China
People's Republic of China
Eastern Asia · CHN
Editorial Snapshot
Why Go To China
China rewards travelers who want scale, contrast, and depth in a single trip. You can combine imperial cities, mountain landscapes, food-driven regional travel, and some of the world's most recognizable historic sites, but it works best when you build around one or two regions rather than trying to cover the whole country at once.
Popular For
Things To See
- Beijing
- Shanghai
- Xi'an
- Great Wall
- Guilin
- Zhangjiajie
Best Months
Best Months For Winter Travel
Know Before You Go
- China is large enough that weather, distances, and trip style vary sharply by region, so most first visits work better when centered on a single corridor rather than the whole country.
- High-speed rail makes multi-city travel practical on classic routes like Beijing-Xi'an-Shanghai, but western and far-southern itineraries often need more transit time.
- The biggest landmark sights can be extremely busy around domestic holidays, so timing matters more here than in many other countries.
Affiliate links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more
Flights
Hotels & Accommodations
Compare stays across major booking options
Open hotel and accommodation options for China.
Guidebooks
📚Browse China Guidebooks on AmazonTours & Activities
Country Data
Stats At A Glance
Practical travel, safety, climate, and quality-of-life stats for China.
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Beijing
- Population
- 1,408,280,000
- Area
- 9,706,961 km²
- Region
- Eastern Asia
Languages
- Chinese
Currency
Chinese yuan (¥)
CNY
1 USD = 6.81 CNY
Cost of Living (World Bank)
49.1
Price level index (US = 100)
- Groceries
- 34.7
- Restaurants
- 21.0
- Rent
- 10.4
Safety & Peace
higher score = safer everyday environment · derived from World Bank homicide data
lower score = more peaceful · 1.0–3.5 scale
Monthly Climate Averages
These weather averages are based on data for Beijing (39.92°N, 116.38°E).
LGBTQ+ Friendly
35/100
Traveler LGBTQ score
- Legal protections
- 20/100
- Lived safety
- 64/100
This score blends legal protections with lived-safety context so strong laws alone do not automatically push a country to the top of the ranking.
- Homosexuality legal✅
- Relationship recognitionNone
- Adoption recognition❌
- Anti-discrimination laws❌
- Employment protections❌
- Legal gender recognition❌
- Conversion therapy ban❌
Human Development Index (UNDP)
0.797
High human development
- 5-year change
- +0.023
- 10-year change
- +0.064
- Trend
- improving
- Data year
- 2023
- Gender Dev. Index (GDI)
- 0.976
- Gender Inequality Index (GII)
- 0.132
- Planetary-adjusted HDI (PHDI)
- 0.644
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (60)
- 🏛️
Xixia Imperial Tombs
Inscribed 2025
- 🌿
Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes
Inscribed 2024
- 🏛️
Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital
Inscribed 2024
- 🏛️
Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er
Inscribed 2023
- 🏛️
Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China
Inscribed 2021
- 🌿
Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China
Inscribed 2019
- 🏛️
Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City
Inscribed 2019
- 🌿
Fanjingshan
Inscribed 2018
- 🏛️
Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement
Inscribed 2017
- 🌿
Qinghai Hoh Xil
Inscribed 2017
- 🌿
Hubei Shennongjia
Inscribed 2016
- 🏛️
Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape
Inscribed 2016
- 🏛️
Tusi Sites
Inscribed 2015
- 🏛️
The Grand Canal
Inscribed 2014
- 🏛️
Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor
Inscribed 2014
- 🌿
Xinjiang Tianshan
Inscribed 2013
- 🏛️
Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces
Inscribed 2013
- 🌿
Chengjiang Fossil Site
Inscribed 2012
- 🏛️
Site of Xanadu
Inscribed 2012
- 🏛️
West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou
Inscribed 2011
- 🏛️
Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth”
Inscribed 2010
- 🌿
China Danxia
Inscribed 2010
- 🏛️
Mount Wutai
Inscribed 2009
- 🏛️
Fujian Tulou
Inscribed 2008
- 🌿
Mount Sanqingshan National Park
Inscribed 2008
- 🌿
South China Karst
Inscribed 2007
- 🏛️
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages
Inscribed 2007
- 🏛️
Yin Xu
Inscribed 2006
- 🌿
Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains
Inscribed 2006
- 🏛️
Historic Centre of Macao
Inscribed 2005
- 🏛️
Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom
Inscribed 2004
- 🌿
Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas
Inscribed 2003
- 🏛️
Yungang Grottoes
Inscribed 2001
- 🏛️
Longmen Grottoes
Inscribed 2000
- 🏛️
Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Inscribed 2000
- 🏛️
Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun
Inscribed 2000
- 🏛️
Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Inscribed 2000
- 🌍
Mount Wuyi
Inscribed 1999
- 🏛️
Dazu Rock Carvings
Inscribed 1999
- 🏛️
Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
Inscribed 1998
- 🏛️
Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing
Inscribed 1998
- 🏛️
Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Inscribed 1997
- 🏛️
Ancient City of Ping Yao
Inscribed 1997
- 🏛️
Old Town of Lijiang
Inscribed 1997
- 🏛️
Lushan National Park
Inscribed 1996
- 🌍
Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
Inscribed 1996
- 🏛️
Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde
Inscribed 1994
- 🏛️
Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains
Inscribed 1994
- 🏛️
Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa
Inscribed 1994
- 🏛️
Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu
Inscribed 1994
- 🌿
Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Inscribed 1992
- 🌿
Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Inscribed 1992
- 🌿
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Inscribed 1992
- 🌍
Mount Huangshan
Inscribed 1990
- 🏛️
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
Inscribed 1987
- 🏛️
Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian
Inscribed 1987
- 🏛️
Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang
Inscribed 1987
- 🏛️
The Great Wall
Inscribed 1987
- 🌍
Mount Taishan
Inscribed 1987
- 🏛️
Mogao Caves
Inscribed 1987
Natural Beauty (World Bank)
- Protected land area
- 15.6%
- Forest cover
- 24.0%
Source: World Bank.
Wildlife & Birdwatching
- Threatened mammal species (IUCN)
- 78
- Threatened bird species (IUCN)
- 94
Source: World Bank / IUCN Red List. Higher counts indicate richer biodiversity, typically in tropical rainforest, island, and savannah ecosystems.
Food & Cuisine
47/100
Food and dining score
Built from two layers: dining-scene breadth and open prestige signals. We combine restaurant density, cuisine diversity, distinguished restaurants, and gastronomy-city recognitions from open data sources.
Winter Sports
32/100
Ski infrastructure & alpine pedigree
Combines ski resort depth, ski resort density, and Winter Olympic skiing results. Separate from climate comfort.
Luxury Infrastructure
6/100
Luxury & premium accommodation score
Based on OpenStreetMap luxury hotel density and World Bank international tourism receipts.
US Travel Advisory
Updated to reflect a shift to Level 2 “Exercise increased caution” for Mainland China. Summary: Exercise increased caution when traveling to Mainland China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans. Exercise increased caution when traveling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws. Reconsider travel to the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to a limited ability to provide emergency consular services. Exercised increased caution when traveling to the Macau SAR due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws. See specific risks and conditions in each jurisdiction.
Read full advisory →Data current as of May 2026 and subject to change. Travel advisory information is sourced from the U.S. State Department and reflects conditions at the time of data collection, not real-time conditions. Do not rely solely on this information for travel decisions. Always check current government advisories for your nationality. Terms of Use · About our data