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, perhaps most culturally idiosyncratic nation on earth.
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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?
Travel Alert: A strong earthquake struck the remote Qīnghǎi region in April, causing widespread damage around Yùshù (Jyekundo). Check the BBC for news updates. For information on the Lonely Planet guidebook/border crossing issue, see the Getting there & away page.
Ready to go?
- Download our new Chinese Offline Translator app. Simply talk or type, and it translates. Available for iPhone, iPad and Android.
- Hike and bike your way through China
- Visit the home of the world-famous Terracotta Warrior Army
Last updated: Jan 19, 2012
Tips & articles
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Eyes bigger than your stomach
19 January 2012
Bring a hearty appetite, roomy trousers, and a camera to these delicious destinations, where the presentation of food has become...
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Chow down in China
19 January 2012
Like the huge range of awe-inspiring landscapes that lies within its vast boundaries, China is also home to an incredible...
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Delicious destinations for iconic dishes
19 January 2012
Cultures and countries are defined by food and many are rightly proud of their culinary heritage. Some dishes are so...
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Re: Question for ipad gurus
by capi1980 14 September 2011
You should be correct. I have the Ipad 1, bought in NY whit a neverused ATT simcard. Never used cause I am brazilian and it doesn't…
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RE: Long term stay in shanghai, looking for cheap accomodation
by Bassalegboy 14 September 2011
China is in the North East Asia branch.
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Re: Need Itinerary advice for travel in China !!
by GaryWillTravel 14 September 2011
Hi we were in China in July this year and covered some of the places you want to see. We travelled, using sleeper trains, from Beijing…
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China
Things to do
- All things to do (3,225)
- Activities (300)
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- Shopping (462)
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Make it happen
Our Top Picks For China
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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
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2 Join the ranks of the Terracotta Warriors
See Xī’ān's motionless ranks of warriors staring out through the silent millennia of history
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3 Stroll The Bund
Amble along Shanghai's fabulous neoclassical and art deco sweep of architectural grandeur
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4 Size up The Great Wall
Visit this serpentine bastion from Beijing, or aim for original and unrestored sections such as Jiànkòu
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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?
- Largest dinosaur fossil site in the world? Zhoucheng, China, where more than 50 metric tons of bones have thus far been discovered beneath the town.
- 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
Our favourite China Blogs (beta)
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Yangshuo Cooking School A Culinary Delight in China
Blog: Canada's Adventure Couple - 1 February 2012
It wasn't something we would normally sign up for when traveling. We've been all over the word and while we enjoy eating food, we had never thought of learning how to cook it.
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Top 10 WOW Travel Destinations on Earth
Blog: Backpacking on the Cheap - 31 January 2012
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Turning 4 Weeks in China from a Negative to a Positive
Blog: Living the Dream: RTW - 8 January 2012
There seems to be a common theme among travelers that visiting China is an eye opening experience. Between the initial culture shock, adaptation to the local cuisine, and frequent run-ins with the thick smog, China is often considered to be a love it or hate it destination. Th
