If you are one for the less trodden road and exotic architecture that both stands out and blends into its natural surroundings, an ancient Chinese town called Zhaji should pique your interest.

About 4.3 kilometers to the east of the Qingdao Railway Station is a palette of architecture and vegetation that is worlds away from the former’s hectic scenes.

Dunhuang, a 2,000-year-old city along the Silk Road, is the cradle of the Mogao Caves, the largest and most richly-endowed treasure house of Buddhist art in the world.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 652 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in the Daci’en Temple.

Luodai, a cultural islet located in Sichuan, has preserved its traditional lifestyle for hundreds of years.

Xitang has attracted western visitors since Mission Impossible III hit the public.

Wuxi is one of Eastern China’s oldest water towns.

Tongdao in Hunan is a prefecture-level county inhabited by the Dong people.

Residents of Miao Village in Guizhou have houses built on stilts on the mountainside.

Western Hunan (Xiangxi) is home to the Tujia and Miao minorities and some of China’s oldest continuously inhabited towns. Here are four that make the area world famous.