China City Guides
Shanghai. While Hong Kong may be the capital of China, Shanghai remains the country’s most populated and developed city, a title it has held since the 1930s. It also boasts an impressive mix of East and Western architecture, thanks to its large immigrant population and Western influence. Buildings resembling those found in cities like Paris and New York are right at home here, along with some breathtakingly modern buildings. Read more.
Three Gorges Dam. One of the most fascinating sights along the Yangtze, the Three Gorges Dam is an impressive marvel of engineering. Construction began in 1994 and the dam officially opened in 2008, though electrical capacity and other features are still being added. It is the world’s largest power station in terms of raw installed capacity, with a planned electrical output of 22,500 Megawatts. But river cruisers are more likely to be impressed with their transit of the locks that precede the dam; locks that have made navigating this river safer than in the past. Read more.
Wuhan. Located where the Yangtze and Han rivers intersect, Wuhan is the most populous city in Central China with a population of just under 10 million citizens in its urban area. Part of the Hubei province, this bustling city offers a stunning blend of Chinese cultural history mixed with modern innovations like the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed trains, which can reach a top speed of 394 kilometers per hour, transforming a ten-hour journey into three. Read more.
Xi’an. A popular stop on many Asian river cruise itineraries, Xi’an is an impressive Chinese city perhaps most famous for its incredible Terracotta Army. One of the oldest cities in China, Xi’an’s history dates back more than 3,000 years and was known as Chang’an before the reign of the Ming Dynasty. Read more.
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