The Best of China from an Aerial View

Yunnan is a province in southwestern China, in the area of Asia where the Himalayan region transitions to Southeast Asia.  It sits at the crossroads of several nations, cultures, and religions.  This video by top contributor Face du Monde, which was nominated for the 2017 Drone Video Awards in the "People" category, gives you an incredible tour of this mountainous region.  Using a combination of drone footage and ground footage, you will get an indelible impression of a magical land, which borders Tibet.

China's Yangtze River is the longest in Asia and third longest in the world.  Rising in the highlands of Tibet, it runs over 6.3k km (just under 4k mi.) to discharge into the East China Sea at the great city of Shanghai, the world's busiest port.  More than any individual city, this mighty river is the very heart of China.  In this video, contributor Mamitagadventures flies a DJI Mavic Pro drone over the great waterway, giving us bird's eye views of Shibaozhai Pagoda Temple, Chongquing, Yichang, and more.

Although China is the world's most populous country, most of its 1.2 billion inhabitants live on or near the coast.  Parts of the vast interior of the country are much less densely populated.  One of these is the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which sits in the north-central part of the country and which was once part of the Gansu Province.  Contributor Mattcoq traveled to Ninxia with a DJI Phantom 3 drone, creating a spectacular aerial video of this land which features landscapes ranging from mountains to desert.   

China's Huangshan Mountains are a range of peaks of up to 1k meters above sea level (around 3.3k ft) in the Anhui province, which lies in the eastern part of the country.  The unusually shaped granite peaks of these mountains have caused this area to become one of China's major tourist destinations. Contributor Droneland flew a drone over these incredible mountains and created this stunning aerial video of the area, which lies in the Yangtze River heartland of what was once known as the Middle Kingdom.    

Xiamen is a thriving port city in China's Fujian province and is known as one of the 'coolest' travel destinations, due to it's modern infrastructure and creative arts scene.  Maybe that's how drone pilot Panvelvet became inspired to ask what this energetic cityscape would be like as the setting for the Mission Impossible series.  With it's high rishing Cycling Skyway, Amoy Bridge, and countless streets of eating and entertainment, we're convinced Xiamen would perform just fine in that capacity.

The region Inner Mongolia is confusingly named, as it suggests that it's part of the Central Asian republic of Mongolia.  In fact, Inner Mongolia is a semi-autonomous province of China.  The country of modern Mongolia is actually "Outer Mongolia", in reference to the fact that it's further away from the core of China.  In this video, contributor Kinjo gives us an aerial view of Inner Mongolia, officially known as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.  With a population of about 25 million, it's about 8x as populous as the republic.  

Hongcun is a town in the Anhui province of east central China.  Considered one of the cultural treasures of the country, the city has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Hongcun has become a favorite location for filming movies in China, notably Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a 2000 film which received widespread international acclaim.  In this video, contributor and drone pilot Droneland gives us a bird's eye view of this iconic Chinese town, which is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

China features some of the world's most breathtaking landscapes.  In this video, you'll see some of the best drone footage of China on AirVuz.  The video features bird's eye views of some of the most well known sites of the Middle Kingdom, including the Great Wall, Beijing, Hong Kong, Zhangjiajie National Park, Shenzhen, and so much more! After watching this compilation of aerial videos, history and travel information you’ll be saying lets visit the ‘Land Of The Red Dragon’.

High above the karst peaks that line the Li River, contributor haussmannvisuals reveals the beauty of Yangshuo in Guilin, China.  The iconic topography of this county are often seen in calligraphic ink paintings but this drone footage takes the remarkable scenery to a whole new level.  Situated in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southeastern China, Guilin was a filming location for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (2005); it "played the role" of  the Wookiee planet Kashyyyk.

Contributor DavidLee created this magnificent drone video of the great Chinese city of Nanjing, also known as Nanking, home of one of China's tallest skyscrapers.  Situated on the Yangtze River, it's one of the most important historical and cultural cities in China, and was the site of the infamous Rape of Nanjing in the early stages of World War II.  Since 2010, the city has also been home to the 66 story Greenland Center-Zifeng Tower, which stands at 450 meters (just under 1.5k ft.) and dominates its skyline.  

Xi'an is one of the oldest cities in China, and was one of the four so-called Ancient Capitals of China.  In modern times, it is known as the site of the Xi'an Incident of 1936, during the runup to World War II.  Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek was detained here and forced to adopt a policy of cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party to resist ongoing incursions by Japan.  The policy ultimately helped to prevent Japanese hegemony in China, albeit at tremendous cost in Chinese lives and treasure.

Top contributor Haussmannvisuals created this memorable 60 second aerial tour of Guangzhou in southern China.  It's the capital of the province of the same name, the largest in the country by population and in many respects its economic dynamo.  It's also home to some of the world's tallest buildings.  In the video you'll see some epic footage of the 111 floor, 530 meter (about 1.7k ft.) CTC Financial Center (#6 in the world at year-end 2018), the Guangzhou IFC (439 meter, 1.45k ft.), and more.

