Situated in the far north of China close to the vast sub-Siberian plains, Harbin is the pleasant capital of Heilongjiang Province. The railway and the Bolshevik Revolution brought large numbers of Russians to the city, prompting a change in Harbin’s fortunes. Once called “Little Moscow” for its charming pockets of Russian architecture. While the city’s summer is quite pleasant, its winter temperatures dip below –30°C, perfect weather for its spectacular Ice Festival.

Harbin’s most pleasurable aspects lie within the Daoli District, the area stretching from the main railway station to the Songhua River. The district’s downtown area is lined with several upmarket boutiques, fur shops, and department stores. Visitors can walk north along the pedestrianized shopping street of Zhongyang Dajie to explore the picturesque cobbled alleys and architectural legacies of the grand Russian era. Numerous shops and buildings on Zhongyang Dajie have been restored, and their histories recorded in English on exterior plaques. The lanes leading off Zhongyang Dajie are ideal for a leisurely stroll, while along its length are several good bars and restaurants. Lined with ice sculptures in winter, the streets here are alive with the bustle of pavement cafes during summer.

East of Zhongyang Dajie is the Church of St. Sofia, the city’s most spectacular Russian edifice. Dating from 1907, it is also the largest Russian Orthodox church in the Far East. This Byzantinestyle red-brick cathedral is topped with a green, onion-shaped dome. It houses the Architecture and Arts Centre, a rewarding photographic exhibition of the Russian influence on Harbin. To the north, Zhaolin Park is the setting for many of the ice sculptures of the annual Ice Festival, officially held every year from January 5 to February 25. In winter, the park is transformed into a glistening wonderland of brightly-lit ice sculptures, ranging from simple statues to buildings, monuments, and temples.

Close by, Harbin’s riverfront is dotted with a number of interesting sights. The Flood Control Monument at the northern end of Zhongyang Dajie was erected in 1958 to commemorate the river’s flood-prone history. Stretching 42 km along the riverbank is Stalin Park, China’s last public memorial to Joseph Stalin. It is an engaging riverside promenade and meeting place for Harbin locals. In summer, boat trips can be taken along the river and across to Sun Island Park on the northern bank. The park has a variety of recreational attractions and can also be reached by cable car. In winter, the river freezes over completely, and visitors can hire go-carts or simply walk across. An annual snow sculpture exhibition is held on Sun Island, which is also home to the Siberian Tiger Park, where the endangered Manchurian tiger is currently being bred. Visitors may want to give this rather dismal place a miss, as the fenced-off area seems much too small for the big cats, who are constantly being teased with live chickens by noisy busloads of tourists.

Southeast of the main railway station, the Provincial Museum has a rather uninspiring collection of exhibits with no English captions. Farther east along Dong Dazhi Jie are some of Harbin’s Buddhist temples, all of which were damaged during the Cultural Revolution. The quiet Jile Si is home to an active Buddhist community. The complex follows a typical Buddhist temple layout with Drum and Bell Towers, Hall of Heavenly Kings, and a main hall, adorned with statues of Sakyamuni (the Historical Buddha) and various bodhisattvas. Adjacent is the seven-tiered Qiji Futu Pagoda, standing within the largest temple complex in the province. Nearby on Wenmiao Jie, the Confucian Temple is a sizeable shrine also worth visiting. Harbin’s zoo has been moved 41 km away from the city center, renamed Harbin Northern Forest Zoo, and is now one of the largest zoos in China.

The city of Jilin is a little-visited industrial settlement on either side of the Songhua or Sungari River. Like many other cities in the northeast, Jilin has a short history and was a small village until the 17th century when it was fortified. The station generates one of Jilin’s major winter attractions– shugua or needle-like white frost which covers the branches of the riverside pine and willow trees. As warm water from the power station flows into the Songhua, its temperature rises and it remains unfrozen. Evaporating water droplets from the river condense along the branches of trees and freeze, producing a sparkling display of ice-rimmed branches, resembling fragile pieces of coral. As with Harbin, winter is the main tourist season, and Jilin also stages an ice festival from January to the end of February.

