Why Travel to West China

When you are planning your tour to China, you might find the destinations are always Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Guilin, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, or the Terra Cotta Warriors. Maybe it’s fresh for the travelers’ first visit to China. But you? You have been to China at least once, you have been tired of the tourist spots in China. It’s time to provide more alternatives for your travel destinations. Why not Choose to Travel West China? You are no longer restricted to more known tourist destinations such as Mount Taishan in Shandong Province and West Lake in Zhejiang Province, but cover a whole lot of different natural and cultural sceneries. To Travel West China, you will rediscover the real beauty of China, and have a unforgettable life-time experience. You will expand your understanding of the country’s most beautiful places which differs greatly from conventional wisdom. Undoubtedly, after back to your home, you would have a vivid memory, and feel an irresistible impulse to come back to Travel West China once again. It is absolutely worthwhile to Travel West China!

China's western region includes 10 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions: Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Chongqing, and Guizhou. The region covers 5.38 million square kilometers, 56% of the country land area, and has a population of 287 million people, 22.99% of the national total. It is also the region in which most of China's minority nationalities live. Natural resources in the western region are very rich. Total water resource account for 82.5% of the nation's total, and utilized water reserves account for 77% of the total, though only 1% of these reserves has been used. Its tourist and cultural resources are rather rich. In this region we find the clay warriors and horses of the First Emperor's tomb, the Mogao Caves, Jiuzhaigou Valley, etc. The western region is contiguous to more than 10 countries with borders extending over a distance of 12,747 kilometers. With such extensive borders, there is no doubt that the region presents an attractive outlook for international trade with the border countries. The Silk Road that cut across the western region has ever been the first passage of China's exchange with outside world throughout its long history. Unequalled Tibet beauty with splendid landscape, local people’s smiling from heart and unique Tibetan Buddhism atmosphere… The scenic splendor, the pure local people, the distinctive minority culture, all these form into a splendid painting of West China, China’s most beautiful region.

Contradictory to the conventional conception that China's national-level scenic areas are mostly located in the densely populated eastern part of China, in fact, most of the places are located in the western part of China. The scenic spots most familiar to people are mostly associated with poems, paintings and legends about them. For example, there are hundred of poems and literature works describing Mount Taishan and West Lake, which make them very famous. But actually, the criteria to judge the sceneries should be more related to their geographical beauty than cultural fame. The real scenic landscapes are in less populated areas remote from the attention of literati and artists of the past. According to the rankings of scenic splendors in China by Chinese National Geography, most of them are located in West China. Below are the most beautiful places chosen by the National Geography.

China's Most Beautiful Lakes

1. Qinghai Lake, Qinghai
2. Kanas Lake, Xinjiang
3. Namtso Lake, Tibet

China's Most Beautiful Mountains

1. Namjagbarwa Peak, Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, Tibet
2. Mount Gongga, Sichuan
3. Mt. Everest/Qomolangma, Tibet
4. Meili Snow Mountain, Yunnan
5. Daocheng Sacred Peaks (Xiannari, Yangmaiyong and Xianuoduoji), Sichuan
6. Chogori Peak-K2, Xinjiang
7. Mount Kailash, Tibet
8. Mount Emei, Sichuan

China's Most Beautiful Deserts

1. Taklimakan Desert, Tarim Basin, Xinjiang
2. Gurbantunggut Desert, Junggar Basin, Xinjiang

China’s Most Beautiful Glaciers

1. Rongbuk Glacier, Qomolangma, Tibet
2. Tomur Glacier, Wensu County, Xinjiang
3. Hailuoguou Glacier, Luding County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan
4. Midui Glacier, Yupu Town, Bomi, Nyingtri Prefecture, Tibet
5. Telamakanli Glacier, Below Telamakanli Peak, Xinjiang

China's Most Beautiful Waterfalls

1. Tangpo Badong Waterfalls, Yarlung Tangpo River, Tibet
2. Jiulong Waterfall, Luoping, Yunnan
3. Nuorilang Waterfall, Jiuzhagou Valley, Sichuan

China's Most Beautiful Forests

1. Tianshan Mountain Xuling Spruce Forest, Guliu County, Yili Prefecture, Xinjiang,
2. Baima Snow Mountain Azalea Forest, Diqing Tibetan Prefecture, Yunnan
3. Bomi Gangxiang Spruce Forest, Nyingtri, Tibet
4. Xishuangbanna Tropical Forest, Xishuangbannan Dai Prefecture, Yunnan
5. Luntai Huyang Poplar Forest, Luotai County, Bayiguole Mongolia Prefecture, Xinjiang,
6. Nuorilang Waterfall, Jiuzhagou Valley, Sichuan
7. Tangpo Badong Waterfalls, Yarlung Tangpo River, Tibet
8. Sichuan Bamboo Forest, Yibin, Sichuan

China's Most Beautiful Grasslands

1. Yili Grassland, Yili Prefecture, Xinjiang,
2. West Sichuan Frigid Grassland, Litang County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan
3. Nagchu Frigid Grassland, Nagchu, Tibet
4. Qilian Mountain Grassland, Between Qinghai and Gansu

China's Most Beautiful Marshlands

1. Ruo'ergai Marshlland, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan
2. Bayanbulak Marshland, Bayiguole Mongolia Prefecture, Xinjiang

China's Most Beautiful Country Towns and Villages

1. Danba Rongchag Tibetan Village, Danba County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan
2. Dayangjie Hani Villagte, Honghe County, Honghe Hani and Yi Prefecture, Yunnan
3. Tuwa Village at Kanas Lake , Burqin, Xinjiang
4. Dayan Town, Lijiang, Yunnan

China's Most Beautiful Gorges

1. Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, Medong County, Nyingtri, Tibet
2. Tiger Leaping Gorge, Jinsha River, Lijiang, Yunnan
3. Great Nujiang Canyons , Lushui County, Nujiang Lisu Prefecture, Yunnan
4. Meili Canyons of Langcang River, Diqing Tibetan Prefecture, Yunnan
5. Jiukou Gorge of Dadu River , Leshan, Sichuan
6. Kuqa Gorge of Mount Tianshan, Akesu, Xinjiang

China’s Most Beautiful Yadan Landforms

1. Wuerhe Wind City - "Demon City", Karamay, Xinjiang
2. Bailongdui Yandan, Lop Nur, Bayiguole Mongolia Prefecture, Xinjiang
3. Sanlongsha Yadan , Lop Nur, Bayiguole Mongolia Prefecture, Xinjiang