Monolithic scale, a long and potent history, a future looming large. China isn't a country - it's a different world. Unless you have a couple of years and unlimited patience, it's best to follow a loose itinerary here, such as following the Silk Road, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province.
Even short trips around the nation reveal China as a gigantic work in progress, caught somewhere between the 1950s and the early 21st century. The fruits of the economic boom are tangible and easy to assess, but on other development indicators, like democracy and human rights, for example, China is way behind. 'China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese.' - Charles de Gaulle
Geography:
The third-largest country in the world, China is bounded to the north by the deserts of Mongolia, to the west by the inhospitable Tibetan plateau and the Himalaya, and to the east by the East and South China seas. China's 22 provinces and five autonomous regions are governed from Beijing, along with some 5000 islands. Hong Kong and Macau have returned to the fold as Special Administrative Regions (SAR). Disputed territories are dotted near and far around China's southeast coast. Taiwan - a festering dispute that flares up from time to time - is the best known. Then there's the oil-rich Spratly Island group, which every country in the region wants to suck dry, the Diaoyutai Islands (known as Senkaku to the Japanese), the Paracels (or Xisha, if China gets its way), and the Pescadores (or Penghu. The statistics for population and area refer to mainland China.
Destination Facts
Capital: Beijing
President: Hu Jintao
Government: Communist republic
Time zone: GMT +8
Area: 9596960
Population: 1,338,612,968
People: Han Chinese (92%), plus 56 ethnic minorities.
Languages: China's language is officially Mandarin, as spoken in Beijing. The Chinese call it Putonghua. About 70% of the population speak Mandarin, but that's just the tip of the linguistic iceberg. The country is awash with dialects, and dialects within dialects - and few of them are mutually intelligible. Of the seven major strains, Cantonese is the one most likely to be spoken in your local Chinese takeaway. Cantonese is the lingua franca of Guangdong, southern Guangxi, Hong Kong and (to an extent) Macau.
Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism (no stats available); Muslim (1%-2%), Christianity (3%-4%)
Currency: Yuan Renminbi (Y)
GDP: Approx. Y8789000000000
Major industries: Iron, steel, coal, machinery, automobiles, petroleum, chemicals, telecommunications, textiles
Major Trading Partners: USA, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan
Daylight Saving: From not in use to not in use
Country Dialing Code: 86
Getting There
Travel to China is possible year-round, as long as you're prepared for what the season can throw at you. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to early November) can be the best time to be on the road, as you avoid the blistering heat of summer (June to August) and stinging chill of winter (November to February/March). Autumn in B ě ij ī ng, for example, is particularly pleasant, as are early spring and autumn in Hong Kong. Summer is the busiest tourist season, and getting around and finding accommodation during the peak summer crush can be draining.
Getting there and away
Despite over 115 ports of entry and exit, most visitors to China travel via Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing. The national carrier is Air China, which also operates a company called Dragonair as a joint venture with the Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific (bookable through Cathay Pacific worldwide).If you are travelling to China from Hong Kong, be aware that you should organise your Chinese visa before arriving in Hong Kong. You can travel to China and back from Europe or Asia without having to leave the ground. Exotic routes include Laos-China, the Trans-Siberian railway, Tibet-Nepal and Xinjiang-Kazakstan - but don't even think about bringing your own car, as foreigners are rarely allowed to drive in China. Other entry points include Zhuhai-Macau, Kashgar-Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan, via the Torugart or Irkeshtam passes), Beijing-Pyongyang (North Korea) and Pinxiang/Hekou-Dong Dang/Lao Cai (Vietnam). You can take a slow boat to China from Japan or South Korea. Popular places to sail to and from include Shanghai, Xiamen (opposite Taiwan), Tanggu (near Tianjin), Macau and - of course - Hong Kong.
