Climb the steep inner staircase for views of the grey-tiled rooftops of the surrounding hútòng, and due south along the city's historic central axis to the pagoda that tops Jǐngshān Park (beyond this is the Forbidden City). Try to time your ascent to coincide with one of the regular drumming performances played out on reproductions of the 25 Ming-dynasty watch drums, which used to sound out across this part of the city. One of the original 25 drums, the Night Watchman’s Drum (更鼓; Gēnggǔ), is on display, dusty, battered and torn. Also on display is a replica of a Song-dynasty water clock, which was never actually used in the tower, but is interesting nonetheless.

     Symbolic of concession-era Shànghǎi, the Bund was the city’s Wall Street, a place of feverish trading and fortunes made and lost. Originally a towpath for dragging barges of rice, the Bund (an Anglo-Indian term for the embankment of a muddy waterfront) was gradually transformed into a grandiose sweep of the most powerful banks and trading houses in Shànghǎi.The optimum activity here is to simply stroll, contrasting the bones of the past with the futuristic geometry of Pǔdōng’s skyline.

The majority of the art deco and neoclassical buildings here were built in the early 20th century and presented an imposing – if strikingly un-Chinese – view for those nosing by boat into the busy port city. Today it has emerged as a designer retail and restaurant zone, and the city’s most exclusive boutiques, restaurants and hotels see the Bund as the only place to be. Evening visits are rewarded by electric views of Pǔdōng and the illuminated grandeur of the Bund. Other options include taking a boat tour on the Huángpǔ River or relaxing at some fabulous bars and restaurants. Huángpǔ Park, at the north end of the promenade, features the modest Bund History Museum, which contains a collection of old photographs and maps.

Get here early for the intriguing sight of the morning exercises.

      This pagoda, Xī’ān’s most famous landmark, 4km southeast of the South Gate and formerly within the old (and huge) Tang dynasty city wall, dominates the surrounding modern buildings. One of China’s best examples of a Tang-style pagoda (squarish rather than round), it was completed in AD 652 to house Buddhist sutras brought back from India by the monk Xuan Zang. His travels inspired one of the best-known works of Chinese literature, Journey to the West.

Xuan spent the last 19 years of his life translating scriptures with a crack team of linguist monks; many of these translations are still used today.

The brick Tang pagoda style is not seen in many parts of China, although other examples do exist, in Héběi province's Zhèngdìng, for example. Surrounding the Big Goose Pagoda is DàCí’ēn Temple, one of the largest temples in Tang dynasty Cháng’ān. The buildings today date from the Qing dynasty. To the south of the pagoda is an open-air mall of shops, galleries, restaurants and public art; well worth a wander.

Bus 610 from the Bell Tower and bus 609 from the South Gate drop you at the pagoda square; the entrance is on the south side. An evening fountain show is held on the square.

?Bigger than many temples in China, the Great Mosque is a gorgeous blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture and one of the most fascinating sacred sites in the land. The present buildings are mostly Ming and Qing, though the mosque was founded in the 8th century. Arab influences extend from the central minaret (cleverly disguised as a stumpy pagoda) to the enormous turquoise-roofed Prayer Hall (not open to visitors) at the back of the complex, dating to the Ming dynasty.

It's a beautiful place to visit in spring, as the white and pink magnolias burst into bloom; in the slow season, the mosque can also be a haven of solitude and an oasis of tranquillity in a very busy area of the city.

Facing west (towards Mecca) instead of the customary south, the mosque features classic Chinese temple features, including spirit walls, designed to keep demons at bay, stelae on the backs of antediluvian bixi (mythical tortoise-like creatures usually seen populating Confucian temples) and memorial arches, not to mention the glazed-tile Chinese-style roofing. The gardens, too, with their rocks, pagodas and archways are clearly Chinese. The presence of the mosque's white-capped Hui custodians is a constant reminder, however, of its Muslim purpose.

A large number of imperial tombs (皇陵, huáng líng) dot the Guānzhōng plain around Xī’ān. They are sometimes included on tours from Xī’ān, but most aren’t so remarkable as to be destinations in themselves. By far the most impressive is the Qián Tomb, where China’s only female emperor, Wu Zetian (AD 625–705) – from when Tang dynasty Cháng'án was at its cultural zenith – is buried with her husband Emperor Gaozong, whom she succeeded.

The long Spirit Way (神道, Shéndào)–an outdoor, paved path leading to the imperial tomb–is lined with enormous, lichen-encrusted sculptures of animals and officers of the imperial guard, culminating with 61 (now headless) statues of Chinese ethnic group leaders who attended the emperor’s funeral. The mausoleum is 85km northwest of Xī’ān.

Nearby are the tombs of Princess Yong Tai (永泰幕, Yǒng Tài Mù) and Prince Zhang Huai (章懷幕, Zhāng Huái Mù), both of whom fell foul of Empress Wu, before being posthumously rehabilitated. Other notable tombs are the Zhao Tomb, where the second Tang emperor Taizong is buried, and the Mao Tomb, the resting place of Wudi (156–87 BC), the most powerful of the Han emperors.

