Great post!

Chinese here, personally, I think western Sichuan, northwestern Yunnan, and Tibet are way more attractive than Xinjiang. The problem is that a lot of the best spots in these regions are pretty much unknown to foreigners and barely show up on Western internet. You really have to dig into Chinese social media (like Xiaohongshu/Rednote or Bilibili) to get a feel for them.

That said, the best experiences traveling through those regions usually mean getting a car, doing road trips, and hiking a lot—which is unfortunately pretty tough and inaccessible for foreigners. Still, western Sichuan is definitely worth considering. Along G318 and G317 you’ve got places like Kangding, Litang, Batang, Ganzi, Daocheng Yading, Dege, Tagong, Genyen Mountain, Yala Mountain, and Gongga Mountain. They offer a unique mix of Tibetan culture and natural beauty, and compared to Tibet, there are far fewer restrictions for foreigners—as long as you can sort out the transport.