蕾切爾·迪森

With the average Chinese city having well over several million residents， traveling to the countrys cities as a foreigner can be a daunting adventure. But they are not all just people and skyscrapers. Each of them has something unique to boast， and some are brimming with astonishing features.

Dunhuang

With just 200，000 residents， Dunhuang is hardly a major city by todays standards. However， the city lies at the historic juncture of two major Silk Road routes and contains two of western Chinas most incredible， underrated tourist attractions： Yueyaquan and the Mogao Caves. Yueyaquan， or Crescent Moon Lake， is a small oasis in the desert， and a sight unlike any other. The Mogao Caves， also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes， lie about 25 kilometers （15.5 miles） from Dunhuang proper and are famous for their significant Buddhist art and Christian artifacts still being discovered within.

Lijiang

Many Chinese people say that if you want to fall in love， go to Lijiang. Perhaps this is because of its attractive locals， or more likely， because the small city is so romantic that it makes even the most cynical find love among the mountains and limestone travertines. Since its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997， many of the local Nakhi people have moved away from the old town and rented their houses to shops and cafés. However， the town is still a special place that preserves the charm of old southern China.

Chongqing

Chongqing is much more than just a city. In Chinese terms， it is classified as a municipality， joining more well-known Shanghai， Beijing， and Tianjin. Chongqing shares many similarities with its neighboring province of Si-? ?chuan， namely its mouth-numbing cuisine， which Chongqing prefers in its signature form of hot pot. Practically a province unto itself， Chongqing is brimming with beauty and culture. It sits on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and has ancient rock carvings， preserved witchcraft culture， a legendary fortress1， and a pure-white cave all within its borders2.

Guilin

In a country filled with identical cities made up of skyscrapers and convenience stores as far as the eye can see， Guilin stands out. Even though it has an urban area， its location among the mountains gives visitors the impression of being out in nature. The city also has plenty of natural sites， including the 180-million-year-old， artificially lit Reed Flute Cave. Guilin， which means “Forest of Sweet Osmanthus，” lies on the banks of the Li River， which connects the city to the town of Yangshuo， another popular destination.

Urumqi

Urumqi， also spelled Wulumuqi， is the provincial capital of Xinjiang， Chinas westernmost autonomous region. Once a major hub on the Silk Road， Urumqi has become a hot pot of cultures. Though originally the home of the Uyghur people， Urumqi is now a mecca3 for the Han Chinese majority， who were incentivized by the government to move there starting in the 1980s. Many tourists see Urumqi just as the gateway to the more beautiful side of Xinjiang.

Kashgar

Kashgar， also located in Xinjiang， is one of the westernmost cities in China; it lies near the border of Afghanistan， Pakistan， Kyrgyzstan， and Tajikistan. While a large portion of the city has been modernized， it still retains a vibrant old town with well-preserved traditional mud houses4. Top sights in the city include the vibrantly yellow Id Kah Mosque， a weekly livestock market， and several historically significant tombs.

Qingdao

For some people， the name Qingdao brings to mind nights of drinking a few too many Tsingtao beers， and from others， memories of days spent lying on the beach under a clear sky. Seen as one of Chinas most livable cities， Qingdao is more than just a place to visit a brewery. Qingdao is also dotted with plenty of parks and green spaces， not to mention the handful of wonderful beaches and museums.

Harbin

While most visitors rarely venture beyond Harbins world-famous Ice and Snow Festival， the northeastern Chinese city has much more to offer. Beautiful Saint Sophia Cathedral is a visual reminder of the citys Russian past. Zhongyang Street， just behind the cathedral， is Asias longest pedestrian street and home to many Baroque and Byzantine buildings. And what is that music you hear？ Harbin is the birthplace of Chinas oldest symphony orchestra as well as the countrys first music school.

Yiwu

Yiwu is home to one million people， a small city by Chinese standards. However， the city is famous across the country as a commodities center and hub for Chinese exports. Indeed， in 2013， over 60% of all Christmas decorations originated in Yiwu. As an export hub， it is the place to go if you want cheap goods straight from the source.

Lhasa

The eastern half of Lhasa is filled with extremely well-preserved Tibetan culture， with locals frequently engaged in the traditional act of kora， a clockwise walk around a sacred site. It is also the location of the Potala Palace， one of Tibets most iconic places. The rest of the city is nearly indistinguishable from any other Chinese city. However， with plenty of Tibetan handicrafts on sale on Barkhor Street and several significant temples and monasteries， Lhasa is still a unique destination that will amaze the most worldly of tourists.

