Routes of discovery

Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.[Photo provided to China Daily]

If you want to see magnificent landscapes, enjoy gourmet food and learn about traditional Chinese customs and history, here are 10 themed tourism routes across the mainland have recently been selected by netizens and tourism experts. Yang Feiyue reports.

The 10 most recommended themed tourism routes in China have recently been selected by netizens and tourism experts. They were chosen out of 30 candidates that cover most of the country's tourism treasures. The selection was sponsored by China National Tourism Administration and aims to tap into the country's rich tourism resources.

The list features magnificent landscapes, gourmet food, traditional Chinese customs and history.

1. Silk Road

Xi'an-Lanzhou-Xining-Qinghai Lake-Chaka Salt Lake-Qaidam Basin-Dunhuang-Jiayuguan-Zhangye.

The route has silk, porcelain and spice elements and is steeped in history. It played an important part in the economic and culture exchanges between ancient China and other parts of the world. The route spans Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai provinces and the Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions. The areas are home to multiple ethnic groups and abundant cultural heritage.

Recommended sites: Qinghai Lake's Bird Island in Qinghai province; swan natural reserve in Bayanbulak Grassland in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region; Terracotta Warriors in Shaanxi province's capital Xi'an; Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang and Jiayuguan Pass of the Great Wall in Gansu province.

Beijing-Tianjin-Cangzhou-Dezhou-Jining-Zaozhuang-Huai'an-Wuxi-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Ningbo.

The route takes visitors down the world's longest ancient canal that runs from Beijing across Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong and Jiangsu down to Zhejiang's provincial capital Hangzhou. The canal has contributed to economic and culture communication between the south and the north.

Recommended sites: Palace Museum in Beijing; Confucius temple, mansion and cemetery in Shandong province's Qufu; West Lake in Hangzhou.