Pleasant walks along paths, and past shrines and pavilions are possible in hilly Beishan Park in the west of town. The park has an array of Daoist and Buddhist temples that are worth investigating, including the Guandi Temple, the Three King Temple, and the Jade Emperor’s Temple, with a gaggle of fortune tellers in front.

Locals are proud of the city’s attractive Catholic Church, built by the French in the early 19th century. It rises up west of Jilin’s main bridge on Songjiang Lu, the road along the north bank of the river. East of the church is the Confucius Temple, dedicated to the great sage. Candidates of the imperial civil service examinations came here to pray for his help and blessings. The sedate temple provides an escape from Jilin’s modern face.

In the south of the city, the Meteorite Shower Museum houses a scattering of rock fragments that rained down around Jilin in 1976, including a vast specimen weighing nearly two tons (1,770 kg).

The sprawling modern capital of Jilin province is cheerfully known as “Eternal Spring” despite its brutal winter. Changchun today has emerged as an attractive, green city in China’s northeastern “rustbelt,” famed for its car production.

Changchun’s only major sight of interest is the Puppet Emperor’s Palace, the residence of the “Last Emperor,” Pu Yi, the Emperor of Manchukuo. Located in the city’s northeast, the palace, with its period furnishings and old photographs, serves as an apt epitaph to the tragic folly of Pu Yi’s life. The palace lacks the majesty of the Forbidden City, and instead is suggestive of the sanctuary of an exiled monarch. Recent renovations have, however, restored much of its former grandeur. It is now a fascinating museum of artifacts relating to the 13 powerless years that Pu Yi spent here. Scenes from Bertolucci’s 1987 epic film The Last Emperor were filmed here. Other period buildings include the Manchukuo State Council Building on Xinmin Dajie in the southeast of city. Open to the public, the building is a government structure that features a brass Otis elevator that once ferried Pu Yi aloft.

In the northeast corner of People’s Square on the main street of Renmin Dajie stands Banruo Temple, an active Buddhist temple dating to 1921. Inside the main hall is a statue of Sakyamuni with attendant arhat. Changchun is also famous for its cinematic output and the city’s film studio can be visited, although it is only really of interest to specialist film buffs.

Sparkling with self-assurance and confidence, Dalian is Northeast China’s most dynamic and attractive city. It is famed throughout China for its top-notch hotels, progressive economy, modern and European-style architecture, football team, and cleanliness. Located at the southernmost point of Northeast China near the tip of the Liaodong peninsula, Dalian enjoys sea breezes and a warmer winter than other parts of the region.

The city of Dalian has few temples or monuments of note, but most visitors come for its beaches, seafood, shopping, and striking modernity. Serving as a dazzling hub from which major streets radiate, Zhongshan Square is laid out with lawns. At night, locals gather here to dance and listen to music, and to watch the occasional cultural performances that are held. The most interesting buildings along the square’s periphery are the Dalian Hotel at No. 4 to the south, and the Bank of China on the northern rim at No. 9.

Currently being redeveloped, Dalian’s main shopping area is Tianjin Jie, a pedestrianized stretch of shops northwest of Zhongshan Square. Beneath Shengli Square to the west is a huge underground shopping center, while the Friendship Store lies farther east on Renmin Lu.

Dotting Dalian are several tree-lined streets and spacious parks. Southwest of Zhongshan Square is Labor Park, with its hallmark giant football at the center. It is known for hosting the Locust Flower Festival each spring. Farther southwest is Dalian’s other main square, Renmin Square. Formerly known as Stalin Square, it was until recently overlooked by a large statue of a Russian soldier, that now stands in nearby Lushun. The square is pleasantly laid out with grass and is lit at night.

