Note: Javascript is disabled in your browser.
To see the gallery in all its glory, you'll need to enable Javascript.
Introducing China
Eagerly assuming its place among the world’s top travel destinations, even more so since Beijing took centre stage at the 2008 Olympics, China is an epic adventure. From the wide open and empty panoramas of Tibet to the push and shove of Shànghǎi, from the volcanic dishes of Sìchuān to beer by the bag in seaside Qīngdǎo, a journey through this colossus of a country is a mesmerising encounter with the most populous and perhaps most culturally idiosyncratic nation on earth.
Advertisement
The sheer diversity of China’s terrain takes you from noisy cities fizzing with energy to isolated mountain-top Ming-Dynasty villages where you can hear a pin drop. Pǔdōng’s ambitious skyline is a triumphant statement, but it couldn’t be further from the worldly renunciation acted out in Tibet’s distant monasteries.
Curator of the world’s oldest continuous civilisation, China will have you bumping into history at every turn. But it’s not just a museum of imperial relics: the frisson of development that has left China’s coastline glittering with some of the world’s most up-to-the-minute cities propels the land on with a forward-thinking dynamism.
And it’s the people – unavoidable in their immense numbers – who provide the ceaseless drama and entertainment. Loud, garrulous and quick thinking, you’ll see the Chinese squeezing onto dangerous-looking buses, walking in pyjamas around Shànghǎi or inviting each other to sit down to some of the most varied cuisine in the world. Animated by a palpable sense of pride, the Chinese are revelling in their country’s ascendency. Everyone is talking about China, so why not find out what all the fuss is about?
Make it happen
Check out our complete range of China guides
Discover and book Lonely Planet reviewed and recommended hotels in China
Get specialist independent travel safety advice for China
Ready to go? These recommended tours make it easy:
- take a trip from Beijing to Hong Kong
- journey from Beijing to Shanghai
- find things to do in Beijing
- trek the Great Wall
Travel Alert: The security situation in Xīnjiāng is now under control but the potential for further violence remains; travellers are advised to exercise caution. Check the Thorn Tree for advice from other travellers. For information on the Lonely Planet guidebook/border crossing issue, see the Getting there & away page.
Last updated: Nov 27, 2009
Tips & articles
-
The top 5 free attractions in Macau
11 December 2009
Macau is an island of superlatives. The former Portuguese colony makes more money from gambling than...
-
Dogs of the world
9 December 2009
‘When you point out something to a dog, he looks at your finger.’ – J Bryan, III Dogs...
-
Travel trivia: 10 geeky facts from around the globe
7 December 2009
All-surprising stats and fantastical facts, our info nerds’ world tour will have you pointing out the...
China
Our Top Picks For China
-
1 Allow yourself into the Forbidden City
It's not forbidden and it's not a city, but it is the best-preserved collection of imperial architecture in China
-
2 Join the ranks of the Terracotta Warriors
See Xī’ān's motionless ranks of warriors staring out through the silent millennia of history
-
3 Stroll The Bund
Amble along Shanghai's fabulous neoclassical and art deco sweep of architectural grandeur
-
4 Size up The Great Wall
Visit this serpentine bastion from Beijing, or aim for original and unrestored sections such as Jiànkòu
-
5 Be seduced by the Li River
Succumb to the seductive, other-worldly panoramas of this slow-moving river on the way to Yángshuò, where a profusion of karst peaks draws in legions of travellers
Fast Facts about China
- Population: 1.3 billion
- Chief of state: President Hu Jintao
- Currency: What's the Chinese yuan worth today?
- Number of mobile phones: 500 million
- Guinness World Records: most people painting each other's faces simultaneously in one location (13,413), largest bottle of cooking oil (containing 3212 litres), most couples hugging (3009 couples)
- Internet users: 135 million
- Milk beer: from Inner Mongolia, an alternative to the traditional mare's-milk wine
- Squirrel fish: whole mandarin fish deep-fried and manipulated to resemble a squirrel
- Number of chinese characters: over 56, 000
Related Groups
Our favourite China Blogs (beta)
-
Between the mad and the brave
Blog: Drifting Aimless - 2 January 2010
30th Sept I gave Ofir a sidelong glance, he too was holding his chin in his hand, his mouth had disappear into a tightened pink squiggle and his brow creased with concern and concentration. Hmmm I said looking back towards the collection of unintelligible shapes on the menu, how about that one I said pointing towards [...]
-
Tianjin Club
Blog: Tianjin Trekker 天津 - 1 January 2010
People’s Congress Building, Tianjin (Liberation North Road, No. 201) was originally named Tianjin Club (an entertainment center for the British). It was first built in 1860, later reconstructed in 1905. British expatriates held balls (therefore, it’s also known as The British Ball Room), concerts. Occasional it’s also used as a theater performance venue. The building has [...]
-
Why Wuhan: My top ten list
Blog: Four Seas As Home - 31 December 2009
The year and the decade have come to a close, and the thing to do at times likes this is to compile a top ten list (or 24 top 10 lists, if you want to be as cool as China Daily). Not wanting to be left off the bandwagon, I’ve put together my own list [...]
