Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, Hubei province.(Photo provided to China Daily)
2. Beijing-Hangzhou Great Canal
Beijing-Tianjin-Cangzhou-Dezhou-Jining-Zaozhuang-Huai'an-Wuxi-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Ningbo.
The route takes visitors down the world's longest ancient canal that runs from Beijing across Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong and Jiangsu down to Zhejiang's provincial capital Hangzhou. The canal has contributed to economic and culture communication between the south and the north.
Recommended sites: Palace Museum in Beijing; Confucius temple, mansion and cemetery in Shandong province's Qufu; West Lake in Hangzhou.
3. Yangtze River
Nanjing-Hefei-Wuhan-Yichang-Chongqing.
The route runs from Qinghai's Tanggula Mountains across Chongqing, and Hubei and Hunan provinces. It covers the Qinghai-Tibet rail line, the pandas' habitat and water towns in southern China. The Yangtze River is the cradle of the 5,000-year Chinese civilization. Many ethnic groups live along this river.
Recommended sites: Mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen in Jiangsu province's Nanjing; Yellow Crane Tower in Hubei's capital Wuhan; Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River.
