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The Atlas Obscura Guide To China

215 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in China

Updated September 21, 2023

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  1. Alxa
  2. Beijing
  3. Changsha
  4. Chengdu
  5. Chongqing
  6. Datong
  7. Datong
  8. Guangzhou
  9. Guilin
  10. Guiyang
  11. Hangzhou
  12. Harbin
  13. Jinhua
  14. Jiuquan
  15. Kashi Diqu
  16. Kunming
  17. Nanjing
  18. Pudong Xinqu
  19. Qujing
  20. Shanghai
  21. Shenzhen Shi
  22. Suzhou
  23. Suzhou Shi
  24. Tangshan
  25. Tianjin
  26. Tianshui
  27. Weinan
  28. Xian Shi
  29. Xilin Gol
  30. Yanan Shi
  31. Zhangjiajie
  32. Zhangye Shi
  33. Zhengzhou

Unusual Attractions in China

See All 215 Things To Do in China

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in China

See all 9 Places to Eat in China
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Explore China

Statues 22
Natural Wonders 21
Architectural Oddities 21
Ecosystems 21
Nature 21
Buddhism 18
Museums And Collections 16
Geological Oddities 16

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Recent China Activity

Stories About China

Beijing's Forbidden City, built in the 15th century, was constructed based on cosmological principles that endured in China for millennia.

A Square, Flat Earth and Round Heaven Meant the World to Ancient China

For millennia, this cosmological principle guided everything from calendars to urban planning.
by James Hannam
At New Outlook Café in Saskatchewan, Canada, Founder Noisy Jim sits with cousin Chow Fong.

How Chinese Food Won Over the World

Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Cheuk Kwan tells a story of innovation and survival.
by Sam Lin-Sommer

Podcast: A Delicious Mission with Cheuk Kwan

Enjoy a round-the-world meal: three courses, three incredible places, three stories of Chinese immigration.
by The Podcast Team
A man makes a traditional dragon heads for the Lunar New Year celebration in Bogor, Indonesia.

5 Colorful Stories About the Pageantry of the Lunar New Year

Go behind the scenes of celebration, from molten metal to sticky cakes.
by April White
An ancient forest blankets the bottom of the sinkhole.

Descending Into the Lush Underworld of China’s Newly Discovered Sinkhole

The country’s karst terrain is fertile ground for massive caves, and a new-found hype for adventure. 
by Ye Charlotte Ming
A 1964 public health poster about preventing malaria, painted by Wu Hao.

The Secret Maoist Chinese Operation to Conquer Malaria

A young medical researcher's idea led to a powerful weapon against the disease—and a Nobel Prize.
by Jia-Chen Fu
Lu Yu, the Tea God or Tea Sage, in a 19th-century image.

The Medieval Influencer Who Convinced the World to Drink Tea—Not Eat It

Caffeinated soups and chewing the leaves were once the norm.
by Miranda Brown
Today, the Changma Basin in China is a dry, rocky expanse but 120 million years ago it was a thriving lake teeming with Mesozoic birds.

The World Has Two New Flying Dinosaurs

Or at least it used to. What can these recently identified dino-birds teach us about extinction?
by Sarah Durn

Lists Featuring China

Red Seabeach
The otherworldly landscape of Padar Island.
Black Sand Beach

10 Unique Beaches From Around the World

From bright red grass to stranded shipwrecks, these beaches are anything but ordinary.

10

Including Driftwood Beach, Red Beach , and Padar Island

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