Top 8 Places to Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in China
The Mid-Autumn Festival usually occurs from early September to early October when the weather is most comfortable at most tourist destinations in China. With the pleasant weather and lively festival atmosphere, this time is a peak travel period in China. In this article, we've listed the top 8 places for you to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in China.
Generally speaking, a good place to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival should be wide and open, high, or somewhere with water. The following recommended places include at least one or two features.
1. Tongli Water Town in Shanghai
- Well-preserved, not so commercialized, and crowded
- Tuisi Garden (UNESCO World Heritage Site): Built 1885–1887 during the Qing dynasty
- 49 Stone Bridges: There are 49 stone bridges, of varying styles, joining 7 islands created by 15 rivers and 5 lakes. Each bridge has a poetic name.
- Gondola Trip: The waterways provide a major form of transport in Tongli. So you can take a gondola from Tuisi Garden to the Three Bridges.
Start your tour in Suzhou and Tongli Tour from Shanghai.
2. Simatai Great Wall in Beijing
- Historic: The only part of the Great Wall that retained the ancient style of the Ming Dynasty in China.
- Challenging Hiking Experience: Lying on the undulating Yan Mountains, the eastern section rises and falls along the peaks with the steepest part up to 80 degrees!
- Breath-taking Scenery: A natural dividing line, Yuanyang Lake (Simatai reservoir) at the bottom of the valley; 16 watchtowers of varying styles along the wall, the whole view of Yan Mountain as well as Beijing city, and the rare sense of beauty at night.
- Surrounding Resorts: Near Gubeikou Great Wall and Gubeikou Town (A Green Ancient Town)
Click here to experience a Night Tour on the Simatai Great Wall.
3. Temple of Heaven in Beijing
- Two Themes of the Architecture Style: In heaven and on earth.
- Special Layout: A semi-circle in the north and a semi-rectangle in the south – an important belief in ancient China that heaven is round and the earth rectangular.
- Ancient Sacrificial Buildings: Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest; Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest; Imperial Hall of Heaven
Walk into Beijing to start your morning visiting the Temple of Heaven!
4. Grand Canyon in Zhangjiajie
- World's Longest and Highest Glass-bottom Bridge: Spanning two cliffs in the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon area, it is 430 meters (1,410 feet) long and 6 meters (20 feet) wide, hovering over a 300-meter (984-foot) vertical drop.
- Waterfall Wonders: Spectacular sight of various waterfalls, such as spray waterfalls, shade waterfalls, line waterfalls, fog-rolling waterfalls
- Chinese Minority Customs: Zhangjiajie Old Courtyard is a Tujia ethnic minority courtyard residence that was built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Why not join our Zhangjiajie Essence Scenery Tour to admire the great glass bridge?
5. Fenghuang Ancient City in Hunan Province
- Historical Site: It dates back to 1704 (Qing Dynasty)
- Buildings of Ancient Features: Diaojiaolou which are unique wooden houses built along the riverbank, red rock town walls, palace-style halls, and residences, etc.
- Meeting of Cultures: It marks the dividing line between the Han people on the central plains and the minority-inhabited southwestern region.
- Boat Cruise: Take a boat cruise along the Tuojiang River – a way to enjoy the beauty of Diaojiaolou buildings and get close to local life.
See more about Fenghuang Ancient City and Zhangjiajie and start your tour.
6. Humble Administrator Garden in Suzhou
- One of China's Top Four Gardens (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Largest Garden in Suzhou: It is very large (nearly 52,000 square meters or 13 acres). It is divided into three respective gardens: Central Garden, Western Garden, and Eastern Garden.
- Long History: It was built around 1509 AD, during the Ming Dynasty, by the imperial inspector.
- Delicate Layout: Pools, rockeries, islets, bamboo groves, pines, pavilions, and corridors.
Click here to join Suzhou's Exquisite Gardens Tour from Shanghai to visit the Humble Administrator Garden.
7. Elephant Trunk Hill in Guilin
- Elephant Trunk Shape Hill: It is named after its shape, a huge elephant, siphoning up water from the river below (the Li River).
- Water Moon Cave: Situated between the elephant's trunk and its torso is a large cave that is said to resemble a full moon drifting on the water, therefore it is named Water Moon Cave.
- Other Interesting Attractions: Puxian Pagoda, Hongfeng Temple, and another cave called Elephant Eye Cave.
Please feel free to contact us if you want to add Elephant Trunk Hill to our Essence of Guilin Tour.
8. E'mei Mountain in Sichuan Province
- One of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- First Buddhist Temple in China: The beautiful atmosphere at the summit of E'mei Mountain is home to the first Buddhist temple in China.
- Historical Site: It was built in the 1st century A.D.
- Mountain Climbing: E'mei Mountain extends over more than 200 kilometers and the height of its summit reaches 3099 meters above sea level.
Customize a private tour to E'mei Mountain.