China is one of the premier tourism destinations in the world and it literally has something to offer everyone. China has snow-capped mountains， tropical rainforests， remote villages with unique language and culture and incredible amount of ancient structures from their long history of civilization. The main problem with seeing these places is that visiting China can be quite intimidating given how difficult the language is and that everything here will be foreign. The majority of people who come here thus sign up for cookie cutter tours that all go to the same places and ignore most of what China has to offer. There is nothing wrong with taking these tours， they are convenient and ensure peace of mind during your stay here but for those who would like to get off the beaten path the extra difficulties one endures will certainly be rewarding.

Tour groups will take you to the most developed and highest trafficked locations and a lot of the itinerary will be more predicated on logistical efficiency and choosing locations that offer them kickbakcs rather than giving you the greatest experience. The majority of their income comes from kickbacks from entrance ticket receipts and a percentage of the sales at a “factory” or gift shop. With a little effort you can avoid the tour groups and make your own schedule. One can literally land at any airport or train station and find an entire area of people looking to hire out their car for the day. Even without any Chinese language skills you could use a phrasebook and guidebook (make sure you get one that lists the names of the sites in Chinese) and within a few minutes negotiate everything and be off and on your way. It’s also a breeze to find a reasonably priced personal tour guide online. Chinese are also remarkably friendly， especially to helpless tourists and you’d be amazed just how many people will gladly volunteer to help you out if something goes awry.

The Great Wall is a great example of how different the experience can be if you go with a group or design your own trip. A tour group will always take you to the Badaling site because it is the closest accessible section of the wall from Beijing and a good part of the trip will be spent at“factories” along the way where they sell you products and then give kickbakcs to the tour operator. Badaling is a fully developed tourist destination with an army of vendors and you’ll find the wall just as crowded as any other major street in Beijing. Every picture you take will have dozens of strangers in the background and you won’t really get a good chance to just enjoy the majestic beauty with someone screaming “Coca cola， T-shirt， postcards”at you as you walk around. Any decent guidebook or website will provide all the necessary information on getting to these other wall locations.

I also want to really promote Datong， which I feel is almost criminally ignored by China tour groups. My two favorite sites in all of China are both located there as well， the Hanging Monastery and the Yungang Grottoes. The Yungang Grottoes are also across a highway from one of the largest coal mines in the world that is a city in its own right so it’s a really surreal experience that juxtaposes the ancient and the modern industry of China.

Language barriers can be easily broken with a phrasebook and also it is cheap and easy to find an English speaking personal tour guide online at each location you visit. You are coming all the way to China， go the extra mile and have the experience of a lifetime.