Forget Shanghai and Shenzhen. Experience Real China.

The honest guide to China's best cities — and the overrated ones

Human opinion, AI assisted

Explore on the Map

Click a city pin to zoom and preview details.

Showing 14 cities
Xi'an
Real China
New Tier 1

Xi'an

西安

Where China began

4.8
4.5
5.0
Family:
4.5
Solo:
4.5
Food:
5.0
Sites:
5.0

7hours from Shanghai

Beijing
Real China
Tier 1

Beijing

北京

Beyond the postcards

4.6
3.5
4.0
Family:
4.0
Solo:
4.5
Food:
5.0
Sites:
5.0

5hours from Shanghai

Suzhou
Real China
New Tier 1

Suzhou

苏州

Venice of the East

4.5
4.0
4.5
Family:
4.5
Solo:
4.0
Food:
4.5
Sites:
5.0

30minutes from Shanghai

Nanjing
Real China
New Tier 1

Nanjing

南京

The Southern Capital's elegance

4.4
4.5
4.5
Family:
4.0
Solo:
4.5
Food:
4.5
Sites:
4.5

1.5hours from Shanghai

Luoyang
Real China
Tier 3

Luoyang

洛阳

Cradle of Chinese civilization

4.1
5.0
5.0
Family:
3.5
Solo:
4.0
Food:
4.0
Sites:
5.0
0

6hours from Shanghai

Chengdu
Fixable
New Tier 1

Chengdu

成都

See the pandas (they're actually amazing), then escape to real Sichuan

3.5
3.0
4.0
Family:
3.0
Solo:
3.5
Food:
4.5
Sites:
3.0

3hours from Shanghai

Chongqing
Fixable
Tier 1

Chongqing

重庆

Skip Hongyadong, rent a car, find the real mountain city

3.4
3.0
3.0
Family:
2.5
Solo:
3.0
Food:
5.0
Sites:
3.0

2.5hours from Shanghai

Dali
Fixable
Tier 5

Dali

大理

Hipster haven with genuinely chill vibes and access to real Yunnan

3.4
3.0
3.0
Family:
3.0
Solo:
4.0
Food:
3.5
Sites:
3.0

4hours from Shanghai

Zhangjiajie
Fixable
Tier 4

Zhangjiajie

张家界

Avatar mountains are real, but so are the crowds and scams

3.3
2.5
2.5
Family:
3.0
Solo:
3.5
Food:
2.0
Sites:
4.5

2.5hours from Shanghai

Shanghai
Fixable
Tier 1

Shanghai

上海

Good for 48 hours, pointless for a week

3.3
2.0
2.0
Family:
3.5
Solo:
3.0
Food:
3.5
Sites:
3.0
Lijiang
Fixable
Tier 4

Lijiang

丽江

Touristy old town, but perfect base for Yunnan's wonders

3.3
3.0
2.5
Family:
3.0
Solo:
3.5
Food:
3.0
Sites:
3.5

3.5hours from Shanghai

Xiamen
Tourist Trap
Tier 2

Xiamen

厦门

Instagram vs Reality

2.8
2.0
1.0
Family:
3.0
Solo:
2.5
Food:
3.5
Sites:
2.0

→ Try Qingdao for beaches, Quanzhou for Fujian culture, or just go to Taiwan instead

Guangzhou
Tourist Trap
Tier 1

Guangzhou

广州

Skip unless for business

2.6
2.5
2.0
Family:
2.5
Solo:
2.0
Food:
4.0
Sites:
2.0

→ Try Hong Kong for Cantonese culture, Chengdu for food, Shanghai for modernity instead

Shenzhen
Tourist Trap
Tier 1

Shenzhen

深圳

Silicon Valley wannabe

2.0
1.0
0.0
Family:
2.0
Solo:
2.0
Food:
3.0
Sites:
1.0

→ Try Hangzhou (tech + culture) or just stay longer in Hong Kong instead

5
Real China Cities
3
Tourist Traps
6
Fixable with Tips
20+
More Cities Coming

Why This Site Exists

Every travel YouTuber keeps recycling the same four cities:

  • Shanghai – “Look at the skyline!” (cool, more glass towers)
  • Shenzhen – “It’s so modern!” (it’s literally just offices)
  • Chengdu – “Pandas!” (you’ve seen pandas before, relax)
  • Lijiang – “Ancient China!” (theme-park shopping mall vibes)

That’s maybe 10% of the story. The rest? Nobody bothers.

The real China isn’t in glossy brochures. It’s Beijing hutongs at 6am, Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter at midnight, Suzhou’s gardens in the rain. It’s cities YouTubers can’t pronounce and won’t visit because you can’t just point a camera at neon and call it “content.”

This site is about both sides: what’s genuinely worth your time and what’s just tourist bait. No fluff, no affiliate garbage, no “Top 10 Must-Sees.” Just straight talk from someone who actually knows.

About This Guide

The Perspective

I’m Chinese, born and raised, now living overseas. I’ve seen my home from both sides: the local who knows which street vendor’s jianbing is legit, and the outsider who gets why foreigners panic when WeChat Pay fails.

That mix means I know what visitors actually love (real markets, temples older than yesterday) and what just feels fake (plastic “old towns,” panda factories).

The Mission

Too many people leave thinking China is malls, neon, and staged “culture.” Meanwhile they skip poetry readings in hutongs, sunrise tai chi in the park, and night markets where no one speaks English.

My goal: help you skip the staged stuff and actually find the parts locals are proud of—the stuff we’d show our own friends.

Bottom line: the best moments aren’t in guidebooks. They’re in taxi driver conversations, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, temples where you’re the only foreigner. This guide nudges you toward those.

FAQ

Why call popular cities “tourist traps”?

Because they kind of are. Shanghai is fine, but you didn’t fly 12 hours for Starbucks and office towers. A lot of these places play to what they think foreigners want, not what’s real.

What counts as “Real China” then?

Real local life. Actual historical sites (not rebuilt tourist sets). Food locals actually eat. Places Chinese people visit for themselves, not to “impress the guest.” That’s where the good stuff is.

So are “fixable” cities worth it?

Yep—if you know how. They’ve got gems buried under tourist nonsense. Sometimes it just means avoiding the main sights, renting a car, or going early/late. Do that, and you’ll find what’s actually good.

Support This Project

This site’s free. No affiliate links, no sponsored junk. If it helped you dodge tourist traps and find the good stuff, consider buying me a bowl of Lanzhou noodles (about three bucks).

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