With a landmass of almost 10 million sq. km (4 million sq. miles), plus a further 5 million sq. km (2 million sq. miles) of water, no other single country can even come close to offering such a vast choice of destinations as the unimaginable vastness that is currently known as China.

The world's foremost authority on China, Harvard professor John King Fairbank, declared that "our libraries are filled with writers who know all about China, but could not see how much they did not know." We concede that we have barely scratched the surface, especially when we consider that human history in this area stretches back almost two million years, much further than the much-vaunted "5,000 years of Chinese civilization," yet even this is hardly a smudge on the far longer geologic record. In many parts, the People's Republic has only recently been opened to visitors, and so we have only had a few decades to unlock some of this enormous realm's secrets. While we certainly do not claim to have uncovered everything, we have been truly inspired by this huge treasure house, and have included here what we have been able to find out so far, starting with what we think is some of China's very best

Exploring the Forbidden City's Forgotten Corners (Beijing): No one fails to be impressed by the grandeur of the Forbidden City's central axis, which is all most visitors see. But the quieter maze of pavilions, gardens, courtyards, and theaters to either side have the greater charm.

Dining on Shanghai's Bund: China's most famous waterfront street of colonial architecture, the Bund, has recently become the toniest address in town, with the redevelopment of a few formerly stodgy old buildings into some of the city's finest shopping and dining establishments. These rooftop restaurants serve up unsurpassed views of Shanghai, old and new.

Cycling the City Wall in Xi'an: The largest city walls in China have been much pierced for modern purposes and can be tackled in a modern way, too, with a breezy, traffic-light-free ride above the rooftops on rented bicycles and tandems. Behold views of remnants of vernacular architecture, clustered around small temples.

Exploring Li Jiang's Old Town: Built over 800 years ago and partly rebuilt after a massive 1996 earthquake, Li Jiang's old town, with its maze of cobblestone streets, gurgling streams, and original and reconstructed traditional Naxi houses, is one of the most atmospheric places in China, hordes of tourists notwithstanding. Rise before the sun, then watch its golden rays filter through the gray winding streets, lighting up the dark wooden houses.

Cruising the Li River (Guilin): One of the most popular attractions in China, the cruise along the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo is overexposed and overpriced, but the scenery along the way is still some of the most memorable in the world. The tongue of the Li River flicks lazily past islands as it courses through serried hills like dragon's teeth.

Unwinding in a Sichuan Teahouse: One of the great pleasures of being in Sichuan is drinking tea at a neighborhood teahouse. On any given afternoon at Qingyang Gong in Chengdu, for instance, seniors can be found playing mahjong with friends while their caged songbirds sit in nearby trees providing ambient music. As patrons eat watermelon seeds, nuts, dried squid, or beef jerky, attendants appear at regular intervals to refill their cups from copper kettles. For an afternoon of perfect relaxation, bring a friend and a deck of cards, or postcards to write, and forget about sightseeing for a few hours.

Gazing at the Sea of Terra-Cotta Warriors at the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (Xi'an): The first sight of the tomb, situated in a hangarlike building, leaves many visitors stunned and awed. This destination is at the top of almost every visitor's list, and it does not disappoint.

Strolling in Shanghai's French Concession: The domain of the French community up until 1949 was colonial Shanghai's trendiest area, and it remains full of tree-lined boulevards, colonial mansions, and numerous Art Deco masterpieces, now bundled up with phone lines and pole-hung washing. Some of the city's best shopping is also here. Just beyond the former concession is one of modern Shanghai's trendiest areas, the mega-development of restaurants and shops known as Xin Tiandi.

Getting Lost in the Lanes Around Beijing's Back Lakes: No other city in the world has anything quite like the hutong, narrow lanes once "as numberless as the hairs on an ox." Now rapidly vanishing, the best-preserved hutong are found around a pair of man-made lakes in the city center. This section of the city is almost the last repository of Old Beijing's gritty, low-rise charm, dotted with tiny temples, hole-in-the-wall noodle shops, and quiet courtyard houses whose older residents can still be seen walking around in Mao suits.

Strolling the Old Neighborhoods of Kashgar: The dusty alleys, colorful residential doorways, and mud-brick walls remain as they have been for decades. Kids with henna-dyed feet and fingernails will approach you speaking a few words of Chinese and English; men with donkey carts trudge down narrow passages; bakers arrange round large slabs of nan in coal ovens built into the ground. Spending hours watching how citizens of Kashgar live is one of the most rewarding experiences along the Silk Road.

Taking a "Peapod" Boat on Shennong Stream (Yangzi River): Best of the Three Gorges cruise excursions, this 2-hour journey through a long, narrow canyon takes passengers to one of the famous suspended coffins of the Ba people, then returns them downstream in a fraction of the time. Along the way, howler monkeys can sometimes be spotted swinging through the trees, small waterfalls appear from the rocks, and swallows and other small birds flit about. The water in this small tributary is surprisingly clear, and the scenery and silence are thoroughly calming.

Peak Travel Seasons

Chinese New Year (Spring Festival): Like many Chinese festivals, this one operates on the lunar calendar. Solar equivalents for the next few years are January 29, 2006; February 18, 2007; February 7, 2008; and January 26, 2009. The effects of this holiday are felt from 2 weeks before the date until 2 weeks after, when anyone who's away from home attempts to get back, including an estimated 150 million migrant workers. Although tens of thousands of extra bus and train services are added, tickets for land transport are very difficult to get, and can command high prices on the black market (official prices also rise on some routes, and on ferries between Hong Kong and the mainland). Air tickets are usually obtainable and may even still be discounted. In the few days immediately around the new year, traffic on long-distance rail and bus services may be light, but local services may dry up altogether. Most tourist sights stay open, although some shut on the holiday itself or have limited holiday hours.

