25 Ultimate Things to Do in China

China’s breadth is incredible, stretching from the East China Sea all the way west to Central Asia. In Shanghai, urbanites bite into delicate xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) while 3,000 miles away in Kashgar, closer to Baghdad than Beijing, Uyghurs sit for lamb kebabs and naan.The Middle Kingdom is a country of superlatives—the most people, the largest palace complex, the highest skyscrapers—but look closer and you’ll see it’s also one where hill tribes work rice fields, prized tea is still picked by hand, and you can find yourself alone on the Great Wall. To try and see everything would be overwhelming, but tackle this list of 25 fantastic China experiences and you’ll have stories to tell for years to come. —Sophie Friedman