I was given a gift card to spend at China Marriotts. Having never been there (but willing to go!), I'm a bit lost.

I see Marriott has properties in the following cities:

Beijing
Chongqing
Foshan, Guangdong
Guangzhou
Hong Kong
Sanya
Shanghai
Suzhou
Teda, Tianjin
Tianjin
Wuhan
Wuxi

I assume Beijing, Shanghai and HK are a must, what about others? And how long would you suggest staying in these?

I'm interested in history, culture (cuisine being part of it), local attractions; I'm mostly urban person but if sidetrips to scenic rural areas with public transport (hate taxis with passion) are available, that's fine, too.

I can spend a month or even a bit more on this. Thinking about going this fall, when the olympic craze is over and the weather is cooler.

Any thoughts?

Suzhou and Wuxi are just west of Shanghai, about 1 to 2 hours by trains. Interesting cities to visit.

Chongqing itself is pretty ugly, but it's the departing point for downstream Yangtze Cruise. The Dazu Grottoes outside the city are also worth visiting.

Sanya on Hainan Island is a tropical resort place, which may interest you.

Beijing - 4-6 days for all the cultural sites
Hong Kong - long weekend, mostly for shopping and nightlife
Sanya - few days for beach holiday
Shanghai - 4-6 days, with day trip to Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuxi and/or Suzhou
Suzhou - see above
Tianjin - 2-3 days - temples, mosque, section of the great wall
Wuxi - see above

There are other cities i would recommend like Guilin, but may not fit your Marriott itinerary.

For public transport (in the big cities), other than during rush hour, subways and buses are fine. I personally prefer my car and taxis. Shanghai to the surrounding cities can be done by train (D trains - the fast ones). For the rest, air travel is recommended.

Feel free to contact me for any help when in Shanghai

I hate taxis too...especially in London. Close to 100 pounds from Heathrow to the city.

But in China the cost of a taxi seems to be less that what the fuel would cost in a midsize US sedan. Good bargain.^

Having never been to Tianjin (by choice from what I have heard) I would skip it to do something else. If you have some money to spare, why not go to Xi'an since you are into history and culture.

I hear Wuhan is great though the climates are very extreme. Would love to go. Besides that I agree with the above posts

You didn't explain how the gift card works (in terms of how it values the different properties).

I suspect it is closely tied to actual room rates..... or perhaps it is based on the Marriott Rewards category system. Far less likely, all properties are treated equally.

In any case, you're probably aware that HK, SH, BJ, and Sanya are the most expensive/desirable.

Of the remaining cities on your list, I would consider:

Chongqing
Foshan, Guangdong (never been there, but it looks somewhat interesting)
Guangzhou

..and definitely avoid:

TEDA (I don't like Tianjin and TEDA is an industrial park)*
Wuhan
Wuxi

That leaves Suzhou, which I'll refrain from blackballing outright, but am not wowed by.

*I guess "industrial park" is a bit of harsh description; IIRC, it was modeled after Lujiazui in Shanghai, but features more industry than finance.

Hi Moondog,

Any particular reason(s) to avoid Wuxi? We were looking at going there and/or Suzhou while we are based in Shanghai for a couple of weeks (plus Hangzhou, but I don't think the OP had this place on their list).

I spent a few months in Wuhan last year (and it looks like I may go back for a month later this year.) Wuhan has a large, nice lake and the Yangtze goes through it. That is probably its single biggest draw. There are some nice sites there to see like the Yellow Crane Tower and the Guiyuan Temple but I would suspect that there are similar sites in other China cities as well. Another option if you have the time and what something relaxing is a cruise. There are Wuhan-Shanghai cruises up the Yangtze river that are very nice and enjoyable and they aren't all that expensive either. So that might be an option.

Overall though, if you can fly through Wuhan with little extra cost, it might be worth a day or so, but I wouldn't spend a lot of money or time to make a visit there.

I find Wuxi to be overly industrial (therefore, polluted,... but, that's certainly not unique to it) and uninspirational;... I'm guessing that the Marriott there wasn't built with tourists as a first priority (the same goes for Wuhan and TEDA). Of course, if you have lots of time on your hands, it wouldn't kill you to check it out .

If you go to Foshan it might be worth a trip to Zhaoqing. Its an hour or so away
and has the beautiful 7 star lake and Mt. Dinghu. The air at Mt. Dinghu is unbelievable.

As far as regional cuisines there are restaurant that have both cat and rat.
Can't say I have or would ever try that though.

Taxis in China are very cheap. Just make sure that you don't get cheated.

If the OP likes history.

Xian is pretty interesting. Not just the Terracotta Warriors which are amazing on their own but they have so many other historical locations that you will be amazed at.

As for Chongqing, moondog is right. It is an ugly city but we found the foot there very good. Szechuan cooking at its best. The Yangtze river cruises start there which is a great way to see the area BEFORE they flood everything when the dam becomes fully operational.

Thanks everybody for the replies! The trip is shaping up now.

While I do enjoy cities and will have a bit time on my hands, industrial parks aren't my cup of tea so thanks for helping to avoid them.

Hong Kong
Shanghai
Beiging
Macau
Be in Beijing this August for the Olympics.

I am traveling to China also this summer, and after a lot of research those are the cities I will visit, along with Xi'an. I think all are worthwhile. FWIW I was not going to include Xi'an and numerous people who had been there convinced me I should include it. So I scheduled a fly out in the morning from beijing, then stay overnight in Xi'an , then fly to Shanghai. After 4 days in shanghei, then fly to Hong Kong, where Macau is definitely on our list! Have fun-I am looking forward to it.