China is a vast and extremely diverse country that can offer its visitors pretty much anything from the tropical beach holidays in Hainan to the snowy Himalayas in Tibet, and from walking on the Great Wall of China and shopping in the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai to trekking in the rugged mountains of Yunnan. China is filled with exciting history and cultural experiences as well as modern cities, culinary experiences, impressive monuments and natural sights.
Rising superpower located in the East Asia and formally known as People's Republic of China, China is the world's fourth largest country with the largest population in the world. With almost 9 million foreign tourist arrivals per year, tourism in China has been growing very fast. However, domestic tourism in China has much larger volume than the international one. Climate in China is very diverse, ranging from the tropical South to subarctic North and also varies with terrain. There are many mountain chains, high plateaus, and deserts in Western China and plains, river deltas, and hilly landscapes in the coastal East.
Variety of destinations. Besides the two largest ones, there are numerous other interesting cities in China, such as the historic mountain resort of Chengde near Beijing, or the scenic Nanjing and Hangzhou in the East. The large southern city of Guangzhou is famous as the home of Cantonese cuisine, offering also great shopping opportunities, and the modern city of Shenzhen is a thriving Special economic Zone next to Hong Kong with theme parks, beaches, and great shopping opportunities. The historic capital Xian in Central China is famous as the home of the Terracotta warriors, and is also rich in other historic attractions, while Luoyang is the home of the famous ancient Longmen Grottoes.
Scenic attractions. Guilin in southern China is famous for its beautiful hilly karst landscapes, whereas the eastern city of Suzhou hosts beautiful historic bridges, canals, and gardens. The mountainous southern province of Yunnan is home to the majority of China’s ethnic minorities as well as great biodiversity. If you are looking for a beach holiday in China with sandy beaches and palm trees, the tropical southern island of Hainan has it all. In the sparsely populated and mountainous western China, Tibet has some of the World’s highest mountains as well as unique Buddhist culture, and the province of Sinkiang is home to the famous Silk Road.
Former colonies and nowadays Special Administrative Regions on the southern coast of China, Hong Kong and Macau are famous for their shopping and gambling opportunities. While officially parts of China, they enjoy a wide autonomy that includes their own currencies, passports and immigration policies.
Rising superpower located in the East Asia and formally known as People's Republic of China, China is the world's fourth largest country with the largest population in the world. With almost 9 million foreign tourist arrivals per year, tourism in China has been growing very fast. However, domestic tourism in China has much larger volume than the international one. Climate in China is very diverse, ranging from the tropical South to subarctic North and also varies with terrain. There are many mountain chains, high plateaus, and deserts in Western China and plains, river deltas, and hilly landscapes in the coastal East.
Tourism attractions in China: historical sites, mountains and cultural experiences
China has endless travel opportunities and things to do and see. Beijing and Shanghai are large, bustling cities with a cosmopolitan feel as well as a people, cultures and cuisines from all regions of China that offer many amazing things for those interested in culture and history as well as entertainment and nightlife. Beijing is also home to several World Heritage Sites such as the world-renowned Forbidden City and the nearby Great Wall of China.Variety of destinations. Besides the two largest ones, there are numerous other interesting cities in China, such as the historic mountain resort of Chengde near Beijing, or the scenic Nanjing and Hangzhou in the East. The large southern city of Guangzhou is famous as the home of Cantonese cuisine, offering also great shopping opportunities, and the modern city of Shenzhen is a thriving Special economic Zone next to Hong Kong with theme parks, beaches, and great shopping opportunities. The historic capital Xian in Central China is famous as the home of the Terracotta warriors, and is also rich in other historic attractions, while Luoyang is the home of the famous ancient Longmen Grottoes.
Scenic attractions. Guilin in southern China is famous for its beautiful hilly karst landscapes, whereas the eastern city of Suzhou hosts beautiful historic bridges, canals, and gardens. The mountainous southern province of Yunnan is home to the majority of China’s ethnic minorities as well as great biodiversity. If you are looking for a beach holiday in China with sandy beaches and palm trees, the tropical southern island of Hainan has it all. In the sparsely populated and mountainous western China, Tibet has some of the World’s highest mountains as well as unique Buddhist culture, and the province of Sinkiang is home to the famous Silk Road.
Former colonies and nowadays Special Administrative Regions on the southern coast of China, Hong Kong and Macau are famous for their shopping and gambling opportunities. While officially parts of China, they enjoy a wide autonomy that includes their own currencies, passports and immigration policies.
China travel information and practical tips
Traveling to China can be done in many ways and from many directions. Many tourists arrive to China by air via Beijing or Shanghai, or by bus or train from Hong Kong. Even though officially parts of China, the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau have different immigration practices from mainland China, and travel to/from them is considered leaving or entering China.
Photo: SmokingPermitted, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)
China can also be reached by train or bus from most of its neighboring countries. One of the favorite train routes to China is the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing. There are also ferries to China from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Getting around. China has good domestic flight connections between all the major cities and tourist destinations, as well as a wide network of long-distance trains. Shorter distances and city transportation are commonly serviced by buses, and major cities in China have subway systems. Minibuses are common in the countryside of China. Taxis are also widely available and cheap. Car rental in China has recently become legal for foreigners. It is common to rent a car with a local driver. It is good to remember that during and around the local holidays such as the Chinese New Year (in January/February), National Day (October 1) or Labor Day (May 1) when millions of Chinese are traveling around the country, travel in China can get really difficult and booking in advance is essential.
Services & safety. China has all kinds of accommodation options, including plenty of nice hotels in the cities. China is home to many different regional cuisines and restaurants can be found everywhere. The Chinese normally do not speak English outside the bigger cities and tourist areas. Crime is not a major problem in China, but for example pick-pocketing is common in crowded places and scams are frequent in large, popular cities. Violent crime is still rare in China, but the Chinese traffic can be quite dangerous.
Short history of China
China is one of the earliest centers of human civilization, with earliest findings of humans dating from over 2 million to 250,000 years ago. The ancient Chinese civilization was a source of many inventions such as writing, as well as arts, science, philosophies, and religions. China was ruled by royal dynasties, of which the first was Xia dynasty in the early Bronze age, and the last the Qing Dynasty, which lasted until 1912. Despite less than 100 years of Mongol rule during the 1200s and the 1300s, China stayed independent of the rest of the world until the 1800s, when it opened up to foreign trade. Two Opium Wars with Britain and bloody civil wars in the 1800s weakened the empire, which lead to foreign occupation in many regions of China.The Birth of PRC. The Japanese occupied large parts of China during the Second World War. After that, the civil war between the nationalists and communists led to the establishment of People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the mainland and Republic of China on the island of Taiwan. Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, China established a totalitarian system that controlled everyday life of the Chinese. After Mao’s death in 1978, his successors have focused successfully on economic development, and today’s China is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of economy.
