Backpacking Information on China

Population: 1.3 billion (UN, 2005) Capital: Beijing Area: 9.6 million sq km (3.7 million sq miles) Major language: Mandarin Chinese Major religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism Life expectancy: 70 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Renminbi (yuan) (Y) = 10 jiao = 100 fen The People's Republic of China – one of the world's oldest and thriving civilizations consisting of states and cultures dating back to more than 6 millennia, outpacing the rest of the world in arts and sciences. Ancient China is the master creator of four of the most critical innovations in our modern world: paper, compass, gunpowder, and printing, says British biochemist and scholar Joseph Needham. Besides, who does not know of the Great Wall, Jackie Chan, or the Peking Man who used fire 300-780 millennia ago? China's cultural sphere has extended to the tiny corners of the world from Southeast Asia, East Asia, America, Australasia, to Europe. CHINATOWN contributes significantly to this mobility with its presence celebrated in the whole of Asia, Middle East, Oceania, North America, Latin America, Europe, and even Africa. The first Chinatown was established in Manila, but this is more of a commerce and trade hub nowadays, than as ethnic enclaves for overseas Chinese. This is mostly the world's (AND our) orientation to Chinese culture; however, Chinatown is apparently a part and parcel of this greater culture. GEOGRAPHY China, an East Asian country on coordinates 35 00 N, 105 00 E, is the 4th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, and the U.S. with a total area of 9,596,960 km². It has a terrain of mostly plains, hills, and deltas in the East, and mountains, plateaus, and deserts in the west, with rivers flowing from West to East, i.e. Yangtze and Huang Ho (main rivers), emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Elevation extremes comprise of Turpan Pendi, the lowest point (-154 m), and Qomolangma (Mount Everest), the highest point (8,850 m). China currently deals with ecological concerns of air and water pollution, water shortages, deforestation, and trade of endangered species. CLIMATE With an extremely diverse climate brought about by a vast territory, China experiences frequent typhoons, floods, tsunamis, land subsidence, earthquakes, and droughts in some regions. Northern Zone: Summer-30 ° C; winter- sever arctic Central Zone: Temperate continental Southern Zone: Subtropical PEOPLE China ranks as the most heavily populated country in the world with 1,336,860,000 people, comprising 19.62% of the world's population as of April 10, 2010, not even including Hong Kong, China, and Macao. Of this population are 56 ethnic groups with the Han Chinese taking the cake as the largest single ethnic group in the world with 92% of the PRC population. Nonetheless, all Chinese, regardless of ethnicity, have equal national rights and privileges. LANGUAGE MANDARIN is Modern China's official language spoken by 850 million Chinese. The Standard Mandarin is of the Beijing dialect and one of the six official languages designated by the United Nations. ENGLISH is the nation's language for business and education with a growing demographic of 20 million speakers produced annually. A majority of China's 55 ethnic groups have their own varieties and dialects, like Cantonese, Fukien, and so on. RELIGION China's social values are rooted on Confucianism and Taoism. The nation respects multi-religiosity with Taoism practiced by 400 million of the Chinese population (30%), whereas Buddhism is practiced in harmony with Taoism. Freedom of religion and activities relating to belief are protected by the constitution, hence the presence and acceptance of Christianity and Islam in the region as well. ATTRACTIONS In China, "attractions" is an understatement, but the most famous are the majestic Great Wall, out-of-this-world Tibet, the unmatched Silk Road, the mystifying Terra-Cotta warriors, the imperial Forbidden City, and the grand Yangtze River. Hainan Island, a Special Economic Zone, remains a total backpacker destination for its natural grandeur coupled with a mild climate and favourable environment the whole year round. Tagged as "The Oriental Hawaii" for its unmatched beach landscapes, this is China's sweet winter escape where young people like to chill and old people prefer to live. Natural or man-made, China takes pride in them all. Indeed, Chinese architecture is greater than just its wall. From China's temples to palaces, the traveller will note of the principle of balance and symmetry smeared from its ornate roofs to the infinitesimal design details. In modern architecture, China has the largest number of high-rise buildings in the world. FOOD Every single human being has an established concept of "Chinese food" such as rice or noodle toppings in a box, but it really is a general term as "European cuisine" as food is diverse as the regions in China. Rice is the staple in the South, while wheat noodles, in the North. We're talking Guang Dong's Dim Sum, Shanghai's spring rolls and pulled noodles, and Szechuan peppery dishes to cite some. Beijing may be the home of the Peking duck, but Cantonese food is the most popular to the world. Food trip alone will be a good reason to take a trip to China for its enthusiastic gastronomic culture. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Chinese gourmands on and off the street ensure fresh and clean food. For "dog lovers", they also serve dog meat, camel's paw, snake, shark's fin and other bizarre exotica. ODD-BALL HABITS Spitting ubiquitously (hotels, hospitals, banks, supermarkets, etc.); Slurping noodles (compliments to the chef!); Staring incessantly due to curiosity; Shoving in queues and accepted negligence to laws and regulations i.e. driving, smoking zones, etc.; Shouting or loud speech is simply vivacity and interest in conversation (not anger) and is very standard. Backpacking Information on China is a post from: Traveling China from Traveling China http://www.chinaya.org

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