Self-driving tour in Nanjing: the historical imprint of the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties

Qinhuangdao City, referred to as "Qin", also known as the Port City, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Hebei Province. It is a Type II large city [54]. It is located in the northeastern part of Hebei Province in North China, bordering the Bohai Sea to the south, Yanshan Mountain to the north, Liaoning to the east, and Beijing and Tianjin to the west. It is located at the junction of the two major economic zones of North China and Northeast China, and is located in the central area of ​​the Bohai Rim Economic Circle. It is an important functional area of ​​the capital economic circle [2-4] and one of the first coastal open cities. Qinhuangdao City is an important node city, a modern marine city, and a national comprehensive transportation hub city in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region approved by the State Council. It is a national coastal tourism destination [1] [95]. As of 2024, Qinhuangdao City has 4 districts and 3 counties under its jurisdiction, with a land area of ​​7,802 square kilometers, a sea area of ​​1,805 square kilometers, and a permanent population of 3.1114 million. [114] Qinhuangdao City was named after the emperor Qin Shi Huang, who sent people to the sea to seek immortality during his eastern tour. It is the only city in China named after an emperor. [97] It is 280 kilometers from Beijing, 240 kilometers from Tianjin, and 380 kilometers from Shenyang. [93] Five national railway trunk lines, namely the Beijing-Shanhai Railway, Beijing-Qinhuangdao Railway, Daqin Railway, Qinshen Railway, and Shenshan Railway, intersect here. The Tianjin-Qinhuangdao High-speed Railway, Beijing-Shenyang Expressway, Qinbin Expressway, Chengqin Expressway, Qinhuangdao-Shenyang Expressway, Beijing-Qinhuangdao Expressway, and Qintang Expressway run through the entire area. [102] Shanhaiguan District is a national historical and cultural city [5] [40] [58-59]. Qinhuangdao Port is the world's largest energy export port [86] and China's earliest independent trading port.

Leshan City (Sichuan dialect pinyin: No2san1; local pronunciation: [nʊʔ3sã55]), formerly known as Jiazhou and Jiading, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China, located in the south-central part of Sichuan Province. The city borders Zigong City and Yibin City to the east, Liangshan Prefecture to the south, Ya'an City to the west, and Meishan City to the north. It is located in the southwest of the Sichuan Basin, with the Chengdu Plain in the north, the hilly area of ​​central Sichuan in the east, and the Xiaoliangshan Mountains in the southwest. The terrain is high in the southwest and low in the northeast. The Minjiang River runs from north to south, merges with the Dadu River and the Qingyi River in the urban area, and then flows out of the city to the southeast. The total area of ​​the city is 12,720 square kilometers, with a population of 3.2605 million. The Municipal People's Government is located in the Shizhong District. Leshan is a national historical and cultural city and an excellent tourist city in China. The famous Leshan Giant Buddha is located on the south side of Lingyun Temple on the east bank of the Minjiang River. Mount Emei, one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China, is located in the northwest of the city.

Jieyang City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province and one of the four cities in the Chaoshan region. It is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese, located in the southeastern part of Guangdong Province, at the center of the geographical axis between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Haixi Economic Zone.

Harbin (Manchu: ᡥᠠᠯᠪᡳᠨ, Mulinde transliteration: Halbin), also known as Habu[5] or Hashi, is located in the northern part of China's Northeast Plain. It is the capital of Heilongjiang Province, the People's Republic of China,[6][7][8], a sub-provincial city, and an important regional center city in Northeast China.[7] Harbin is the political, economic, cultural and foreign-oriented center of northern Northeast China. It is also the largest city in China with the third largest registered population among provincial capitals.[9][8] The city's administrative area covers an area of ​​10,198 square kilometers.[10] The municipal government is located at No. 1 Century Avenue, Songbei District. It has 45 ethnic minorities and a variety of religious cultures. It is the only city in China where Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Christianity, and Islam coexist. [11] Harbin is located in the southern part of Heilongjiang Province. It has a temperate continental monsoon climate with an average annual temperature of only 5.2℃. The winter is cold and long, and the summer is warm and short. It is a winter ice and snow tourism and summer resort. It is famous for its annual International Ice and Snow Festival and its strong European style. It is also one of the first batch of excellent tourist cities in China[12] and a famous historical and cultural city in China[13]. Due to its geographical location, Harbin was a bridgehead for Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union to connect with China and the Far East in the first half of the 20th century. It is also an important international trade city in northern China and one of the earliest international cities in China in the 1920s[14]. Harbin's urban architectural style is still deeply influenced by it. Various European-style buildings brought by early Russian, Eastern European, Jewish and other immigrants are scattered throughout the city. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was gradually transformed into a central city with both industry and commerce. Today, Harbin still occupies an important position in international trade[15] and is the permanent rotating host city of the China-Russia Expo[16]. Harbin is known as the pearl of the Eurasian Continental Bridge and is an important hub of the First Eurasian Continental Bridge and the Sky Corridor[8]. According to the "Plan for Border Development and Opening-up in Northeastern Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia" approved by the State Council in 2013[17], Harbin is the center of the border development and opening-up channel, a regional central city in Northeast Asia[18], and also the core city in the northern part of the Harbin-Changchun urban agglomeration. The 9th Asian Winter Games will be held in Harbin in 2025[19].