Dalian is famous for its beaches and these can easily be reached by bus or taxi. In the northeast of the Dalian peninsula, just off Binhai Lu near the Eighteen Bends, is the scenic Donghai Park. Covering 1,112 acres, this seaside park has a 1,200-m long coastline. It was founded to celebrate Dalian’s centennial anniversary, and has striking statues of oversized sea-creatures, including a giant octopus and a shark. There are fine sea views, and the water is clean though rather cold until mid-July for swimming. The pebble beach is popular with visitors, who often bring tents and beach towels and spend the whole day here.

Farther south along the coastal Binhai Lu, the Bangchuidao Scenic Area has the best beaches on China’s east coast, once reserved for party officials and now open to all. Binhai Lu makes for a marvelous walk with fantastic views over the cliffs across the Yellow Sea. The next stop is the more touristy Tiger Beach Scenic Area, which sports an amusement park and an aquarium. Several miles farther west, the Fujiazhuang Scenic Area is also rather boisterous and crowded, and farther still is the Xinghai Beach Scenic Area, housing the immensely popular Sun Asia Ocean World. This aquarium has a 116-m long underwater tunnel and several tanks filled with sea-life that attracts children in droves. Just off the coast, Xinghai Square was built to commemorate the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Lying 35 km southwest of Dalian, Lushun enjoys an excellent strategic position, its harbor benefiting from the perennial ice-free waters. Known as Port Arthur, it was the chief naval base for the Chinese Beiyang fleet from the mid-19th century. North of the bay and near the station, Baiyu Hill is topped with rows of cannons and a tower, and offers views over city.

An industrial city on the eastern shores of the Liaoning Gulf, Jinzhou is visited mainly for its storehouse of Jurassic period fossils, of which more than 300 are housed in the private Wenya Museum. Set up by the amateur collector Du Wenya, this unremarkable three-story building stands on Heping Road although there is talk of relocating it in the near future. The star attraction is a specimen of dushi kongzi niao (Confuciusornis dui hou), a winged, avian dinosaur with feathered features, that was unearthed in 1998 in western Liaoning, a region rich in dinosaur remains. Other exhibits include another dinosaur with bird-like features known as Sinosauropteryx, a 120-million-year-old and 9-m fossilized tree, and fossilized dinosaur eggs from the Jurassic period. Jutting out of Jinzhou Bay, 34 km south of city, is Bijia Shan (Penholder Mount). It is connected to the mainland by an isthmus that emerges from the sea at low tide. The island’s peaks – which resemble a Chinese pen rest – support several Buddhist temples and offer magnificent views over the bay. Visitors who wish to walk to Bijia Shan along the isthumus should check the timings of low-tide before planning a trip. An alternative way of reaching the island is by taking a fishing boat.

Presided over by a statue of Mao Zedong in the heart of city, Dandong is located along the Yalu Jiang (Yalu River) in the eastern part of Liaoning province. It would have been little more than an obscure outpost, ignored by travelers, if it were not for its proximity to North Korea. Today, the largest border city in China, Dandong has an unmistakable Korean stamp, from the barbecue dishes, to the signs in the Korean script, and the Korean shops and souvenirs.

Within reach of Dandong are several other interesting sights, and the city acts as a useful launch pad to Changbai Mountain and the stunning mountain lake of Tian Chi. Dandong’s trademark sight is the Yalu River Bridge that reaches out into the river alongside the bridge connecting China with North Korea – this railway line runs all the way from Beijing to Pyongyang. The steel bridge ends halfway along its full span, the remainder having been dismantled by the Koreans. Boats and speedboats offer cruises along the Yalu River, for visitors who want to get within two or three feet of the hermit kingdom. It is permitted to take photographs of North Korea, though there are few photogenic features – just factories, civilians, and Stalinist housing.

