# China Footnotes — local travel know-how, sourced and dated > China Footnotes is an independent, unbiased guide for foreign visitors to China, run by Capy Culture Tech Ltd (founder: William Wang). Founded by Cambridge alumni who, as students, started the Capy China Trip, an annual trip bringing Cambridge students from around the world to China, and, running it, saw how hard reliable information about China is to find from abroad. > > Our aim is open information for China travel: much of what a visitor needs (today's hours, booking rules, passport and foreign-card notes, metro exits) lives only in Chinese apps such as RedNote, WeChat and Dianping, out of reach of English search and AI assistants. We read those sources in Chinese and turn them into English, one page per place. We take no commissions, ads or paid placements. What makes it different: - Traveller tips: thousands of practical tips, many of them first-hand from travellers on RedNote, Trip.com, Reddit and similar platforms, summarised in English and each linked to the original post. - Sources: every fact links to its original source, with the date it was checked; official rules and traveller reports are kept apart; unknowns are marked "not found" rather than guessed. Some facts are also confirmed by phone or on site. - Live notices: notices for every place are checked daily and shown with their dates; rule changes are logged with dates and official sources. Coverage: the cities listed below, plus country-wide Before you go guides (when to go, visa, arrival card, paying, internet & SIM, apps, book ahead, getting around, safety). Data version e95b0f4e8deb, generated 2026-11-03T20:58:20.757Z. Content is in English with Chinese names for signs and taxis. ## How to use this site - Read one city: https://chinafootnotes.com/{city}/llms.txt (index). Start there; open single places when you need detail. - Read one place: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/{id}.md (plain Markdown, rendered for today's date in China, Asia/Shanghai time). - Big venues (trade-fair and convention centres, e.g. NECC Shanghai): https://chinafootnotes.com/places/{id}.md - Search and filter as JSON: https://chinafootnotes.com/api/places?q=museum, ?type=museum, ?tag=free, ?city=shanghai · Cities: https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities · OpenAPI: https://chinafootnotes.com/api/openapi.json - Notices in effect today: https://chinafootnotes.com/api/updates - What's on today and coming up (festivals, exhibitions, shows): https://chinafootnotes.com/api/events - Before you go (when to go, visa, arrival card, paying, internet and SIM, apps, booking ahead, getting around, safety): https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go.md · JSON: https://chinafootnotes.com/api/pretrip - China travel rule tracker (tool: dated log of visa, transit, arrival card, paying and booking rule changes, each with its official source): https://chinafootnotes.com/tools/rule-changes.md · RSS: https://chinafootnotes.com/tools/rule-changes.xml · JSON: https://chinafootnotes.com/api/changes - Notes (which cities, 7-, 10- and 14-day routes, Beijing or Shanghai, how many days): https://chinafootnotes.com/notes.md - Tools: China visa-free check (Can you visit China without a visa? Enter your passport: 30 days visa-free, a mutual agreement, the 240-hour transit or a visa, and what each asks): https://chinafootnotes.com/tools/china-visa-free-check.md - Our story: who runs China Footnotes, why we built it and how we check it (sources, method, dates): https://chinafootnotes.com/our-story · who we are: https://chinafootnotes.com/our-story#how-who - Connect an AI assistant (MCP connector, no sign-in): https://chinafootnotes.com/connect · privacy: https://chinafootnotes.com/privacy - Reuse: Our own text and data are licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): reuse and adapt them, credit China Footnotes (chinafootnotes.com) and link to the page you used. Photos keep the licence shown with each photo; linked source documents keep their own rights. ## Cities - [Shanghai (上海)](https://chinafootnotes.com/shanghai): 50 places · index https://chinafootnotes.com/shanghai/llms.txt - [Beijing (北京)](https://chinafootnotes.com/beijing): 20 places · index https://chinafootnotes.com/beijing/llms.txt - [Xi’an (西安)](https://chinafootnotes.com/xian): 10 places · index https://chinafootnotes.com/xian/llms.txt - [Chengdu (成都)](https://chinafootnotes.com/chengdu): 12 places · index https://chinafootnotes.com/chengdu/llms.txt - [Chongqing (重庆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/chongqing): 10 places · index https://chinafootnotes.com/chongqing/llms.txt - [Hangzhou (杭州)](https://chinafootnotes.com/hangzhou): 10 places · index https://chinafootnotes.com/hangzhou/llms.txt ## Before you go - [When to go](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/when-to-go.md): Best: Mid-Apr–May · mid-Oct–Nov. The best time to visit China is mid-April to May or mid-October to November: mild weather, clear of the big holidays. Skip 1–7 October, around 1–5 May and Chinese New Year (6 February 2027) — weeks when sights sell out and hotels cost more. - [Visa](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/visa.md): Visa-free: 30 days · 50 + 29 countries. 