54 places · 16 provinces
Places that exist because of something done in the last few decades: sand held back, a river moved, a village that found a product, a structure you can walk into. They are not old, and that is the point of the layer.
The last column starts with what a foreign passport gets you, because for several of these the answer is that you can look but cannot use: hailing a car or paying often needs a Chinese number or a Chinese account.
The background is on the china now page.
20 places
Village selling the present
a village whose present is the product: livestreaming, homestays, a crop turned into a brand
| Place | Where | Getting in |
|---|---|---|
| Chengkan Village (呈坎)A bagua-shaped village with an S-shaped stream, brick-carved gates and fermented tofu stalls.A bagua village surrounded by mountains and water, an S-shaped stream through the village, exquisite brick carvings on old house gateways, hairy tofu in the alleys. | Huangshan, Anhui | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, spring and autumn. |
| Hongcun Village (宏村)A Hui heritage village with a half-moon pond, white walls and grey roofs reflected in water.A crescent pond in the centre of the cow-shaped old village, white walls and black tiles reflected in the water, inns and hairy tofu stalls in the alleys. | Huangshan, Anhui | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, autumn colours in November, rapeseed in March. |
| Tachuan Village (塔川)A small Hui village at the foot of hills, famous for autumn tallow-tree red leaves.A small Hui village scattered at the foot of the mountain, Chinese tallow trees and red leaves around the white walls, photography viewpoints on the field ridges. | Huangshan, Anhui | Passport is enough to enter busy in the autumn-colour season Mid-November to early December red leaves. |
| Xidi Village (西递)An alleyed Hui village along a stream with horse-head gables and stone lions.A Hui-style old alley with a stream running through, horse-head-wall old houses on both sides, stone lions at the doors, Huangshan sesame cakes at the alley mouth. | Huangshan, Anhui | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, best in spring and autumn. |
| Jingzhu Guiyuan Mini-town (荆竹村归原小镇)A renovated hamlet with hillside B&Bs, a library and cafe serving local cured pork.A small settlement renovated from an old village, sloped-roof guesthouses along the terraces, a library and cafe in the village, local cured meat and potato rice for meals. | Chongqing | Passport is enough to enter book ahead at weekends May to October, avoid rainy-season afternoons. |
| Wulong Jingzhu Village (武隆荆竹村)A 1200m alpine village on Xiannu mountain with renovated wooden houses and sea-of-clouds views.A high-altitude village at 1200m on Xiannü Mountain, renovated old wooden houses scattered among pine forest and grass slopes, a viewing platform at the village entrance for sea of clouds. | Chongqing | Passport is enough to enter book a room ahead in high season May to October for cooling, spring and autumn for cloud sea, occasional winter snow. |
| Youyang Taohuayuan Ancient Peach Spring (酉阳桃花源景区古桃源)A walled valley reached through a karst cave, with peach trees, paddies and stone mills.A valley opening up after a natural cave, peach trees and rice fields planted, replica farmhouses and stone mills by the stream. | , Chongqing | Passport is enough to enter March peach blossom, greenest valley April to May. |
| Youyang Youzhou Old Town Street (酉阳酉州古城街)A hillside Tujia stilt-house street selling ciba cakes and cured pork, lit by red lanterns.A Tujia stilt-house commercial street built on the hillside, glutinous rice cakes and cured meat for sale on both sides of the stone path, red lanterns at night. | , Chongqing | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, best lantern atmosphere at night. |
| Longji Dazhai Village (龙脊大寨村)A red-Yao stilt-house village on the hillside above layered Longji terraces.A Red Yao wooden-stilt village on a hillside in northern Guangxi, layered water-filled terraces below, stilt houses stacking up the slope to the summit. | Guilin, Guangxi | Passport is enough to enter April filling season, late September ripe rice, avoid busy farming. |
| Longji Tiantou Village (龙脊田头寨)A smaller stilt-house hamlet higher up the slope with terraces right outside the windows.A smaller village higher up, all wooden stilt houses, terrace curves outside the window, a few farm restaurants in the village. | Guilin, Guangxi | Passport is enough to enter book a room ahead April filling, September ripe rice, occasional winter snow. |
