China Travel Guide

China - Officially known as the People’s Republic of China it is home to the world’s largest population. It can easily be described as the most culturally idiosyncratic nation in the world offering a mesmerizing encounter between the old-world tradition of the East and the modern lifestyle of the West. The landscapes range from the wide open, empty tundra of Tibet to the hustle and bustle of Shanghai’s streets; from’ beer by the bag’ in seaside Quingdao to the volcanic craters of Sichuan.

China’s capital of Beijing encompasses high-rise buildings, international hotels and sprawling suburbs. The city is continually developing with the ever-present silhouette of cranes dotting the skyline as construction projects give rise to new skyscrapers and modernization speeds ahead. Beijing offers many famous landmarks including Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and The Great Wall of China.

China’s terrain is diverse, ranging from energetic and noisy cities to isolated Ming-Dynasty villages. Known to have one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations of more than six thousand years, it is full of history at every turn. Not only does it offer countless imperial relics, temples and tombs, this country also has some of the world’s most forward-thinking dynamism in architecture and culture. It’s the people in their immense numbers who provide the endless drama and entertainment of daily life. There is much to see in China as when the locals squeeze themselves into perilous looking buses, walk around the cities in their ’pyjamas’ and share plates of some of the most varied cuisine in the world.

There are huge variations in culture, language, economic levels and customs in China. Even though most major cities are very wealthy and modern, over half the population continue to live in rural areas and still farm with draft animals and use manual labour. The culture and lifestyle in China is so diverse it’s possible to experience just about anything in this country of contrasts. It is for this reason China is becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.