Must-see in Shenyang from June to August | Super detailed travel guide for four days and three nights

Wuhan, abbreviated as "Han", also known as Jiangcheng, is one of the megacities[7][8] and national central cities[9] of the People's Republic of China. It is the capital of Hubei Province and a sub-provincial city[10]. It is the largest city in central China and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River[11]. It is also the political, economic, financial, commercial, logistics, scientific, cultural, educational center and transportation and communication hub of the central region[12]. It is a national historical and cultural city[13] and is known as the "crossroads of nine provinces"[14]. Wuhan is the economic and geographical center of China, one of the three major "inland waterway shipping centers" in China, and one of the railway hubs, aviation hubs and highway hubs with the largest passenger volume in China. The "golden waterway" Yangtze River and its largest tributary Han River run through the city, dividing Wuhan into three parts, forming a pattern of three areas of Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang across the river, which are collectively referred to as the "three towns of Wuhan" in history. The Municipal People's Government is located at No. 188 Yanjiang Avenue, Jiang'an District. The city has 13 districts under its jurisdiction, with a total area of ​​8,569.15 square kilometers. By the end of 2023, the permanent population will be 13.774 million, and the annual GDP will be 2001.165 billion yuan.

Lijiang City, [21] is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Yunnan Province, China. It borders Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Panzhihua City in Sichuan Province to the east, Jianchuan, Heqing, and Binchuan counties of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture and Dayao and Yongren counties of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture to the south, Lanping County of Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture to the west and Weixi County of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture to the north. [131] Lijiang City has a total area of ​​20,600 square kilometers, [132] and has one district and four counties under its jurisdiction. [19] Naxi, Mosuo, Yi, and Yunnan dialects are spoken in the city. [54] [119] As of the end of 2024, the permanent population of Lijiang City is 1.25 million. [220] Lijiang City is located on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the northwest Yunnan Plateau, [20] and has a semi-humid low-latitude plateau mountain monsoon climate. [30] The rivers in the territory belong to two major river basins and three major water systems. In the Shu Han period, Lijiang was established as Suijiu County. In the Yuan Dynasty, the Chahanzhang Civil Affairs Office was first established, and later changed to Lijiang Xuanweisi, Lijiang Road Military and Civil Administration Office. In the early Ming Dynasty, Lijiang Prefecture was established. In the Qing Dynasty, Lijiang Military and Civil Affairs Office was established. In December 1949, Lijiang People's Administrative Commissioner's Office was established, and in April 1950, it was changed to Lijiang Commissioner's Office. [5] Lijiang City has an integrated comprehensive transportation system with roads as the main body, and railways, civil aviation, and water transportation connected. The transportation in the territory is convenient. [90] It is the political, economic and cultural center of northwest Yunnan, and a distribution center for materials on the "Southern Silk Road" and the "Ancient Tea Horse Road". [5] Lijiang City has three world heritage sites, [201] multi-ethnic and multi-religious coexistence, [29] above-ground and underground cultural relics are widely distributed, [128] and rich tourism resources. [59] As of 2021, there are 199 fourth-level cultural relics protection units. There are 11 national-level sites, 14 provincial-level sites, 56 municipal-level sites, and 118 county (district)-level sites. [11] There are 104 tourist attractions in the territory, with more than 13,000 species of animals and plants, making it one of the country's famous animal and plant protection bases. [219] Lijiang City has a variety of ethnic cultures and folk activities. For example, the Bangbang Festival and the Sanduo Festival of the Naxi people on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Torch Festival of the Yi people, and the Kuoshi Festival of the Lisu people. [59] In 2024, Lijiang City will achieve a regional GDP of 71.003 billion yuan, an increase of 4.7% over the previous year.

Lianyungang, formerly known as Haizhou, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. Located on the central coast of China, it borders the Yellow Sea to the east and connects to Xuzhou and Suqian to the west. The city covers a land area of 7,615 square kilometers and a sea area of 7,516 square kilometers. As of 2024, Lianyungang has a permanent population of 4.5817 million. The city is known for its coastal scenery and has two national 5A-level scenic spots: Liandao and Huaguo Mountain, along with 14 4A-level scenic areas.

