Travel to diverse China - visit the five top destinations

Start your trip in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, which is well worth a visit.

The Forbidden City is located in the center of Beijing. The palace complex of the Forbidden City was home to China's emperors until 1911. "Beijing" means "Northern Capital".

To the south of the Forbidden City is Tian'anmen Square, the "Square at the Gate of Heavenly Peace". The 40-hectare Tian'anmen Square is the largest public square in the world, where up to one million people can gather.

Attend a Peking Opera performance. The Peking Opera is famous for combining many artistic elements - such as dancing, singing, acrobatics and martial arts.

A 70-kilometre section of the Great Wall of China, which dates back to the 16th century, runs to the north of Beijing. There, the Great Wall is between four and eight meters wide and has watchtowers. The Great Wall north of Beijing has been extensively restored and is therefore easily accessible.

The Great Wall served as protection against attacks by warlike peoples from the north. In total, the Great Wall is over 6,000 kilometers long. It was built during the reign of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

From Beijing, you can travel to Xi'an to visit the world-famous terracotta army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di. Xi'an is the capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi, which lies to the southwest of Beijing, roughly in the middle of China. Qin Shi Huang Di, the founder of the Chinese empire, lived from 259 to 210 BC.

The Terracotta Army is located in the mausoleum (tomb) of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di. It consists of 6,000 life-size clay figures and 40 war chariots with horses made of clay and bronze. The mausoleum covers an area of 56 square kilometers.

The mausoleum has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

Experience modern China on a trip to the vibrant metropolis of Shanghai, one of the largest cities in the world. 15 million people live in downtown Shanghai alone and a further eight million in the 50 outer districts. Shanghai is located on the East China Sea at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Shanghai is an important economic center, but also a city of culture, theaters and museums. The Pudong district is notable for its enormous skyscrapers. At 632 meters, the tallest buildings in Shanghai are the Shanghai Tower and the 492-meter Shanghai World Financial Center.

If you want to experience the diversity of China's nature, then visit Yunnan province in southwest China. Yunnan is characterized by very different natural regions - discover snow-capped peaks in the high mountains and valley landscapes with tropical and subtropical vegetation.

The Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia at almost 6,400 kilometers, flows through Yunnan, as does the Mekong, which flows into the South China Sea.