Located 50 km northwest of city, the 840-m Phoenix Mountain is associated with Daoist mythology. It supports a crop of temples and caves, besides offering some excellent hiking trails. A good time to visit is during the temple fair, held every April. The Hushan Great Wall, a little-visited and restored vestige of the Great Wall, is located 20 km northeast of Dandong, near Jiuliancheng town, overlooking the Yalu River and the North Korean border. This section of the wall, dating from the reign of the Ming Wanli emperor, is its easternmost point. In 2003, the Great Wall Museum opened at the site, displaying relics associated with the defensive barrier. Since the North Korean border is not always clearly marked, hiking around this area is inadvisable, in case visitors inadvertently cross over into North Korea.

Imperial Palace

Second only in scale to the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Imperial Palace is Shenyang’s premier historical sight, situated in what was the center of the old city. Its construction began in 1625, during the reign of Nurhachi (1559 - 1626), leader of the Manchus. In 1644, Manchu troops breached the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan and swarmed into China to establish the Qing Dynasty. Serving as the imperial residence of both Nurhachi and his son and heir Abahai, the palace is composed of 300 rooms. While its features reflect a pronounced Manchu and Mongol influence, the palace was obviously an attempt to emulate its Ming counterpart, the Forbidden City, Beijing. The palace divides into three sections. The dominating feature of the central section is the Chongzheng Hall, from where Abahai oversaw political affairs and received envoys from vassal lands and border territories. In the courtyard behind the hall, the Qingning Palace is where the emperor and his concubines resided. The Phoenix Tower, the tallest structure in the imperial grounds can be found here too.

In the western section, the Wensu Pavilion formerly housed one of seven copies of the 36,078-volume Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasures), an encyclopedic collection of Chinese literature compiled in the Qing era, of which only four sets survive. The Dazheng Hall is the central feature of the eastern section, fronted by pillars emblazoned with sinuous Loongs. It was here that Shunzhi (Aisin Gioro Fulin) was crowned as the first Qing emperor, before he conquered China in 1644. In front of the hall stand the Ten King Pavilions, once used as offices by the chieftains of the “Eight Banners” – the Manchu system of land and hereditary divisions. The palace has been undergoing extensive restoration and some halls that are usually open may be closed. It achieved UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2004.

North Pagoda

Built in 1643, Bei Ta is the only one of four temples and pagodas situated on the city boundaries that exists in a decent state of repair. The surviving features of the original pagoda are the Great Hall and Falun Temple. The main hall is decorated with murals of deities.

North Tomb

The huge North Tomb Park houses the tomb of Abahai (1592 – 1643), the son of Nurhachi, and his wife, Empress Borjijit. One of the largest and best preserved of China’s imperial mausoleums, the North Tomb (Bei Ling) was built in 1643, the year of the emperor’s death. The layout of the complex is typical of imperial Chinese tombs, and is accessed through Zhenghong Gate to the south. Of the pavilions lying on either side of the gate, the easternmost pavilion was used as a dressing room for visiting emperors, while the westernmost was the site for sacrificing animals. A Spirit Way, lined with animal statues, leads to the Hall of Eminent Favor (Ling’en Dian). Right behind the hall lie the tree-covered imperial burial mounds, formally called Zhao Ling (the Luminous Tomb), and an exquisite Loong screen.

East Tomb

The impressive East Tomb (Dong Ling), the final resting place of Nurhachi and his wife Yehenala, was completed in 1651. Arranged attractively on the slopes of Mount Tianzhu near the Hun River, the three-storied tomb has a flight of 108 steps leading to its main gate. The number 108 is sacred to the Chinese; in the Daoist celestial order, 108 represents the 36 stars of heaven and the 72 stars of hell. The number is also sacred to Buddhists, reflected in the 108 beads on Buddhist rosaries and the number of luohan in certain Buddhist sects.

