Have You Been To China Yet?

China is such a large country that it is impossible toand Canada are larger. China has a land area of
see even a fraction of it in one visit. It is advisable to9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 square miles),
specialize in just one area, and get a good guided tour.and a widely varying climate. Before you leave, find
Ten-day guided tours are available starting atout what seasonal climates to expect in the region you
approximately $1100.are going to visit, and pack accordingly. China has a
For instance, the ancient civilization of mystical Tibetmarked continental monsoon climate with great variety
has always fascinated travellers. Learn about thein temperature and rainfall. The greatest part of China
history of Tibetan Buddhism, and visit the Potalais in the northern temperate zone while the southern
Palace. Pilgrims come from every corner of Tibet toareas are in the tropical or subtropical zone and
the Heavenly Lake Namtso.northern areas in the frigid zone.
Another popular tour travels along the historic SilkIn most of China there is a clear division between
Road, one of the world's most famous trade routes.seasons. In winter, northerly winds from high latitude
This route features ancient Islamic and Buddhistareas keep the northern region cold and dry, while in
civilizations, bustling markets, exotic folk customs and asummer, monsoons from southern coastal areas bring
faded but glorious history. This fascinating overlandwarmth and humidity. In north China, such as Xinjiang
route was once used for transporting silk to Europe. Itand Inner Mongolia, summer is dry and sweltering while
covers areas in central China not visited by manywinter is bitingly cold. Sandstorms often occur in spring
tourists and passes through archaeological treasuresin this area, especially in the Inner Mongolia and Beijing
such as the cities of Xian and Dunhuang as it headsarea. The red dust from these storms can be picked
into Xinjiang.up by high-altitude winds are travel around the world. In
Or hike along the Great Wall of China. Make sure toRussia, pink snow was reported in the winter of 2006
bring hiking shoes and warm clothing, as the Wall wasas this far-flung red dust mixed with local precipitation.
built as a military fortification atop steep, exposedOn the Tibet-Qinghai plateau, which has an elevation of
mountain ridges.approximately 4,000 meters above sea level, winter is
China has a population of 1.265 billion, the largest of anylong and extremely cold while summer is short and
country on earth, and holds about 22 percent of themoderately warm. There is little precipitation here and
earth's total population. It is an extremely diverse nationa great temperature fluctuation between day and night.
consisting of 55 different ethnic groups. The ChineseVisitors to Tibet should bring warm clothing even in
speak eight major dialects: Putonghua (Mandarin), Yuesummer.
(Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou),In central china, such as Yangtze River area, summer
Minnan (Taiwanese), Gan, Xiang, and Hakka and manyis long, hot and humid while winter is short and cold. In
sub-dialects. In addition, ethnic groups such as thethe areas south of the Yangtze River, temperature
Mongolian, Naxi, Tibetan, Yi, Uygur, and other ethnicrarely falls below freezing. In the near-tropical far south,
groups have their own native languages.such as the area around Guangzhou, the summer is
The language spoken in Beijing is often referred to aslong, humid and hot while the winter is short and mild.
Mandarin or Putonghua. Putonghua, which meansThe rainy season runs from May through August and
"common language" is the country's main language andtyphoons frequently occur in the southeast coast
is spoken by more than 70 percent of the population.between July and September.
Putonghua is also referred to as the "Han language"Chinese currency is called Renminbi (people's money),
(Hanyu) or simply Chinese. Because of the increasedabbreviated as RMB, issued by The Bank of China.
economic migration across China during the past twoThe unit of Renminbi is a yuan and with smaller
decades years, the use of Mandarin has increased.denominations called jiao and fen. The conversion
In recent years, as tourism to China has grown, theamong the three is: 1 yuan equals 10 jiao which equals
use of English has increased across the country. In100 fen. The safest way to bring currency to China is
major cities, staff in stores and hotels can speak fluentin travellers' checks. Be sure to keep your currency
or at least basic English. However, it is best forexchange receipts because you will need to show
English-speaking tourists to have a translator, asthem when you change RMB back to your own
knowledge of English is by no means universal,currency when you leave China. Credit cards are
especially in rural areas where approximately 2/3 ofoften not accepted in remote areas, so be sure to
China's population lives.carry sufficient RMB and travelers' checks to cover
China, officially called the People's Republic of Chinayour requirements.
(PRC), is the third largest country on earth. Only Russia