| Longji Zhuangjie (龙脊壮界)Zhuang wooden houses along a ridge, with a wind-rain bridge and old camphor tree.Zhuang wooden houses lined along a ridge, terrace ridges before and behind the houses, a wind-rain bridge and old camphor tree at the village entrance. | Guilin, Guangxi | Passport is enough to enter April to May filling, September to October. |
| Shibadong Lizizhai Hamlet (十八洞村梨子寨)Converted wooden houses as B&Bs and Miao embroidery workshops, corn drying in yards.Old wooden houses in the hamlet converted to guesthouses and Miao embroidery workshops, corn drying in the courtyards, sour soup fish for dinner. | Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan | Booking required book three days ahead April to October, autumn harvest season. |
| Shibadong Village (十八洞村)A Miao hillside village with stone paths, wooden houses and stalls selling embroidery and bacon.A Miao village on a western Hunan hillside, stone paths connecting wooden houses and new concrete houses, Miao embroidery and cured meat stalls at the village entrance. | Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan | Booking required groups should make contact ahead April to October, avoid rainy season. |
| Huangling Autumn Drying (篁岭晒秋)A cliff-hanging Hui-style village where bamboo trays of chilli and grain dry on racks.A Hui-style village hanging on a cliff, chillies, rice and chrysanthemums drying in bamboo trays at every house, a cable car lifting up from the foot. | Shangrao, Jiangxi | Passport is enough to enter buy tickets ahead in high season September to December autumn drying, rapeseed in spring. |
| Yuanjia Village (袁家村)A Guanzhong-style food street with working mills and stalls serving freshly made noodles.Old Guanzhong-style street with workshops and snack stalls on both sides, freshly made baked noodles, vinegar jelly and fermented rice steaming, self-drive cars filling the village. | Xianyang, Shaanxi | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, busiest on holidays. |
| Cliff Village New Resettlement (悬崖村搬迁新村)A new apartment estate on the edge of Zhaojue county seat where cliff villagers resettled.A new resettlement community at the edge of Zhaojue county town, orderly multi-storey buildings, small shops and basketball courts downstairs, Yi people resettled down from the cliff. | Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, daytime. |
| Cliff Village Steel Ladder (悬崖村钢梯)2556 steel steps winding up an 800m cliff to the old hamlet on the ledge.2556 steel-pipe steps winding up an 800-metre cliff, the old village in a col at the top, Yi locals selling barbecue by the path. | Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan | Booking required arrange a guide ahead April to June, September to October, slippery in rainy season. |
| Xiajiang Village B&B (下姜村民宿)Converted farmhouses as B&Bs with home cooking of local pork and Qiandao lake fish.Farmhouses converted to guesthouses with wooden signs, tea tables in the courtyard, local pork and Qiandao Lake fish available for dinner. | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | Passport is enough to enter book a room three to seven days ahead Year-round, tight on weekends and holidays. |
| Xiajiang Village Overview (下姜村村景)A white-walled village in Chun’an hills with a stream, riverside B&Bs and small eateries.A white-wall dark-tile village in the Chun’an mountains, a stream running through, private cars parked by the stream, guesthouses and small eateries along the street. | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | Passport is enough to enter book a room ahead at weekends Year-round, rapeseed in April, autumn colours in October, avoid the busy double-harvest. |
| Zhuge Village (诸葛村)A bagua-layout walled village with winding lanes, ancestral halls and local flatbread.A bagua old village laid out in a nine-grid pattern, winding alleys, the Dagong Hall and Prime Minister’s Ancestral Hall in the centre, Zhuge cakes for sale in the village. | Jinhua, Zhejiang | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, spring and autumn. |
15 places
Modern landmark you can enter
a bridge, a tower or a plant that is open to walk into
| Place | Where | Getting in |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing Daxing International Airport (北京大兴国际机场)A radial five-pier terminal with a honeycomb roof, spokes running out to gates.A huge terminal with five radiating finger piers, hexagonal skylights on the roof, passengers radiating out from the centre to board. | Beijing | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, operating hours. |
