Asia: China

This mystically beautiful country that is nationally known as Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo, is extremely large with a land area of over 9,000,000square kilometre, and houses nearly 1,400,000,000 people.

Geographically, China has the famous 3,660-m high Tibetan plateau neighboured by the Kunlun mountain system in the North. The Tarim and Dzungarian basins of Xinjiang are divided by the Tian Shan and the vast Inner Mongolian plains. The largest section of China comprises of North China, which coincides with the Huang He (Yellow River) basin and is neighboured by the Qingling Mountains in the South, includes the North-western loess plateau, the China plain in the North, and the mountains of the Shandong peninsula. In Central China, with its incredible Chang (Yangtze) River, one can find the basin of Sichuan, the central Chang lowlands, and the Chang delta. In the East, the central plain and highlands of Manchuria are striking and used to be known as China proper. South China includes the Yunnan and Guizhou plateau plus the valleys of the Xi and Pearl rivers.

The climate of China is impossible to describe as the country is so incredibly large. Mainly you will find wet summers and dry, bitterly cold winters.

Chinese Cuisine
In Beijing you will find noodles and baozi (bread buns), Peking duck, cabbage dishes, great pickles.
In Cantonese / Guangzhou / Hong Kong you will find tasty, freshly cooked 'clean' snacks and seafood, vegetables and fruit.
In Guizhou you will find influences of Sichuan and Xiang cooking with spice, sweet and sour.
In Hunan you will find Xiangjiang cuisine which s basically spicier than Sichuan foods.
In Shanghai you will find chive dumplings, the famous xiaolongbao and influences from the North and South.
In Fujian you will find the famous "Buddha Jumps over a Wall" - a story about a monk that forgot his vegetarian vows and leapt over the wall to have some of the deliscious smelling seafood.
In Sichuan you will find food to be hot and spicy.
In Zhejiang you will find delicate, 'clean' foods and seasoning in dishes such as meat, seafood and vegetables.

Chinese Festivals
Hainan lnternational Coconut Festival - during the first 10 days of April at Haikou City, Wenchang County, Tongshi City and Sanya City in Hainan Province. Highlights: lantern festival at Coconut Street, an international dragon boat race, martial arts contests, Miao and Li wedding ceremonies and other.
'The Third Day of the Third Lunar Month' of the Li Minority in Hainan Province - during the first 10 days of April at Qiongzhong, Dongfang, Changjiang, Ledong and Baisha counties and Tongshi City in Hainan Province. Highlights: Li men and women take part in singing contests, exhibitions of Mountain Love, by young Li couples, gun/archery contests.
The Lantern Festival in Zigong Sichuan - February to March at Zigong City, Sichuan Province. Highlights: A lantern festival in Zigong with dragons made of porcelain, glass bottle peacocks and other.
The Torch Festival of the Yi Minority in Liangshan, Sichuan Provinc - from 23 - 28 July at Sichuan Province. Highlights: Horse races, cock-, bull and/or sheepfighting, beauty and singing contests and more.
Horse Race Festival in Qiangtang, Tibet - during the last 10 days of August at Nagqu Prefecture in Tibet. Highlights: Archery, horse races and horsemanship, martial arts and more.
The Torch Festival of the Yi Minority in Yunnan Province - from 24 - 26 June at Shicun Town of Lunan Yi Autonomous County and Chuxiong City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Highlights: Instrumental displays Dasanxian dancing, horse races, bonfire parties and more.
Shanghai Huangpu Tourist Festival - From 21 - 27 September at Shanghai. Highlights: open air concerts and performances on decorated floats, Red Mansions art and culture displays and the popular Essence of Shanghai, a Night Cruise over the Huangpu River, etc.
Zhangjiajie International Forest Festival - on 18 September at Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province. Highlights: a forest tour in Zhangjiajie (the 1st national forest park established in China), mountain- and rock climbing, rafting the Maoyan River etc.
Four Major Summon Ceremories at the Ta'er Lamasery - on the 14th & 15th of the fourth lunar month, the 7th & 8th of the sixth lunar month and the 22nd & 23rd of the nineth lunar month at Huangzhong County, Qinghai Province. Highlights: amongst other attractions, the large butter sculpture shots of Tibeten, Tu and Mongolian ethnic groups.
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival - 5 February to 5 January at Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Highlights: Ice lantern and snow culture displays and contests, painting, calligraphy, film festivals and photographic exhibitions, ice hockey and cross-country skiing... to name a few.