Contributor and drone pilot borje_zy brings us this amazing aerial tour of Tianjin, China's fourth largest city by population.  The northeasternmost of China's major cities, Tianjin is also the principal port serving the capital city Beijing which is only a 90 minute drive away.  Founded in the 15th century, Tianjin also has great cultural and historical importance, particularly during the Boxer Rebellion at the turn of the 20th century which inaugurated a long period of civil unrest in China.

China's capital Beijing is one of the world's few large cities not located on a coast or major river.  Rather, the great city once known as Peking owes its existence to being at the north end of the North China Plain.  Surrounded on all other sides by mountains, Peking served a historical role guarding the approaches from the Eurasian steppe into what is in effect the heart of China on the great alluvial plain.  Contributor borje_xy created this amazing drone videos of the mountains surrounding the capital city.

Harbin is a medium sized city in northeastern China, and the capital of the Heilongjiang province.  Harbin's founding and growth were closely associated with the East China Railway, the main railway which ran across Manchuria and which was built by Imperial Russia in the late 19th century via concessions.  In this video you'll get an aerial glimpse of this important provincial capital, whose cityscape has been transformed by the magnificent Opera House which you'll see as the first aerial shot.  

Top contributor Panvelvet used the Chinese city of Shanghai as the backdrop for this epic drone film, shot over a period of 24 hours.  Filmed in a fully controlled environment, the video shows an actor standing atop several of the more prominent towers in this megalopolis, which as of the end of 2018 had over 150 buildings of at least 150 meters (about 480 ft.) in height, fourth amongst the world's cities.  This video was a winner at the second annual Drone Video Awards Winner in the Originality category.

Contributor Gareth Hayman created this stunning drone video of some of the best skyline views in China (including its Hong Kong territory).  The flying technique and framing, combined with the resolution quality of the shots make for one spot on video. Views of Hong Kong's Quarry Bay, Shanghai's World Financial Center, Canton Tower in Guangzhou, and dozens of other famous skyscrapers can be seen from a variety of angles in this brilliant piece. This piece was a Drone Video of the Week Nominee in 2019.

China's largest island (not including Taiwan, which is not under the country's control at present) is Hainan, which lies off the coast of the Guanxi Province.  It's the largest of a group of islands which comprise the Province of Hainan, which was part of the province of Guangzhou until 1988.  The island's second largest city is Sanya, which lies at its southern tip.  In this drone video created by contributor Bunlee, you'll get a bird's eye view of Sanya, now a major beach tourist destination.  

Ningbo is one of the great cities of the Yangtze River Delta.  Situated in the province of Zhejiang, it occupies the southern part of the great estuary.  It's one of the oldest cities in the country, with settlements dating to nearly 5,000 BC.  Carved by numerous canals, the city's port on the East China Sea is amongst the world's busiest, rivaling that of Shanghai.  In this video, you'll be able to see this ancient city from a bird's eye perspective, compliments of contributor and drone pilot Dankstarr.    

Daocheng is an area of China's Sichuan province, in the southwestern part of the country.  It's in the Hengduan Mountains, a range which connects two of the main plateau areas of western China.  The area is part of western Sichuan, which is part of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.  Given that this part of Sichuan borders Tibet to the west, the population here is mostly of  Tibetan ethnicity.   You can see this beautiful part of the country from a bird's eye perspective, compliments of contributor borje_xy.  

The Pearl River is the third of China's great rivers, on a par with the Yangtze and the Yellow River in its importance to the world's most populous country.  It arises from a complex system of tributaries that drain much of southern China and runs 2.4k km (1.5k mi.) to the Ghuanzhou province, forming a giant delta on the South China Sea.  In this video by Droneland, you'll get a bird's eye view of the mighty river as it runs through the Nansha area just south of the provincial capital Ghuangzhou City. 

Top contributor Seppiolone created this beautiful aerial video from a trip to China.  It includes footage from two of China's largest cities: Shanghai, its financial capital on the Yangtze Delta, and Shenzen, an important manufacturing center on the Pearl River Delta.  Much of the rest of the video is focused on two spots inland spots in the  southeastern part of the country: the city of Guilin in the province of Guangxi and Zhangjiajie in the neighboring province of Hunan.

Top content creator Face Du Mond skillfully combined ground camera and drone footage to make this stunning video from the eastern reaches of the Himalayan Mountain system in Western China.  The video was shot in the mountainous portions of the Yunnan Province and of the Sichuan Province which lies immediately to its north.  The western part of Yunnan sits at the eastern extent of the Great Himalayan Uplift, while western Sichuan is home to the mountains which form the Great Tibetan Plateau.  

Contributor Sjoerdbracke used a DJI Mavic Pro drone to create this epic video of one of China's most famous canyons.  The Zhangjiajie Canyon is in a national park of the same name in Hunan, an inland province in the southeastern part of the country.  Giant quartz pillars sprout from the canyon floor, some of which are over 1k meters (almost 3.6k ft.) high.   It's one of the top tourist destinations in southern China and was a shooting location for the 2009 film Avatar, the all-time movie box-office champion.

