China travel. China tours. China holidays. China information. Travel & holiday information for China tourism.
Surprising China!
Friendly local people who are "Happy everyday"
South China; beach resorts like Hainan!
North China to Mongol plains & Skiing!
Central:Touring & Cities by the sea ...
Oh and incredible history culture
along with vibrant modern cities
TOUR HOTEL CRUISE FLY OR BROCURE
0845 358 287 4 or 6
One of the world's most exciting and vibrant cities, Hong Kong is a unique blend of East and West cultures,
with traditional Chinese temples, British colonial heritage, and high-tech skyscrapers set against
t the mountain backdrop of Hong Kong Island or the rural New Territories. As the Gateway to China,
Hong Kong is superbly located and provides easy access to the splendours of China. Combine Hong Kong
with a stay in the capital and Olympic city of Beijing, explore the buzz of Shanghai, or enjoy the warm tropical
climates of Sanya Bay. Hong Kong is the perfect partner for any holiday in China.
China is the cultural treasure-house of East Asia: its social riches and 5,000 years of tumultuous history,
place it among the world’s greatest travel destinations. The Great Wall, X’ian’s Terracotta Army,
the Forbidden Palace and Tiananmen Square: the very names reverberate with history and legend.
China’s paradoxes are many: Shanghai’s skyscrapers contrast with Beijing’s historical treasures,
while in rural provinces, mechanisation is slow. Its history is one of turmoil in between periods of stability.
The civil war in 1945 defined the China of today. Defeated Nationalists fled to Taiwan, while victorious Communists
founded the People’s Republic of China. Prior to that, China endured eight years of brutal occupation
by the Japanese imperial army from 1937, souring relations between the two countries to this day.
The convulsions of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s preceded major economic reforms but little political
liberalisation prompted widespread protest. In 1989, thousands occupied Beijing’s Tiananmen Square
the army clearing the square with great loss of life and the government reasserting political control.
History and politics aside, China is a land of superlatives, encompassing the Yangtze River, the Silk Road,
the bamboo forests of the giant panda and misty peaks immortalised in traditional ink paintings.
China has 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Chinese food ranks among the world’s great cuisines.
From acrobatics to martial arts, calligraphy to Chinese opera, the vibrant, distinctive culture of this great land
is everywhere to be seen.
Spectacular Tibet(Xihang) has been open to tourists since 1980. Occupied by China since 1950,
the Cultural Revolution seriously damaged its cultural identity, yet Tibet’s way of life and historically important
Buddhism traditions have endured. Now linked by train to the rest of China, Tibet’s unique culture faces
renewed threats, from hordes of immigrant Han Chinese settlers and tourists.
China is set to become the world’s major economic power within 20 years. Growth has come at great environmental
cost. However, it has also spurred on China’s rapidly improving tourism infrastructure. Beijing is currently undergoing
a huge investment programme that included the famous venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
A big smile, flexibility and patience are still required to travel around China but, in return,
China rewards visitors with memories to treasure for a lifetime. China holiday's, tours and river cruises
are their to be explored but with all the advantages of a proud and modern yet still polite China.
Sometimes it's like Victorian England with Chinese women using umbrellas to shield their faces
from the sun - the weather in most of China is perfect most of the year. Beijing is usually very dry
and the South of China can be occasionally very hot, with occasional rainy days to cool things off.
MORE about CHINA (China hotels & more China information )
General Information about CHINA:
East Asia.
Area 9,572,900 sq km (3,696,100 sq miles).
Population 1.3 billion (UN estimate 2006). Roughly a quarter of the world’s population lives in China.
Population Density 135.8 per sq km.
Capital of CHINA: Beijing (Western 'Peking'. Airport Code PEK or BJS). Population of China: 15.2 million (2005),
expected to reach 16 million by 2008.
Chongqing is the largest urban area, with a population of more than 31 million. Shanghai has a population
of over 18 million and, as of 2004, 11 other cities had a population of over 2 million and 23 cities
had a population of 1 to 2 million.
Government
People’s Republic. China comprises 23 provinces, five autonomous regions, two special administrative regions
and four municipalities directly under central government. China is bordered to the north by Russia and Mongolia
; to the east by Korea (Dem Rep), the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea; to the south by Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar,
India, Bhutan and Nepal; and to the west by India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
China has a varied terrain ranging from high plateaux in the west to flatlands in the east; mountains take up almost
one-third of the land. The most notable high mountain ranges are the Himalayas, the Altai Mountains, the Tian Shan
Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains. On the border with Nepal is the 8,848m (29,198ft)
Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest)
. In the west is the Qinghai/Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of 4,000m (13,200ft), known as
‘the Roof of the World’. At the base of the Tian Shan Mountains is the Turpan Depression or Basin,
China’s lowest area, 154m (508ft) below sea level at the lowest point. China has many great river systems,
notably the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze River (Chang Jiang, also Yangtze Kiang).
Only 10% of all China is suitable for agriculture.
Language
The official language is Mandarin Chinese. Among the enormous number of local dialects, large groups speak
Cantonese, Shanghaiese (also known as Shanghainese), Fuzhou, Hokkien-Taiwanese, Xiang, Gan and Hakka dialects
in the south. Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang, which are autonomous regions, have their own languages.
Translation and interpreter services are good. English is spoken by many guides and in hotels.
Many taxi drivers do not speak English, even in big cities.
Religion
China is officially Atheistic, but the stated religions and philosophies are Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism.
There are 100 million Buddhists and approximately 60 million Muslims, 5 million Protestants
(including large numbers of Evangelicals) and 4 million Roman Catholics, largely independent of Vatican control.
Time
GMT + 8. Despite the vast size of the country, Beijing time is standard throughout China.
Virgin Atlantic is to add a second daily flight on its popular London to Hong Kong China
route from October 28th 2008. The carrier will add a 1600 departure from Heathrow to its existing 2230 option,
arriving into Hong Kong at 1230 the following day. This new service will start off three-times weekly -
(Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday), rising to daily from December 4. The London-Hong Kong service enjoys
some of the highest load factors on Virgin’s network, largely due to its onward connections to Sydney.
The carrier will also have benefited from the recent demise of Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, which flew between
London Gatwick and Chek Lap Kok airport.
The new flights will be plied by Virgin's A340-600 aircraft – Virgin says that timetable changes and
“more efficient use of the fleet” has enabled it to free up the aircraft for use on the additional service.
For more information visit virginatlantic.com.
0845 22 50 49 2
