This supermarket in Shanghai appears to be a typical Chinese convenience store, but all of the bottles are empty and all the containers are filled with nothing but air.

Home to around 40 different species, this forest was also the setting for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

A prestigious learning institute of old Shanghai.

Although resembling a grand Buddhist temple, this structure is actually the largest mosque in China.

An ancient fortification lives on in this Chinese city.

An exquisite example of Uyghur Islamic architecture.

One of the word's deepest gorges is also tied to a fantastic legend.

A tidal bore with its own festival.

With former lives as a bomb shelter and government parking lot, this shop is one of China’s most extraordinary locales for book-lovers.

This bar is home to what's likely the oldest living jazz band in the world.

This under-visited temple is nestled within one of Shanghai's traditional shikumen-style residential blocks.

Be careful not to get trampled at this lively two thousand-year-old market.

The embalmed remains of the communist leader lie within a custom crystal coffin.

This Cold War–era underground city includes offices for Mao Zedong and Lin Biao.

The ancient remains of this natural fortress can still be found along the Silk Road looking surprisingly preserved.

The western-most fortress on the Great Wall of China has gone from a strategic stronghold to a kitschy tourist carnival.

This ratty natural history collection is a charming relic among a city rushing into modernity.

No one is exactly sure why over a hundred lakes have formed amongst the tallest sand dunes on Earth.

A giant scale model giving a sneak peek at what urban planners see for Shanghai by 2020.

Hundreds of caves filled with thousands of centuries-old statues and murals.

An out-of-place slice of France, smack in the middle of Shanghai.

A son-and-daughter meat market, hawked by mom and dad.

China's most famous acrobatics act.

The once highest point in China blends symbolic design with a kick of adrenaline.