Wáng Jia Dàyuàn (Píngyáo): It took a century for this vast mansion to grow to 123 courtyards and 1,118 houses; the decorative lattice screens and windows, shaped openings between rooms and courtyards, and undulating walls are exquisite examples of Míng and Qing vernacular architecture.

Potala Palace (Lhasa): A monastery, a palace, and a prison, the Potala symbolizes the fusion of secular and religious power in Tibet in a vast, slab-sided, red and white agglomeration on a hilltop dominating central Lhasa. Despite the ruination of its surroundings, there's no more haunting sight within China's modern political boundaries, and nothing else which speaks so clearly of the otherness of Tibet.

The Forbidden City (Beijing): Preeminent among the surviving complexes of ancient buildings in China, the former residence of the emperors needs far more time than most tours give it.

Wei Huáng Gong (Chángchun): Also known as the Puppet Emperor's Palace and best known in the west as the setting for part of Bernardo Bertolucci's film, The Last Emperor, this impressive palace complex, opened to visitors after an admirable full-scale restoration in 2002, was the residence of Henry Puyí, China's last emperor and subsequently puppet ruler of Japanese-controlled Manchukuo.

Prince Gong's Mansion (Beijing): With a garden of elaborate rockeries and peaceful covered pathways framed by the sloping tile roofs and brightly painted beams of its surrounding buildings, this stunning complex is the most impressive imperial residence in Beijing, outside of the Forbidden City.

Qiáo Jia Dàyuàn (Píngyáo): One of the loveliest of the several merchant family mansions of this area, this was the set for the film Raise the Red Lantern. With six large courtyards, 313 houses, and fine craftsmanship of lattices, lintels, carvings, wooden balustrades, and chimneys throughout, the 18th-century manse takes hours to explore.