China is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity occupying a large portion of land in East Asia.

China has one of the world's oldest people and continuous civilizations, consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six millennia. It has the world's longest continuously used written language system, and is the source of such major inventions as what the British scholar and biochemist Joseph Needham called the "four great inventions of Ancient China": paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. Historically China's cultural sphere has been very influential in East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing system being adopted, to varying degrees, by its neighbors Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

The last Chinese Civil War has resulted in two political entities using the name China: the People's Republic of China (PRC), commonly known as China, which controls mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau; and the Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, which controls the island of Taiwan and some nearby islands.

History and politics aside, China is a land of superlatives, encompassing the Yangtze River, the Silk Road, the bamboo forests of the giant panda and misty peaks immortalised in traditional ink paintings. China has 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Chinese food ranks among the world's great cuisines. From acrobatics to martial arts, calligraphy to Chinese opera, the vibrant, distinctive culture of this great land is everywhere to be seen. China rewards visitors with memories to treasure for a lifetime.

1 - Take a Cycling Tour

Get on your bike to enjoy China's great outdoors. Some 300 million Chinese use bicycles to get around. Popular cycling routes include alongside sections of the Great Wall and Guilin and Yangshuo, in Guanxi province.

2 - Enjoy China's Scenic Natural Wonders

They include Tibet's Qomolangma Nature Reserve around Everest and UNESCO World Heritage Sites  including Mount Taishan mountain park, Huangshan Mountain's fog-shrouded rocky precipices, Buddhist mountain Emei Shan and Jiuzhaigou Valley's lakes and waterfalls.

3 - Go Trekking

Hike or trek amid spectacular scenery. Everest Base Camp is Tibet's most popular trekking destination. There's also great hiking in other areas of the mountainous Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Yunnan's threatened Tiger Leaping Gorge and along the Great Wall.

4 - Conquer the World's Highest Mountains.

Mighty Himalayan peaks form Tibet's southern border, among them Mount Everest (or Qomolangma), at 8,848m (29,021ft), and Namcha Barwa, at 7,756m (25,445ft), around which the Brahmaputra River carves a fantastic gorge to enter India.

5 - Go Rock Climbing.

Rock climbing is a fast-growing sport in China. The sheer-faced limestone karst mountains around Yangshuo in Guangxi province have become a climbing Mecca, offering many marked routes for everyone from novice to expert climbers. Some bars even have practice walls.

6 - Go River Cruising.

The Three Gorges Dam will raise levels of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) by 175m (574ft) by 2009, although the spectacular gorges will still tower high above. See striking limestone formations on a Li River cruise from Guilin.

7 - Explore Caves.

Head underground to Zhangjiajie's Yellow Dragon Cave, Asia's largest, or more popular caverns including Guilin's Reed Flute and Crown caves and Yangshuo's Silver Cave - their stalactites and stalagmites lit by garish multi-coloured neon.

8 - See Forests of Stone.

Take a day trip from Yunnan capital Kunming to see one of southwest China's most celebrated natural attractions. The Shilin Stone Forest's limestone rock columns resemble petrified trees.

9 - Beach Relax.

Sanya, on the southern coast of China's most southerly province, Hainan Island, is one of China's newest holiday areas and has international resort hotels, fine sand beaches, golf courses, coconut palms and watersports.

10 - Try the Ancient ‘Shadow Art' of tai chi.

Tai Chi is a series of linked, slow movements using the entire body while focusing the mind. Traditionally practised early in the morning throughout China, good places to see it include Beijing's Beihai Park.

1 - The Palace Museum.

Visit Beijing's crowning glory, the Forbidden City, officially the Palace Museum. The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing emperors for 500 years, it is China's greatest surviving historical site with fabulous halls, palaces and gardens.

2 - Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square, the world's largest public square; circular 15th-century Temple of Heaven; the Summer Palace imperial resort; the old city wall gates; traditional hutong alleys and courtyards; and beautiful Beihai Park.

3 -  The Ming Tombs

Stop off on a day trip from Beijing to the Great Wall to see the Ming Tombs, where most of the Ming emperors were buried. They lie just outside Beijing.

4 - The Great Wall

Marvel at the Great Wall, built over 2,000 years and stretching over 5,400km (3,375 miles). The restored stone and brick Badaling section stands 8m (26ft) high and 6m (20ft) wide, and is the closest to Beijing, 70km (44 miles) away.

5 - Xi'an's Terracotta Army

Wonder at Xi'an's Terracotta Army - 6,000 life-sized warriors and horses buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, who first united China in 200 BC. Also visit the Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas and the old city walls.

6 - Yungang Caves

See the monumental carved Buddhist effigies of Yungang Caves, near Datong, or carved effigies and monuments in Luoyang's fifth-century Longmen Buddhist Caves. Visit the 34 early Buddhist caves at Bingling Lamasery, near Lanzhou. Dunhuang's Mogao Caves have some of China's oldest Buddhist shrines.

7 - The Grand Buddha of Leshan

From Chengdu, visit the holy Buddhist mountain of Emei Shan and the spectacular Grand Buddha of Leshan, carved out of a cliff. At 71m (225ft) high, it is so enormous that 100 people can fit on its instep.

8 - The Yingxian Pagoda

Explore China's oldest wooden pagoda, the Yingxian Pagoda, Kaifeng's Iron Pagoda and Fan Bo Pagoda (AD 1049 and c. AD 977), Jinan's Square Four Gate Pagoda (China's oldest stone pagoda) and Guangzhou's Huaisheng Mosque (built by Arab merchants in AD 650).

9 - Confucius Temple

Pay homage in Qufu at Confucius' Tomb, Temple and Mansion. Shenyang's North Imperial Tomb is where the Qing Dynasty's founding father is buried. Nanjing possesses the Xiaoling Tomb of Ming Dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang, and the mausoleum of China's first president, Dr Sun Yat-sen.

10 - Shanghai

Soak up the cosmopolitan atmosphere of economic powerhouse Shanghai, where soaring skyscrapers contrast the European-style Bund waterfront and traditional delights like tiny Yuyuan Gardens and the Yuyuan Gardens Bazaar, a touristy warren of lanes and stalls housing the Temple of the City God.

11 - Shopping in Hangshou

Shop for silk and tea in ancient China capital Hangzhou, described by celebrated traveller Marco Polo as ‘the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world'. Popular with Chinese and foreign tourists, its main attraction is the beautiful West Lake scenic area.

12 - Suzhou

See China's own Venice, 2,500-year-old Suzhou. Its streets lining the Grand Canal and famous water gardens are a delight. Gardens include the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Garden of the Master of the Nets. Buy exquisite Suzhou silk fabrics and embroidery.

13 - Spot Unique Wildlife.

Sichuan province's ancient parks and bamboo forests are among the last strongholds of the endangered giant panda. View them close up in Chengdu's panda breeding and research centre and on a day trip to a mountain sanctuary at Wolong.

14 - Tibet

Touch the sky at Tibet's capital, Lhasa, which stands at 3,700m (12,000ft). The iconic seventh-century Potala Palace, home to successive Dalai Lamas, houses exhibits include frescoes and gigantic bejewelled Buddhas. Also visit the Norbulingka (Summer Palace) and Jokhang Temple, with its golden Buddhas.

15 - The Silk Road

Trace the ancient Silk Road trading route, which ran from Xi'an through deserts and mountains to the Caspian and Mediterranean seas, bringing Buddhism and Islam into China. The main sights include Dunhuang's Buddhist grottoes at Dunhuang, the ruins of Jiaohe city near Turpan and Kashgar's lively Sunday market.