Zhengzhou City, abbreviated as "Zheng", is a prefecture-level city and provincial capital under the jurisdiction of Henan Province. Historically known as "the center of heaven and earth", it was formerly called Shangdu and is now known as the Green City. It is an important central city in central China, a national historical and cultural city, and an international comprehensive transportation hub city.

Xiamen City, abbreviated as "Xia" or "Lu", is a prefecture-level city, a sub-provincial city, a separately planned city, and a Type I large city under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province, China. [164] [198] It is located on the southeastern coast of Fujian Province [186]. It faces the Big and Small Kinmen Islands to the east and Longhai District of Zhangzhou City to the south. It borders Nan'an City of Quanzhou City, Anxi County of Quanzhou City, Changtai District of Zhangzhou City, and Longhai District of Zhangzhou City by land. [207] It has a total area of ​​1,700.61 square kilometers and the language used is the Minnan dialect. [123] As of the end of 2023, Xiamen City has 6 districts under its jurisdiction; by the end of 2024, the permanent population of Xiamen City is 5.35 million [225]; the Municipal People's Government is located at No. 61 Hubin North Road, Siming District. [204] The territory of Xiamen City consists of the mainland area along Xiamen Bay in the southeast of Fujian Province, as well as the islands of Xiamen Island, Gulangyu Island, and Xiamen Bay. The terrain slopes from northwest to southeast, and is mainly composed of coastal plains, terraces, and hills. It has a subtropical marine monsoon climate, with mild and rainy weather, no severe cold in winter, and no scorching heat in summer. [205] In ancient times, Xiamen Island was a habitat for egrets, so it was also called "Egret Island". During the Western Jin Dynasty, Tong'an County was established. In the 27th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1394), Xiamen City was built. In 1935, Xiamen City was established. In 1980, Xiamen Special Economic Zone was established. In 1988, it became a separately planned city. In 1994, it was promoted to a sub-provincial city.

Jinhua City, a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang Province, is located in the central part of Zhejiang Province. It is adjacent to Taizhou City in the east, Lishui City in the south, Quzhou City in the west, and Shaoxing City and Hangzhou City in the north. It belongs to the hilly basin area of ​​central Zhejiang Province, with high terrain in the north and south and low terrain in the middle. It has a mid-subtropical monsoon climate with distinct four seasons, moderate annual temperature, abundant heat, and heavy rainfall. The total area is 10,942 square kilometers. [2] [33] As of the end of 2023, Jinhua City has jurisdiction over 2 districts, 3 counties, and administers 4 county-level cities. [5] As of the end of 2024, Jinhua City has a permanent population of 7.209 million. [101] Jinhua City is a central city in central and western Zhejiang Province, a national historical and cultural city, an inland open national comprehensive transportation hub city, an important innovative smart manufacturing city in the Yangtze River Delta region, an important growth pole in the southern wing of the Yangtze River Delta, and an inland open hub center city. [1] Jinhua (Wushang County) has been established for more than 2,200 years. It was originally part of the Yue Kingdom and was incorporated into Kuaiji County during the Qin Dynasty. It was named because it was "located where the two stars Venus and Wu Nu compete for brilliance". Since the establishment of Dongyang County in the first year of the Wu Baoding Period (266 AD) during the Three Kingdoms Period, it has a history of more than 1,800 years and a splendid culture. It is a national historical and cultural city. [2] [11] Jinhua City is known as "a historical and cultural state, a place where celebrities gather, a city with flourishing literary style, and a beautiful hometown with clear waters and beautiful mountains". [2] Scenic spots in the city include the national scenic area Shuanglong Cave and Huang Daxian Ancestral Temple. On October 1, 1949, seven outstanding Jinhua people, including Chen Wangdao, Shi Fuliang, Feng Xuefeng, Yan Jici, Wu Han, Qian Jiaju and Ai Qing, went up to the Tiananmen Gate Tower together with Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and other founding leaders to participate in and witness the birth of New China. [104]

