Here’s my wanderlust list of places I still want to go in China.
Even though I’ve been to a lot of great places in China, I still have a lot of interesting places I want to visit. A lot of these might be off-the-beaten-path by Western standards, but I assure you they will by no means be quiet destinations because it’s hard to truly be off the beaten path in China.
Chongqing
 |
| Via Wikipedia |
Chongqing is one of the fastest growing cities in China. It’s famous for its tall buildings and the subway lines that go through the buildings.
 |
| Via Chinasmack |
There’s a few things I really would like to see there. Historically, Chongqing was the capital for the Republicans during the Civil War. Chiang Kai Shek’s residence is now a museum and I think you can still visit the military base.
 |
| Via Tripadvisor |
There’s a nearby ancient town called Ciqikou that I also would add to a trip to Chongqing.
 |
| Via Youtube |
Finally, there is a huge Buddhist grotto called Dazu outside Chongqing that I would love to visit. I have been to similar Buddhist grottoes before, but the giant reclining Buddha looks amazing.
 |
| Via Dreamstime |
Emei Mountain
Also located in central China, Emei Shan (Emei Mountain) is one of the five holy peaks including Hua Shan, Huang Shan, Song Shan, and Tai Shan. I hope to go to all of them one day. But Emei is the next one on the list.
 |
| Via Sichuan Travel Guide |
Garze, Sichuan
Further West in central China’s Sichuan Province, on the Tibetan Plateau is Garze County. This place is apparently a haven for hikers and trekkers. I met someone from there while I was in Chengdu once and she convinced me to go one day. The people are there are ethnically Tibetan as well, so the houses have a totally different style.
 |
| Via VTibet |
Leshan, Sichuan
Also in Sichuan, I really want to go back to Leshan. I went before, but it was so busy that I actually didn’t get to see the big Buddha. I hope I can go back sometime when its less busy.
Kashgar and the Altai Mountains, Xinjiang
After going to Urumqi and Turpan in Xinjiang, I was desperate to go all over Xinjiang. The major attraction is Kashgar, though most of the really old stuff has been developed. I still would like to go.
 |
| Via Easyvoyage |
I also want to see the Altai mountains in the north.
 |
| Via rbth |
While perusing a Xinjiang travel guide, I also really wanted to go to Yili during lavender season. It looks magical. Most of the really cool places in Xinjiang are on the Western border (also in the north and the south – basically it’s all cool). I’m really interested in central Asia, so it’s like China’s piece of central Asia.
 |
| Via China Silkroad Travel |
I also would really like to experience Kazakh culture in Xinjiang. Apparently the Kazakh people are very hospitable so I would like to arrange a homestay or something.
Inner Mongolia
I have been dying to go to Inner Mongolia for forever.
 |
| Via ChinaHolidays |
I especially want to go to Hulinbeier to see the grasslands. I’ve wanted to go ever since I heard Jiangyang Zhuoma sing about it.
 |
| Via ChinaDaily |
Harbin Ice Festival
 |
| Via Wanna Travel |
Another thing to do near Harbin, which I’m not sure I would really want to see is the Siberian Tiger park. Animal treatment in China is notoriously bad, so I’m not sure I would want to participate, but I would love to see a Siberian Tiger.
 |
| Via Trip China Guide |
Xiamen and the Fujian Tulou
I would love to see the city of Xiamen. Apparently it’s got a huge art scene there. It’s also got a great seafood cuisine and colonial architecture.
 |
| Via Waytogo |
Fujian Province is also famous for these round buildings called Tulou.
 |
| Via The Coolist |
Xishuangbanna, Yunnan
I first heard about this region in Yunnan Province from the film Sacrificed Youth (1986), which is a really great Chinese movie actually. The region is traditionally an ethnically-Thai region and is tropical. The movie actually gives a lot of insight into village/agricultural life.
 |
| Via Alamy |
Guizhou Province
Guizhou is one of the remaining provinces I haven’t been to yet. There are two main reasons I want to go. The first is the natural beauty. In particular there are some waterfalls I want to see called Huangguoshu.
 |
| Via AccessChinaTravel |
Guizhou is also known for being the home of a lot of ethnic minority groups. It’s one of the most diverse provinces. It would be really interesting to visit one of the minority villages, such as a Miao village.
 |
| Via China Tour Guide |
Fenghuang Village
 |
| Via VideoBlocks |
I really wanted to go to Fenghuang village on this most recent trip to China. It’s just an ancient village with old wooden buildings. Apparently there are a lot of cool bars and cafes there and it’s a great place to hang out.