Getting around
China's air network is extensive, and the country's rapid economic development means that its civil aviation fleet is expected to triple in size over the next two decades, with up to 2000 more airliners being added to the existing fleet by 2022. Airports are being built and upgraded all over the land, making air transport increasingly appealing. Shuttle buses often run from Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; Zh ō nggu ó M í nh á ng) offices in towns and cities through China to the airport. Baggage reclamation facilities at the older airports are rudimentary and waits can be long. Remember to keep your baggage receipt label on your ticket as you will need to show it when you collect your luggage. Except in seriously hilly cities such as Ch ó ngq ì ng, bicycles (z ì x í ngch ē ) are an excellent method for getting around China's cities and tourist sights. They can also be invaluable for getting out to the countryside surrounding towns such as Y á ngshu ò . Take care when cycling. Helmets can be difficult to find, as few Chinese cycle with protection. Your greatest concern, however, will probably be China's awful traffic conditions and bad driving; don't expect vehicles to give you much room. Note that cycling is prohibited on some major roads in large cities, so you will have to join everyone else cycling on the pavement; otherwise, there are generally ample bicycle lanes. Boat services within China are limited. They're most common in coastal areas, where you are likely to use a boat to reach offshore islands such as P ǔ tu ó sh ā n or H ǎ in á n, or the islands off Hong Kong. The best-known river trip is the three-day boat ride along Yangzi River (Ch á ng Ji ā ng) from Ch ó ngq ì ng to Y í ch ā ng. Hong Kong employs a veritable navy of vessels that connect with the territory's myriad islands, and a number of popular boats run between the territory and other parts of China. Long-distance buses (ch á ngt ú g ō ngg ò ng q ì ch ē ) are one of the best means of getting around. Services are extensive, main roads are rapidly improving and, with the increasing number of intercity highways, bus journeys are getting quicker. Another plus is that it's easier to secure bus tickets than train tickets, and they are also often cheaper. Buses stop every so often in small towns and villages, so you get to see parts of the countryside that you wouldn't see if you travelled by train. On the downside, tickets are rapidly going up in price as oil prices soar, breakdowns can be a problem, some rural roads and provincial routes (especially in the southwest, Tibet and the northwest) remain in bad condition. Precipitous drops, pot holes, dangerous road surfaces and reckless drivers mean that accidents remain common. Routes between large cities sport larger, cleaner and more comfortable fleets of private buses, many of which are equipped with toilets; shorter and more far-flung routes still rely on rattling minibuses into which the driver crams as many fares as possible. Sleeper buses (w ò p ù k è ch ē ) run on popular long-haul routes; they cost around double the price of a normal bus service. For those who'd like to tour China by car or motorbike, the news is bleak. The authorities remain anxious about foreigners driving at whim around China, so you shouldn't plan on hiring a car and driving off wherever you want. To drive in Hong Kong and Macau, you will need an International Driving Permit. To drive in China, you will need a residency permit and a Chinese driving licence. You also have to perform a health examination and perform a written test. Foreigners can drive motorcycles if they are residents in China and have a Chinese motorcycle licence. Local Transport: Long-distance transport in China is not really a problem - the dilemma occurs when you finally make it to your destination. While China boasts a huge and often inventive choice of local transport, vehicles can be slow and overburdened, and the transport network is confusing for visitors. Apart from bikes, buses are the most common means of getting around in the cities. Services are fairly extensive and fares are inexpensive; the problem is that they are almost always packed, and navigation is tricky for non-Chinese speakers. Going underground is highly preferable to taking the bus as there are no traffic jams; however, this transport option is only possible in Hong Kong, B ě ij ī ng, Sh à ngh ǎ i, Gu ǎ ngzh ō u, Ti ā nj ī n, N á nj ī ng, Sh ē nzh è n and D à li á n. Ch ó ngq ì ng has a light rail system, as does W ǔ h à n (with a subway system under construction). Many large Chinese cities endlessly sprawl, so taxis (ch ū z ū q ì ch ē ) are the best way to get around for first-time visitors. Taxi drivers speak little, if any, English. If you don't speak Chinese, bring a map or have your destination written down in characters. Other local transport includes an often bewildering variety of ramshackle transport options can be found throughout China, providing employment for legions of elderly Chinese. Although crowded, trains are the best way to get around in reasonable speed and comfort. The network covers every province except H ǎ in á n. A variety of classes and trains means you can travel as you wish: if you can endure a hard seat, getting from A to B is very cheap. An excellent online source of information on China's rail network is Seat 61 (www.seat61.com/China.htm). For bundles of info on China's railways and trains, consult Railways of China (www.railwaysofchina.com); China Train Timetable (www.china-train-ticket.com) is also a useful website.
Visa:
Apart from for citizens of Japan, Singapore and Brunei, all visitors to China require a visa. A Chinese visa covers virtually the whole of China, although there are still some restricted areas that require an additional permit from the PSB. Permits are also required for travel to Tibet, an area of China that the authorities can suddenly bar foreigners from entering.
Weather
The climate for this Asian behemoth is understandably varied and ranges from bitterly cold to unbearably hot, and a whole lot in between. Your average winter day in the north might reach -8° C (17° F) if you're lucky and yet sit in the low thirties (high eighties) in summer around July. The central Yangzi River valley area also experiences extreme seasonal temperatures. In the far south, the hot and humid summer lasts from April to September and, as in north China, coincides with the wettest weather. Typhoons can hit the southeast coast between July and September. The northwest experiences dry, hot summers, with China's nominated hottest place - Turpan - receiving maximums of around 47° C (117° F). Winters here are as formidably cold as in the rest of northern China.
Places of Interest
It's a dozen countries merged into one, from majestic monasteries to Mao's mausoleum. With its long and dramatic history, China offers endless cultural treasures. Famous attractions like the Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall, colonial Shanghai and the imperial grandeur of Beijing are obvious magnets, but there's also sacred mountains and huge national parks to wander in. China isn't a country - it's a different world. Unless you have a couple of years and unlimited patience, it's best to follow a loose itinerary here, such as following the Silk Road, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province. Even short trips around the nation reveal China as a gigantic work in progress, caught somewhere between the 1950s and the early 21st century. The fruits of the economic boom are tangible and easy to assess, but on other development indicators, like democracy and human rights, for example, China is way behind.
Warning
Sichuan province continues to rebuild following the massive earthquake of May 2008. Travellers should be cautious in the Xinjiang region, near the Tajikistan border, where several violent attacks on police and security made headlines in recent months. If visiting China, avoid public demonstrations and political rallies. Refer to Safe Travel or the Thorn Tree travel forum.
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