Browse Things to Do in China

 

China, officially known as the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国 Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó) is a vast country in Eastern Asia (about the same size as the United States of America) with the world's largest population.

With coasts on the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, in total it borders 14 nations. It borders Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to the south; Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to the west; Russia and Mongolia to the north and North Korea to the east. Only Russia has more land borders in Asia.

Regions

North-east (Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang) dōngběi, "rust belt" cities, vast forests, Russian, Korean, and Japanese influence, and long, snowy winters

 

North (Shandong, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin) The Yellow River Basin area, cradle of China's civilization and historic heartland

 

North-west (Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang) Grasslands, deserts, mountains, nomadic people, and Islam

 

South-west (Tibet, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou) The exotic part, minority peoples, spectacular scenery, and backpacker havens

 

Southern-central (Anhui, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi) Farming areas, semi-tropical or temperate mountains and forests

 

South-east (Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian) Traditional trading center, manufacturing powerhouse, and ancestral homeland of most overseas Chinese

 

East (Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang) The "land of fish and rice", traditional water towns, and China's new cosmopolitan economic center

 

Cities

 

China has many large and famous cities. Below is a list of the nine most important to travelers in mainland China. Other cities are listed under their specific regional section. 

Beijing (北京) - the capital, cultural center, and host of the 2008 Olympics

 

Guangzhou (广州) - one of most prosperous and liberal cities in the south, near Hong Kong

 

Guilin (桂林) - popular destination for both Chinese and foreign tourists with sensational mountain and river scenery

 

Hangzhou (杭州) - famously beautiful city and major center for the silk industry

 

Kunming (昆明) - capital of Yunnan and gateway to a rainbow of ethnic minority areas * Nanjing (南京) - a renowned historical and cultural city with many historic sites

 

Shanghai (上海) - famous for its riverside cityscape, China's largest city is a major commercial center with many shopping opportunities

 

Suzhou (苏州) - "Venice of the East," an ancient city famous for canals and gardens just west of Shanghai

 

Xi'an (西安) - the oldest city and ancient capital of China, home to ten dynasties including the Han and the Tang, terminus of the ancient Silk Road, and home of the terracotta warriors

 You can travel to many of these cities using the new fast trains. In particular, the Hangzhou - Shanghai - Suzhou - Nanjing line is a convenient way to see these historic areas.

 

 

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