Labor Day & National Day: In a policy known as "holiday economics," the May 1 and October 1 holidays have now been expanded to 7 days each (including one weekend -- most people are expected to work through the weekend prior to the holiday to exchange for two weekdays, which are added to the official 3 days of holiday). The aim is to draw out some of China's vast savings and get it sloshing around the economy on leisure spending, a policy which has been spectacularly successful. These two holidays now mark the beginning and end of the domestic travel season, and mark the twin peaks of leisure travel, with the remainder of May, early June, and September also busy. Most Chinese avoid traveling in the summer except specifically to cooler high ground or an offshore island, usually on a weekend. The exact dates of each holiday are not given out until around 2 weeks before each takes place, but it's best, if you're traveling independently, to arrive at a larger destination before the holiday starts, and move on in the middle or after the end. The disposable income to fund travel is more often found in the larger cities, so these tend to become quieter, easier to get around, and less polluted. Noted tourist destinations around the country will be extremely busy, however. In Hong Kong and Macau, these are only 1- or 2-day holidays introduced in 1997 and 1999 respectively.

University Holidays: Exact term dates are rarely announced far in advance, but train tickets can be difficult to obtain as the student populace moves between home and college. Terms run for 18 weeks with 2 weeks of exams, from the beginning of September to just before Spring Festival, and from just after the Spring Festival to the end of June.

Local Difficulties: China's main international trade fair occupies the last 2 weeks of April and October, and drives up hotel prices in Guangzhou, where it's held, and as far away as Hong Kong. In the summer, pleasant temperatures in the northeast (slightly cooler than the rest of China) draw students on summer vacation (which makes train tickets hard to acquire), as well as large Chinese tour groups who trample all before them; it may not be the best time for your visit. The northeast's Dalian is also overbooked during the International Fashion Festival in September. Across China, midweek travel is always better than weekend travel, particularly true at destinations easily tackled in a weekend, such as Wutai Shan and Pingyao. Government-imposed travel restrictions in Tibet tend to increase around the Monlam Festival (sometime mid-Jan to mid-Feb), Saka Dawa Festival (mid-May to mid-June), and around the present Dalai Lama's birthday (July 6). The border crossing between Hong Kong and the mainland at Lo Wu can take a couple of hours at holiday periods.

Climate

China is the third-biggest country in the world, with the second-lowest inland depression (Turpan) and some of its highest peaks (Everest and K2 are both partly in China). Its far northeast shares the same weather patterns as Siberia, and its far southwest the same subtropical climate as northern Thailand.

In the north, early spring and late autumn are the best times to travel, both offering warm, dry days and cool, dry evenings. During March and April winds blow away the pollution but sometimes bring sand from the Gobi and topsoil from high ground to the northeast of Beijing, increasingly desiccated by the mismanagement of water resources. The sky can at times turn a vivid yellow.

In the south, November to February brings a welcome drop both in temperature and in all-pervasive humidity, although in Hong Kong all public interiors and many private houses are air-conditioned to cryogenic temperatures year-round.

Central China, lacking the sea breezes that moderate the coast's summers and make its winters more temperate, has some of the country's most searing summer temperatures and bitterest winters, but it also escapes the worst of the humidity. Tibet has springlike days in the summer but far milder winters than most people expect, at least in Lhasa, made endurable by the dryness of the climate. The northwest has perhaps the greatest range of temperatures, with severe summers and winters alike, but it is also largely dry.

Holidays

Public holidays and their effects vary widely between mainland China and the two Special Administrative Regions, Hong Kong and Macau.

Mainland China--A few years ago the Chinese were finally granted a 2-day weekend. Offices close, but stores, restaurants, post offices, transportation, sights and, in some areas, banks, all operate the same services 7 days a week. Most sights, shops, and restaurants are also open on public holidays, but all offices and anything government-related take as much time off as they can. Although China switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1911, some public holidays (and many festivals) are based on a lunar cycle, their solar dates varying from year to year. Holidays are New Year's Day (Jan 1), Spring Festival (Chinese New Year and the 2 days following it), Labor Day (May 1 plus up to 4 more weekdays and a weekend), National Day (Oct 1 plus extra days, as with Labor Day).

Hong Kong--Saturday is officially a working day in Hong Kong, although many offices in fact take the day off or only open for reduced hours. Weekend ferry sailings and other transport may vary, particularly on Sunday, when many shops are closed and opening hours for attractions may also vary. Hong Kong gets many British holidays, traditional Chinese holidays, plus modern political ones added after 1997, but in shorter forms. Banks, schools, offices, and government departments are all closed on these dates, as are many museums: New Year's Day (Jan 1), Lunar New Year's Day (for the mainland Spring Festival, but in Hong Kong the day itself plus 2 more, and an extra Fri or Mon if 1 day falls on a Sun); Ching Ming Festival (Apr 5), Good Friday (usually early Apr, plus the following Sat and Easter Monday), Labor Day (May 1), Buddha's Birthday (1 day in May), Tuen Ng (Dragon Boat Festival, 1 day in June), Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day (July 1), Mid-Autumn Festival (1 day in Sept, usually moved to the nearest Fri or Mon to make a long weekend), National Day (Oct 1), Chung Yeung Festival (1 day in Oct), Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Dec 25, and the next weekday if the 26th is a Sat or Sun).

Macau--Macau has the same holidays as Hong Kong except for SAR Establishment Day, and with similar consequences, but with the following variations: National Day is 2 days (Oct 1-2), All Souls' Day (Nov 2), Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec 8), Macau SAR Establishment Day (Dec 20), Winter Solstice (Dec 22), and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (Dec 24-25).