COUNTY

The China you don't hear about enough.

Small places. Deep stories.

Explore Local Places → Why Go Local?

WHY GO LOCAL?

A Different Side of China

01

Stay longer.

A small destination can turn a sightseeing stop into a real place you experience.

02

See everyday China.

Markets, villages, workshops, farms, local food and ordinary streets sit alongside the famous sights.

03

Find stories, not just landmarks.

Some of China's most interesting places are defined by what people make, eat and preserve — not by one famous monument.

FIND YOUR KIND OF COUNTY

Different interests. Different journeys.

NOT THE MOST FAMOUS. MAYBE MORE INTERESTING.

The places that don't make the postcards

These places are not always the first names you hear when planning a trip to China. That's exactly why they're here.

Qingtian

Qingtian, Zhejiang

A small county with a big overseas story — craft, migration and everyday life.

Ninghai

Ninghai, Zhejiang

Old villages, tea country, forest hot springs and coast — Zhejiang as locals live it.

Eryuan

Eryuan, Yunnan

Lakes, wetlands, hot springs and villages around northern Erhai — Yunnan without the crowds.

Deqing

Deqing, Zhejiang

Two quiet nights in the mountains — tea, bamboo and staying rather than sightseeing.

EXPLORE COUNTY

Find Your Perfect Destination

16 destinations
Region
Interest
How long
Yixian, Anhui

Yixian, Anhui

Ancient villages & rural China

Historic Huizhou villages, mountain landscapes and the everyday world of rural Anhui.

2 days East China
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Pingyao, Shanxi

Pingyao, Shanxi

A complete historic Chinese city

Walk through a city that still preserves its historic urban fabric — walls, streets and courtyard life.

1–2 days North China
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Jingdezhen, Jiangxi

Jingdezhen, Jiangxi

Where porcelain is still made

A city where ceramics are part of everyday life — historic kilns, workshops and creative studios.

2 days East China
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Kaifeng, Henan

Kaifeng, Henan

Song-Dynasty China, alive today

A window into one of the world’s great medieval cities — history, old streets and legendary food.

1–2 days Central China
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Anji, Zhejiang

Anji, Zhejiang

Bamboo, tea & countryside

Bamboo forests, tea plantations and guesthouse life — a rural escape from Shanghai and Hangzhou.

2 days East China
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Deqing, Zhejiang

Deqing, Zhejiang

A Jiangnan countryside retreat

Two quiet nights in the mountains — tea, bamboo and staying rather than sightseeing.

2 days East China
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Eryuan, Yunnan

Eryuan, Yunnan

Everyday Yunnan, quieter side

Lakes, wetlands, hot springs and villages around northern Erhai — Yunnan without the crowds.

1–2 days Southwest China
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Yangshuo, Guangxi

Yangshuo, Guangxi

The China-postcard landscape

Karst peaks rising behind farms and rivers — cycle, raft and live inside the scenery.

2–3 days South China
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Ninghai, Zhejiang

Ninghai, Zhejiang

Everyday eastern Zhejiang

Old villages, tea country, forest hot springs and coast — Zhejiang as locals live it.

1–2 days East China
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Qingtian, Zhejiang

Qingtian, Zhejiang

Stone carving & migration stories

A small county with a big overseas story — craft, migration and everyday life.

1–2 days East China
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Fenghuang, Hunan

Fenghuang, Hunan

Stilt houses above the Tuojiang

A riverside old town of stilt houses, Miao culture and the world of Shen Congwen.

1–2 nights Central China
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Shaxi, Yunnan

Shaxi, Yunnan

Tea Horse Road, unhurried

A small market town on the old Tea Horse Road — temples, guesthouses and mountain-valley calm.

2–3 days Southwest China
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Yining, Xinjiang

Yining, Xinjiang

Markets & the Ili Valley

Central Asian culture, markets, orchards and the Ili River — Xinjiang beyond the deserts.

1–2 days Northwest China
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Nyingchi, Tibet

Nyingchi, Tibet

Tibet’s greener side

Forests, snow peaks, gorges and lakes — Tibetan highlands without the high-altitude harshness.

3–5 days Southwest China
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Datong, Shanxi

Datong, Shanxi

Buddhist art & northern history

Yungang, the Hanging Temple and Liao–Jin architecture in one dense historic city.

2 days North China
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Dunhuang, Gansu

Dunhuang, Gansu

Silk Road desert crossroads

Mogao Caves, singing dunes and frontier passes at the meeting point of cultures.

2–3 days Northwest China
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COMING FROM A ROUTE?

Pair Local Places with Your Journey

Make your trip richer by adding a few local stops along the way.

Huangshan → Yixian
Dali → Eryuan → Shaxi
Zhangjiajie → Fenghuang
Shanghai → Anji
Guilin → Yangshuo
Beijing → Datong → Pingyao

NOT SURE WHERE TO START?

Let us help you find the right place to begin.

Answer a few questions about how you travel, and we'll point you to the local places that fit.

Find Your China →