Suzhou City, a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province, is a megacity [102]. It is located in the southeastern part of Jiangsu Province in East China. It borders Shanghai to the east, Zhejiang Province to the south, Taihu Lake to the west, and the Yangtze River to the north. It is a city in the central area of ​​the Yangtze River Delta [215]. It belongs to the Yangtze River Delta Plain and Taihu Lake Plain. It has a low terrain, numerous rivers and lakes. Most of the surface of Taihu Lake is within the territory of Suzhou City. It has a subtropical monsoon marine climate [2]. The total area is 8,657.32 square kilometers [2] [146]. At the end of 2023, Suzhou City has jurisdiction over 5 districts and administers 4 county-level cities [94] [115]. The Municipal People's Government is located at No. 998 Sanxiang Road, Gusu District [67]. At the end of 2024, the permanent population of Suzhou City is 12.987 million [234]. Suzhou is an important central city in eastern China approved by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, a national comprehensive transportation hub, a national advanced manufacturing and high-tech industrial base, a regional highland of scientific and technological innovation, a comprehensive modern logistics center, and an international tourist destination with the characteristics of a Jiangnan water town. [1] Suzhou has a history of more than 4,000 years since the beginning of written records. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Shoumeng of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty established the Wu Kingdom. In the sixth year of King Jing of Zhou (514 BC), King Helu of Wu began to build Suzhou City. In the Qin Dynasty, Wu County was established. In the ninth year of Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty (589), it was first called Suzhou. In the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928), Suzhou City was established. [125] Suzhou City is the only city along the Grand Canal that has applied for World Heritage status as an ancient city, and is a famous Jiangnan water town. Since Wu Zixu built the Helu City in the Spring and Autumn Period, Suzhou City has maintained a double chessboard pattern of "water and land running in parallel, rivers and streets adjacent to each other", with "small bridges and flowing water, white walls and black tiles, historical sites and famous gardens" as its unique style, and has the reputation of "paradise on earth". As the core carrier of "Jiangnan culture", Kunqu Opera, Pingtan, gardens and Suzhou embroidery nurtured by Suzhou have become distinctive symbols for the world to identify China. [97] [104] Suzhou City has four major industries: electronic information, equipment manufacturing, biomedicine, and advanced materials. [133] According to preliminary calculations, the GDP of Suzhou City in 2024 will be 2672.7 billion yuan, an increase of 6.0% over the previous year.

The central area of Beijing, with many historical sites and cultural attractions. Dongcheng District, under the jurisdiction of Beijing, is located in the eastern center of Beijing. It borders Chaoyang District to the east and north, Fengtai District to the south, and Xicheng District to the west. It lies between 116°22′17″-116°26′46″ east longitude and 39°51′26″-39°58′22″ north latitude. The maximum distance from east to west is 5.2 kilometers, the maximum distance from north to south is 13 kilometers, and the total area is 41.84 square kilometers [57] [60]. As of October 2022, Dongcheng District has 17 sub-districts under its jurisdiction [34]. As of the end of 2023, Dongcheng District has a permanent population of 703,000. [46] Dongcheng District is the area with the most cultural relics and historical sites in Beijing. There are 16 national-level cultural relics protection sites in the district, accounting for 37% of Beijing; 60 municipal-level cultural relics protection sites, accounting for 24% of the city; and 57 district-level cultural relics protection sites. Among the famous 16 new Beijing scenes, the "Tian'an Beautiful Sun" and "Forbidden City Sunset", the ancient and mysterious Lama Temple, the Imperial Academy, the highest institution of learning in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the "left ancestor and right community" Taimiao and Sheji Altar, the Beijing Ancient Observatory that explores the mysteries of the sky, the bell and drum tower of the Mingjin Leigu Time-telling Platform, the Wen Tianxiang Temple with its righteous spirit, and the Peking University Red Building have long been famous at home and abroad. In addition, there are a number of former residences of celebrities such as Mao Zedong, Mao Dun, Lao She, and Soong Ching Ling. In addition, there are Beijing residential courtyards. [60] In 2024, the GDP of Dongcheng District will increase by about 4.5% year-on-year; the district-level general public budget revenue will reach 19.5 billion yuan; the fixed asset investment will reach 27 billion yuan; the per capita disposable income of residents will increase by about 3% year-on-year; and the energy consumption per unit of GDP will decrease by about 5%. [76]