The whole journey takes five hours, avoiding the peak hours to visit the Terracotta Warriors (reverse route)

Shenzhen City, abbreviated as "Shen", also known as Pengcheng, is a prefecture-level city, a sub-provincial city, a national planned city, and a megacity under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. It is a Chinese special economic zone approved by the State Council, a national innovative city, a modern marine city, an international comprehensive transportation hub city, a national economic center, a national advanced manufacturing base, a gateway to the outside world, an important carrier of an international science and technology innovation center, and a pilot demonstration zone of socialism with Chinese characteristics [1] [346-347]. It is located in the southern part of Guangdong Province, on the east bank of the Pearl River Estuary, bordering Daya Bay and Dapeng Bay to the east, the Pearl River Estuary and Lingdingyang to the west, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the south, and Dongguan City and Huizhou City to the north [191]. By the end of 2024, the city will have 9 districts, a total area of ​​1,997.47 square kilometers, and a permanent population of 17.9895 million [378]. Shenzhen has a 7,000-year history of human activities and a 1,700-year history of city construction [326]. It is a comprehensive landform with hills as the main feature, and a combination of low mountains, hills, plateaus, terraces, and plains [323]. It has a subtropical monsoon climate, with long summers and short winters, mild weather, abundant sunshine, and abundant rainfall [324]. Shenzhen's predecessor was Bao'an County [236] [238] [285]. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the main part of the city belonged to Xin'an County of Guangzhou Prefecture [234-235]. Before the establishment of the city, it belonged to Huiyang District [239]. The name Shenzhen first appeared in historical records in the eighth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1410). In March 1979, Bao'an County was renamed Shenzhen City, which was under the dual leadership of Guangdong Province and Huiyang District. In November, it was directly under the leadership of Guangdong Province. On August 26, 1980, Shenzhen established the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone [290] [376]. Shenzhen is one of the key overseas Chinese hometowns in Guangdong Province, one of the important old revolutionary bases, and one of the birthplaces of the Dongjiang Column during the Anti-Japanese War [327-328]; it is a window of China's reform and opening up and an emerging immigrant city, creating the world-renowned "Shenzhen Speed" and is known as the "Silicon Valley of China" [254]; it is also one of the four central cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a national logistics hub, an international science and technology industry innovation center [2], and one of China's three national financial centers [3]. In 2024, Shenzhen's GDP will reach 3680.187 billion yuan, an increase of 5.8% over the previous year

Hangzhou City, referred to as "Hangzhou", was formerly known as Lin'an, Qiantang, and Wulin. It is a prefecture-level city, provincial capital, sub-provincial city, and megacity under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang Province. It is located in the northern part of Zhejiang Province and the lower reaches of the Qiantang River. It is a city in the central area of ​​the Yangtze River Delta [160] and a global financial technology center [162-164]. As of the end of 2024, Hangzhou City has 10 districts, 2 counties, and administers 1 county-level city, with a total area of ​​16,850 square kilometers. As of the end of 2024, the permanent population of Hangzhou City is 12.624 million. [170] Hangzhou City has a subtropical monsoon climate with distinct four seasons, sufficient sunshine, abundant rainfall, short spring and autumn, and long winter and summer. The terrain of the city gradually decreases from west to east, with low mountains and hills, river valley basins, and accumulation plains. [140] [143] After the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms, it established a county seat at the foot of Lingyin Mountain, called Qiantang. In 589, Qiantang County was abolished and Hangzhou was established. The name Hangzhou appeared for the first time in history. In 1912, the former Qiantang and Renhe counties were merged into Hangzhou County. In 1927, Hangzhou City was established by dividing the urban area of ​​Hangzhou County and other areas. [144] Hangzhou City is an important central city in eastern China approved by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, an international comprehensive transportation hub city, a national digital economy innovation center and a regional science and technology innovation highland, an advanced manufacturing base, an eastern modern service industry center, and an international tourist destination. [1] [147] Hangzhou is known as the "paradise on earth" for its beautiful scenery, represented by the West Lake culture, Qiantang River culture, and canal culture. [145] The excavation of the Kuahuqiao site in Hangzhou City shows that humans have lived and multiplied here as early as more than 8,000 years ago. The Liangzhu culture, which dates back more than 5,000 years, is known as the "dawn of Chinese civilization." Hangzhou City is an important birthplace of Chinese civilization and is known as the "famous county in the southeast." The Wuyue Kingdom of the Five Dynasties and the Southern Song Dynasty established their capitals in Hangzhou. [144] In 2024, Hangzhou's GDP will reach RMB 2,186 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.7%.

