Flights to China

China travel tips

China - fascinating destination

The People's Republic of China, with a population greater than 1.3 billion, is the most densely populated country on earth and home to about 20% of the world’s population. Since it was founded in 1949 it has been governed by the Communist Party of China. The name China and Sino most probably originate in the Chinese word for the Qin-Dynastie (Pinyin: Qin, pronounced Tschin). The word made its way to Europe along the silk road via many languages.

China shares borders with 14 states, no country has more neighbours: Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Vietnam.

China - interesting facts

The Peoples Republic of China includes the entire geographical and cultural area which is known as China, excluding Taiwan and a few small islands in front of the coast of Fujians.

The political status of Taiwan is still a point of contention: the island is governed from the Republic of China (also known as National-China). The country is governed by the dictatorship of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

China - location, geography and climate

The country is not only separated from its neighbours by politically created borders but its borders are also determined by natural geological boundaries: in the east and the south-east by oceans: the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea); in the south, south-west and north-west by high mountain ranges and in the north by steppes and deserts.

The total area of China is about the size of the USA or the whole of Europe to the Ural, and comprises almost 10 million square kilometres. This means that the physical area, climate and the living conditions for humans also vary considerably from region to region. In the west a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers predominates, with tropical to sub-tropical weather in the south. Only Tibet boasts a high-mountain climate.

Major cities in China

Peking, now more commonly called Beijing (Běijīng) is the capital of China and its political and cultural centre, has over 21 million inhabitants. As a result of its long history spanning more than 3000 years, a particular type of cultural world heritage is to be found here. An interesting tourist destination is Tiananmen square (the square of heavenly peace), the Forbidden City and Imperial Palace, the Summer Palace and numerous and countless temples.

The largest building in the world is also to be found in China: Wànlĭ Chángchéng (the long wall of 10,000) spanning well over 6300 km (20669 ft) is another tourist highlight. The Chinese name of the Great Wall of China comprises a measure of length: 10,000 Li are equivalent to about 575 m, but as 10,000 in Chinese is the term for infinity, the name in actual fact signifies “unimaginably long wall". The most visited section is in the area of Badaling being easily accessible by bus and train from Beijing.

Other important cities include Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing, Xi’an, Chengdu,Tianjin, Shenyang, Harbin.