Taiyuan City, abbreviated as "Bing", was called Jinyang in ancient times, and is also known as Bingzhou and Longcheng. [130] It is a prefecture-level city, provincial capital, and Type I large city under the jurisdiction of Shanxi Province, China. [131] [284] It is located in the central part of Shanxi Province and the northern end of the Jinzhong Basin. The city is located between 111°30'~113°09' east longitude and 37°27~38°25' north latitude. The total area is 6,988 square kilometers, accounting for about 4.5% of the total area of ​​Shanxi Province. [133] As of the end of 2022, the city's permanent population is 5.435 million. [132] As of the end of 2023, Taiyuan City has 6 districts, 3 counties, and 1 city under its jurisdiction. [135] The Municipal People's Government is located at No. 69, Xinjian Road, Taiyuan City. [136] The Taiyuan dialect belongs to the Taiyuan dialect of the Central District of Shanxi dialect. [174] Taiyuan City is surrounded by mountains on the east, west and north, and the Fenhe River valley plain is in the central and southern parts. The entire terrain is high in the north and low in the south. [134] Located in the interior of the continent, it has a warm temperate continental monsoon climate, with cold winters and hot summers, short springs and autumns, large temperature differences between day and night, and little and concentrated precipitation. [263] The discovery of the "Gujiao Paleolithic Cultural Site" shows that humans have lived in the Taiyuan area as early as 100,000 years ago. In ancient times, it belonged to Jizhou. [130] The Qin Dynasty established Taiyuan County in Jinyang, marking the beginning of the establishment of Taiyuan County. In 1948, the Chinese People's Liberation Army successively liberated various counties in Jinzhong and marched to the gates of Taiyuan. On October 17, the Taiyuan Municipal Government was established in Yuci. On March 1 of the following year, the Taiyuan Municipal Government and the Jinzhong Administrative Office merged to form the Taiyuan Municipal Government. On September 1, 1949, the Shanxi Provincial People's Government was established and Taiyuan City was changed to a provincial-level city. [140] [141] Taiyuan is an important central city in central China approved by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, a national comprehensive transportation hub, and an advanced manufacturing base in North China [253]. It also has a national-level Jinzhong Cultural Ecological Protection Area [286].

Qingdao is a sub-provincial city and separately planned city in Shandong Province, China. Located in the southern part of the Shandong Peninsula, the city borders the Yellow Sea to the east and south, covering a total area of 11,293 square kilometers. As of 2024, Qingdao has a permanent population of 10.4425 million. The city is known for its coastal scenery, temperate monsoon climate, and significant maritime characteristics. Qingdao is an important coastal center city and a key port city in northern China.

Huangshan is a prefecture-level city in Anhui Province, China, located at the southernmost tip of Anhui Province at the junction of Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces. The city covers a total area of 9,678 square kilometers and has a permanent population of 1.317 million as of 2024. Huangshan was established as a prefecture-level city in 1988 and is the core area of the national Huizhou cultural ecological protection zone. The city is the birthplace of Hui cuisine and is known for its rich Huizhou culture, including Hui architecture, Hui opera, and traditional arts.

Zhoushan City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang Province. It is the first prefecture-level city in China established with archipelago system. Zhoushan is located at the intersection of China's eastern golden coastline and the Yangtze River golden waterway, and is China's largest archipelago and an important port city.