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Article #33: Have You Been To China Yet?

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China is such a large country that it is largest country on earth. Only Russia and
impossible to see even a fraction of it Canada are larger. China has a land area
in one visit. It is advisable to of 9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000
specialize in just one area, and get a square miles), and a widely varying
good guided tour. Ten-day guided tours climate. Before you leave, find out what
are available starting at approximately seasonal climates to expect in the region
$1100. you are going to visit, and pack
For instance, the ancient civilization of accordingly. China has a marked
mystical Tibet has always fascinated continental monsoon climate with great
travellers. Learn about the history of variety in temperature and rainfall. The
Tibetan Buddhism, and visit the Potala greatest part of China is in the northern
Palace. Pilgrims come from every corner temperate zone while the southern areas
of Tibet to the Heavenly Lake Namtso. are in the tropical or subtropical zone
Another popular tour travels along the and northern areas in the frigid zone.
historic Silk Road, one of the world's In most of China there is a clear
most famous trade routes. This route division between seasons. In winter,
features ancient Islamic and Buddhist northerly winds from high latitude areas
civilizations, bustling markets, exotic keep the northern region cold and dry,
folk customs and a faded but glorious while in summer, monsoons from southern
history. This fascinating overland route coastal areas bring warmth and humidity.
was once used for transporting silk to In north China, such as Xinjiang and
Europe. It covers areas in central China Inner Mongolia, summer is dry and
not visited by many tourists and passes sweltering while winter is bitingly cold.
through archaeological treasures such as Sandstorms often occur in spring in this
the cities of Xian and Dunhuang as it area, especially in the Inner Mongolia
heads into Xinjiang. and Beijing area. The red dust from these
Or hike along the Great Wall of China. storms can be picked up by high-altitude
Make sure to bring hiking shoes and warm winds are travel around the world. In
clothing, as the Wall was built as a Russia, pink snow was reported in the
military fortification atop steep, winter of 2006 as this far-flung red dust
exposed mountain ridges. mixed with local precipitation.
China has a population of 1.265 billion, On the Tibet-Qinghai plateau, which has
the largest of any country on earth, and an elevation of approximately 4,000
holds about 22 percent of the earth's meters above sea level, winter is long
total population. It is an extremely and extremely cold while summer is short
diverse nation consisting of 55 different and moderately warm. There is little
ethnic groups. The Chinese speak eight precipitation here and a great
major dialects: Putonghua (Mandarin), Yue temperature fluctuation between day and
(Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei night. Visitors to Tibet should bring
(Fuzhou), Minnan (Taiwanese), Gan, Xiang, warm clothing even in summer.
and Hakka and many sub-dialects. In In central china, such as Yangtze River
addition, ethnic groups such as the area, summer is long, hot and humid while
Mongolian, Naxi, Tibetan, Yi, Uygur, and winter is short and cold. In the areas
other ethnic groups have their own native south of the Yangtze River, temperature
languages. rarely falls below freezing. In the
The language spoken in Beijing is often near-tropical far south, such as the area
referred to as Mandarin or Putonghua. around Guangzhou, the summer is long,
Putonghua, which means "common language" humid and hot while the winter is short
is the country's main language and is and mild. The rainy season runs from May
spoken by more than 70 percent of the through August and typhoons frequently
population. Putonghua is also referred to occur in the southeast coast between July
as the "Han language" (Hanyu) or simply and September.
Chinese. Because of the increased Chinese currency is called Renminbi
economic migration across China during (people's money), abbreviated as RMB,
the past two decades years, the use of issued by The Bank of China. The unit of
Mandarin has increased. Renminbi is a yuan and with smaller
In recent years, as tourism to China has denominations called jiao and fen. The
grown, the use of English has increased conversion among the three is: 1 yuan
across the country. In major cities, equals 10 jiao which equals 100 fen. The
staff in stores and hotels can speak safest way to bring currency to China is
fluent or at least basic English. in travellers' checks. Be sure to keep
However, it is best for English-speaking your currency exchange receipts because
tourists to have a translator, as you will need to show them when you
knowledge of English is by no means change RMB back to your own currency when
universal, especially in rural areas you leave China. Credit cards are often
where approximately 2/3 of China's not accepted in remote areas, so be sure
population lives. to carry sufficient RMB and travelers'
China, officially called the People's checks to cover your requirements.
Republic of China (PRC), is the third






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