China & Hong Kong

 COUNTRY  PROFILE

China – the largest of all Asian countries and has the largest population of any country in the world. It occupies 1/14th  of the
land area of Earth.  China is as large as the whole of Europe. Probably the single most identifiable characteristic of China to the people of the rest of the world is the size of its population. Some 1/5th of humanity of the entire world, is of Chinese nationality.

Beijing (Peking), the capital of China, is also the cultural, economic, and communications center of the country. Shanghai is the
main industrial city; Hong Kong is the leading commercial center and business port.

China is also referred as the “Gold-and-Red-Heart Of Asia”. The travelers to this country will be dazzled by the featuring rugged mountain landscapes, huge fast-paced metropolitan cities and breathtaking monuments to ancient culture.
China’s vast and varied countryside ranges from the lush basin of the Yellow River to the spectacular peaks of the Himalayas in Tibetan plateau.

Explore busy urban and the most happening cities of China like –  Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chong-Qing, Guangzhou, Kunming, Xi’an, Hong Kong & Macau. Discover China’s ancient heartland in the Henan province and see awe-inspiring natural beauty on the Yangtze River in beautiful Yunnan region.

While in China , just explore China’s beautiful traditional arts, such as Calligraphy and Tai-Chi, sample fragrant Chinese Teas and feast on Dim-Sum, Peking (Beijing) Duck, Szechuan Hot Pots and Cakes.

QUICK  FACTS ON  CHINA  :-

CAPITAL  :: Beijing
NUMBER OF STATES  :: 33 States, 22 Provinces, 5 Autonomous Regions, 2 Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau).
LARGEST CITY  :: Shanghai
NATIONAL LANGUAGE :: Chinese ( Standard  Mandarin )
RELIGION :: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism
AREA  :: 1,221,037 km2
POPULATION :: 1,403,500,365  ( estimate in 2016 ) /  91.51% Han (55 minorities)
CURRENCY  :: Renminbi  ( Yuan : ¥ ) 

MAJOR  CITIES 

BEIJING
Beijing – is the capital of People’s Republic of China, and China’s political, cultural and international exchange center.
Located in the northern region of the country, Beijing has a  population of 12 million . With a time honored history and splendid culture, Beijing is one of the famous historical and cultural cities and ancient capitals in the world. The city exhibits the interesting architecture, museums, palaces, temples and parks. Explore the “Summer Palace”- an imperial garden, the “Great-Wall of China ” at the entrance regions of Badaling, Mutianyu and Simatai,  the “Tian’anmen Square”- the largest open area public square in the world , the “Forbidden City”  and the iconic “Temple of Heaven”., the “Ming & Qing Dynasties Tombs”, “China Millenium Monument”,  “Lu Xun Museum”, “Beijing Botanical Garden”, “Beijing Zoo” and so on. Beijing offers more than 200 tourist attractions to its visitors. The city contains 7,309 historical sites, of which 42 are under state protection, and 222 under city protection.  

SHANGHAI
Shanghai is the biggest and the most populous city not only in China but also in the entire world. This city is famous for
its fusion of Eastern and Western culture. It is located in the Eastern coast of China, at the mouth where the “Yangtze River” empties itself into the sea.
The city covers an area of 5,800 square kilometers and inhabits a population of 13.27 million. This is an economic, financial,
trade and cultural city in China. It is famous for its bustling metropolis atmosphere and rich cultural resources at home and abroad. 

During past few years, Shanghai has attracted more and more Chinese and foreign tourists with its new tourist spots such as the newly built – “Oriental Pearl TV Tower”, the “Bund” – the ocean front, the Huangpu River, the Jinmao-Tower (421 meters tall), the Nanpu-Bridge, the Modern Shanghai Museum, the Great World Amusement Center, Shanghai Theater  and colorful celebrations and festivals including the Shanghai Tourism Festival and China International Art Festival. The city has comfortable climate with distinct four seasons and welcomes the visitors throughout the year.

 

CHENGDU
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, located in the western plain in the Sichuan Basin, is a famous historical and cultural
city with a history of over 3,000 years. Known as the land of abundance, Chengdu boasts plentiful products, a pleasant climate, a large number of scenic spots and historical sites, excellent traditional handicrafts well known both at home and abroad, unique folk customs and picturesque rural scenery, making tourists enjoy themselves so much as to forget to go home. 

This city contains many places of scenic and historic interest, such as – the “Mount Qingcheng” and the “Dujiangyan Irrigation System”, the “Jinsha Ruins”,  the “Huanglongxi Old Town Scenic Zone”, the snow covered “Xiling Mountain”, the Sanxingdui,  the Qingyang Palace , the Sichuan Museum, the Zhuge Liang’s Shrine and the “Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage” etc.

In addition, Chengdu is a tourist’s intercity connecting hub too. From Chengdu, visitors can go eastwards to the three Gorges
on the Yangtze River, westward to mysterious Tibet and  picturesque Jiuzhaigou Valley and Huanglong, northwards to Xi’an to appreciate the  Museum of the Terracotta warriors and the southwards to Mount Emei and Leshan town where visitors can appreciate the Giant  Buddha in the oceanfront.

XI’AN :
Xi’an capital of  Shaanxi Province , is situated in western part of Guanzhong Plain, along with Weihe River running to the north. It’s the largest metropolis in northwest China, with an area of 9,983 square kilometers and a population of 6.94 million. The
3000 year long history has left Xi’an a rich legacy of historical sites and cultural relics.