| Beijing South Railway Station (北京南站)An elliptical glass-vaulted hall with high-speed platforms running beneath it.An oval long-span glass dome covering the waiting hall, high-speed platforms passing under the dome, escalators connecting the ticket gates and platforms. | Beijing | Passport is enough to enter; riding needs a ticket Year-round, per train schedule. |
| Beijing Yizhuang Autonomous Driving Zone (北京亦庄无人驾驶示范区)Robotaxis making lane changes and running traffic lights in the Yizhuang designated zone.Autonomous taxis changing lanes and passing traffic lights by themselves in the designated area around Ronghua Road in Yizhuang, test labels on the car bodies. | Beijing | You can look with a passport; signing up needs Chinese real-name registration not verified whether a foreign passport can register Year-round, daytime. |
| Haidilao Smart Restaurant (海底捞智慧餐厅)Robotic arms doing noodle pulls at the wait area, conveyor belts running dishes to tables.A robot arm performing noodle-pulling in the waiting area, a kitchen conveyor belt bringing dishes to the table, soup base carried from the ingredient station by staff. | Beijing | Passport is enough to enter take a queue number online at meal times Year-round, queue at meal times. |
| Country Garden Qianxi Robot Restaurant (碧桂园千玺机器人餐厅)Robotic arms assembling steamers and burgers, rail carts delivering dishes to tables.Robot arms picking up steamers and burgers from the food line in the restaurant, delivery carts bringing food to the assigned table number along the table-side track. | Foshan, Guangdong | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, meal times 11:00 to 14:00, 17:00 to 21:00. |
| Guangzhou South Station (广州南站)A vast hall held up by tree-shaped columns, with platform canopies over many tracks.A giant station roof supported by huge tree-shaped columns, an open waiting hall, platform canopies covering multiple tracks. | Guangzhou, Guangdong | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, per train schedule. |
| HZMB Zhuhai Port (港珠澳大桥珠海公路口岸)A streamlined border terminal where shuttle buses board after multi-entry clearance.A streamlined port building, shuttle buses from Zhuhai heading to the artificial island, passengers completing three-region customs on the second floor before boarding. | Zhuhai, Guangdong | Passport, plus the Hong Kong and Macau endorsement Year-round, 06:00 to 24:00. |
| Shenzhen Qianhai Autonomous Area (深圳前海无人驾驶区)Driverless minibuses looping on Qianhai streets with real-time arrival screens at stops.Autonomous minibuses driving by themselves on a designated loop in the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation zone, electronic screens at stops showing arrival times. | Shenzhen, Guangdong | You can look with a passport; hailing a car needs real-name registration not verified whether a foreign passport can register Year-round, daytime. |
| Wuhan ETDZ Robotaxi Area (武汉经开区无人驾驶运营区)Sensor-topped white driverless cars driving and stopping themselves on Economic Development Zone streets.White autonomous cars with roof sensors turning, avoiding cars and pulling over by themselves on the streets of Wuhan ETDZ, passengers seated inside. | Wuhan, Hubei | You can look with a passport; hailing a car needs a real-name Chinese mobile number not verified whether a foreign passport can register Year-round, daytime operation. |
| Bingo Box Unmanned Convenience Store (缤果盒子无人便利店)A glass box store with no staff, self-checkout at the gate by scanning a phone app.A glass-box small store with no staff, scanning to enter, taking drinks and bread from the shelf yourself, automatic checkout on exit. | Shanghai | You can look with a passport; paying needs a Chinese payment app Year-round, 24 hours. |
| Maglev Longyang Road Station (磁悬浮龙阳路站)A white-and-blue maglev train gliding into the platform without overhead wires.A white-and-blue maglev train gliding slowly into the platform, no overhead catenary on either side of the track, the carriage sliding silently close to the rail. | Shanghai | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, operating hours 07:00 to 21:00. |
| Maglev Pudong Airport Station (磁悬浮浦东机场站)The airport-end maglev platform beside Pudong terminal glass facade.A maglev platform beside the terminal, the train body parallel to the terminal glass curtain wall when arriving, announcements in Chinese, English and Japanese. | Shanghai | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, operating hours 07:00 to 21:00. |
