From a longer-term perspective these destinations are not as outlandish as they appear at first glance. The rapidly-growing heavily-industrialised Chongqing City Region has a population of 30 million inhabitants and is the terminus for most of the popular Yangtze River Cruises - one of China's "must do" experiences. Wuhan - population 10 million - is Manchester's twin city as well as being an industrial powerhouse. Xi An - home to the Terracotta Army - is one of the world's top tourist sites, and when you visit the place it is amazing just how much still remains to be excavated. Shenzhen - another massive industrial metropolis, but maybe a bit close to Hong Kong from an air service viewpoint?