Size : 9,596,960 sq. km.
Population : 1.3billion
Capital City : Beijing
Language : Mandarin, Cantonese, and a variety of other dialects. Some English is spoken in the larger, east coast cities.
One of the world’s oldest and richest cultures, China has enthralled travelers for centuries. Its topography spans the geographic spectrum from East Asia’s longest shoreline to the world’s highest mountains, and the vast deserts of Xinjiang. In between are tropical rainforests, rice paddies, great rivers, and wondrous limestone formations. China ranks as the world’s most populous nation on earth and embraces 56 ethnic groups whose customs and costumes have fascinated visitors since Marco Polo carried home tales of its wonders in the 13th century.
Much of the country’s allure lies in the scope of its human accomplishments: a fleet of junks that sailed around the Cape of Good Hope in the 15th century, a half dozen Silk Roads linking it with the West, the Great Wall, the terracotta armies of Xian, and Beijing’s enormous Forbidden City complex comprising 9,000-buildings, many of them architectural wonders of compelling beauty. To all this, add flawless porcelain, stunning pagodas, wood and jade carvings, and exquisite Buddha images, performance art like Chinese opera, and the world’s tastiest cuisines, and it is easy to understand how China offers the traveler several lifetimes of exploration possibilities.
