Before you go to China there is one site that you have to go to, it has everything you could possibly want to know about China.  "Click" on the above banner and you're there.

    On your way to China the first place you should stop is not on the Mainland.  Go to Hong Kong, there are many sights to see and things to do in this bustleing metropolis.  The nightlife is great, and you will experiance a more relaxed environment than you will on the mainland.  Don't forget extra money for pirated software while you're there.  Try to get there in either January or Februrary so you don't miss the Lantern Festival.  The easiest way to get around a place like Hong Kong is through a travel agency.  "Click" on the above picture to go to one that specializes in Hong Kong.

    Next on your list should be the Great Wall of China.  Going to China and not seeing the Great Wall is like going to a buffet and skipping desert.  The shear magnitude of the thing is almost overwhelming.  Originally built to keep out barbarian raiders like the Mongols (it didn't work). The Great Wall is truly a sight to behold. Thousands of conscripted peasants and labourers sacrificed their lives to build the wall.  Make sure to wear comfortable shoes.  You are sure to do more than your fair share of walking when you go.

    If you're lucky enough to be able to get to China within the next few years you have to take a chartered cruise up the Yangtze River.  Soon people will not be able to cruise up the Yangtze river because of the Three Gorges Dam Project.  The Dam will soon turn the lower portion of the river into little more than a trickle.  Here is the site of a tour company that offers a variety of very interesting packages in and around China as well as the rest of Asia.

    The next place that I feel is worth a visit is the tomb of the Terracota Warriors in Xian.  Over six-thousand of these warriors have been unearthed.  Although it was originally thought that each was a replica of an actual person, it has now been decided that the makers used several different molds for each face and body.  If you "Click" on the picture it will take you to a site that has many more pictures of the tomb.

    Last on the list is the very birthplace of Confucius!  In my opinion, there is not a more Chinese thing to do in China than to experiance to some small degree the major driving force behind most Chinese and for that matter most Asians.  Confucious was the one who first put to words the ideas of the "Five Relationships" as well as the concept of "Fillial Piety".  If you "Click" on the picture above it will take you to a site that describes many aspects of Confucius' home.