The chooser turns six simple answers into three China circuits worth reading about first. It is made for a group looking at a very large map and wondering where to begin. It gives you a shortlist, not a final route.
What does the circuit chooser help you decide?
It helps you pick a region to research, not a day-by-day plan. It knows seven circuits: Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou; Beijing and Xi’an; Yunnan; Guilin and Yangshuo; Chengdu and Chongqing; Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang; and Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Use the top three as your shortlist.
How do you use it?
- Enter how many days you can spend in China. Short trips favour circuits that are easy to fit into a few days.
- Choose who is travelling: a couple or friends, young children, seniors, or three generations. Groups with children or seniors score gentle-pace circuits higher.
- Pick what matters most: scenery, cities and shopping, history, or food.
- Say whether anyone speaks Mandarin. If nobody does, circuits that work well with English and apps score higher.
- Say whether you need halal meals.
- Say whether everyone is happy to go above about 2,000 metres. Seniors and three-generation groups are steered to lower ground whatever you answer.
How do you read the result?
Three circuits appear, strongest first, each with a few short reasons such as “big on scenery” or “stays at lower altitude”. The order reflects points, not a verdict. If two circuits sit close together, treat them as equals and let a real-life detail decide, such as your travel month, the flight from your airport, or what the family is excited about.
Altitude is worth a moment of thought. The Old Town of Lijiang sits at 2,400 m[1], so a Yunnan circuit is not only a gentle stroll for everyone. Our altitude guide explains how to pace it.
Where do the answers come from?
You need no outside numbers, but a few honest checks make the result better. Ask each traveller about stairs, long drives and heights before you answer. Look at flights from your nearest airport on airline websites.
For food, remember that the Hui follow Islamic dietary laws and avoid pork[2]. That is why Hui food areas are a useful anchor. It does not make any single restaurant certified, so read how to check halal options along a route.
What are its limits?
The scores are our planning judgement, not measured data. The chooser does not know your travel month, flight prices, school holidays or crowd levels. It cannot see that your mother dislikes long coach rides. It covers seven circuits only, so a place outside them can still be right for you.
What should you do next?
Take the top circuit and test it. Read how to choose which part of China to visit first, then see how many days you need. Once you have a draft, run it through the pace checker and price it with the budget planner.