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.
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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
Exercise increased cautionin China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) government arbitrarily enforces local laws, including exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries, without fair and transparent process under the law. Foreigners in the PRC, including but not limited to businesspeople, former foreign-government personnel, academics, relatives of PRC citizens involved in legal disputes, and journalists have been interrogated and detained by PRC officials for alleged violations of PRC national security laws. The PRC has also interrogated, detained, and expelled U.S. citizens living and working in the PRC. U.S. citizens traveling or residing in the PRC may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime. U.S. citizens in the PRC may be subjected to interrogations and detention without fair and transparent treatment under the law. PRC authorities have broad discretion to deem a wide range of documents, data, statistics, or materials as state secrets and to detain and prosecute foreign nationals for alleged espionage. There is increased official scrutiny of U.S. and third-country firms, such as professional service and due diligence companies, operating in the PRC. Security personnel could detain U.S. citizens or subject them to prosecution for conducting research or accessing publicly available material inside the PRC. Security personnel could detain and/or deport U.S. citizens for sending private electronic messages critical of the PRC, Hong Kong SAR, or Macau SAR governments. The PRC government has used restrictions on travel or departure from the PRC, or so-called exit bans, to: Compel individuals to participate in PRC government investigations Pressure family members of the restricted individual to return to the PRC from abroad Resolve civil disputes in favor of PRC citizens Gain bargaining leverage over foreign governments U.S. citizens might only become aware of an exit ban when they attempt to depart the PRC, and there may be no available legal process to contest an exit ban in a court of law. Relatives, including minor children, of those under investigation in the PRC may become subject to an exit ban. The PRC government does not recognize dual nationality. Dual U.S.-PRC citizens and U.S. citizens of Chinese descent may be subject to additional scrutiny and harassment. If you are a U.S. citizen and choose to enter Mainland China on travel documents other than a U.S. passport and are detained or arrested, the PRC government may not notify the U.S. Embassy or the U.S. Consulates General or allow consular access. Check with the PRC Embassy in the United States for the most updated information on travel to the PRC. In some limited circumstances travelers to Mainland China may face additional COVID-19 testing requirements to enter some facilities or events. The Department of State does not provide or coordinate direct medical care to private U.S. citizens abroad. U.S. citizens overseas may receive PRC-approved COVID-19 vaccine doses where they are eligible. Do not consume drugs in the PRC or elsewhere prior to arriving in the PRC. A positive drug test, even if the drug was legal elsewhere, can lead to immediate detention, fines, deportation, and/or a ban from re-entering the PRC. PRC authorities may compel cooperation with blood, urine, or hair testing. Penalties for drug offenses may exceed penalties imposed in the United States. Demonstrations Participating in demonstrations or other activities that authorities interpret as constituting an act of secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with a foreign country could result in criminal charges. Be aware of your surroundings and avoid demonstrations. Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, Tibet autonomous region and Tibetan autonomous prefectures: Extra security measures, such as security checks and increased levels of police presence and surveillance, are common in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tibet Autonomous Region, and Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures. Authorities may impose curfews and travel restrictions on short notice.
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