AAAAA () is awarded to the most important and best-maintained tourist attractions in the People's Republic of China, given the highest level in the rating categories used by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. As of 2025, there are 359 tourist attractions listed as 5A.
History The origins of the rating system for tourist attractions are based on criteria first set out in 1999 by the China National Tourism Administration (predecessor to the current Ministry of Culture and Tourism) and revised in 2004. The criteria include quality and management factors like ease of transportation links, site safety, cleanliness, etc., and also takes into account the uniqueness and recognition of the sightseeing offers. Tourist attractions were graded according to the criteria on a scale initially from A to AAAA with AAAAA or 5As added on later as the highest rating. A group of 66 tourist attractions was certified as the first set of AAAAA rated tourist attractions in 2007. The first batch included many of the most iconic historical sites in China including the Forbidden City and Summer Palace. Additional batches of additional sites have been added including 20 new 5A sites in February 2017. On rare occasions, a few locations have been downgraded from the highest rating category for deficiencies in visitor experience.
List
Beijing Prefecture Name Date of inclusion Description ImageBeijingForbidden City2007A .72km2 compound of 980 buildings,. initially constructed by the Yongle Emperor from 1406 to 1420,. used as the main palace of the Ming and early Qing dynasties, converted into a public museum in 1925.. Its southern Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tian'anmen) displays a famous portrait of Mao Zedong and has been the scene of numerous important events in modern Chinese history, including the 1October 1949 celebration of the founding of the PRC and the Tian'anmen Square protests of 1989.BeijingTempleofHeaven2007A 2.73km2 compound of 92 buildings,. initially constructed by the Yongle Emperor in 1420, used for the traditional worship of Heaven during the Ming and Qing dynasties, converted into a public park in 1918..BeijingSummer Palace2007A 2.97km2 compound surrounding Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake,. initially constructed by the Qianlong Emperor from 1750 to 1764 to represent other famous sites of China and Chinese mythology in miniature, used as the unofficial main palace for the rest of the Qing, infamously. razed by European troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War, rebuilt by the empress dowager Cixi and a center of late Qing government, damaged and looted by foreigners again in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion, converted into a public park in 1924, and extensively restored since 1953.BeijingBadaling and Mutianyu GreatWall2007A 3,741m section of the Great Wall. initially constructed in 1505 to protect the Juyong Pass,. restored after 1952,. and opened to tourists in 1958. It has received scores of foreign leaders, most notably US president Richard Nixon during his 1972 visit.Beijing13MingTombs.2011 A 34.35km2 necropolis. constructed between 1409 and 1644 at the foot of Tianshou Mountain, used as the resting place for 13 of the 16 emperors of the Ming.BeijingPrince Gong Mansion2012 A 6ha (15acre) compound with an expansive garden, initially constructed in 1777. by the Qianlong Emperor's notoriously corrupt. official Heshen, used as a residence for members of the imperial family including the diplomat Yixin during the rest of the Qing, repurposed as the women's campus of Fu-Jen Catholic University under the Republic and as residences for leaders of the Ministry of Public Security under the People's Republic, restored after 1982,. and opened as a museum in 1996.. It is one of the few surviving Qing palaces, out of the 74 still used by imperial princes at the fall of the empire..BeijingOlympic Green2012An 11.59km2. Olympic Park constructed for the 2008 summer games, now featuring the Bird's Nest stadium, the National Indoor Stadium, the Water Cube aquatics center, the Olympic Forest Park, and national science & technology and the ethnic museums.BeijingOld Summer Palace2020An northwest of the walls of the former Imperial City section of Beijing. Constructed throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Old Summer Palace was the main imperial residence of Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty and his successors, and where they handled state affairs; the Forbidden City was used for formal ceremonies. Widely perceived as the pinnacle work of Chinese imperial garden and palace design, the Old Summer Palace was known for its extensive collection of gardens, its building architecture and numerous art and historical treasures. It was reputed as the "Garden of Gardens" () in its heyday. BeijingGrand Canal Cultural Tourism Scenic Area2024
Tianjin Prefecture Name Date of inclusion Description ImageTianjinGuwenhua Jie2007A 560m. street lined with imitation Qing shops opened in 1986,. selling traditional wares and snacks. beside Mazu and Taoist temples (originally dating to 1326 and 1368, respectively) and a folklore museum..TianjinMount Pan2007 A 105km2 forest park surrounding 850m Mount Pan, whose temples were first built in AD25 during the Han. The four surviving temples include a 13-story dagoba and have all been renovated since the 1990s.