| Shanghai Hongqiao Station (上海虹桥站)A giant intermodal terminal linking airport, metro and high-speed rail under one roof.A huge transport hub combining airport, metro and high-speed rail in one station, a continuous metal roof over the station, the waiting hall stretching to the far end. | Shanghai | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, per train schedule. |
| Hangzhou East Station (杭州东站)A wavy-eaved concourse with a high vault and scrolling intercity departure boards.A wavy eaves on the station front, a high-ceiling waiting hall, electronic screens scrolling intercity train numbers. | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, per train schedule. |
| Tmall Go Unmanned Store Pilot (天猫无人便利店示范点)A pilot no-checkout store where items are billed automatically on the way out.Face scan or code scan to enter, yoghurt and box meals taken from the shelf, the bill automatically summed on the screen at exit. | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | You can look with a passport; paying needs a Chinese bank account Year-round, mainly daytime. |
11 places
Water works
dams, diversions and reservoirs built in the last few decades, and what they changed downstream
| Place | Where | Getting in |
|---|---|---|
| Liujiaxia Dam (刘家峡大坝)A concrete dam on the upper Yellow river with a green reservoir and sluice works.A concrete dam in an upper Yellow River canyon, clear green reservoir water upstream, flood discharge tunnels and power plant visible downstream. | Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu | Booking required book ahead in high season Year-round, flood discharge July to September. |
| Taocha Canal-head Sluice (陶岔渠首闸)The sluice where clear water leaves the Danjiangkou reservoir and enters the north main canal.A row of sluice gates beside the Danjiangkou Reservoir, clear water surging out into the northward main canal, straight canal banks stretching into the distance. | Nanyang, Henan | Booking required book a day ahead Year-round water delivery, clearest water in spring and autumn. |
| Xiaolangdi Dam Viewpoint (小浪底大坝观景台)A rock-fill dam at the last gorge of the middle Yellow river, with blue-green reservoir.A rockfill dam at the canyon exit of the middle Yellow River, blue-green reservoir upstream, sediment flushing tunnels and power plant downstream side by side. | Luoyang, Henan | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, most spectacular during water-sediment regulation June to July. |
| Danjiangkou Reservoir Dam (丹江口水库大坝)The raised dam on the Han river holding the reservoir that feeds the middle route.A heightened concrete dam on the Han River, broad reservoir water upstream, power plant and ship lock visible downstream. | Shiyan, Hubei | Booking required book ahead in high season Year-round, widest water during autumn filling season. |
| Gezhouba Dam (葛洲坝)A run-of-river dam near Yichang city with cargo ships locking through.A run-of-river dam on the Yangtze at the edge of Yichang city, cargo ships queuing through the ship lock, dam-top road crossing the bridge. | Yichang, Hubei | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, ships visible when the lock is operating. |
| Three Gorges 185m Viewpoint (三峡185观景台)A platform level with the dam crest, facing the upstream face and reservoir drop.A viewpoint level with the dam crest facing the upstream face, close-up view of the dam-top road and the reservoir water level drop. | Yichang, Hubei | Booking required book ahead under your own name Year-round, dam-front spray visible during flood discharge. |
| Three Gorges River Closure Memorial Park (三峡截流纪念园)A park downstream showing the original dump trucks and concrete blocks used to close the river.Dump trucks and tetrahedral boulders from the river closure displayed in a park downstream of the dam, downstream dam face and tailwater behind. | Yichang, Hubei | Booking required book ahead under your own name Year-round, downstream water force during flood discharge. |
| Three Gorges Tanziling Viewpoint (三峡坛子岭观景台)The high point overlooking the concrete dam, shiplift and five-step lock over the Yangtze.A viewing platform at the highest point of the dam area, a concrete gravity dam across the Yangtze below, ship lift and five-tier ship lock visible on the dam crest. | Yichang, Hubei | Booking required book ahead under your own name Year-round, most spectacular during flood discharge July to September. |
