Special Characteristics
Most of western China is less developed, less polluted, sparsely populated, home to dozens of minority nationalities, and geographically comprised of high plateaus, mountain ranges, and barren desert. This makes the language, cuisine, and customs also vary greatly compared with Eastern China. For me, this is a really interesting, vibrant, and under appreciated area for Western tourists. So, this section presents the other half of China, but more importantly, encourages visitors to see more than a few big cities; get off the beaten path and travel west!
Northwest China Guide
This is an extremely dry, arid, and sparsely populated area comprised of Qinghai, Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and Shanxi provinces. The largest minority groups are Uighur/Hui Muslims, Tibetan and Mongol. Along the way you will see many Buddhist temples and Mosques, and some Tibetan Buddhists will not eat meat while Uighur/Hui Muslim areas will not serve pork at restaurants. People are friendly, easy going, and the food is amazing. Some areas are very culturally unique, others are incredibly scenic, and a few have great historic cities.
Southwest China Guide
