East China

East China covers seven provinces and municipalities (Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi and Shandong), bringing together Jiangnan water towns, Huangshan, Lushan and Wuyishan, Fujian's tulou and coastal island cities, and has the densest concentration of tourist resources in China.

East China, following China's seven-region geographic division, includes seven provinces and municipalities: Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi and Shandong. Taiwan is not included in this scheme and is treated as a separate top-level region; Matsu, although geographically off the mouth of the Min River in Fujian, is actually administered by Taiwan, and visiting requires separate procedures. The highlights are very dense: Shanghai's Bund and urban atmosphere, the Suzhou gardens, Nanjing as the ancient capital of six dynasties, Yangzhou's Slender West Lake, and Hangzhou's West Lake and Jiangnan ancient towns such as Wuzhen and Xitang; Anhui has Huangshan, Jiuhua Mountain and the Huizhou villages of Xidi and Hongcun; Jiangxi has the rapeseed flowers of Wuyuan, Sanqing Mountain, Lushan, the porcelain capital Jingdezhen and Jinggangshan; Fujian has Wuyishan, Gulangyu in Xiamen, the ancient city of Quanzhou, the Fujian tulou and the Xiapu mudflats; Shandong has Mount Tai, the Three Confucian Sites in Qufu, and the coastal cities of Qingdao and Weihai. Classic itineraries: the Jiangnan highlights of "Shanghai–Suzhou–Hangzhou" in five to seven days; the Anhui–Jiangxi scenic route of "Huangshan–Hongcun–Wuyuan–Sanqing Mountain" in five to seven days; southern Fujian's "Xiamen–Tulou–Quanzhou" in four to six days; Shandong's "Jinan–Mount Tai–Qufu–Qingdao" in four to six days. Getting there: Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Xiamen and Qingdao airports have dense flight networks, and the regional high-speed rail network is well developed, with most cities two to three hours apart; for mountain villages, a chartered car or self-drive is best. Notes: around June is the plum rain season, and in July and August typhoons often disrupt island transport along the coast; on holidays, popular scenic areas such as Huangshan and West Lake are extremely crowded, so travel off-peak and book in advance.

Destinations

Itineraries