China in $700s-$710s RT

From sipping jasmine tea next to pandas in Chengdu to sweating through late-night hotpots in a Cyberpunk fever dream — this isn't your typical bullet point bucket list. We're talking cities that fly under the radar but hit just as hard. 

Nanjing, China's former capital, is just 1.5 hours from Shanghai but couldn't be more different. It's quieter, lived-in, and easy to sink into with some of China's best preserved city walls. 

Just beyond, you're within easy reach of Jiangnan's ethereal water towns like Wuzhen, Tongli, and Zhouzhuang. Dating back over 1,000 years, with homes, bridges, and canals still in use from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are the oldest continuously inhabited canal towns on the planet!

P.S. There's lots of coverage for Lunar New Year. Just be sure to plan your route in advance. Many businesses close during this period, and tourist attractions and transport experience a surge in crowds.