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?
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: 2012-3-29
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CHINA, anyone ???
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I am a divorcee male, mid 40's and very young at heart,I am from California (Latin descent) I also speak two other languages, Spanish…
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China
Things to do
- All things to do (4,071)
- Activities (394)
- Entertainment (541)
- Restaurants (1,185)
- Shopping (508)
- Sights (1,336)
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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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My Adventures Teaching English Abroad and How You Can Teach English Abroad
Blog: Backpacking on the Cheap - 26 五月 2012
I first got interested in teaching English overseas when I got sick of my 9-5 job in Australia, and wanted something more from life. I didn’t want to waste away behind a desk doing stuff which didn’t feel meaningful at all. I did some research and found a good, cheap online TEFL school. (If you [...]
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These are a few of my favorite things (to eat)
Blog: Drink the Water - 24 五月 2012
样梅 (yángméi). A gently sweet and sour berry that grows on trees. They make me think of a very mellow strawberry lemonade. They're in season right now, so I got two pints and ate them all while writing this.
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Scenes from Guilin, China: Rivers, Karst Hills and Rice Fields
Blog: WildJunket - 21 五月 2012
Having left Southeast Asia behind us, we’ve just arrived in Guilin, China – a laidback, tree-lined city hemmed by karst mountains, rice fields and winding rivers.
