China's UNESCO World Heritage Sites: a Personal Pick by Philip Sen
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The Great Wall
China's first 'Taikonaut' might not have been able to spot it from orbit in 2003, but it's the undisputed big daddy of them all. Summing up everything that is both admirable and appalling about Chinese history, this stupendous feat of engineering entombs thousands of the unfortunates that constructed it. With thousands of tourists visiting each day, its most popular sections are also probably the most battered stones in the world.
The Forbidden City, Beijing
Grand testament to the death throes of China's dynastic past, it was both a sanctuary and a prison to the ruling elite. Nowadays even Starbucks has set up shop, but gaze past the crowds and there are still reminders of the egotistical but doomed era of the emperors.
The Summer Palace, Beijing
Despite being torched by unfriendly gangs of Victorian Brits on tour, as landscape gardens go its rebuilt lakes, bridges and temples outshine even the most extravagant English manor estates. "A potent symbol of one of the major world civilizations," says UNESCO.
Confucian Relics of Qufu, Shandong
Ancestral pile of the philosopher, politician, educator and all round good egg who defined a critical strand of Chinese culture. The graveyard not only contains Confucius' tomb but the remains of more than 100,000 of his descendants, while alongside the world's biggest Confucian temple stands their aristocratic residence, the Kong family mansions.
Huang Shan, Anhui
Inspiration for half of the fading watercolours you'll come across in China's provincial museums, art galleries and knock-off markets, the unearthly peaks and spires of the mountains lend themselves to poets and photographers alike.
Pingyao, Shanxi
Perhaps the only city so far untouched by the twentieth century, the centre of town is an image of what China was like two centuries ago. This isn't much fun for the residents, however, who have to contend not only with hordes of tourists but with the inconvenience and discomfort of primitive electricity and plumbing.
and a couple to miss...
The Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an, Shaanxi
Boasting that you're in for the eighth wonder of the world, the PR fails to mention that most of the thousands of statues remain buried underground beneath the vast hangar built around the excavation. Prepare to be underwhelmed - but at least the emphasis is on preserving what's left than digging it up for the cameras. Nearby, the pyramidal tomb of China's first Emperor Qin Shi Huang remains unseen - the authorities are awaiting the advent of 'new technologies' to assist them in unearthing its treasures.
Suzhou, Jiangsu
Meant to be the 'Venice of the East', a boat trip along Suzhou's canals is more akin to riding along an open sewer running through a dilapidated slum. Proximity to Shanghai has led to rampant industrialisation and the historic buildings and gardens are lost beneath a veil of smog and decrepitude.