Most Underrated Cities in China

Datong's Yungang Grottoes contain 51,000 Buddhist statues carved in the 5th and 6th centuries — rivalling Dunhuang's Mogao Caves in scale and artistic achievement, with a fraction of the visitors. The nearby Hanging Temple, suspended across a cliff face above a gorge, is one of China's most astonishing structures. Datong is the most underrated heritage destination in the country.

At its medieval peak, Quanzhou was one of the world's great ports — the eastern end of the Maritime Silk Road where Arab merchants built mosques, Hindus built temples, and Zoroastrians built fire shrines, all within the same city. Its UNESCO World Heritage old quarter is a living archive of medieval globalisation that almost no international tourist visits. One of China's most extraordinary historical cities.

China's best-preserved ancient walled city, where 600-year-old Ming-dynasty streets, courtyard houses, and merchant banks remain almost entirely intact. Pingyao was the financial capital of Qing-dynasty China — the country's first banks and long-distance payment system were founded here. Walking its cobblestone lanes at dusk, with lanterns lit and no cars in sight, is unlike anything else in China.

The Mogao Caves hold 45,000 square metres of Tang-dynasty Buddhist murals — the largest collection of Buddhist art on earth. Dunhuang sits at the edge of the Gobi Desert where the ancient Silk Road split, making it one of history's great crossroads. The nearby Crescent Lake oasis surrounded by singing sand dunes is one of the most romantic landscapes in all of China.

Germany left behind red-roofed colonial villas, tree-lined avenues, and the original Tsingtao Brewery — giving Qingdao a character unlike any other coastal city in China. Add eight sandy beaches, a massive annual beer festival, and some of the country's freshest seafood markets, and you have one of China's most enjoyable cities that most international visitors never think to visit.