Hu hu~
I m impressed with here people got nice feelings with China; )) most of u are experts for exploration!
Now let a real chinese who was born in China and grown here give u some advices.(there is no order for the destinations below)
1 the great wall
it's not important frm where u visit it,the key is u really stand on the great wall and feel how great it is...some hot view points just been exploit for tour,often very crowded,if u have an available time u should have u own exploration with it
2 Hu Tong
which is very very attracts me! here in Beijing is mordern and cultural mix,dont just pay attention to those new mordern buildings and old buildings for imperial kinsmen in ancient China...because there are lots ancient points from normal people u can see when u walking in Hu Tong,the old buildings for ancient normal people will be representation of fantastic chinese culture which those really reach my heart
3 Hu Kou waterfalls on yellow river
as other people metioned it's rerely and very powerful!!!And...it's a part of our chinese mother river^^
4 Su Zhou
the most completed old town in china,dont miss it,where it's a deep touch with the old China
5 Tibet
surgest better go here by train in China,so that u can also feel the process for going the most highest place in the world,enjoy)~*

Hi Laura, you speak as a tour operator. Your fives spots are the most proposed by them

OK! I would have to admit that those places u have mentioned are quite popular among foreign visitors. But if u want to know the real China, and if u come to china with a quite tight budget, I'd strongly recommend these places:

A Chinese Opera House, not that kind of fancy ones, but those places where ordinary chinese people can afford.

A Common Buddhist Monastery, where you see the spiritual life of Chinese people.

Visit a university campus, where you can see the future of China.

from a native Chinese
politic sucks, culture works.

Hi Jinwei

You are living in a nice city. In Jiangsu the place I prefer is Zhouzhuang.

Your picture (avatar) is hard to see. A more clear one could be better

Guilin Yangshuo where has the reputation of having the most beautiful landscape under heaven. It is a dream place for many tourists who want to see the real natural landscape and touch the countryside life.

Hilltops pop up from nowhere like trees in the forest and they are shaped like buns, camels, fishes, saw-teeth, horses, etc. It is a city you must visit or you will miss those beautiful landscape there. Rivers flow around like green silk ribbons while the hills reveal themselves as jade hair-pins. Guilin embraces great landscapes like green hills, clear waters, pretty rocks and fantastic caves.

If you want to tour China but fail to pay a visit to Guilin, it is equal to having not toured China! If want to get the best experience out of Guilin please contact us and we will make sure you have a once in a life time experience. You can visit www.guilinprivatetours.com for more info.