300 million tourists just visited China's stunning Xinjiang region. There's a side they didn't see
For years, Xinjiang had bristled under Beijing's rule, sometimes erupting into violence, which kept many domestic Chinese tourists away. Then it became infamous for some of the worst allegations of Chinese authoritarianism, from the detention of more than a million Uyghur Muslims in so-called "re-education camps", to claims of crimes against humanity, by the United Nations.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8x1rnnd5gjo
Extremely concerning... Looking into it! π§
300 million tourists last year is an incredible number
now I want to go to xinjiang
I'd like to visit China but the country is so big and stuffed full of history literally anywhere would be a good spot to visit, I wouldn't know where to start.
Yunnan. Perfect first foray into China.
There, I saved you a tough decision
If I go I'll spend a month over there. It's only a 10 hour ride from Beijing to Kunming via HSR
In my opinion beijing is a bit poo. If you are flying in there, don't stay too long. So much more to see.
I'd much rather visit Chengdu in Sichuan, but I've been wanting to go to Gansu to see the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park for like around a decade. I think I'll round my future trip to those three provinces if that's feasible.
Edit: and Chongqing too. I want to see the future
Basically every city is the future in China. Chongqing is just very very big and has unusual geography
Iβve read that Chongquing is actually quite shit for a first visit. Itβs foggy and humid all the time and itβs just really confusing/geographically hostile to get around.
It's overwhelming at times for sure. And in the summer it's insanely hot and humid. I suggest Yunnan and Kunming city
Best recs for Yunnan??
Kunming is a great city. You've got tourist towns like Dali and Lijiang which are beautiful. And then you have stunning scenery throughout, great for hiking.
Also there is Shangri-la which is alright I guess.
The weather is great and the food is excellent.
Me rn, I want to go next year but there's too much to do
I want to do a proper week-long backpacking trip but idk how to research where those exist, I found the Minya Konka trek in Sichuan but that's about it. That puts me in Chengdu which sounds like an incredible city. Seems like everything in tibet is off-limits to foreigners without a guide? Wish I could find more options in case I'm missing anything
Maybe Yunnan is a solid addition like people are saying. I was already considering it for tiger leaping gorge
kunming hexbear meetup 2026 be there
I'm in, add me to the @ list
Funny enough that's roughly the year I want to go to china