The Great Wall of China may just be one of the most famous man-made structures in the world. It is one of the only sites you can see from space, after all! This drone video of The Great Wall of China is impressive. Silvano1988 captured the Mutiyano section of one of the 7 New World Wonders. The section is located in the Huairou District within the city limits of Beijing, 43 miles northeast of the center of the city. 

This drone video of Shenzen, China by contributor and pilot caldina3188 was nominated for the Drone Video of the Week in July, 2019.  Comparatively not well known outside of China, Shenzen is the country's fourth-largest city after Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou.  Like Guangzhou, Shenzen is situated on the great Pearl River Delta in the southeastern part of the country.  Shot at night, the video features some amazing footage of the city's skyscrapers as well as the Eiffel Tower replica at its Window of the World Theme Park.  

Two-time DVA Winner Timelab.pro does it again with this absolutely magnificent piece from Hong Kong. Filmed using a DJI Zenmuse X7 mounted to an Inspire 2 drone, this is some of the best aerial footage of the great city we've ever seen. The video kicks off with some spectacular footage of the city's skyline, generally considered to be the world's most prominent due to the number of tall buildings here. Then the action shifts to show the massive container port here just as the sun is rising. This video was a DVOW nominee in October, 2019.

Check out this stunning drone video from some of the most remote reaches of Chinese Tibet, compliments of contributor Edinz.  The video features footage from the following locations in the Ngari Prefecture, the westernmost of the province: Lake Manasarovar, Yamdrok Yumtso Lake, the Tarongcuo River, Lake Zabuye, Lake Trari Nam, Mt. Kailsh, Lake Tangra Yumco, Lake Jargö (Qiagui Co), Renqingxiubu Lake, Siling Lake, Zhada Earth Forest, the Zhongba Desert, and Lake Rakshastal (La'nga Co).

Former Drone Video Award winner and drone pilot Panvelvet created this marvelous mini-tour of the Chinese province of Guizhou. Guizhou is one of the landlocked provinces in the southwestern part of the country, and is partly covered by the northern foothills of the Himalayas. The video features footage from across the province, including its capital city Guyiang. The star of the show is probably the beautiful red-roofed castle which sits improbably perched upon an island of a lake in Xingyi, in the southern part of the province. 

Chongqing is China's third-largest city after Shanghai and Beijing.  It's located near the confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers, a bit under 1.7k km (just over 1k mi.) west-southwest of Shanghai.  In this excellent drone video by new AirVuz contributor philipp_danneberg, you'll get an aerial tour of the great city, which was the Chinese capital during World War II.  The video features some excellent footage of the city's famous pagodas and towering skyscrapers, the Great Hall of the People (at the 1:30 mark), and more.  

Check out this fantastic trip reel from China, compliments of top contributor robin_brbs.  Shot with a DJI Mavic Air over four weeks, the video opens with shots of the Great Wall of China, the great fortification system built to protect the Chinese heartland from the nomadic peoples of the Eurasian steppes.  The video also features footage from the southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, the karst hills of Guillin in the southeastern province of Guangxi, and more.  This video was picked as a DVOW Finalist the Summer of 2019.

Wuhan University is one of China's oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning.  Founded in 1893, it's located in the heart of the capital city of Hubei, an interior province which is part of the historical region known as Central China.  Consistently ranked amongst the country's top half-dozen schools, WHU has an academic staff of over 7k and an enrolled student body of just under 60k.  Seen here in this drone video by new contributor how.chou, its campus is often considered China's most beautiful.  

China's Guangzhou Province has been the epicenter of the country's spectacular economic rise since the early 1990's.  Situated in the southeastern part of the country, it's now home to the most people of any Chinese province, and the population swells by tens of millions each year due to migrant employees. It is closely connected to Hong Kong, which it effectively surrounds, and which has served to connect China to the outside world.  Droneland gives us an amazing aerial look at this dynamic province.

China's Pingtan Island is located off the coast of its Fujian Province in the southeastern part of the country.  China's fifth largest island by land area, it's also the closest spot to Tapei, the capital of Taiwan.  It is now connected to the mainland via a bridge that was completed in 2010.  By virtue of its position, the island marks the dividing line between the East China Sea and the South China Sea.  Contributor jojodidi used a DJI Mavic Pro drone to create this aerial video of the beautiful island.  

Prepare to be amazed by this fantastic nighttime drone video from Shanghai, China, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and former Drone Video Award winner Panvelvet.  The video will take you over and through this fantastically modern city, now home to one of the world's most impressive skylines.  Shot during the evening hours and expertly edited (including some brilliant timelapses), you will be taken through the canyons created by its giant structures, over the historical Bund area, and along the Huangpu River.    

Top contributor and pilot Droneland created this beautiful drone video of Macau, one of the most dynamic cities of Southeast Asia.  Situated at the mouth of the Pearl River across from Hong Kong, Macau has emerged as the world's gaming capital - its annual gaming take is now about 3x that of Las Vegas.  The former Portuguese colony has long had a freewheeling culture.  It "stood in" for 1930's Shanghai in the blockbuster movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), the second in the series.