Discover China
3D map: China in miniature
From the Great Wall to Hong Kong harbour, by way of Taiwan. Follow your curiosity.
What the map can do
Moving around the map
Scroll to zoom, drag to move. The + and − buttons and pinch-to-zoom work at any time.
Turning a model
Once you have picked a place, scrolling turns it through sixteen pre-rendered views, 22.5° apart. The slider and arrows under the model do the same by finger.
Finding a place
Search, filters by theme, favourites kept in your own browser, and a fourteen-stop tour that strings them together.
From the keyboard
Tab and Enter to choose, “/” to search, Esc to go back. On the map: arrows to move, + and − to zoom, Home to reset, “[” and “]” to turn.
The fourteen places on the map
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North of Beijing
The Great Wall 长城
A ribbon of stone winding along the ridges, as far as the eye can see. Watchtowers, stairways and mountains make up one of the most emblematic landscapes in China.
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Beijing
The Forbidden City 故宫
Behind the great red gates, a succession of courtyards and golden roofs reveals a city within the city. For centuries this palace was the heart of imperial Chinese power.
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Beijing
The Temple of Heaven 天坛
Its great circular hall and three blue roofs seem to touch the sky. Emperors came to this vast ceremonial complex to pray for good harvests.
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Shanghai · Pudong
The towers of Shanghai 上海
On the bank of the Huangpu, the Pudong skyline brings together the Oriental Pearl, Shanghai Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. A small concentrate of contemporary China.
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Sichuan
The pandas of Chengdu 成都
Welcome to the land of the giant panda. In Chengdu, the conservation centres are where you meet this emblematic animal and the work devoted to protecting it.
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Hunan
The peaks of Zhangjiajie 张家界
Tall columns of rock rise out of the forest, often wrapped in mist. The landscapes of Wulingyuan, near Zhangjiajie, feel like walking through a world in suspension.
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Guangxi · Li River
The hills of Guilin 桂林
Rounded karst hills are reflected in the Li River. Between Guilin and Yangshuo, the landscapes call to mind traditional Chinese ink paintings.
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Lhasa · Tibet
The Potala Palace 拉萨
The Potala Palace looks down on Lhasa from the Red Hill. Its great white façades, its red palace and its golden roofs make a majestic silhouette at the foot of the mountains.
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Dali · Yunnan
The Three Pagodas 大理
One great pagoda and its two smaller neighbours keep watch over Dali. Their regular storeys stand out against the mountains of Yunnan, in a landscape of deep serenity.
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Xi’an · Shaanxi
The Terracotta Army 西安
Soldiers, horses and chariots in terracotta accompanied the first Qin emperor into his mausoleum. Every face gives this vast silent army a presence of its own.
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Leshan · Sichuan
The Leshan Giant Buddha 乐山
Seated facing the rivers, the Leshan Giant Buddha keeps watch from the red rock. His monumental silhouette belongs to the mountain and the greenery around him.
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Fujian
The Fujian tulou 土楼
These vast earthen buildings, often circular, housed whole communities. Around a central courtyard, the dwellings are stacked beneath great sheltering roofs.
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Taipei · Taiwan
Taipei 101 台北
At the heart of Taipei, the storeys of Taipei 101 stack up like the sections of a bamboo stem. This landmark tower blends contemporary architecture with traditional motifs.
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Hong Kong · Victoria Harbour
Hong Kong harbour 香港
The towers of Hong Kong rise around Victoria Harbour. Between the ferries, the glass façades and the green hillsides, the harbour makes an immediately recognisable cityscape.
A few words
Shān means “mountain” in Chinese. This small world is an invitation to discover China differently: one landmark, one landscape, one smile at a time.
Turn each model right round to find the small details. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are gathered here for a traveller’s tour. The map is an artistic interpretation: distances, positions and proportions are simplified.
Carry on exploring
- Interactive map of China The flat map of the thirty-four provinces and regions, with their names and rivers — the one to read when you want to know where a place is, rather than what it looks like.
- China trip planner Turn the places you liked into a route: distances, travel times and a day-by-day itinerary.
- China travel checklist Formalities, payment, transport and connectivity: what to sort out before going to see the fourteen places for real.