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2.1 Things you should know about China: |
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Capital Beijing
Government Communist state
Currency Renminbi (RMB, ￥)
Area 9,596,960 km2
Population 1,321,851,888 (July 2007 est.)
Language national: Mandarin (Putonghua)
regional: Wu (Shanghaiese), Cantonese (Yue), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages
Religion Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% (officially atheist)
Electricity 220V/50Hz (various plugs)
Calling Code 86
Internet TLD .cn
Time Zone UTC +8
China has a lot of it. Spread over such a vast area, the country is subject to the varieties in weather. With a vast territory, most regions in China are located in the temperate zone and some regions in the south are located in the subtropical and tropical zones Its northern part is close to the frigid zone. Ice and snow can be found all the year round in some alpine regions China is located in the noted monsoon zone m the world. Most regions are cold and dry in winter and have a warm and rainy climate in summer, Plus its varied topography and terrain conditions, its climate is complicated and diversified. There is a long winter but no summer in the northern part of Heilongjiang Province, while there is a long summer but no winter in Hainan Province. There are four distinct seasons in the Yellow River valley. It is like spring all the year round south of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The climate in the hinterland of northwest China varies greatly in winter and summer. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in southwest usually the best time to visit China is April to June which is the spring and early summer season, and September to mid-November, the autumn and early winter season.
Check the weather before your departure: http://www.cma.gov.cn/english/forecast_gn.php
Time Difference:
China is set to Beijing time:
- 8hrs ahead of GMT
- 2hrs behind Australian Eastern Standard Time
- 4hrs behind New Zealand
- 13hrs ahead of Canada Eastern Time
- 16hrs ahead of Canada Pacific Time
- 13hrs ahead of US Eastern Time.
- 16hrs ahead of US Pacific Time.
For more information: http://www.worldtimeserver.com
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Question: Popular cities in China? |
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China has many large and famous cities. Below is a list of the nine most important to travellers. Other cities are listed under their specific regional section. See the Dynasties and capitals section further down the page for a list of China's many previous capitals.
- Beijing (北京) - capital city, cultural center, and host of the 2008 Olympics
- Guangzhou (广州) - one of China's most prosperous and liberal cities
- Guilin (桂林) - popular destination for both Chinese and foreign tourists, sensational mountain/river scenery
- Hangzhou (杭州) - famously beautiful city, major center for the silk industry
- Kunming (昆明) - capital of Yunnan, gateway to the villages of the ethnic minorities
- Nanjing (南京) - a renowned historical and cultural city with many historic relics
- Shanghai (上海) - famous for its riverside scenery, China's largest city is a major commercial center with many shopping opportunities
- Suzhou (苏州) - "Venice of the East", old city, famous for canals and gardens
- Xi'an (西安) - terminus of the ancient Silk Road, and home of the terracotta warriors
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Other destinations
Some of the most famous tourist attractions in China are:
- Great Wall of China (万里长城)
- Tibet
- Silk Road (丝绸之路)
- Hainan island, tropical paradise
China has dozens of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Sacred sites
For sacred mountains, see the next section.
Mountains:
Several sites in China have famous Buddhist art:
- Yungang Grottoes (near Datong) in Shanxi Province - more than 51,000 Buddhist carvings, dating back 1,500 years, in the recesses and caves of the Yangang Valley mountainsides
- Mogao Caves (near Dunhuang) in Gansu province - art and manuscripts dating back to the 4th century
- Dazu Rock Carvings near Chongqing, dating from the 7-13th century
- Longmen Grottoes - near Luoyang, 5-10th century
China (including Tibet) is home to many sacred mountains.
The Five Great Mountains (五岳 wǔyuè), associated with Taoism:
- Mount Tai (泰山), Shandong Province (1,545 meters)
- Mount Hua (华山), Shaanxi Province (1,997 meters)
- Mount Heng (Hunan) (衡山), Hunan Province (1,290 meters)
- Mount Heng (Shanxi) (恒山), Shanxi Province (2,017 meters)
- Mount Song (嵩山）, Henan Province, where the famous Shaolin Temple (少林寺) is located (1,494 meters)
The Four Sacred Mountains (四大佛教名山 sìdà fójiào míngshān), associated with Buddhism:
- Mount Emei (峨嵋山), Sichuan Province (3,099 meters)
- Mount Jiuhua (九华山), Anhui Province (1,342 meters)
- Mount Putuo (普陀山), Zhejiang Province (297 meters, an island)
- Mount Wutai (五台山), Shanxi Province (3,058 meters)
The three main sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism:
- Mount Kailash, Tibet (5,656 meters), known as Gang Rinpoche in Tibetan, is also one of the holiest mountains in Hinduism and is visited by many Hindu pilgrims
- Kawa Karpo
- Amnye Machen
There are also several other well-known mountains. In China, many mountains have temples, even if they are not especially sacred sites:
- Mount Qingcheng (青城山), Sichuan Province
- Mount Longhu (龙虎山), Jiangxi Province
- Mount Lao (崂山), Shandong Province
- Mount Wuyi (武夷山), Fujian Province, a major tourist/scenic site with many tea plantations
- Mount Everest, on the Tibet/Nepal border, world's highest mountain
- Mount Huang (黄山) (Yellow Mountain), in Anhui province, with scenery and temples
- Mount Wudang (武当山), near Danjiangkou in Hubei, famous for kung fu
- Changbaishan/Paektusan (Chinese:长白山 Korean:백두산), the most sacred mountain to ethnic Manchus and Koreans, located on the border with China and North Korea.
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