From buzzing cities to cute hipster towns.
From natural wonders to man made gems.
China really has something to offer for all different types of travellers.
But this video is aimed specifically at people who want to visit China for the very first
time.
So if that’s you.
You’ve come to the right place.
My name is Ryan and I just finished up an incredible 5 weeks of backpacking all around
China with my girlfriend Emma.
It was also my first time in this amazing country and I’m almost certain that it won’t
be my last.
This is my attempt at narrowing down all of the most amazing things we did and the best
places we visited into one top 10 list.
Along with some helpful tips and tricks along the way.
I have made full videos about every place featured in this list so if you’re interested
in somewhere and want some more information, make sure you head down to the description,
click through to my China Series playlist where you will find every video in one place.
Let’s just in at number 10, which is actually a joint entry.
Hong Kong and Shanghai are both huge cities where you’re not going to find any sort
of luxury accommodation on a backpackers budget.
But outside of that they have so much to offer.
In Hong Kong you can eat Michelin star food for literal pennies at Tim Ho Wan’s.
Or why not just into a elevator at the Hopewell Centre and get these amazing views rushing
past you and that’s absolutely free.
That was amazing!
Or why not escape the city entirely and check out the nature at Kowloon Park or Lantau Island.
Shanghai is similar in that you can find some much more traditional areas away from the
skyscrapers.
You have the Yu Garden and there’s also many many markets to check out.
Both cities also have pretty amazing light shows once the sun goes down.
Make sure you check out the view of the Bund in Shanghai and take the Star Ferry at sunset
in Hong Kong.
Moving on then to number 9.
It’s China’s capital city: Beijing.
We found Beijing to be busy but much more quaint than other big Chinese cities.
It’s easy to find areas with less high rise buildings and more narrow historical streets
known as Hutongs.
Of course you also have to check out the amazing Summer Palace and the Forbidden City.
Both of them can get incredibly busy but they are definitely worth checking out.
And I’ll also recommend checking out the views above the forbidden city at Jinshang
Park.
You can also access a pretty famous wall from near Beijing which may feature later on in
this list.
In this video I’m also going to be answering some of your frequently asked questions from
the comments on all of my China series videos.
One that keeps coming up quite frequently is about transport.
How did we get around China?
We covered a lot of ground on our trip taking a big ring around the country experiencing
lots of different provinces with very different cultures.
We mainly got around by using trains.
Long ones, short ones, day ones, night sleeper trains.
We basically used every single type of train there is in China.
And I’ve got to say as far as value for money goes they are really good and pretty
comfortable too.
I’m just going to give you a little tour of our sleeper train room.
So you get a pillow and a duvet.
Got a TV, it’s not on yet.
Coat hanger.
Charging station.
Air switch.
Free slippers.
A light there.
Buttons that…
I don’t know what they do.
And best of all, a western style toilet!
Which isn’t always a given in China.
We booked all of our trains through China Highlights, which I am going to link in the
description below.
We had a booking agent who booked all of the trains for us so all we had to do when we
arrived was go to a train station in China, show them our booking references and they
printed out all of the tickets for us there.
At number 8 we have the ancient city of Xian, home of course to the world famous Terracotta
Army.
They were definitely worth the visit on their own, but I do recommend spending some time
in the city as well.
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is really fun to visit in the day and in the evening and
the city walls are just incredible you can get some amazing views of the city whether
you walk or cycle along them.
If we had spent a bit more time there, I’m sure it would have been higher up on my list.
Let’s move straight on to number 7.
This one was a massive surprise for both of us because we only ever intended Kunming to
be short stopover.
Green Lake Park in the middle of the city is one of the most interesting places to explore,
especially if you want a glimpse into the buzz of local Chinese life.
And heading out of the city to the Dragon Gate and getting the views over Dianchi Lake
is well worth it.
Kunming is real underrated gem and if you’re planning on exploring much of Yunnan province,
you’ll almost definitely stopover in Kunming at some point.
Instead of just stopping through, I really recommend spending a couple of days in the
city and exploring everything that it has to offer.
In the media, China is often made out to seem like an impossibly vast and scary place.
It’s culture is so untouched and closed off the the rest of world, I would be lying
if I said I wasn’t nervous before we made the trip there.
Before we left for China we were led to believe that there was no signs in English in any
of the cities, the people don’t speak English and it would be hard to even read a menu at
a restaurant.
And none of this could be further from the truth.
We found metros and train stations pretty easy to navigate and language never became
too much of a problem.
On the whole, we found that Chinese people were really really friendly and even if they
can’t speak English they will try their hardest to communicate with you.
Whether that’s through a translation app or trying to find someone else nearby who
does speak English.
I highly recommend downloading something like Google Translate, which you will need a VPN
to access because Google, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, they are all banned in China so if
you need a recommendation for a good VPN to use on your laptop or phone, I’ve left a
link in the description below.
As a westerner there is probably something that you will have to get used to and that
is, you’re a bit of a novelty.
People will try taking photos with you, sometimes they’ll ask, sometimes they won’t and
it’s something that you weirdly get used to when you’re queuing up at a train station
and suddenly a camera will appear in your face.
It’s a bit like being a celebrity getting papparazzied, so take it as a compliment.
