Google+ Globe Traveller: China

China


People's Republic of China
  • 中华人民共和国
  • Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó

Flag
Area controlled by the People's Republic of China shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.
Area controlled by the People's Republic of China 
shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled
regions shown in light green.
CapitalBeijing
39°55′N 116°23′E
Largest cityShanghai
Official languagesStandard Chinese
Recognized regional languages
  • Mongolian, 
  • Tibetan
    • Uyghur, Zhuang
Official written languageVernacular Chinese
Official scriptSimplified Chinese
Ethnic groups
  • 91.51% Han
DemonymChinese
GovernmentSingle-party socialist
 - PresidentXi Jinping
 - PremierLi Keqiang
 - Congress ChairmanZhang Dejiang
 - Conference ChairmanYu Zhengsheng
LegislatureNational People's Congress
Area
 - Total9,596,961 km2(3rd/4th)
3,705,407 sq mi
 - Water (%)0.28%
Population
 - 2012 estimate1,350,695,000 (1st)
 - 2010 census1,339,724,852 (1st)
 - Density2011 estimate:
144/km2 (83rd)
373/sq mi
CurrencyRenminbi
(yuan)(¥)(CNY)
Time zoneChina Standard Time(UTC+8)
Date format
  • yyyy-mm-dd
  • or yyyymd
  • (CE; CE-1949)
Drives on theright
Calling code+86
ISO 3166 codeCN
Internet TLD
  • .cn
  • .中國
  • .中国
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a sovereign state located in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.35 billion. The PRC is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party, with its seat of government in the capital city of Beijing. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The PRC also claims the territories governed by Taiwan, a separate political entity officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), as its 23rd province, a claim which is controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan.
Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometers, China is the world's second-largest country by land area, and either the third or fourth-largest by total area, depending on the method of measurement. China's landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes and the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts in the arid north to subtropical forests in the wetter south. The Himalaya, Karakorum, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third- and sixth-longest in the world, run from the Tibetan Plateau to the densely populated eastern seaboard. China's coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometres (9,000 mi) long, and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East and South China Seas.
China has the longest combined land border in the world, measuring 22,117 km (13,743 mi) from the mouth of the Yalu River to the Gulf of Tonkin. China borders 14 nationsmore than any other country except Russia, which also borders 14. China extends across much of East Asia, bordering VietnamLaos, and Burma in Southeast Asia; IndiaBhutanNepal and Pakistan in South
Asia; Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan in Central Asia; and Russia, Mongolia, and North Korea in inner Asia and Northeast Asia.
The Republic of China (ROC) overthrew the last dynasty in 1911, and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949. After the defeat of the Empire of Japan in World War II, the Communist Party defeated the nationalist Kuomintang in mainland China and established the People's Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, while the Kuomintang relocated the Republic of China government to its present capital of Taipei.
China had the largest and most complex economy in the world for most of the past two thousand years. China is a recognized nuclear weapons state and has the world's largest standing army, with the second-largest defense budget. The PRC has been a United Nations member since 1971, when it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM and the G-20. China is a regional power within Asia and has been characterized as a potential superpower by a number of commentators.

Weather and Climate:

The climate in China varies from region to region since the country is massive! In the northeast the summers are hot and dry and the winters are freezing cold. The north and central regions have frequent bouts of rain coupled with hot summers and cold winters.  In the southeast there is plenty of rainfall, semi-tropical summers and cool winters.  Flooding can occur in the central, southern and western regions and the country in general can experience earthquakes.
 The best time to visit China  climate-wise is in spring, from  March to April or autumn from  September to October.  Keen to  experience Chinese New Year?    Then you’ll need to be prepared in  advance; hotels and flights are  booked out around this time.


China is a huge country with endless and affordable travel opportunities. During holidays, however, hundreds of millions of migrant workers return home and millions of other Chinese travel within the country. For the most comfortable mode of transportation, air travel is the obvious choice. There is an emerging ultra-modern bullet train network which is also very nice, but you may still have to potentially deal with many insanely overcrowded, smoke-filled, cold, loud and disorganized train depots to get on-board. The spring festival (Chinese New Year) is the largest annual migration of people on earth.

Places to Travel in China:

States: Hainan, Fujian, Guangdong, Shaanxi, etc..
Cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Xian, etc..
Monuments: Kaiping Diaolou, Leshan Giant Buddha, 
Religious Attractions: The Mogao Grottoes, Shaolin Temple, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, etc..
Beaches: Yalong Bay, Wuzhizhou Island, Gulangyu Beach, Silver Beach, etc...
Hill Stations: Guilin, Mount Mogan, Jigongshan, Kuliang
Natural Attractions: Shilin Stone Forest, Huangguoshu Waterfall, Mount Qomolangma, Longtan Valley, etc...
World Heritage Sites: The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Mongao Caves, Lushan National Park. Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, etc...