Kashgar City (Uyghur: قەشقەر شەھىرى) [10] is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It is located in the southwest of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the western edge of the Tarim Basin. The terrain is high in the north and low in the south. It has a warm temperate continental arid climate with four distinct seasons and a total area of ​​1,528.84 square kilometers. [11] As of 2024, Kashgar City has 10 sub-districts, 3 towns, and 12 townships. As of August 2020, Kashgar City has a permanent population of 700,000. [20] Kashgar is the abbreviation of "Kashgar". "Kashgar" means "jade" in Turkic and "Gar" means "stone" or "mountain" in ancient Iranian. Before Kashgar was incorporated into the territory of the Central Plains regime, it was often part of the Shule Kingdom. It was not until Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions that official exchanges between Kashgar and the Central Plains began. In the third year of Yongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (60 AD), the Western Regions Protectorate was established, and Kashgar, as part of the Western Regions, was officially included in China's territory. In 1952, Kashgar City was officially established. Kashgar City is a national historical and cultural city, a national open city, an excellent tourist city in China, and a national model city for the military-civilian integration. It is the westernmost border city in China and the political, economic and cultural center of the Kashgar region. It is an important commercial port on the Silk Road, a hub for east-west transportation, and an important intersection of the economy, culture and civilization of the East and the West. Kashgar International Airport is a first-class aviation port open to the outside world. In October 2020, Kashgar City was named a national model city for the military-civilian integration. [1] In 2023, Kashgar City achieved a gross domestic product (GDP) of 30.931 billion yuan, an increase of 9.6% over the previous year.

Nanjing City (English: Nanjing City), abbreviated as Ning, also known as "Jinling", "Jiankang" and "Stone City", is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province, China, the capital of Jiangsu Province [284], a sub-provincial city, and a megacity [403]. It is located in the southwest of Jiangsu Province and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is a city in the central area of ​​the Yangtze River Delta [1]. Nanjing City has a northern subtropical humid monsoon climate, with distinct four seasons, abundant rainfall, short spring and autumn, long winter and summer, and a large annual temperature difference. It is known as the "natural geological museum". There are many geomorphic units such as Yangtze River floodplain, water-rich soft soil, hills, and karst [9]. The total area is 6587.04 square kilometers. As of December 2023, Nanjing City has 11 districts [499]. At the end of 2024, Nanjing City has a permanent population of 9.577 million [493]. The Nanjing dialect is Jianghuai Mandarin [462]. Nanjing is an important central city in eastern China approved by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, an international comprehensive transportation hub, a national advanced manufacturing base, an eastern industrial innovation center, a regional science and technology innovation highland, an eastern modern service industry center, a regional shipping and logistics center, and the headquarters of the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army. Nanjing is known as the "ancient capital of six dynasties" and the "metropolis of ten dynasties". The cultural influence of the city reaches the entire East Asia [284]. There were ancient human activities in the Nanjing area 1 to 1.2 million years ago. Nanjing was built in the late Shang Dynasty more than 3,100 years ago [461]. Nanjing was established as the capital in the first year of Huanglong in the Eastern Wu Dynasty (229 AD). On April 23, 1949, Nanjing was liberated. In 1953, it was designated as the capital of Jiangsu Province, and in 1994 it was designated as a sub-provincial city [6]. The four pillar industries of steel, petrochemicals, automobiles, and electronics are the "basic plate" of Nanjing's economy. Nanjing is one of the top ten cities in the country in terms of economy and manufacturing. It is a “nationally important regional financial and business center” as defined by the National Development and Reform Commission. It is the only pilot city in the country for comprehensive reform of the science and technology system and the first “Chinese Software City” in China. [327] In 2024, Nanjing will achieve a regional GDP of 1,850.081 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.5%.

A province in northwestern China, with natural landscapes such as Qinghai Lake and rich Tibetan culture.

China's largest economic center and international metropolis, integrating Eastern and Western cultures.

China's largest autonomous region, with magnificent natural scenery and rich ethnic culture.

A province in northeast China. It is an important industrial base and port city cluster.