – if you’re brave enough to open your eyes.

People on glass bridge at Tianmen mountain.

Tianmen Mountain features a terrifying glass walkway.

4. The Terracotta Warriors

This army of clay sculptures is perhaps China’s most famous attraction after the Great Wall. The Terracotta Warriors are a form of funerary art created in 210 BC and housed in the countryside outside the city of Xian. The 3 pits discovered here hold more than 8000 soldiers, 130 chariots and 670 horses. It’s a spectacular sight to see them in formation, still in their original resting place.

The Terracotta Warriors of Xian are an army of clay sculptures.

5. Lijiang

The Yunnan city of Lijiang is immensely popular among domestic Chinese travellers, and yet little-known to those outside the country. It won’t be long before tourists catch on, because Lijiang is a charming, historic place. The one-time commercial hub that had its heyday in the 1300s still boasts old buildings, cobbled alleys and extensive canals from its days of prosperity.

Walk the cobbled streets of the Yunnan city of Lijiang in China.

6. Huangpu River

The Huangpu itself is a sluggish, unremarkable body of water that winds its way through the city of Shanghai. What is remarkable, however, is what you’ll find on its banks: dizzying skyscrapers, wide promenades and historical buildings which were erected during the area’s periods as both British and French settlement. The banks of the Huangpu River are one of the most interesting places in urban China to explore.

Boats floating along the Huangpu River, China.

You'll find dizzying skyscrapers, wide promenades and historical buildings along the Huangpu River.

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