四平市

Why this place

Siping is where the main rail lines of the northeast cross, which made it one of the most contested cities of the Chinese civil war — it changed hands four times in 1946–48. Today it is a quiet agricultural and rail town.

What to see

• The Siping Campaign memorial and the old battlefield sites
• Yehe Nara city ruins, the ancestral home of the Qing imperial clan, east of the city
• Erlong Lake, a reservoir park near the city

What to eat

• Li-style pancakes (Lilian guibing) — a Siping specialty
• Northeast cornmeal and pork dishes

Best time

May–October