See more of the Zhoushan Archipelago
My friend Lisa is from an island in the Zhoushan Archipelago called Taohua Island (Peach Blossom Island). I really want to keep exploring the archipelago – it’s got amazing mountains and beaches and plants.
 |
| Via AbsoluteChinaTours |
Zhongwei, Ningxia
Ningxia is the only autonomous region for the Hui Muslim ethnic minority.
 |
| Via Reddit |
It looks like there is a really cool temple there and also it’s in the desert. It’s also on the Yellow River, which I have never actually seen.
 |
| Via Trover |
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is most famous for its hand-pulled noodles. In pretty much every city, town, and village in China you can find a Lanzhou Noodle restaurant. I used to have Lanzhou noodles pretty much every other day for a few months. I feel like I need to go on a noodle pilgrimage to complete my life.
 |
| Via Global Times |
I also generally love Muslim Chinese food, so I’d be happy to take a food tour of Lanzhou.
 |
| Via TrekEarth |
Zhejiang Water Towns
Even though I lived in Zhejiang for 10 months, I never went to one of the water towns. One of the most famous ones is called Zhouzhuang. There are a bunch of these towns that are day trips from either Hangzhou or Shanghai.
 |
| Via ChinaTravel |
Suzhou
Suzhou is not far from Shanghai and is also kind of a water town, except Suzhou is also a big city. It’s just supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in China, so I’d like to go for a couple of days.
 |
| Via DameTraveler |
Dongtou, Wenzhou
A friend of a friend once posted a picture of Dongtou Island in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province and made it look amazing. It seems like there’s a great temple there and it’s obviously by the sea because it’s an island.
 |
| Via 123rf |
Mt. Kailash
I really want to do a trek in Tibet around Mt. Kailash because it’s the most sacred mountain for Tibetans. I found out when I went to Everest Base Camp that I don’t like altitude and I’ve always known that I don’t like extreme cold. I like hiking and trekking, but I’m not interested in mountain climbing. A trek like circumambulating Mt. Kailash and following the pilgrimage path.
 |
| Via TibetTravel |
Luoruoxiang, Seda, Sichuan
Back in Sichuan, there’s a place I’ve really wanted to go, but not sure it’s worth the travel time. The town is a hill full of small red houses. It looks unreal. It’s also in the middle of nowhere, so the scenery is great.
 |
| Via Trover |
 |
| Via Flickr |
Qinghai Grasslands
Last summer I took a train through Qinghai and got views similar to this. Every since, I’ve wanted to do some sort of trip to the Qinghai grasslands. I’m not sure where is actually a good place to see that kind of scenery, but if I get the chance to go back to that region, I will do some research.
 |
| Via EasyChinaTravel |
Slightly further west are the Kunlun Mountains, which are famous in China. I would also love to do some sort of road trip or trek in these mountains.
 |
| Via Pinterest |
Yading Nature Reserve, Sichuan
I became aware of these mountains because of a photographer I follow called Kyle Obermann. He has done a few treks there and his pictures look incredible.
 |
| Via TheLandsofSnows |
 |
| Via @kyleobermann |
 |
| Via @kyleobermann |
Kyle also posts a lot of pictures from the Hengduan Mountain Range.
 |
| Via Kyle Obermann |
Shenzhen
I would love to spend a few days in Shenzhen. It’s supposed to be one of the best places to live in China as an expat, so I think it would be interesting to see what it’s like. I went through Shenzhen when I went to Hong Kong across the land border, but I didn’t get to see any of it.
 |
| Via Theodore Kaye |
Nujiang Valley
Finally, I really want to go to Nujiang Valley. It’s a place written about by Austrian-American botanist and explorer Joseph Rock, who was in China in the 1920s and 30s. More recently, a medical journalist called Michael Woodhead has started this blog dedicated to retracing Joseph Rock’s steps. He did a cycling trip along the southwest border of China and took some amazing film photos. I would love to explore the region on a bike!
 |
| Via Joseph Rock |
I hope that was enjoyable or helpful! I can’t wait to plan trips to some of these amazing locations.
