As a capital, Beijing casts a long shadow over the rest of China. Regardless of time meridians, Beijing time is followed nationwide; around the country, the Beijing dialect - Putonghua - is spoken; and places such as Tibet and Ürümqi are forced to refer to the central government on all matters. For Beijing, the dictum that a nation's capital doesn't reflect the nature of the country as a whole is especially true. Instead it's a People's Republic of China (PRC) showpiece and a city of orderly design, with long, straight boulevards crisscrossed by lanes. Places of interest are easy to find if they're located on these avenues - and nearly impossible to find if they're buried down the narrow alleys. The city's central core was once a walled enclosure, and it still maintains its ancient symmetry based on a north-south axis passing through the Front Gate (Qianmen).

Hong Kong's dynamism is unforgettable. From the vantage point of Victoria Peak, overlooking the world's busiest deepwater port, you can see a city geared not only to making money but feeling good about it. At night, it's like looking down into a volcano. Despite its British colonial past, Hong Kong has always stuck to its roots and the culture beneath the glitz is pure Chinese. That didn't stop locals from feeling apprehensive about being re-united with the motherland when the British handed the colony back to China in 1997, but their unease has largely evaporated. Visitors often find it takes a few days in Hong Kong to get accustomed to the whirlwind pace. If you need some respite, check out the Outlying Islands for a change of tempo and scene. A train from Beijing takes 30 hours. It's quicker, of course, to fly, but you can expect to pay as much from Hong Kong to Beijing as you would from Hong Kong to Los Angeles.

Ever since Portuguese galleons first started dropping by in the 1500s, Macau has been a memorable meeting place of cultures. It's fitting that the city's symbol is St Paul's, the spectacularly crumbling facade of a cathedral designed by an Italian, built by Japanese, attended by Portuguese, and almost destroyed by a Chinese typhoon. For a great view of this compact city take a hike up to nearby Monte Fort, or Guia Fortress, where you'll find a rustic 17th-century chapel and the oldest lighthouse on the China coast. The city's most historic place of worship still in action is the 400-year-old Kun Iam Temple, dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. Add to this a fantastic combination of Portuguese and Chinese cuisine, a gloriously gaudy casino-led nightlife and a streetscape of cobblestones and shady squares and you've got a wonderful antidote to mainland China and Hong Kong. Macau is 65km (40mi) by sea from Hong Kong.

Festooned with colourful nicknames like 'the Whore of the East', 'the Paris of China' and 'the Pearl of the Orient', Shanghai has long been symbolic of the West's rape of the East. In the years following 1949 its gaudy past and foreign appearance was a constant blot on the People's Republic of China's psyche. The city is divided in half by the Huangpu River, with most of the city's highlights located in Puxi. The city is said to have half the world's cranes in it (and judging by the skyline this can't be too far from the truth) but Shanghai's past still lingers. The best times to visit are spring and autumn - winter and summer here are merciless in their respective extremes. Shanghai is 15 hours from Beijing by train.

Xi'an was once a major crossroads on the trading routes from eastern China to central Asia, and once vied with Rome and later Constantinople for the title of greatest city in the world. Today Xi'an is one of China's major drawcards, largely because of the Army of Terracotta Warriors on the city's eastern outskirts. Uncovered in 1974, over 10,000 figures have been sorted to date. Soldiers, archers (armed with real weapons) and chariots stand in battle formation in underground vaults looking as fierce and war-like as pottery can. Xi'an's other attractions include the old city walls, the Muslim quarter and the Banpo Neolithic Village - a tacky re-creation of the Stone Age. By train, Xi'an is a 16 hour journey from Beijing. If you've got a bit of cash to spare, a flight will set you back about US$120.