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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.
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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?
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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
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Chill out: the Hāěrbīn Ice and Snow Festival
4 February 2010
China’s northern Hēilóngjiāng province may be cursed with one of the coldest climates in Asia, but its...
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Extreme cuisine: top 10 ‘exotic’ tastes
28 January 2010
Part of travel is coming up against local foods that might raise your eyebrows. Here we take a global...
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Classic Train trips
21 January 2010
Hand the porter your luggage, climb aboard and relive the golden days of railroading on these spectacular...
China
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?
- 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)
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Shhh! Our Driver Can’t Hear His Left Turn Blinker
Blog: No Hurry Curry - 9 February 2010
1/28/10: Beijing, China My mom’s mom is the fifth of eight children in her family, and the only one who left China. For 30 years after her departure, she and her siblings lost touch, only to regain contact through one of her nieces back in the 1970s. Over 30 years later, Zhou and I got the [...]
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Roly-Poly Pandas (Warning: Much Heart Melting May Occur)
Blog: No Hurry Curry - 8 February 2010
1/27/10: Xian, China I’ve been to China at least four or five times since moving to the States as a wee little Zhou, but I can’t ever recall seeing pandas, so when I saw that our Xian hostel had a “Lovely Panda Tour,” I excitedly pointed it out to Kevin. “Let’s go see pandas!” I said. [...]
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Terracotta and Lady Jia Jia
Blog: No Hurry Curry - 6 February 2010
1/26/10: Xian, China Like most budget travelers, Zhou and I are usually do-it-yourself-ers. We book as much long-distance transportation as possible without the help of travel agents. We’ll walk an hour to avoid a small taxi fare. We chew our own food instead of asking for the butler’s help. Today, whether out of respect or laziness [...]
