Being capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing is the nation's political, economic, and cultural center. Located in north China, close to the port city of Tianjin and partially surrounded by Hebei Province, it also serves as the most important transportation hub and port of entry.

Chengdu, the capital of China's southwest Sichuan Province, is famed for being the home of cute giant pandas. Located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain, the city covers a total area of 12.3 thousand square kilometres (4,749 square miles) with a population of over 11 million.

Chongqing is the largest municipality in southwest China. It is a modern port city on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers. With an area of 31, 800 square miles (82,400 square kilometers), it shares borders with provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Shaanxi.

Datong is situated in northern Shanxi Province. It is bordered by Inner Mongolia to the North and Hebei Province to the east. Covering an area of 14,176 square kilometers (5473 square miles), it has four districts and seven counties under its prefecture. It is the second largest city in Shanxi Province with a population of 2.99 million.

Situated near the common boundary of Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang, the historical city Dunhuang is a renowned tourist destination, famous for the Mogao Caves. The landform of this area is a declining basin-plain from west to northeast, high in the north and south, and low in the middle.