These are some of the cities US-China Connect features , which not only gives you a more authentic taste of China, but are all also within easy reach of other well-known places around China.  Check back as we continue adding to this list!

武汉 – Wuhan

Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan

The biggest city in the world you’ve never heard of.  Nine million inhabitants in the middle of Central China, resting on the mighty Yangtze River, Wuhan is about as Chinese as a city gets.  Though it doesn’t boast the glitz and glamour of Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong, Wuhan’s charm is its opportunity to see how the normal Chinese lives, works and plays.  And though the Wuhan buildings are rising at the frantic China pace, the streets below are full of curiosity and adventures.

Historical records put Wuhan’s age at about 3,000 years, though you’d never guess it with the amount of development going on.  Present Wuhan consists of three cities that were combined in the early 1900’s – Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang.  Wuchang includes most of Wuhan’s universities, the Hubei Provincial Government sector, East Lake and a variety of development zones full of walking streets, restaurants and shopping areas.  Hankou is the financial center of Wuhan and also boasts the best night life, with bars and clubs scattered around the riverside area.  Hanyang is the least developed but has recently added some world-class performing centers, parks and the Gui yuan Buddhist temple.

Wuhan is also home to some of the best snacking in the Middle Kingdom.  The most famous is called re gan mian, or hot dry noodles, which features a bit of sesame paste (like peanut butter), pickled vegetables and a dab of hot sauce.  It might not sound appealing now but it will be the first thing you miss if you choose to come to this gritty yet charming mass of civilization.  Other snacks can be discovered on your own, for a fraction of the cost in the States.

Wuhan’s location also makes it one of the best places in China to explore other places.  It is on average an overnight train to most tourist destinations, including Beijing and the Great Wall, Xi’an and the Terracotta Warriors, Zhengzhou/Luoyang, glitzy Shanghai, and uber-metro Hong Kong.   And with new high-speed trains and an ever-growing airline network, traveling China is both quicker and cheaper than the US.

宁波 – Ningbo

Ningbo Riverside

In Mandarin, Ningbo translates as “tranquil waves”.  And for good reason.  It lies within the Shanghai metropolitan area but feels thousands of miles away, with a quiet, laid-back way of life and plenty of water history and culture.  Once a part of the famed Silk Road, Ningbo has served as a strategic port for thousands of years and can handle the world’s biggest ships.  The Yong River cuts through the city, offering a serene and pleasant downtown to wander through. Ningbo is surprisingly modern, for you’ll also see a number of international hotels strewn across town, as Ningbo is  also a manufacturing base for some of the world’s biggest companies.

Ningbo was one of the original ports opened by the Treaty of Nanjing in the 1800′s by the British, which has shaped a bit of the city’s landscape.  Massive stone churches can be found around the city, and one of the hot spots is down on the old river port, called the Old Foreign Street. If you’re a seafood lover, Ningbo’s specialty is fresh fish and shrimps, easy to find in any restaurant and nice and light in taste.  When entering a restaurant you first walk through table after table of fresh seafood and decide which dishes you want prepared.  A bit later it shows up at your table, cooked to perfection.

Ningbo rests in Zhejiang Province, arguably one of China’s prettiest, with green mountains and rivers sprawled throughout.  You’re also within a couple hours train distance to Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Suzhou all prominent in China’s history and huge tourist draws today.  Many islands including Putao shan are a short boat ride away as well.

成都 – Chengdu

In far southwest China lies Chengdu, hailed by many travelers as one of the best spots in the country.  Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province, home to what most of us know as  spicy Szechuan Chinese food and the beloved Pandas.  It is also considered one of the most chilled places in China, as locals are known to spend long hours drinking tea at thousands of tea houses scattered across the city, munch on snacks, and chat with friends. There is a saying in China that once you go to Sichuan you’ll never be able to leave.

Central Chengdu

But while the locals enjoy the leisurely atmosphere, the city serves as the financial capital of Western China, as can be seen with the massive building projects in the middle of the city.  Chengdu also boasts top quality universities for both Chinese and international students. In fact, Chengdu’s political and educational clout has been known for thousands of years, as Sichuan and Chengdu were known as one of the Three Kingdoms during the Eastern Han Dynasty.  Many of China’s most famous poets spent their time here as well.

Though Sichuan is often gray and a bit balmy, it sits on the cusp on the Tibetan plateau and within an hour or two you are whisked away into lush, pristine mountain ranges and cooler temperatures. People with an great outdoors mentality will love the biking and hiking opportunities that are abound.  Sichuan also rests on the edges of Tibet and Xinjiang to the West, Yunnan Province and the upper reaches of Thailand, Burma and Vietnam to the South, and the Yangtze River and Chongqing metropolis to the East.

郑州 – Zhengzhou

Longmen Grottoes

Zhengzhou is just plain old.  Traces of civilization can be traced back 1500 BC, as it served as a capital for a few dynasties along the way.  Located on the south side of China’s other famed river, the Yellow River, Zhengzhou, like Wuhan, does not boast the glitzy buildings of Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, but offers a much more authentic view of where China has been and where it’s going.

As Henan Province’s capital, Zhengzhou is a center of manufacturing and industry, and sits strategically in the center of China and will be an integral part of China’s high-speed train network.  In the blink of an eye Zhengzhou will be a stop-off for most passengers.

Not far from Zhengzhou is the site of Kung Fu fanatics around the world, the Shaolin Temples of Luoyang, home of the fighting monks.  You can spend the day wandering the update temples or take in a world-class martial arts performance.  You can even touch up your skills and attend class there.  Not too far as well is the Longmen or “Dragon gate” grottoes, where monks have carved thousands upon thousands of Buddha figures into the side of mountains separated by the Yi River.