? ? ? Xī'ān is one of the few cities in China where the imposing old city walls still stand. Built in 1370 during the Ming dynasty, the magnificent 12m-high walls are surrounded by a dry moat and form a rectangle with a perimeter of 14km. Most sections have been restored or rebuilt, and it is possible to walk the walls in their entirety in a leisurely four hours (or around two hours by bike, or at a slow jog).

En route, you get to look out over modern-day Xī'ān. From this vantage point it's clear that the city is a hodgepodge of old and new, with the new vastly in the ascendancy. Every now and then a slice of old Xī'ān, such as Guǎngrén Temple, appears and you are rewarded with a bird's-eye view.

To get an idea of Xī'ān's former grandeur, consider this: the Tang city walls originally enclosed 83 sq km, an area seven times larger than today's city centre.

The discovery of the army of warriors was entirely fortuitous. In 1974, peasants drilling a well uncovered an underground vault that eventually yielded thousands of terracotta soldiers and horses in battle formation. Throughout the years the site became so famous that many of its unusual attributes are now well known, in particular the fact that no two soldier's faces are alike.

Start with the smallest pit, Pit 3, containing 72 warriors and horses; it's believed to be the army headquarters due to the number of high-ranking officers unearthed here. It's interesting to note that the northern room would have been used to make sacrificial offerings before battle. In the next pit, Pit 2, containing around 1300 warriors and horses, you can examine five of the soldiers up close: a kneeling archer, a standing archer, a cavalryman and his horse, a mid-ranking officer and a general. The level of detail is extraordinary: the expressions, hairstyles, armour and even the tread on the footwear are all unique.

The largest pit, Pit 1, is the most imposing. Housed in a building the size of an aircraft hangar, it is believed to contain 6000 warriors (only 2000 are on display) and horses, all facing east and ready for battle. The vanguard of three rows of archers (both crossbow and longbow) is followed by the main force of soldiers, who originally held spears, swords, dagger-axes and other long-shaft weapons. The infantry were accompanied by 35 chariots, though these, made of wood, have long since disintegrated.

Almost as extraordinary as the soldiers is a pair of bronze chariots and horses unearthed just 20m west of the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang. These are now on display, together with some of the original weaponry and a mid-ranking officer you can see up close in a huge modern museum called the Qin Shi Huang Emperor Tomb Artefact Exhibition Hall 

There are three main north–south lanes (Nos 210, 248 and 274) criss-crossed by irregular east–west alleyways, which makes exploration slightly disorienting and fun. Among the art galleries is Beaugeste, a forward-thinking photography gallery (only open at the weekends, by appointment at other times). The real activity is shopping, and the recent explosion of creative start-ups makes for some interesting finds, from vintage spectacle frames at Shanghai Code and cool homewares at concept store Taste, to hand-wrapped pǔ'ěr teas from Zhēnchálín. Elsewhere, a growing band of cool cafes, restaurants and bars, such as Kommune, East, Bell Bar and I Love Shanghai, can sort out meals and drinks and help take the weight off your feet.

Thirty kilometres west of Shànghǎi, Zhūjiājiǎo is easy to reach and charming – as long as your visit does not coincide with the arrival of phalanxes of tour buses.

What survives of this historic canal town today is a charming tableau of Ming and Qing dynasty alleys, bridges and?gǔzhèn?(古鎮(zhèn); old town) architecture, its alleyways steeped in the aroma of?chòu dòufu?(stinky tofu).

While first impressions aren't fabulous when you step off the bus – a gritty industrious town – as soon as you hit the old town and its canals (a 10-minute walk from the bus station), you'll be glad you came. The riverside settlement is small enough to wander completely in three hours. Souvenir shops and restaurants line the scenic canal, connected by quaint bridges and narrow laneways that make it genuinely reminiscent of Venice – albeit a very Chinese version.

? ? ? With its shaded alcoves, glittering pools churning with fish, pavilions, pines sprouting wistfully from rockeries and roving packs of Japanese tourists, the Yùyuán Gardens is one of Shànghǎi's premier sights – but becomes overpoweringly crowded at weekends. The spring and summer blossoms bring a fragrant, floral aspect to the gardens, especially the luxurious petals of its Magnolia grandiflora, Shànghǎi's flower. Other trees include the luohan pine, bristling with thick needles, willows, gingkos, cherry trees and magnificent dawn redwoods.

The Pan family, rich Ming dynasty officials, founded these gardens, which took 18 years (1559–77) to be nurtured into existence before bombardment during the Opium War in 1842. The gardens took another trashing during French reprisals for attacks on their nearby concession during the Taiping Rebellion. Restored, they are a fine example of Ming garden design.

Next to the garden entrance is the Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse, once part of the gardens and now one of the most famous teahouses in China.

The adjacent bazaar may be tacky, but it's good for a browse if you can handle the push and pull of the crowds. The nearby Taoist Temple of the Town God is also worth visiting. Just outside the bazaar is Old Street, known more prosaically as Middle Fangbang Rd, a busy street lined with curio shops and teahouses.