Where to stay in China?

In Babaolou Hutong, in Chongwenmen, Dongcheng district, near Beijing railway station. A hostel in the lanes, handy if you arrive or leave by train, with Wangfujing close by.

On Jinyu Hutong, in Dongcheng, 1.2 km from the centre and a stone's throw from Wangfujing. The night market, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are within walking distance.

In Chaoyang, on Chaoyangmen Outer Street, 4.3 km from the centre, in the business district. For those who prefer the Beijing of tower blocks and take the metro to the hutongs.

Opposite the CCTV headquarters, Rem Koolhaas's two-legged tower: a handy landmark for taxis.

On Zhenxue Street, in Nanyuanmen, inside the city walls, near the Bell Tower. A budget hotel as close as it gets to the Muslim Quarter and its street food, with the walls to ride round by bike.

On Renmin Square, inside the city walls, in the Xiyilu district. For those who want a large, quiet hotel a few minutes by taxi from the Bell Tower.

The hotel is part of the Renmin Square complex, alongside the People's Grand Hotel built in 1953.

On South Shanxi Road, in the Bund district, 1.3 km from the centre. The Huangpu waterfront and the Pudong skyline are within walking distance, with no need for the metro in the evening.

On the Bund itself, East Zhongshan No. 1 Road, 1.3 km from the centre. Step outside and you are on the waterfront, facing Pudong, before you have even decided where to go.

Housed in the former Shanghai Club of 1910, whose Long Bar has been recreated.

On the Bund, East Zhongshan No. 1 Road, 1.8 km from the centre. For those who want the waterfront promenade and the view of Pudong without crossing the city.

At the northern end of the Bund, next to the former British consulate and Waibaidu Bridge.

On the corner of the Bund and East Nanjing Road, 1.6 km from the centre. For those who want to sleep in Shanghai's Art Deco setting, within walking distance of the whole old waterfront.

Opened in 1929 as the Cathay Hotel; the Old Jazz Bar still plays there every evening.

Renovated farmhouse on the Yulong River path, in Chaoyang, among the rice paddies. You cycle off from the door and come back for the calm, far from Yangshuo's pedestrian street.

In a village on the banks of the Yulong, about twenty minutes by bike from Yangshuo town.

Resort among the karsts in Yangshuo, on Zhengdong Street. For those who want to end the trip in the silence of the rice paddies and peaks, far from the town.