Do take a tour by amambaw
Okay, I know some people might cringe at the thought of doing a tour (tour, you mean as in TOURIST???), but for many places, having an informed guide means you get to know a lot more than the little plaques tell you. We had one guide for our entire trip, and she was fantastic. At every site, she provided a brief history, as well as important events at the site, and any other culturally significant info.
Although I'm sure you could look up most of the info on the internet, or you could take along a guidebook, there's something to be said about having a Chinese person show you around their country. They grew up there, they speak the language, they know the history. AND, they can get you through the ticket counter unscathed!