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CHINA
TRAVEL-GUIDE |
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Full country name: People's Republic of China
Population: 1.28 billion
Capital City: Beijing (pop 12.6 million)
Language: Mandarin, Cantonese
Religion: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism (no stats available); Islam (14 million), Christianity (7 million)
Government: Communist Republic
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +8 (Beijing Time.)
Dialling Code: 86
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric |
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Money and Costs
Currency: Renminbi ('People's Money') |
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Meals
Budget: US$1-2
Mid-range: US$5-10
High: US$10-25
Top:
US$25+ |
Accommodation:
Budget: US$25-35
Mid-range: US$35-100
High: US$100-300
Top: US$300+ |
Generally, eastern China is much more expensive than the western part of the country. Visitors to eastern China could get by on around $50 a day, but it would be a challenge. Budget travellers in western China should be able to keep costs down to $25 per day. The main drain on savings tends to be long train journeys. Food is cheap throughout China, and if you're careful you won't have to spend much more than $7 a day on meals. However, the bottom line is that you'll be charged the 'tourist price' a lot of the time - it's a practice encouraged by the government. Tipping is not really expected in mainland China.
Geography: China is the third largest country in the World, just behind Russia and Canada. It has an area of about 9.6 million square kilometers which comprises about 6.5% of the world total land area. The population of China is over 1.2 billion people. This is about one-fifth of the world's population. China is a very diverse land including deserts, mountains and fertile river basins. Much of western China is mountains with the Himalaya, Tian and Pamir ranges. Western China also has a large desert. Central China consists of mountainous regions. Rivers also play a major role in China, both for transportation and for irrigation. Much of the northern wheat fields and southern rice fields are irrigated from rivers.
Climate: China has a great diversity of climates. The northeast experiences hot and dry summers and bitterly cold winters. The north and central region has almost continual rainfall, hot summers and cold winters. The southeast region has substantial rainfall, with semi-tropical summers and cool winters. Central, southern and western China are also susceptible to flooding, China is also periodically subject to seismic activity. Spring (March-April) and autumn (September-October) are the best times to visit China. Daytime temperatures range from 20°C to 30°C (68°F-86°F) in these seasons - but bear in mind that nights can still be bitterly cold and it can sometimes be wet and miserable.
Recommended clothing: North – heavyweight clothing with boots for the harsh northern winters. Lightweight clothing for summer. South – mediumweight clothing for winter and lightweight for summer.
Public Holidays:
1 Oct - National Day
8 Mar - International Women's Day
1 Aug - Anniversary of the founding of the PLA
1 May - International Labour Day
4 May - Youth Day
Feb - Spring Festival
1 Jun - International Children's Day
1 Jul - Birthday of the Chinese Communist Party
1 Jan - New Year's Day
Major public holidays, in particular Chinese New Year, are perhaps best avoided as it's difficult to get around and/or find accommodation. |
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Embassies |
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Courtesy : learn4good.com |
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