The ancient city of Xi’an is also the starting point of the historic Silk Road. Just explore city’s downtown area and find dazzling
strips of restaurants, clubs and karaoke bars.
The tourist attractions in Xian are – the Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses ( Emperor Qin Shihuang’s), the 4 ruins of the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties, the Bell Tower, the Forest of Steles, the 3 national forest parks, the Hua-Qing Pool, Afang Palace, the greater Wild Goose Pagoda in the Monastery of Grace , the Xi’an City Wall, the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang, the Lishan Forest Park , Spring Dawn Garden at Qujiang  etc .

CHONGQING
Chongqing is  located in the South-east  of the Sichuan Basin, where the  Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet. With an area of 82,300 square kilometers, and a population of 31million, Chongqing is also known as a city in the mountains, Chongqing is surrounded by waters on three sides, and by the mountains on the fourth sides.
Chongqing boasts beautiful landscapes, fascinating night scenes, well known cultural sites of the Three Kingdoms Period , beautiful Dazu Rock Carvings, the precipitous Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, Baoding Mountain Stone Carvings, the Ruins of Huanghua City, Heavenly Pit and earthly Crack, Huangshui Forest Park and many other places of scenic and
historic interest, which attract numerous domestic and foreign tourists all the year round.
It has a moist climate, with many cloudy days, and less frost and snow. In spring and autumn, the city is often enveloped by heavy fog, hence the name the “Capital of Fog”.

GUANGZHOU :
Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province and is located in the East-southern part of China and borders the South China Sea. Because of Guangzhou’s humid climate, flowers bloom all year round and therefore it is known as the “City of Flowers”. This is also the largest industrial and commercial city and an active port city for foreign trade in Southern China. 

This is beautiful city is one of the attractions among the travelers to China and has a large number of  places of historical interest, such as ; Zhenhai Tower , Five Immortals Temple, the Chens Shrine , the tomb of Nanyue King , Sun Yat-sen memorial Hall, Lotus Mountain Scenic Zone, Yuexiu Park, Guangxiao-Temple, Xiangjiang Safari Park, White Cloud  Mountain Scenic Zone, Yuntai Garden etc. 

Here, the historical sites and modern amusement facilities form a delightful contrast. Folk customs and local operas are colorful. All these constitute a brilliant and wonderful picture scroll. The hospitable local people welcome domestic and foreign friends with their extend hands.

China, being a huge country with diverse climates, thus deciding on the best time to visit China is a harder task to tackle with.
Still, China is a year -round travel destination regardless of when you go, there is always a place that is worth visiting. One way
to help you decide when to visit is to divide China between regions and seasons.

[1] High Season   ( Autumn – September & October /  Spring – April & May  )
Weather-wise, the best times to visit in China are Autumn and Spring when most of the popular places have their most
tourism – friendly weather conditions with less rain and more clear days. Most of China has warm to cool temperatures during
this time of the year and is good especially for the outdoor activity lovers. Still, It’s advisable to bring some warm clothes when visiting China in the autumn, as evenings and mornings can get chilly. This is a particularly picturesque time to explore the Great Wall ( Beijing ) and see it bathed in autumn colors.

Next is, Spring which is also a good time to travel pretty much all over China. Since, it may still be cold during early spring,
the travelers should be carrying some warm clothes during the trip. The exception, however is Tibet, which is closed to foreign
visitors for about two months in Spring ,every year. 

[2] Shoulder Season   ( Summer –  June , July & August )
Summer is hot rainy season in most areas, especially South and East China. It is the best time to visit towards the mountain
and highland destinations such as – Tibet, Yunnan, Guilin, and Zhangjiajie etc.  Visiting to Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, could be a bit hot and dry weather, still you should be booking in advance your trip during Summer vacations. Because, It is a peak travel time for Chinese families with school-age children, and students. The mid-summer is a great time to visit Tibet, Hainan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. If you book a private trip then you can escape from both the heat and crowds using a comfortable private transport and a guide who will assist you during your outdoor excursions.

[3]  Low Season   ( Winter – November, December, January, February and March )
As the weather is colder from mid-November till March, the winter in China is the low season for the foreign travelers thus one could avoid the tourist crowds easily. This is when the cities in north China like – Beijing, Pingyao, and Harbin are gorgeous under a blanket of snow.  
At this time of the year, the cities in the South China region -such as Hong Kong, Macau, Hainan, and southern Yunnan are the best places to visit.  And surprisingly, Tibet is also a good candidate for winter traveling. The visitors to the “Potala Palace” in Lhasa can stay inside the palace area for as long as they want when they come here in the winter. 

ATTENDING  CHINES FESTIVALS :-
If you are travelling to China during one of the Chinese festivals then be sure that you are booking your entire trip in advance
and would have reconfirmed all the bookings in prior.
The most crowded Chinese festivals are ::  [1] “The Spring Festival” (Chinese New Year or Chunjie) which falls around mid to late-January OR early to mid-February (as per the Chinese Lunar Calendar), [2] “The week of National Day, or Golden Week” which occurs from the 1st  to the 7th  of October.  [3] “The Qingming- the Lantern Festival”  ,
[4] “The Dragon Boat Festival”  and [5] “The Harbin Ice Festival” is the largest of its kind and it’s worth trying to brave the cold to experience it. The festival runs during the dead of the winter, from December 24th until February 25th. So you must be carrying a very good quality of warm clothes in a sufficient quantity for the evenings and mornings are super chilly (- 13*C during the day time and -24*C during the night).