| Dujiangyan Bottle-neck Channel (都江堰宝瓶口)The rock-cut narrow throat that feeds the Chengdu plain, marked with water-level marks.A narrow gap cut through Yulei Mountain, the inner river surging through into the Chengdu Plain, water level marks carved on the cliff. | Chengdu, Sichuan | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, high water in summer. |
| Dujiangyan Fish-mouth Levee (都江堰鱼嘴)The stone levee that splits the Min river into inner and outer channels.A long stone levee in the river centre splitting the Min River into inner and outer rivers, the levee head shaped like a fish mouth, muddy water dividing below. | Chengdu, Sichuan | Passport is enough to enter Year-round, high water May to October. |
| Dujiangyan Flying-sand Weir (都江堰飞沙堰)A low spillway weir that lets flood and gravel roll back out of the inner channel.A low weir on the right side of the inner river, water spilling over the weir top to the outer river in flood season, pebbles washed into shallows on the weir. | Chengdu, Sichuan | Passport is enough to enter Flood season June to September for visible overflow. |
8 places
Planted-back desert
sand held down by straw grids and shelter belts, with the dune edge kept as something to visit
| Place | Where | Getting in |
|---|---|---|
| Babusha Forest Farm (八步沙林场)Straw grids with caragana and saxaul on the southern fringe of the Tengger desert.Orderly straw grids on the sand at the southern edge of the Tengger Desert, waist-high caragana and saxaul between the grids, a patrol station by the road. | Wuwei, Gansu | Booking required phone two days ahead May to June when caragana blooms, September to October. |
| Qingtu Lake (青土湖)A refilled terminal lake between two deserts, ringed by reed beds and dunes.Water held in a terminal lake between two deserts, reeds along the shore, a viewing boardwalk into the lake centre, continuous dunes in the distance. | Wuwei, Gansu | Passport is enough to enter April to May for waterbird breeding, September for golden reeds. |
| Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm (塞罕坝机械林场)A vast expanse of even-aged larch and Mongolian pine plantation covering the ridges.Endless plantations of larch and Mongolian pine rolling over gentle slopes to the ridge, even-aged forest belts along the dirt road. | Chengde, Hebei | Passport is enough to enter book ahead in high season June to September, July for forest cooling. |
| Saihanba Seven Lakes Wetland Park (塞罕坝七星湖湿地公园)Small bog lakes in the forest with boardwalks, birch groves and meadow edges.Several ponds in a forest depression, meadows and birch trees along the water, a wooden boardwalk from the pine forest into the wetland edge. | Chengde, Hebei | Passport is enough to enter June to August for lush water plants, late September for autumn leaves. |
| Engbei Eco-demonstration Zone (恩格贝生态示范区)A restored desert patch on the Kubuqi fringe with irrigated shrub rows and straw grids.Rows of dryland willow and sea-buckthorn between semi-mobile dunes, sprinkler lines along field edges, orderly straw grids in the distant sand. | Ordos, Inner Mongolia | Passport is enough to enter May to June when willows turn green, September to October for autumn colours. |
| Xiangshawan Resonant Sand Bay (响沙湾)A fixed dune edge of the Kubuqi desert with slide-sand rides and straw-grid sand control in view.A tens-of-metres yellow dune beside the Hantaichuan riverbed, sand slides and desert buggies along the ridge, straw-grid and willow fixation on the leeward slope. | Ordos, Inner Mongolia | Passport is enough to enter April to May, September to October, avoid midday heat in July. |
| Shenmu Jinjie Sandy-land Afforestation Base (神木锦界治沙造林基地)Rows of Mongolian pine and willow on formerly shifting Mu Us sand, with straw squares.Rows of Mongolian pine and willow planted on shifting sand, square straw grids on the slopes, patrol signs among the trees. | Yulin, Shaanxi | Booking required phone three days ahead May to June for new growth, October for autumn colours. |
| Yulin Ring Shelterbelt, Hongshixia Section (榆林环城防护林红石峡段)A shelterbelt of pine and arborvitae lining the dunes and highway north of Yulin.Pine and arborvitae covering dunes on both sides of the Hongshixia valley north of Yulin, belt forests stretching out of town along Highway 210. | Yulin, Shaanxi | Passport is enough to enter April to October, best in spring and autumn. |
Working Out What Is Reachable
Several of these need a booking made on a Chinese platform, and a few need registering before you set out. Tell our local team where you will be and they will say which of these you can get into and which need arranging first.