Facts about China

Facts

About China

China is a land of contrasts. Swelling metropolises such as Beijing and Hong Kong bustling with global commerce rub against the deep deserts of the Xinjiang region. The sheer vastness of China's geography is filled with varied landscapes and featured locales. No only do you have one of the wonders of the world the Great Wall of China, but you have the renowned historical trade route the Silk Road. For those who enjoy a soothing river cruise, a trek down the Yangzi River may be a perfect getaway. The explorer should be able to find plenty to keep them occupied in the bizarre and surrealistic landscape of the Guangxi Province.

Despite the echoes of its Maoist history, China has made great strides to become a more tourist friendly nation.

Best Time To Visit

Generally speaking, it is during the spring months of March and April and the autumn months of September and October, that are considered optimal tourist periods. If you plan to visit the higher altitude regions of Tibet, Qinghai and Western Sichuan, you should consider a time between June and September.

Avoid the major public holiday periods such as Chinese New Year because it more difficult to travel and obtain accommodations.

China Facts

Full Name: People's Republic of China
Capital City: Beijing
Area: 9,596,960 sq km/3,705,386 sq miles
Population: 1,286,975,468
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +8 ()
Languages: Mandarin (official) Cantonese (official)
Note: Also called Putonghua, the Mandarin language is the predominant form spoken by a majority of the Chinese people. In fact, it is approximately 70% of the total population according to recent estimates. Yet, there are other dialects and sub-dialects that are spoken throughout various regions of the country. The dominant of seven major dialectic groups, Cantonese has the widest usage, especially in areas like Hong Kong, southern Guangxi, Guangdong, and some parts of Macau. (Cantonese is language most likely to be spoken in a typical Chinese take out restaurant.)
Religion: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism (no stats available); Islam (14 million), Christianity (7 million)
Currency: Yuan Renminbi (Y)
Electricity: 220V 50HzHz
Electric Plug Details: Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades Australian-style plug with two flat angled blades and one vertical grounding blade British-style plug with two flat blades and one flat grounding blade South African/Indian-style plug with two circular metal pins above a large circular grounding pin.
Country Dialing Code: 86