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CTS Tours

CTS · play · spot the odd one out

Can you tell which one is NOT in China?

6 photos side-by-side — 5 are from China, 1 sneaked in from another country. Scroll down to see the answer + which CTS tour each real-China spot is in.

Jiangnan water town canal with red lanterns and arched stone bridgeA
Korean hanok village street with cherry blossoms and distant towerB
Forbidden City Meridian Gate seen from Tiananmen Square approachC
Karst mountains and fisherman on bamboo raft on the Li RiverD
Lijiang Old Town cobblestone lane with Naxi rooftops and lanternsE
Mountain temple pavilion above a sea of clouds in ZhangjiajieF
✓ Answer

B is the odd one out — that's Seoul, South Korea.

Five of the six photos are unmistakably Chinese landscapes you can visit on a CTS tour. Panel B is Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul (give it away: cherry blossom + Namsan Tower silhouette + Korean tile-roof curves). All the others are real China spots — scroll any panel for the story plus the tour that takes you there.

The story behind every photo

Tap any tour link below to see itinerary, departures, and what's included.

Jiangnan water town canal with red lanterns and arched stone bridgeA

Wuzhen Water Town, Jiangsu — China

A 1,300-year-old water town on the Grand Canal in Jiangsu. Whitewashed walls, dark tile roofs and arched stone bridges have barely changed since the Ming dynasty. Evening lantern light on the canal is one of the signature scenes of any Jiangnan trip.

Shanghai & Surroundings · 10 days
Korean hanok village street with cherry blossoms and distant towerBOdd one

Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul — South Korea

Bukchon is a 600-year-old neighbourhood of preserved Korean hanok houses, tucked between two royal palaces in central Seoul. Spring cherry blossom and the distant Namsan Tower silhouette give it away — those upturned tile roofs are Korean, not Chinese.

Not in our China lineup — but if Korea is on your wishlist alongside China, talk to us about a tailored multi-country itinerary.

Forbidden City Meridian Gate seen from Tiananmen Square approachC

The Forbidden City, Beijing — China

600 years old, 9,999 rooms, and the centre of imperial China for almost 500 years. The Meridian Gate (Wumen) is where emperors received victorious generals. Both our Best of China and Tale of Two Cities tours spend a full guided day here.

Best of China · 15 days from NZD $3,880
Karst mountains and fisherman on bamboo raft on the Li RiverD

Li River, Guangxi — China

The 83-km stretch of the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo is on the back of the Chinese 20-yuan note. Limestone karst peaks rise straight out of the water; fishermen still pole bamboo rafts at dawn. Talk to us about adding a 2-day Guilin extension to any Discovery tour.

Browse Discovery tours
Lijiang Old Town cobblestone lane with Naxi rooftops and lanternsE

Lijiang Old Town, Yunnan — China

A 900-year-old Naxi minority town at 2,400m altitude, just below the snow-capped Jade Dragon Mountain. The carved wooden balconies, cobblestone lanes and waterway grid are a UNESCO World Heritage site — and a complete change of pace from imperial Beijing.

Yunnan Explorer · 12 days
Mountain temple pavilion above a sea of clouds in ZhangjiajieF

Zhangjiajie / Wulingyuan, Hunan — China

The stone pillar forests of Zhangjiajie were the visual inspiration for the Hallelujah Mountains in James Cameron's Avatar. The sea of clouds (云海) that gathers between the peaks at dawn is one of the most photographed landscapes in China.

Zhangjiajie Stopover

See the full CTS China lineup

Signature, Discovery, Stopover — all Auckland-departing, NZD pricing, visa-free for NZ passports until 31 Dec 2026.

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