50 countries plus 29 by agreement get 30 days visa-free. If neither list applies, 57-country transit allows 10 days en route to a third country; otherwise, an L visa. For reference only; check with your embassy. APEC Business Travel Card holders: up to 90 days from 1 November 2026, up from 60. - [China arrival card](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/arrival-card.md): Free: Online · free · s.nia.gov.cn. Fill in China's arrival card online before you fly, at s.nia.gov.cn or in the NIA 12367 app; the NIA says it's free. Skip it and the border still has a QR code, kiosks and paper cards. Some groups are exempt, 24-hour airside transit and visa-free tour groups among them: seven in the NIA notice, eight in its filing system. - [Paying](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/payments.md): Set up: Alipay before you fly. China pays by phone: set up Alipay at home, verify with your passport and link your Visa or Mastercard. Up to ¥200 is usually fee-free, about 3% above that; bring a backup card and a few hundred yuan too. - [Internet & SIM](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/internet.md): Get: eSIM + local SIM if needed. Travellers report that a travel eSIM routed through Hong Kong usually keeps Google, Gmail and WhatsApp working; unlimited plans ran about US$4 a day for short trips (October 2026). It won't give you a Chinese number, which travellers say food delivery and some ticket bookings need. For those, add a short-term SIM at Pudong Airport, passport in hand. - [Apps](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/apps.md): Install: 7 apps. The China travel apps you need: Alipay and WeChat to pay, Amap to find your way, DiDi for taxis, Trip.com for trains, and Meituan or Taobao Instant Commerce for food delivery. Google Translate needs its offline Chinese pack, or an eSIM that routes abroad; in WeChat, Scan › Translate reads menus. - [Book ahead](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/book-ahead.md): Book first: 26 of our 112 places across 6 cities. Most places in this guide are walk-in, but big museums and sights sell named, timed tickets online, often about 7 days ahead, and good dates go fast. 26 of our 112 places across 6 cities need booking; each city page lists its own. Book with the passport you'll carry. - [Getting around](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/getting-around.md): Metro: Scan a code or tap a card. Four tools get you almost anywhere: Amap for maps, an Alipay metro code or a contactless card for the metro, DiDi or Amap for taxis, and Trip.com or 12306 for high-speed trains. Show drivers the Chinese address; every place page has it, and each city page covers its airports and stations. - [Safety](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/safety.md): Emergency: 110 · 120 · 119. Serious crime against visitors is relatively rare, but incidents happen; theft and scams are the everyday risks. Save 110 for police, 120 for an ambulance and 119 for fire; they work nationwide. Shanghai's 12345 line helps in English and 17 other languages, 24 hours. Carry your original passport, and turn down strangers' tea or massage invitations. ## Places in Shanghai - [The Bund (外滩)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/the-bund.md): Open neighbourhood, Huangpu. Historic Bund buildings one way, the Huangpu River skyline the other. - [Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street (南京路步行街)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/nanjing-road-pedestrian-street.md): Open neighbourhood, Huangpu. Shanghai's car-free shopping street, from People's Square to the Bund, lit up at night. - [People’s Square (人民广场)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/peoples-square.md): Open neighbourhood, Huangpu. Shanghai's central square on the old racecourse, ringed by museums, a park and a theatre. - [Oriental Pearl Tower (东方明珠)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/oriental-pearl-tower.md): Observation deck, Pudong New Area. A Lujiazui tower for 263 m views, a glass corridor and Shanghai history. - [Top of Shanghai Observatory (上海之巅观光厅)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/top-of-shanghai-observatory.md): Observation deck, Pudong New Area. China's highest observation deck: 546 m up on Shanghai Tower's 118th floor. - [Jin Mao Tower 88F Observation Deck (金茂大厦88层观光厅)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/jin-mao-observation-deck.md): Observation deck, Pudong New Area. A 340 m deck in Shanghai's pagoda-style tower, with an outdoor Skywalk option. - [Yuyuan Garden (豫园园林)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/yuyuan-garden.md): Classical garden, Huangpu. A ticketed classical garden — rockeries, ponds and pavilions in Shanghai's old city. - [Yuyuan Bazaar (豫园商城)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/yuyuan-bazaar.md): Open neighbourhood, Huangpu. The free bazaar around Yuyuan Garden: zigzag bridge, teahouse, dumplings, lanterns. - [Shanghai Disneyland (上海迪士尼乐园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-disneyland.md): Attraction, Pudong New Area. Disney in mainland China: eight lands, TRON, Zootopia, the tallest Disney castle. - [Shanghai Ocean Aquarium (上海海洋水族馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-ocean-aquarium.md): Attraction, Pudong New Area. Lujiazui's aquarium, with a 155 m underwater tunnel and a China-only freshwater zone. - [Shanghai Museum East (上海博物馆东馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-museum-east.md): Museum, Pudong New Area. A large Pudong museum for Chinese bronzes, ceramics, jade and sculpture. - [Shanghai Museum on People’s Square (上海博物馆人民广场馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-museum-peoples-square.md): Museum, Huangpu. Shanghai Museum’s People’s Square building for major special exhibitions. - [Shanghai Natural History Museum (上海自然博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-natural-history-museum.md): Museum, Jing’an. Dinosaurs, an African savanna walk-through and 11,000 specimens in a spiral 'green snail'. - [Shanghai History Museum (上海市历史博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-history-museum.md): Museum, Huangpu. Free city-history museum in the old Race Club with the clock tower on People's Square. - [Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall (上海城市规划展示馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-urban-planning-exhibition-hall.md): Museum, Huangpu. Free, booking-only hall with an immersive digital model of Shanghai. - [Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (上海科技馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-science-and-technology-museum.md): Museum, Pudong New Area. Hands-on Pudong science museum, renewed in 2026: robots, flight halls and dome films. - [Shanghai Astronomy Museum (上海天文馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-astronomy-museum.md): Museum, Pudong New Area. A huge orbit-shaped astronomy museum by Dishui Lake, a full day out from central Shanghai. - [Museum of Art Pudong (浦东美术馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/museum-of-art-pudong.md): Museum, Pudong New Area. A Jean Nouvel museum on the river: big loan shows, and a terrace facing the Bund. - [Power Station of Art (上海当代艺术博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/power-station-of-art.md): Museum, Huangpu. A riverside power plant turned contemporary art museum, home of the Shanghai Biennale. - [China Art Museum, Shanghai (中华艺术宫)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/china-art-museum.md): Museum, Pudong New Area. Modern Chinese art in the red 2010 Expo China Pavilion — and mostly free to enter. - [West Bund Museum (西岸美术馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/west-bund-museum.md): Museum, Xuhui. David Chipperfield's riverside museum showing Centre Pompidou collection loans. - [Long Museum (West Bund) (龙美术馆（西岸馆）)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/long-museum-west-bund.md): Museum, Xuhui. A private art museum of concrete vaults built around an old coal-loading bridge. - [Fotografiska Shanghai (Fotografiska 影像艺术中心)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/fotografiska-shanghai.md): Museum, Jing’an. A 1931 Suzhou Creek warehouse, open daily until 23:00 for photography shows. - [Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (上海犹太难民纪念馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-jewish-refugees-museum.md): Museum, Hongkou. A 1927 synagogue, and how Shanghai sheltered Jewish refugees in WWII. - [World