China
China is one of the 193 UN member states, in Eastern Asia. UN Tourism counted 163 million international arrivals there in 2019, more visited than 99% of the 199 places with figures, so its stamp in Globestamp is printed in Ink.
- International arrivals
- 163 millionin 2019, UN Tourism
- Rank by visitors
- 3rd of 199most visited first
- Stamp finish
- Inkrarer than 1%
- Area
- 9,373,405 km² (3,619,089 sq mi)
- Population
- 1.4 billionNatural Earth estimate
- Provinces
- 32in Globestamp’s regions layer
- Airports
- 261with scheduled flights
- World Heritage Sites
- 60on Globestamp’s list
Does China count as a country?
Yes. China is one of the 193 UN member states, so every common list counts it: the UN’s 193, Globestamp’s 250 and the Travelers’ Century Club’s 330.
| List | Counts China? |
|---|---|
| UN member states (193) | Yes, a member |
| Globestamp’s countries and territories (250) | Yes |
| Travelers’ Century Club (330) | Yes: China, People's Republic, Hainan Island, Tibet |
| European Union | No |
| Schengen area | No |
China also has territories that most travelers count separately: Hong Kong and Macau.
Part of the map here is disputed (Aksai Chin). Globestamp takes no side: when a photo was taken in a disputed place, you decide which country it counts for.
The China stamp
Every country in Globestamp has its own stamp, drawn after a real entry stamp. Its finish shows how few travelers get there. China’s is Ink: plain rubber-stamp ink, the finish for places with 40 million international visitors a year or more. With 163 million international arrivals in 2019, China is more visited than 99% of the 199 places with figures. See every stamp on the stamp wall, or the rarest on the least-visited countries.
What counts as a visit to China
The common rule among travelers is that you set foot there: an airport layover usually doesn’t count, and a port where you went ashore does. Globestamp counts China when one of your photos was taken on its ground, or just off its coast; a photo taken from a plane never counts. Photos only at an airport make a transit stamp in lighter ink, counted only if you count layovers. Read more in how to count the countries you’ve visited.
Places in China you can collect
Under the country itself, Globestamp keeps layers of places on your globe, and a photo taken at one ticks it. These are the ones it knows in China, from 60 World Heritage Sites to 3 volcanoes.
World Heritage Sites 60
Mount Tai (1987) · Grand Canal (2014) · Temple of Heaven (1998) · Huangshan (1990) · Mogao Caves (1987) · Summer Palace (1998) · Jiuzhaigou Valley (1990) · Wulingyuan (1992) · Wuyi Mountains (1999) · Longmen Grottoes (2000) and 50 more. On the bucket list →
National parks 2
Jiuzhaigou Valley · Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. On the bucket list →
Famous landmarks 6
Great Wall of China · Forbidden City · Terracotta Army · Potala Palace · Temple of Heaven · The Bund. On the bucket list →
Wonders of the world 1
Great Wall of China. On the bucket list →
Volcanoes 3
Longgang volcano group · Keluo · Wudalianchi. On the bucket list →
Ski resorts 3
Chongli District · Genting Snow Park · Yabuli Ski Resort. On the bucket list →
Theme parks 34
Shanghai Disneyland Park · Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park · Wonderland Amusement Park · Universal Studios Beijing · Happy Valley Beijing · Happy Valley Shanghai and 28 more. On the bucket list →
Zoos and aquariums 24
Beijing Zoo · Shanghai Zoo · Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding · Siberian Tiger Park and 20 more. On the bucket list →
Botanical gardens 24
Shanghai Botanical Garden · Fairylake Botanical Garden · Hangzhou Botanical Garden · Nanjing Botanical Garden, Memorial Sun Yat-Sen and 20 more. On the bucket list →
Science museums and planetariums 5
China Science and Technology Museum · Beijing Planetarium · Shanghai Planetarium · Chongqing Science and Technology Museum and 1 more. On the bucket list →
Events in China
Total solar eclipses over China that the app knows: 1 August 2008, 22 July 2009. A photo inside the path of totality that day ticks “Watch a total eclipse”.
Largest cities
| City | People (urban area) |
|---|---|
| Shanghai | 14,987,000 |
| Beijing | 11,106,000 |
| Guangzhou | 8,829,000 |
| Shenzhen | 7,581,000 |
| Wuhan | 7,243,000 |
| Tianjin | 7,180,000 |
| Chongqing | 6,461,000 |
| Shenyeng | 4,787,000 |
Airports
China has 261 airports with scheduled flights, 69 of them large. Each is a dot on Globestamp’s airports layer, and every flight you log adds to how far you’ve flown (try the flight distance calculator).
32 provinces to fill in
Globestamp goes deeper than countries: its regions layer splits China into 32 provinces (Natural Earth’s first-level divisions), and each one fills in when a photo was taken there.
All 32
Anhui · Beijing · Chongqing · Fujian · Gansu · Guangdong · Guangxi · Guizhou · Hainan · Hebei · Heilongjiang · Henan · Hubei · Hunan · Inner Mongolia · Jiangsu · Jiangxi · Jilin · Liaoning · Ningxia · Paracel Islands · Qinghai · Shaanxi · Shandong · Shanghai · Shanxi · Sichuan · Tianjin · Tibet · Xinjiang · Yunnan · Zhejiang
Questions people ask
Is China a country?
Yes. China is one of the 193 UN member states, so every common list counts it: the UN’s 193, Globestamp’s 250 and the Travelers’ Century Club’s 330.
How many tourists visit China a year?
UN Tourism (via the World Bank) counted 162,538,000 international arrivals in China in 2019, the 3rd most of the 199 places with figures. Countries count arrivals in different ways (some include day-trippers and cruise passengers), so treat it as a rough rank rather than an exact number of tourists.
How rare is a China stamp in Globestamp?
It is printed in Ink, the finish for places with 40 million international visitors a year or more, rarer than 1% of the places with figures. The fewer travelers a place receives, the rarer its finish, from plain Ink to Mythic.
Does China count for the Travelers’ Century Club?
Yes, and more than once: the Travelers’ Century Club lists China, People's Republic, and counts Hainan Island, Tibet as separate destinations. The club’s list has 330 destinations.
Places as rare as China
Near China
Sources
- Countries, cities and regions: Natural Earth 10m admin-0 (public domain); lists as of October 2026.
- Visitors: UN Tourism via the World Bank, ST.INT.ARVL (International tourism, number of arrivals), CC BY 4.0, data updated 2026-10-08. Each country's latest year before 2020. Countries count visitors differently; use as a rough rank.
- World Heritage Sites, parks, landmarks and the bucket-list places: Wikidata (CC0), as compiled in the app, October 2026.
- Airports: OurAirports (public domain), airports with scheduled service.
- Travelers’ Century Club: the club’s list of 330 destinations, as of January 2022.