中國城市平均居住人口已超過數(shù)百萬，因此，對外國人來說，游覽中國城市如同一場令人怯步的歷險。然而，中國的城市不只有人山人海與摩天大樓，每座城市都有引以為傲的獨特之處，有些更是處處有奇景。

敦煌

敦煌僅有20萬常住居民，按照當今的標準，它并不算大城市。然而，敦煌位于古代絲綢之路兩條主線路的重要交匯點，并擁有中國西部兩個最不可思議且被低估的旅游景點：月牙泉和莫高窟。月牙泉是沙漠中的一彎小綠洲，景觀絕無僅有。莫高窟又稱千佛洞，坐落于敦煌城外約25公里（15.5英里）處，以其重要的佛教藝術(shù)和正在發(fā)掘的基督教文物而聞名遐邇。

麗江

在中國流傳著一句話：想來一次艷遇嗎？就去麗江吧。這一說法也許是因為麗江人頗有魅力，更可能是因為這座小城是如此浪漫多情，以至于即便是最憤世嫉俗的人也能在麗江的群山和石灰?guī)r構(gòu)成的奇景中尋找到愛情。自麗江于1997年被聯(lián)合國教科文組織列為世界文化遺產(chǎn)以來，當?shù)乇姸嗟脑∶窦{西族人遷離了古鎮(zhèn)，把他們的房子租給商鋪與小餐館。但是，麗江依然獨特，保留著中國南部的古老魅力。

重慶

重慶不僅僅是城市，在中國，它還是一座直轄市，與更為人熟知的上海、天津和北京并列四大直轄市。重慶與鄰省四川有許多共同特征，那就是讓人唇齒發(fā)麻的菜肴，而重慶人更喜歡的招牌飲食是火鍋。事實上，重慶同為省級地區(qū)，處處可見美景，文化氣息濃郁。重慶位于長江上游，境內(nèi)有古老的巖刻遺址、保存完好的巫文化、一座傳奇古堡以及一個潔白如雪的洞穴。

桂林

目之所及盡是摩天樓與便利店——在這樣一個城市千篇一律的國度，桂林令人耳目一新。盡管桂林擁有城區(qū)，但其四圍群山環(huán)繞，使游客仿若置身于自然之中。這座城市也有豐富的自然景觀，包括配備人工照明的蘆笛巖，迄今已有1.8億年歷史。桂林，意為“桂花之林”。漓江穿城而過，把桂林和陽朔（另一個旅游勝地）連接在一起。

烏魯木齊

烏魯木齊是中國最西邊的新疆維吾爾自治區(qū)的首府，曾經(jīng)是絲綢之路上的重要樞紐，如今成為各民族文化的熔爐。雖然烏魯木齊最初是維吾爾族人居住，但從20世紀80年代開始，漢族人受政府政策激勵而遷居烏魯木齊，這使烏魯木齊現(xiàn)今成為人口占多數(shù)的漢族人的故鄉(xiāng)。許多游客將烏魯木齊視作一道關(guān)口，借此可通往新疆更壯美的地方。

喀什

喀什，也位于新疆，是中國最西邊的城市之一，與阿富汗、巴基斯坦、吉爾吉斯斯坦和塔吉克斯坦很近?？κ泊蟛糠值貐^(qū)已實現(xiàn)現(xiàn)代化，但它仍然保留著一個充滿活力的老城區(qū)，擁有保存完好的傳統(tǒng)高臺民居?？κ驳臒衢T景點包括亮黃色的艾提尕爾清真寺、每周一次的牲畜市場和幾座具有歷史意義的陵墓。

青島

“青島”，對一些人而言，這個名字會讓他們想起暢飲青島啤酒的夜晚，而對另一些人而言，則會憶起晴空下躺在沙灘上的時光。作為中國最宜居的城市之一，青島不僅是一個參觀啤酒廠的地方。青島市區(qū)還散布著許多公園和綠地，更不用說那幾處迷人的海灘與博物館了。

哈爾濱

來到哈爾濱，除了舉世聞名的冰雪節(jié)，大多數(shù)游客極少嘗試其他旅游項目。但這座中國東北部城市所能參觀的景點遠不止于此。美麗的圣索菲亞大教堂讓人一眼望去就想起這座城市被沙俄強占的那段歷史。教堂背面的中央大街，是亞洲最長的步行街，聚集了許多巴洛克建筑和拜占庭風格的建筑。你聽，那是什么樂曲？哈爾濱還是中國第一支交響樂團和中國第一所音樂學校的誕生地。

義烏

義烏有100萬人口，按照中國的標準，這是一座小城市。然而，義烏聞名全國，是商品批發(fā)和出口商品的集散中心。事實上，2013年，全世界60%以上的圣誕裝飾品源自義烏。若想直接從廠商那里購買低價商品，義烏作為出口中心是一個不錯的去處。

拉薩

拉薩的東半?yún)^(qū)充滿了保存極為完好的藏族文化，當?shù)夭孛窠?jīng)常參加傳統(tǒng)的轉(zhuǎn)山活動，即順時針環(huán)繞一處佛教圣地。拉薩也是布達拉宮的所在地。布達拉宮是西藏最具標志性的景點之一。拉薩別的地方與其他國內(nèi)城市幾乎沒什么區(qū)別，然而，有八廓街上琳瑯滿目的藏族手工藝品和幾座重要的廟宇和寺院，使拉薩仍不失為一個獨特的旅游勝地，能讓世上見識最廣的游客都驚嘆不已。