Expo Museum (上海世博会博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/world-expo-museum.md): Museum, Huangpu. A free museum of more than 170 years of world expos, including Shanghai 2010. - [Soong Ching Ling Memorial Residence in Shanghai (上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/soong-ching-ling-memorial-residence.md): Museum, Xuhui. Soong Ching Ling's 1920 villa on Huaihai Road, kept as she lived in it. - [Shanghai Xintiandi Shikumen Block (上海新天地石库门街区)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/xintiandi.md): Open neighbourhood, Huangpu. Restored shikumen lanes, now a dining street — beside the first CPC congress site. - [Tianzifang (田子坊)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/tianzifang.md): Open neighbourhood, Huangpu. 1930s lane houses and old workshops off Taikang Road — a maze of shops and cafés. - [Wukang Road (武康路)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/wukang-road.md): Open neighbourhood, Xuhui. Plane trees, 1920s–30s villas, and the ship-shaped Wukang Mansion at the end. - [Zhangyuan (张园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/zhangyuan.md): Open neighbourhood, Jing’an. A large restored shikumen block of luxury shops and cafés, right by West Nanjing Road. - [Yuyuan Road Historical and Cultural Block (愚园路历史文化街区)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/yuyuan-road.md): Open neighbourhood, Jing’an / Changning. A long, quiet plane-tree road: garden lanes from the 1920s–30s, small shops and cafés. - [M50 Creative Park (M50创意园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/m50-creative-park.md): Open neighbourhood, Putuo. A former Suzhou Creek textile mill, now free galleries, studios and graffiti lanes. - [North Bund International Passenger Center Riverside (北外滩国际客运中心周边滨江公共空间)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/north-bund-passenger-center-riverside.md): Open neighbourhood, Hongkou. A quieter Huangpu riverfront facing Lujiazui and the Bund, around the cruise terminal. - [Xujiahui Origin (徐家汇源)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/xujiahui-origin.md): Open neighbourhood, Xuhui. Where Western science reached Shanghai: Gothic cathedral, old observatory, libraries. - [Columbia Circle (上生新所)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/columbia-circle.md): Open neighbourhood, Changning. A 1920s American country club, Hudec villa and old pool, now an open creative park. - [Jing'an Temple (静安寺)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/jingan-temple.md): Temple, Jing’an. A working temple on West Nanjing Road, with gold roofs and a 15-tonne silver Buddha. - [Jade Buddha Temple (玉佛禅寺)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/jade-buddha-temple.md): Temple, Putuo. A working temple, free to enter, with a Burmese jade reclining Buddha brought in 1899. - [Longhua Temple (龙华寺)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/longhua-temple.md): Temple, Xuhui. One of Shanghai's oldest temples, beside a Song-dynasty pagoda; famous for noodles. - [Century Park (世纪公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/century-park.md): Park, Pudong New Area. Pudong's largest free park: 140 hectares of lawns, a lake and seasonal flowers. - [Fuxing Park (复兴公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/fuxing-park.md): Park, Huangpu. A 1909 French-style park in Shanghai: plane trees, flower beds, and a night funfair. - [Zhongshan Park (中山公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/zhongshan-park.md): Park, Changning. A 1914 English-style park by Suzhou Creek, with boating, lawns and a cruise pier. - [Gongqing National Forest Park (共青国家森林公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/gongqing-national-forest-park.md): Park, Yangpu. Downtown Shanghai's only forest park: 131 hectares of woods, lawns and lakes. - [Shanghai Botanical Garden (上海植物园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-botanical-garden.md): Park, Xuhui. Free, 82 hectares in Xuhui — bonsai courtyards and glasshouses. - [Chenshan Botanical Garden (辰山植物园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/chenshan-botanical-garden.md): Park, Songjiang. Shanghai's largest botanical garden: a quarry garden and dragon-like glasshouses. - [Zhujiajiao Historical and Cultural Block (朱家角古镇历史文化街区)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/zhujiajiao.md): Water town, Qingpu. A canal town west of central Shanghai — old lanes and stone bridges. - [Qibao Ancient Town (七宝古镇)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/qibao-ancient-town.md): Water town, Minhang. The canal town closest to