Places Sputnicktatorship Wants to Go

An ancient Chinese temple where even the emperor dressed like a farmer in the name of the harvest.

A KFC honors an eighth-century Chinese poet with holograms and verse.

One of the world's largest malls has been almost completely empty since its opening.

This aquarium has almost as many world records as it does fish.

A golden temple atop a sacred mountain, known for its giant effigy of the revered Pu Xian.

This weekly market in the remote oasis city of Hotan still has the atmosphere of the old Silk Road.

This ancient sword lay in a waterlogged tomb for 2,500 years, but managed to remain relatively untarnished and impressively sharp.

A Chinese mining company has created the world's first cloned village in this perfect recreation of an Austrian town.

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

In its continuing quest to recreate famous parts of the world in miniature, China now has its own ghost Paris.

Stone shrouds of Prince Liu Sheng and Princess Dou Wan of the Han Dynasty, created to preserve their flesh for eternity.

A palatial horse museum outside Shanghai is home to the most pampered horses in the world.

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

A spectacular annual festival centers around humans throwing molten iron against a wall at night.

What can compare to the comforting sound of 10,000 toilets running?

Monks turned this mountain into a temple by digging grottoes, tunnels, and a huge pagoda-like hall.

Comprised of thousands of cave temple carvings this cornucopia of ancient Chinese stone art is unrivaled anywhere in the world.

China's mysterious record-setting sleeping Buddha.

This massive neon wheel is the only one of its kind to be built over a bridge.

It seems that the residents of of this megalopolis suddenly vanished, but they were never actually there.

It took an artist 20 years to create this sprawling sculpture garden honoring the area's ancient inhabitants.

The largest radio telescope in the world searches for extraterrestrial life from the remote limestone peaks of southern China.

An impactful museum ensures notorious war crimes disguised as "medical experimentation" won't soon be forgotten.

North Korea's massive art and propaganda factory now has an official gallery space in Beijing.