China
China is the world's most populous country, with a population of more than 1.4 billion. Covering an area of approximately 9.6 million square kilometers (3.7 million mi2), it is the world's third or fourth-largest country.
GEOGRAPHY
Map created by National Geographic Maps.
China is located in the eastern parts of Asia and is the largest country that is entirely situated in Asia.
China borders 14 countries. The countries bordering China are: Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar (formerly called Burma), Laos, Vietnam and North Korea.
The country is officially divided into 23 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Stretching 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) from east to west and 3,400 miles (5,500 kilometers) from north to south, China is a large country with widely varying landscapes. Its territory includes mountains, high plateaus, sandy deserts, and dense forests.
One-third of China's land area is made up of mountains. The tallest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest, sits on the border between China and Nepal.
China has thousands of rivers. The Yangtze and the Yellow Rivers are the most important. At 3,915 miles (6,300 kilometers) long, the Yangtze is the world's third largest river.
PEOPLE & CULTURE
With a population of 1.4 billion, China has more people than any other country on Earth. About a third of the population lives in cities. The rest of the people live in the country.
Arts and crafts have a long history in China. Thousands of years ago the Chinese were some of the first people to use silk, jade, bronze, wood, and paper to make art. The artistic writing called calligraphy was invented in China.
Much of China's modern beliefs and philosophies are based on the teachings of a government official who lived nearly 3,000 years ago. Kongfuzi, also known as Confucius, taught people the value of such things as morality, kindness, and education.
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
China is an authoritarian state ruled by a very powerful central government. A huge workforce and lots of natural resources have driven economic change. This has forced the communist government to permit more economic and personal freedoms, but it has come at a huge cost to the environment.
Many experts predict that the 21st century will be the "Chinese century." Whether or not that proves to be true, there is no doubt that what happens in China will affect many other nations.
Chinese flag
Currency : Renmimbi (Yuan)
LANDMARKS CHINA
- The landmark of Mutianyu's Great Wall section is the hill with a large stone inscription saying “忠于毛主席” (Be loyal to Chairman Mao), which was made in the Cultural Revolution period (1966-1976). Walk along parts of the over 8,850 km/ 5,500 miles long Great Wall which once was the border of the old Chinese empire. The wall stretches across China from the Korean border into the Gobi desert. This is the longest wall in the world and newer archeological findings report that the entire defence works including the Great Wall and all its branches stretches over 21,000 km/ 13,000 miles
- Forbidden City in Beijing: The Forbidden City houses the Palace museum with the Chinese Imperial Palace and the Summer Palace, that were still used until 1911.
- Potala Palace in Lhasa/Tibet: This is where every Dalai Lama has held his official residence until the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950.
Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve near Chengdu: China's giant panda has become one of must-see attractions of China. The best places to see the giant pandas are at the Dujiangyan Panda Base in Chengdu, where volunteer programs allowing close contact with the giant pandas.
The giant panda is an endangered animal. Due to deforestation and hunting (especially before the 1950s), the number of giant pandas was rapidly reduced. At present, this cuddly and lovable animal lives nowhere else in the world except China outside captivity, with only a little more than 1,000 in the world.
- Guilin: The rough limestone karst mountains along the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo are very picturesque. People enjoy rafting on river.
- 'The Bund' in Shanghai: Shanghai is the largest and most populated Chinese city with the busiest port in the world. The Bund is the megacity's main shopping and business district.
- Hong Kong: Visit Victoria Harbour. Enjoy the amazing views of the skyscrapers along the shoreline or get to the top of Victoria Peak and have a bird's eye view of the city and the harbour.
Hong Kong skyline - View over Victoria Harbour
CHINESE LANGUAGE
Although Mandarin Chinese is the official language, in many regions other languages are spoken such as Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hainanese or Mongolian.
The Chinese writing is done from top to bottom in little symbols or signs, called 'characters' of which an adult usually knows about 8,000 different characters. With 13 years most Chinese children can read and write 3,000 characters.
Some Chinese words good to know:
Ni hao! means Hello!
Xie Xie means Thank You
Gong Xi Fa Cai! means Happy Chinese New Year!
The traditional diet in China contains low amounts of protein such as meats or dairy products. Many Chinese dishes are vegetable and soya based. Chinese often eat/drink soup for breakfast and rice based dishes are eaten throughout the day.
Soy, vegetable and rice products are the most common ingrediences in Chinese dishes. Chinese mainly eat with chopsticks and drink their soups instead of eating them with a spoon as we do. Here is some typical Chinese food:
- Springrolls: The fried rice paper rolls are surely the most famous food export
- Chow Mein: stir-fried egg noodles with chicken strips
- Tofu: soy bean curd used in many dishes
- Sweet and sour pork: fried cubed pork and fried vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce often made with capsicum peppers and pineapple
- Peking Duck: duck roast with crispy thin skin, often served with plum sauce
- Dim Sum: Steamed dumplings filled with minced meat or vegetables
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