At number 6 it’s the Chaka Salt Lake.
Pretty remote and definitely off the beaten track for most western tourists.
Chaka is a wonder of nature.
You may have seen it pop up on social media in recent times which has led to a surge of
popularity.
When we were in Chaka, the crowds were insane which is probably why it didn’t feature
higher in this list.
It was so busy at Chaka when we visited.
So if you can manage to get there early in the morning or in the evening, I think you
will find the experience much more enjoyable.
I go into this in a little bit more detail in the video I made about Chaka, but I still
do think it’s a really worthwhile place to visit.
It’s so surreal and you’re going to get some amazing photos.
Is it a bit bright Emma?
Phone home!
At number 5 it’s Lijiang.
One of the most beautifully preserved ancient towns in the whole country.
Lijiang’s little winding streets are just awesome to get lost in.
It genuinely feels like something out of a fairytale.
This whole place is a bit like a maze.
You can just turn down any side street and it just goes on forever.
It’s really easy to get lost but that’s part of the fun.
Make sure you check out some of the tea houses most of which have an upstairs so you can
look out of the window and watch the world go by.
It rained most of the time that we were there so we missed out on what is normally some
incredible mountain views from the ancient city.
It’s also the main jumping off point for getting to Tiger Leaping Gorge which is also
apparently really really worthwhile, but obviously we were rained out so we didn’t get to do
that.
At number 4 is another ancient city in Yunnan province.
It’s Dali.
I loved Dali because it just has a little bit of everything that I like when I travel.
Pretty streets, happening bars and cafes.
Ancient history like city walls and temples.
Then you’ve got beautiful nature surrounding it as well.
Dali is a real all rounder.
Make sure you rent some bikes to get yourself around the city it’s the best way to cover
as much ground as possible.
Before we get down to my final three choices, I just wanted to say a few more words about
why I think you should travel to China.
We’ve talked about that initial culture shock, we’ve talked about the amazing transport
options and we’ve talked about the friendly people.
But my best reason for why you should visit China is a bit more of a concept which hit
me a very specific point in our trip and I just want to go back to that for one second.
I think people have a preconceived notion about what China is gong to be like and I
know I did.
It just to me It’s a place that’s been so full of surprises.
I think in China, expect the unexpected.
Travelling around China is a real adventure and it’s really unlike any other place that
I’ve ever been.
Instead of seeing the vastness as a scary thing look at it as an opportunity to have
a real experience.
I really recommend getting out of your comfort zone and just diving in head first.
Ok so we’re getting down to the final there places now.
First up, it’s Yangshuo.
Without a doubt the most condensed area of stunning nature we saw in China was in Yangshuo.
Surrounded by beautiful karst mountains and winding rivers.
One of the most popular things to do here is taking a bamboo raft but I would definitely
recommend doing some hiking around this area.
We climbed up to the TV tower viewpoint from the middle of the city and the views up there
are absolutely incredible.
I would definitely recommend checking out sunrise or sunset at Moon Hill.
The path literally comes out right under the archway.
It’s amazing.
I would also highly recommend heading over to the neighbouring fishing village called
Xingping.
It only takes an hour to get there by bus and once you’re there you can climb up Laozhai
Mountain and get the most amazing view that you’ll see in the whole of China.
This view is the real deal.
At number 2 it’s the Rainbow Mountains of the Danxia Landform Geopark.
I was actually pretty cynical before we made the trip here.
I didnt think there was any way the pictures on social media could reflect the reality
but they really do.
Especially after it’s been raining the colours of the rainbow mountains are really bold and
you can get some amazing pictures without any photoshop.
But the best time we spent in Danxia was in the surrounding national park away from the
rainbow mountains.
The landscapes really reminded us of somewhere in Australia or America and for a second we
really just forgot we were in China.
No tourists, no shouting, no buses.
Very nice.
It just goes to show how amazingly diverse the landscapes in China can be.
You can go from huge cities to deserts, from karst mountains to snow, it’s just mind-blowing.
So unsurprisingly at number one it’s the big one, the Great Wall of China.
But I have a very specific caveat to add to it taking the number one spot and that is
you have to see it in the right way.
There are so many options for taking a trip to the Great Wall.
Restored sections, ruined sections.
Partially ruined sections, sections that have a cable car to get up, sections that you have
to hike to.
I really really recommend taking as wild a route as possible.
Having the wall completely to yourself and seeing it in a more ruined state is just absolutely
unforgettable.
There’s just sections of dense forest.
You’ll be on crumbling parts of wall and then suddenly it will just be you’ll get
engulfed in forest.
Completely overgrown.
Buses from Beijing are really easy to get so there’s really no excuse.
We stayed at a homestay in a more rural area outside of Beijing with a family who cooked
us some amazing food and the hiking we did around that area of the Great Wall it was
just absolutely stunning.
Thank you so much for watching my top 10 in China video, if you liked it make sure you
give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel.
And with that we come to the end of my very first travel series on the one shot adventures
channel.
It’s been a massive learning curve for me in so many ways so if you’ve joined me along
the way.
Thank you so much.
Coming up next is the very first episode in my series about Japan which I’m really excited
about releasing, so I’ll see you guys next time.