Hebei Prefecture Name Date of inclusion Description ImageQinhuangdaoShanhai Pass("Shanhaiguan Scenic Area")2007 A cluster of fortifications which once guarded the 10km Shanhai Pass between Horn Mountain in the Yan chain and the Bohai Gulf,. protecting "China Proper" from Manchuria, initially constructed in 583.. during the early Sui dynasty and taking most of its present form from Xu Da's work in 1381 during the early Ming, when it became the eastern end of the Great Wall. Its strategic importance made it the site of numerous major events, most famously the 1644 battle that directly led to the establishment of the Qing..BaodingBaiyang Lake("Lake Baiyandian")2007 The largest lake in northern China, although growing urban and agricultural water use after 1950 reduced its size from more than 1000km2 to almost nothing in the 1980s... It is presently composed of 143 smaller lakes around 366km2 and is used for nature tourism,. but its size is now maintained by unsustainable use of highly polluted groundwater..ChengdeChengde Mountain Resort("Imperial Summer Resort and the Surrounding Temples")2007A 6.1km2 compound initially constructed from 1703 to 1792 during the Qing,. with an imperial summer resort surrounded by areas of mountains, plains, and lakeshore mimicking China's overall topography,. serving as a culmination of traditional Chinese gardening and an influence on landscape gardening worldwide. The palace was a particular favorite of the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors, and its intermixed ethnic architectural styles consciously affirmed their government's commitment to a multicultural state, and it.BaodingYesanpo National Park2011A 334.8km2. park at the intersection of the Taihang and Yan chains, comprising three main scenic areas—the Baili Gorge, the Longmentian Pass, and Fodongta Peak with Yugu Cave.ShijiazhuangXibaipo2011 A village including a museum and other memorials reconstructing its role as the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party and People's Liberation Army in late 1948 and early 1949, an important period of the Chinese Civil War.. (The original sites are underwater as a result of local hydroelectric projects.).TangshanEastern Qing Tombs2015A 78km2. necropolis of 508 buildings constructed between 1661 and 1908. in a hollow of Changrui Mountain,. used as the resting place of 5 emperors of the Qing, as well as the dowager empress Cixi..HandanNüwa Imperial Palace("Wahuang Palace")2015 A 1.7km2. compound beside Phoenix Mountain (Fenghuangshan) honoring the goddess Nüwa, who temples were first built under the Han. The surviving palaces and temples were initially constructed under the Wanli Emperor of the Ming,. were restored in the 1990s, and include one of China's most impressive rock carvings: 130,000 characters of Buddhist scripture engraved into the mountains from the Northern Qi onward..Handan2017 A 1.5km2. town in the center of Yongnian Marsh, first settled during the Spring and Autumn period. and serving as the capital of Dou Jiande's and Liu Heita's short-lived principalities of "Xia" and "Handong". during the late Sui, with city walls initially constructed under the Tang and modern construction mimicking the town's appearance under the Ming.. It has museums to locals Yang Luchan and Wu Yuxiang, the founders of the two largest schools of tai chi..BaodingMount Baishi("Whitestone Mountain Scenic Area").2017 A forest park surrounding 2096m Mount Baishi, the northern end of the Taihang Mountains and site of the 1937 Battle of the Great Wall during the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.BaodingWestern Qing tombs2020 ChengdeJinshanling Great Wall2020 TangshanNanhu Kailuan Scenic Area2024 HengshuiHengshui Lake2024
Shanxi