Major Tourist Attractions of China
Big Bell Temple
Chengde Mountain Resort
Confucius and Confucius Mansion
Dazu Stone Carvings
Fengkai National Geopark
Forbidden City
The Great Wall
Heavenly Lake
Huangshan
Jiuzhaigou
Lijiang Old Town
Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring
Mogao Grottoes
Mount Tai (Tai'shan)
Potala Palace
Qufu (Confucius's Hometown)
Shanghai Museum
Shangri-la
Shaolin Temple
Siguniang Mountains
Summer Palace
Temple of Heaven
Terra-cotta Warriors
Wutaishan (Mt. Wutai)
Wuyuan | Wuyi Mountain
Yellow Mountain
Zhujiajiao

Languages: Standard Chinese (Mandarin/Putonghua), Wu (Shanghaiese) and Minbei (Fuzhou), Xiang and Gan, Yue (Cantonese), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Hakka dialects and more minority languages.
Chinese Currency: Yuan/Renminbi
Religions: Atheist, Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian, Muslim.
Chinese Visa: Tourists will need what is known a L Visa.
Transport
Railways of China cover a total of 71,898-plus and highways cover a kilometre total of 1,870,661 km. There are plus-minus 1, 5 000km paved, 350,000km unpaved and 34,000km expressways.
Main Chinese Ports and harbours include Dalian and Guangzhou, Ningbo and Qingdao, Shanghai Nanjing, Qinhuangdao.
Chinese Airports total 486 and growing!
Health: Parts of Southern China have malaria, dengue fever, etc. and therefore it is advised that the traveller enquires and takes precautions, but overall China is a very healthy country and no vaccinations are an entry requirement.

The cities of China (from largest) are:
Shanghai
Tianjin (Tientsin)
Wuhan
Shenyang (Mukden
Guangzhou
Haerbin
Xian
Chungking (Chongquing)
Chengdu
Hong Kong (Xianggang)

Chinese Provinces and their Capitals:
Anhui (Anhwei) - Hefei (Hofei)
Fujian (Fukien) - Fuzhou (Fukien)
Gansu (Kansu) - Lanzhou (Lanchow)
Guangdong (Kwangtung) - Canton
Guizhou (Kweichow) - Guiyang (Kweiyang)
Hainan - Haikou
Hebei (Hopei) - Shijiazhuang (Shitikiachwang)
Heilongjiang (Heilungkiang) - Harbin
Henan (Honan) - (Chengchow)
Hubei (Hupeh) - Wuhan
Hunan - Changsha
Jiangsu (Kiangsu) - Nanjing (Nanking)
Jiangxi (Kiangsi) - Nanchang
Jilin (Kirin) - Changchun
Liaoning1 - Shenyang
Quinghai (Chinghai) - Xining (Sining)
Shaanxi (Shensi) - Xian (Sian)
Shandong (Shantung) - Jinan (Tsinan)
Shanxi (Shansi) - Taiyuan
Sichuan (Szechwan) - Chengdu (Chengtu)
Yunnan - Kunming
Zhejiang (Chekiang) - Hangzhou (Hangchow)
Autonomous Regions
Guangxi Zhuang (Kwangsi Chuang) - Nanning
Nei Monggol (Inner Mongolia) - Hohhot (Huhehot)
Ningxia Hui - Yinchuan (Yinchwan)
Xinjiang Uygur (Sinkiang Uighur) - Urumqi (Urumchi)
Xizang (Tibet) - Lhasa

The Travel-Informed Team

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