The 40 km part of the Li river between Guilin and Yangshou is world famous. The mystic landscape is motive for nearly every second Chinese painting. Although we had bad weather, this trip was incredible.

This little village has a charming old town (basically one street). The atmosphere is very laid back. Worth a visit when you're in the Guilin region.

Amazing, just amazing. This part of the wall is still an insiders' tip. But considering the authenticity and beauty of this part of the wall, it's only a matter of time until it will be crowded too (like Badaling).

Wide area with many buildings and things to explore. If you like the Chinese garden style this is a must see. For me it's a bit too touristy.

The temple of heaven is not only a complex of historic religious buildings but also a very vivid park. You will find musicians, swordsmen, old people doing tai chi and lots of other stuff going on. My favorite place in Beijing.

Biggest palace on earth, astonishing. Take your time to explore all corners of this area. I would recommend to go up the hill in Jingshan Park to see the palace from above (photo was made from there).

Lijiang Oldtown was completely rebuilt in the 1990's. Still it has a very authentic historic flair. A lot of beautiful shops, restaurants, streets and other stuff to explore. When in Yunnan definitely a must visit. But beware: there will be masses of Chinese tourists ;)

Literally paradise on earth, the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life! It is exactly as colourful and beautiful as you see on the photos! Most people get in by taking a 10h bus from Chengdu. Tickets are 200 Yuan and include the bus inside the national park that brings you to the main points of attractions but you can also explore the valley by foot. There are also a couple of Tibetan villages in the valley.

Also called the "Avatar mountains" because they look like they are just floating in the air. Student tickets are 160 Yuan (2016) and give you entry for 4 days, because the area is gigantic and you can't possibly explore it in only one day. Cable car up the mountains are an additional 60 Yuan but you can also walk up (exhausting but rewarding). There is of course a McDonalds right on top of the mountain. Beware of the monkeys, they are very cheeky.

Big botanical garden with lots of tropical plants and tropical forest.

The world-famous Yuanyang rice terraces are located deep in the mountains of Yunnan. To get in, take the bus from Kunming to Yuanyang and then take a mini bus or cab even higher up the mountains to one of the small villages in the area (I stayed at Timeless Youth Hostel in Pugao Laozhai which was great). You can explore the rice terraces by hiking, bus or cab. For the best views get up at sunrise. The villagers all wear their traditional dress as part of their day-to-day life.

It's exactly what it says: A giant "forest" made up of 20m high limestone formations. It's absolutely incredible and a great day trip from Kunming. You can take the bus from Kunming East Bus station (~2h to Shilin). Tickets are 87,5 Yuan for students (2016).

"The prettiest village in all of China".. Tickets are 104 Yuan (2016, half price for students). It really is an incredibly beautiful ancient village, but you probably won't need more than a day to explore it entirely.

Beautiful hot spring at the side of Mt. Huangshan. Pools are all outside and have varying temperatures from cold to up to 40°C. Great place to relax after a long day of climbing the mountain. We got tickets through our hotel which was way cheaper than buying them at the hot spring.

If you're at Huangshan and it is raining and you're looking for some alternatives, look no further! Nine dragon waterfall is very near to Huangshan and really pretty, even in the rain. It's at the end of a gorge, so there is a little bit of light hiking involved.