Tourist resources in China can be divided into three main groups: natural sites, historical and cultural sites, and folk customs. China has 55
World Heritage Sites, the second largest in the world after Italy, which has 58.
Natural sites ,
Sichuan ,
Hunan China's mountains, lakes, valleys, caves and waterfalls include:
Mount Tai (Tai Shan) in the east,
Mount Hengshan in the south,
Mount Hua in the west,
Mount Hengshan in the north, and
Mount Song in the center of China have been called the
Five Sacred Mountains since antiquity. The Taishan massif, which snakes through central
Shandong, is admired by Chinese as paramount among them. Another mountain celebrated for its beauty is
Huangshan in southern
Anhui, known for its graceful pines, unusual rocks, cloud seas and hot springs.
Jiuzhaigou,
Huangguoshu Waterfall, and
Guilin are all located in southwestern China. Jiuzhaigou in northern
Sichuan is a beautiful "fairyland valley" running over 40 km through snow-covered mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and forest. The Huangguoshu Waterfalls in
Guizhou are a group of waterfalls, 18 above-ground and four below, which can be heard from five km away. The
Li River in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region winds its way through
karst peaks for 82 km between
Guilin and
Yangshuo. On the plateau in Northern China are many lakes. The
Tianchi (Heavenly Pool) in the
Tianshan Mountains in
Xinjiang Autonomous Region is 1,980 meters above sea level. This 105-m-deep lake is crystal clear, the high mountains surrounding it carpeted with green grass and colorful flowers. Along the renowned
Three Gorges of the
Yangtze River are many scenic spots and historical sites; the
Qutang Gorge is rugged and majestic, the
Wu Gorge elegant, deep and secluded, the
Xiling Gorge full of shoals and reefs and rolling water. The Lesser Three Gorges are lush with greenery, flanking water so clear you can see to the bottom. The
Three Gorges Dam built here is China's biggest key hydro-power project.
Historical and cultural sites , 8th century China's long history has left many cultural
relics and the title of "China Top
Tourist City" has gone to the first group of 54 cities. The
Great Wall, a symbol of the Chinese nation, is also a prime example of historical sites that have become major tourist attractions. As the greatest defense-structure project in the history of human civilization, it dates back more than 2,000 years ago to the
Spring and Autumn and the
Warring States periods - huge in its scale and grandeur. There are more than ten sections of the Great Wall open to tourists, including the passes, blockhouses and beacon towers at
Badaling in
Beijing, Laolongtou in
Hebei and
Jiayuguan Pass in
Gansu. Grottoes filled with precious murals and sculptures are concentrated along the ancient
Silk Road in Gansu. The best known are the
Mogao Caves, a "treasure house of oriental art", with 492 caves with murals and statues on the cliff faces. There are 45,000 sq m of murals and over 2,100 colorful statues, all of high artistry. In the south, grotto art is represented in
Sichuan by the
Leshan Giant Buddha, carved into a cliff face. Seventy-one meters high and 28 meters wide, it is the largest sitting Buddha in stone, showing the carving skill of ancient craftsmen. The
Shaolin Temple in
Henan, the birthplace of
Chinese Zen Buddhism and famous for its
Shaolin Kung Fu martial arts, dates back to 495 AD. Here can be seen the
Ming period Five-Hundred-Arhats Mural and
Qing period Shaolin kungfu paintings. In
Hubei, the beautiful
Wudang Mountain, with 72 peaks covering an area of , form a sacred site of
Taoism, which preserves one of China's most complete and largest-scale ancient Taoist architecture. In western
Sichuan,
Mount Emei, dotted with ancient
Buddhist temples and structures, is one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains｡ South of the
Yangtze River,
Suzhou and
Hangzhou, long known as "paradise on earth", are crisscrossed with rivers, lakes, bridges, fields and villages, as beautiful as paintings. Today's well-preserved ancient cities includes that of
Pingyao in central
Shanxi, but was also the site of the
Neolithic era
Yangshao and
Longshan cultures, 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. Ancient
Lijiang in
Yunnan is not only the center of
Dongba culture of the
Nakhi ethnic group but also a meeting place for the cultures of Han, Tibetan and Bai ethnicities. Built in the
Song dynasty, this city has many stone bridges, stone memorial arches and dwelling houses, which provide precious materials for architectural history and can be called a "living museum of ancient dwelling houses."
Folk customs ,
Yunnan "
March Street" celebrated by the
Bai people in
Dali, Yunnan, is associated with the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy suppressing a devil to help the Bai people. It became traditional to burn incense and offer sacrifices to commemorate her virtues every year and the festival has become a major annual gathering for Bai commercial, cultural and sports activities. The Water-Sprinkling Festival of the
Dai ethnic group in
Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, is a lively occasion taking place in the spring. People chase and pour water (a symbol of good luck and happiness) over each other, among other activities such as
dragon boat racing and
peacock dance.
Lugu Lake between Sichuan and Yunnan has become a tourist destination following the building of a new highway giving access to this area. The matriarchal society of the 30,000 local
Mosuo people is noted for its "no marriage" traditions and is called the last women's kingdom on the earth. Mosuo women, local dugout canoes and undulating singing style are considered unique to Lugu Lake. ==Tourist themes==