Xi Jie (West Street)

An 250-m long cobbled street running between the highway and the Li River, Xi Jie (West Street) is lined with restored rural architecture dating from the Qing dynasty. Today, it has a glut of friendly restaurants, cafes, guesthouses, and souvenir shops aimed at foreign visitors. Restaurants serve western cuisine such as wood-fire pizzas and steak as well as local specialties including a variety of fresh fish dishes. Shops sell a range of inexpensive Chinese souvenirs, from Mao memorabilia and wooden theater masks to antique wooden panels, batiks, silk T-shirts, scroll paintings, modern and traditional clothes, and pirated Western music CDs. A few shops also sell factory-reject designer wear at bargain prices. The Hongfu Hotel, located about halfway down the street, was built in the 19th century as an inn for merchants from Jiangxi. The docks area at the river end, where ferries pull in from Guilin, is covered in ornamental paving and offers good views of the angular peaks upstream. In the area north of the highway are some lovely back alleys, and a lively produce market where locals shop.

Bilian Peak & Yangshuo Park

Situated close to the center of town are two 100-m high peaks which can be climbed. To the southeast of town, overlooking the river, is the towering Bilian Feng (Green Lotus Peak), with a steep track to the summit. The second peak, Xilang Shan (Man Hill), is situated in Yangshuo Park to the west of town. It has an easier set of steps that lead to a viewing pavilion. The park is also a pleasant place to stroll and watch sessions of early morning Tai Ji Quan.

Jianshan Temple & Underground Caves

The only temple in the area around Yangshuo, Jianshan Temple is built in a simple, late Qing dynasty style, with wing-like horse head gables protecting its doorway. Located nearby, the Black Buddha, Assembled Dragons, and New Water Caves are a series of underground caverns discovered in the 1990s. Locals show people around the cool, damp, and muddy caves using hand-held flashlights. Although visitors have to negotiate tall bamboo ladders and scramble over rocks, the lack of well-laid paths and garish colored lights that usually illuminate subterranean rivers and waterfalls is refreshing.

Yueliang Hill

The distinctive crescent shaped arch that pierces Yueliang Hill (Moon Hill) has made it the most famous of Yangshuo’s peaks. Stone steps, steep in places, lead to the base of the arch, a half hour climb through bamboo thickets and bushes. The view of the Li River valley from the far side of the arch is magnificent, with fields laid out below, encircling the jagged karst pinnacles. The best time to visit is during the summer rains, when the fields are bright green. If traveling by bicycle, visitors should take the main road south of town toward the river and turn right about 200 m before the bridge. From here, it’s an hour to Yueliang Hill. Close by, Longtan Village has several unrestored old buildings, with whitewashed brick walls, wooden doors, and tiled roofs supporting intricate “flying eaves” drawn out into points.

Nestled in the southern half of the Guangxi province, only 200 km from the Vietnamese border, the Guangxi capital, Nanning is somewhat removed from the rest of the province. Founded in the Song Dynasty, Nanning became the provincial capital in 1912. Today, the city is expanding rapidly.

Nanning makes a useful transit point for those heading to Vietnam or towards sights located in the southwestern corner of the province, such as Detian Falls and the Zuo Jiang. Nanning itself has only a handful of monuments and sights, but is a nice enough place with a laid-back atmosphere and many bustling markets. It is also the main city of the Zhuang minority, who make up over 60 percent of the population.

The busy shopping district of Xingning Road, with its well-restored European-style buildings, is a reminder that Nanning was opened to foreign trade in 1907. The Provincial Museum on Minzu Dadao has a display of over 50 antique bronze “Dongson” drums in many different styles, some of which are about 2,000 years old.

On Renmin East Road, Renmin Park is planted with a variety of tropical plants such as giant taro, heliconias, bird-nest ferns, and philodendrons. To the east of the city on Chahua Yuan Road, Jinhua Cha Gardens exhibits the rare Golden Camellia, only found in the mountains of Guangxi and quite possibly now extinct in the wild. Unusual for a camellia, its petals are large and rather tough.