downtown — Line 9, a stone bridge, two streets of old snacks. - [Nanxiang Ancient Town (南翔古镇)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/nanxiang-ancient-town.md): Water town, Jiading. Home of the xiaolongbao — twin brick pagodas, canal lanes, Guyi Garden next door. - [Guyi Garden (古猗园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/guyi-garden.md): Classical garden, Jiading. A Ming-era classical garden: bamboo, lotus ponds, one pavilion missing a corner. - [Sheshan National Forest Park (佘山国家森林公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/sheshan-national-forest-park.md): Park, Songjiang. Shanghai's only hills: a hilltop basilica, an old observatory, bamboo trails. - [Guangfulin Cultural Relics Park (广富林文化遗址)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/guangfulin-cultural-relics-park.md): Park, Songjiang. 'The root of Shanghai': a 5,000-year-old site with museums half-sunk in a lake. ## Places in Beijing - [The Palace Museum (Forbidden City) (故宫博物院)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/forbidden-city.md): Museum. Enter a former imperial palace at Meridian Gate, then walk its courtyards north. - [Tiananmen Square (天安门广场)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/tiananmen-square.md): Open neighbourhood. A public square with a separate free, real-name reservation and security check. - [Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (毛主席纪念堂)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/chairman-mao-memorial-hall.md): Museum. Free to enter, but booked separately from the square. - [Mutianyu Great Wall (慕田峪长城)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/mutianyu-great-wall.md): Attraction. A restored Great Wall section: ridge walks, shuttle buses, optional lifts. - [Badaling Great Wall (八达岭长城)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/badaling-great-wall.md): Attraction. Climb the famous Badaling section; daytime and night tickets have different rules. - [Temple of Heaven (天坛)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/temple-of-heaven.md): Attraction. An imperial altar park with separate tickets for its ceremonial buildings. - [Summer Palace (颐和园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/summer-palace.md): Classical garden. Walk lakeside paths and imperial buildings around Kunming Lake. - [Jingshan Park (景山公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/jingshan-park.md): Park. Climb Wanchun Pavilion for the overhead view of the Forbidden City. - [Beihai Park (北海公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/beihai-park.md): Park. A royal lake garden with a white dagoba crowning Qionghua Island. - [Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) (圆明园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/old-summer-palace.md): Park. Ruins and waterways of a former imperial garden. - [Lama Temple (Yonghegong) (雍和宫)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/lama-temple.md): Temple. A Tibetan Buddhist temple with halls, courtyards and active worship. - [Nanluoguxiang (南锣鼓巷)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/nanluoguxiang.md): Open neighbourhood. A narrow north–south hutong lined with shops and side lanes. - [Shichahai and Houhai (什刹海)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shichahai.md): Open neighbourhood. A lakeside hutong district around Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai. - [Qianmen Street (前门大街)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/qianmen-street.md): Open neighbourhood. An 840 m pedestrian street on Beijing’s southern central axis. - [National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/national-museum-of-china.md): Museum. A free national museum beside Tiananmen Square, with timed entry. - [798 Art District (798艺术区)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/798-art-district.md): Open neighbourhood. Old factories, now galleries, design shops and public art. - [Olympic Green (奥林匹克公园（鸟巢、水立方）)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/olympic-green.md): Open neighbourhood. A free Olympic plaza between the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube. - [Prince Kung's Mansion (恭王府)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/prince-kungs-mansion.md): Museum. A Qing princely mansion and garden with a passport ticket exchange. - [Bell and Drum Towers, Beijing (北京钟鼓楼)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/beijing-bell-and-drum-towers.md): Attraction. Two historic time towers with separate and joint tickets. - [Universal Beijing Resort (北京环球度假区)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/universal-beijing-resort.md): Attraction. A full-day theme park with dated tickets and a passport entry rule. ## Places in Xi’an - [Terracotta Army (Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum) (秦始皇帝陵博物院（兵马俑）)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/terracotta-army.md): Museum. Look down on the excavated ranks of Qin terracotta soldiers near Xi’an. - [Shaanxi History Museum (main building) (陕西历史博物馆（本馆）)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shaanxi-history-museum.md): Museum. Free ancient-history galleries with a strict timed booking at the main museum. - [Xi'an City Wall (西安城墙)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/xian-city-wall.md): Attraction. Walk or cycle the elevated walls around Xi’an’s old city. - [Muslim Quarter (回民街)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/muslim-quarter.md): Open neighbourhood. Lanes of Hui food around Beiyuanmen, behind the Drum Tower. - [Great Mosque of Xi'an (化觉巷清真大寺)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/great-mosque-of-xian.md): Temple. A historic mosque courtyard hidden in Huajue Lane behind Xi’an’s food streets. - [Bell and Drum Towers, Xi'an (西安钟鼓楼)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/xian-bell-and-drum-towers.md): Attraction. Two separate Ming-era towers at the heart of Xi’an, with individual and combined tickets. - [Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔·大慈恩寺)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/giant-wild-goose-pagoda.md): Temple. Walk the Buddhist temple grounds around Xuanzang’s landmark pagoda. - [Beilin Museum (Forest of Stone Steles) (西安碑林博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/beilin-museum.md): Museum. Centuries of Chinese writing, carved into stone — in a renewed museum. - [Huaqing Palace (华清宫)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/huaqing-palace.md): Attraction. Tang palace hot-spring ruins and later history below Lishan. - [Grand Tang Dynasty Ever-bright City (大唐不夜城)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/grand-tang-dynasty-ever-bright-city.md): Open neighbourhood. Lights, sculpture and performances on a broad Tang-themed pedestrian street. ## Places in Chengdu - [Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/chengdu-panda-base.md): Attraction. Giant and red pandas in a bamboo park — timed real-name tickets, passports accepted. - [Wuhou Shrine (武侯祠)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/wuhou-shrine.md): Temple. Three Kingdoms temple-museum for Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang — ¥50 ticket, book with passport. - [Jinli Ancient Street (锦里)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/jinli-street.md): Open neighbourhood. Free lantern-lit street of rebuilt Qing-style shopfronts beside Wuhou Shrine. - [Kuanzhai Alley (宽窄巷子)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/kuanzhai-alley.md): Open neighbourhood. Three restored Qing-era lanes of tea houses, snacks and shops, free to walk. - [People’s Park, Chengdu (成都人民公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/chengdu-peoples-park.md): Park. A free city park — Chengdu people drink tea by the lake. - [Du Fu Thatched Cottage (杜甫草堂)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/du-fu-thatched-cottage.md): Classical garden. Where the Tang poet Du Fu lived in Chengdu — a memorial garden, ticket needed. - [Wenshu Monastery (文殊院)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/wenshu-monastery.md): Temple. A free working monastery in central Chengdu — red walls, tea, vegetarian food. - [Jinsha Site Museum (金沙遗址博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/jinsha-site-museum.md): Museum. A Bronze Age Shu capital site with a gold-ornament collection, closed for a rebuild. - [Sanxingdui Museum (三星堆博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/sanxingdui-museum.md): Museum. Bronze Age masks, a four-metre sacred tree — a day trip from Chengdu. - [Dujiangyan Irrigation System (都江堰景区)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/dujiangyan.md): Attraction. A Qin-era waterworks that splits a river — swaying bridge, temples, riverside paths. - [Mount Qingcheng (青城山)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/mount-qingcheng.md): Attraction. Taoist temples on a forested mountain: gate, lake, cable car and Laojun Pavilion. - [Leshan Giant Buddha (乐山大佛)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/leshan-giant-buddha.md): Attraction. A 71 m Tang-dynasty Buddha carved into a river cliff, seen on foot or from a boat. ## Places in Chongqing - [Hongyadong (洪崖洞)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/hongyadong.md): Open neighbourhood. Free stilt houses stacked on a cliff, lit gold over the Jialing River after dark. - [Liziba Monorail Station (李子坝轻轨穿楼)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/liziba-station.md): Observation deck. A free riverside platform to watch Line 2 trains pass through a 19-storey apartment block. - [Yangtze River Cableway (长江索道)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/yangtze-river-cableway.md): Attraction. Over the Yangtze in a 1,166 m cable car — a short sightseeing ride between two riverbanks. - [Jiefangbei (解放碑)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/jiefangbei.md): Open neighbourhood. A free, always-open crossroads district around Chongqing's wartime victory monument. - [Ciqikou Ancient Town (磁器口古镇)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/ciqikou.md): Open neighbourhood. A riverside Ming–Qing old street in Shapingba: snacks, teahouses, a hill temple. - [Chaotianmen (朝天门)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/chaotianmen.md): Open neighbourhood. Where two rivers meet: a free riverside square at the tip of the peninsula. - [Eling No. 2 Factory (鹅岭二厂文创公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/eling-erchang.md): Open neighbourhood. A free former printing works turned into hilltop lanes of cafés, murals and rooftops. - [Three Gorges Museum (重庆中国三峡博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/three-gorges-museum.md): Museum. A free city-centre history museum across People's Square from the Great Hall. - [Raffles City Chongqing The Crystal (来福士水晶连廊（探索舱）)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/raffles-city-chongqing-sky-bridge.md): Observation deck. A paid glass-floor deck, 250 m up in a horizontal skyscraper above the river confluence. - [Shancheng Alley (山城巷（第三步道）)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shancheng-alley.md): Open neighbourhood. A free cliffside lane of stone steps, old houses and lantern-lit shops in Yuzhong. ## Places in Hangzhou - [West Lake (西湖)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/west-lake.md): Park. A free, always-open lakeshore of causeways, bridges, boats and a nightly fountain. - [Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak (灵隐寺·飞来峰)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/lingyin-temple.md): Temple. A 1,700-year-old Chan temple beside a cliff of carved Buddhas — free, but book a slot. - [Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/leifeng-pagoda.md): Attraction. A rebuilt lakeside pagoda over excavated ruins — and a lift to the top-floor deck. - [Hefang Street (河坊街)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/hefang-street.md): Open neighbourhood. Old pharmacies, snack stalls and lanterns on a restored Southern Song-style street. - [Longjing Tea Village (龙井村)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/longjing-tea-village.md): Open neighbourhood. Where West Lake Longjing tea grows: free terraces, tea houses and a spring. - [China National Tea Museum (中国茶叶博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/china-national-tea-museum.md): Museum. A free national tea museum set among Longjing tea fields and a Jiangnan garden. - [Yue Fei Temple (岳王庙)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/yue-fei-temple.md): Temple. The shrine and tomb of the Song general Yue Fei — a short, solemn stop beside West Lake. - [Zhejiang Provincial Museum (浙江省博物馆)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/zhejiang-provincial-museum.md): Museum. The provincial museum's old Gushan campus on West Lake, free with a courtyard library. - [Xixi National Wetland Park (西溪国家湿地公园)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/xixi-wetland.md): Park. A big-city wetland of reed lanes and boat routes — half free, half ticketed. - [Grand Canal and Gongchen Bridge (大运河拱宸桥)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/grand-canal-gongchen-bridge.md): Open neighbourhood. The canal's southern end: a Ming stone bridge, craft museums and old lanes. ## Big venues (trade fairs and conventions) Exhibition centres people travel to for a show: how to get there, which entrance for your hall, last trains. Not counted among the places. - [National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) (国家会展中心（上海）)](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/necc.md): Shanghai's four-leaf-clover trade-fair venue, home of CIIE and Auto Shanghai: one metro stop from Hongqiao Railway Station, two from Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2.