In addition, the city is peppered with old city walls, temples, pagodas and tombs from Han Dynasty rulers, including the Hanyangling Tomb, which houses Emperor Jingdi and his wife Empress Wang.

BBC: Living in: Great cities for history and ancient ruins

Nor was it expecting a string of disasters, including the highly publicized collapse of a bridge over the Han river in the capital.

CNN: WHY VISIT THIS YEAR?

Several people, including Jake Solomon of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, would like to see a Han Solo game, or at least a game about smugglers.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down