Rong Lake & Shan Lake

The conjoined Rong and Shan Lakes lie on either side of Zhongshan Road, which runs through the heart of city. Originally a part of the Ming city’s moats, the lakeshores have been paved and pleasantly planted with shady banyan and willow trees. On the shore of the westerly Rong Lake stands an 800-year-old banana tree, which gives the lake its name. On the lake’s northern shore lies Gu Nan Gate, Guilin’s old South Gate, the only remains of the Ming city walls. Several classical style arched bridges join the two banks. Shan Lake, on the eastern side of Zhongshan Road, is overlooked by the twin 40-m pagodas, Riming Shuang Ta, built in an antique style.

Xiangbi Shan (Elephant Trunk Hill)

The most famous of the city’s rock formations, the 100-m high Xiangbi Shan (Elephant Trunk Hill), with a hole through one end, resembles the stylized form of an elephant taking a drink from the adjacent Li River. According to a local legend, a baggage elephant in an imperial convoy was abandoned by the riverside by an uncaring emperor after it became sick. Nursed back to health by an elderly couple, the elephant refused to rejoin the returning convoy and was killed by the emperor and turned into a hill, the one that stands here to this day. The small stupa at the summit is said to be the hilt of the emperor’s sword sticking out of the elephant’s back. Ferries can be taken from Nanhuan Road to the hill. Along the path to the summit stands an old, crumbling pagoda.

Qixing Park

The pleasant and lush Qixing Park (Seven Stars Park) covers an area of 2 sq km along the eastern shore of the Li River. It is named after the four peaks on Putuo Hill, and three on Crescent Hill. Seen together, the peaks form the shape of the Great Bear or Big Dipper constellation, which governs fate in Chinese mythology. Covered in thick scrub, they provide shelter to about 100 half-wild monkeys. There are several trails and pathways ascending to viewing pavilions.

Guilin’s crags are renowned for their graffiti and caves. Crescent Hill is known for the 200-odd poems and commentaries carved into its overhangs, some of which are believed to date back to the Tang dynasty. Putuo Hill, which houses the 22-story high Putuo Temple, is hollowed out by Qixing Cave (Seven Stars Cave), a broad cavern with a small subterranean waterfall and surprisingly few rock formations. The 75-m Luotuo Hill (Camel Hill), standing on its own to the north of the park, resembles a seated single-humped camel. From its summit, there are views of Chuan Hill (Hill with a Mole), and the adjacent Ta Hill (Pagoda Hill) with a Ming-dynasty pagoda.

Jinjiang Prince’s Palace & Duxiu Peak

Complete with its own encircling wall and four gates, this palace resembles a miniature Forbidden City. It was originally built for the Ming prince Zhou Shouqian in 1372, predating Beijing’s palace by 34 years. Having housed 14 successive Ming princes, it later served as Sun Yat Sen’s headquarters in the 1920s. Today, it houses the Guangxi Teacher Training College. A sloping marble slab, carved with clouds at the entrance, indicates an imperial residence, while the absence of the usual dragons indicates that the palace was for a prince, not an emperor.

Within the palace grounds lies Duxiu Peak (Solitary Beauty Peak), whose 216-m spike protects the palace from the unlucky northern direction. At its foot is a tag carved by the 5th century governor Yan Yanzhi, extolling Guilin’s charms. Steps lead to the summit, offering splendid views.

Fubo Hill

A tall, yellow-gray rock rising from the river, Fubo Hill is believed to calm the rough waters below, hence its name, “Wave-Subduing Hill.” A crumbling temple on the peak houses a huge bronze bell and several hundred Buddha images from the Song Dynasty era.

Ludi Cave

Used as a hideout by Guilin’s residents during the Japanese invasion in the 1940s, Ludi Cave (Reed Flute Cave) has 10-m tunnels winding for 500 m through Guangming Hill. Inside, its numerous rock formations are lit with neon lights.