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China is a country of a tradition, which is several thousand years old, as well as a country of radical changes. The will to change does not even stop when it comes to nature. Most prominent example is the floating of the Jangtse canyons. The numerous temples, palaces and cultural attractions are like an island of peace in a constantly restless environment. Anyone traveling to China will all discover first of its scenic attractions; for example its mountains.
Most famous are Himalaya, Altai, Tainshan and Kulun. Mount Everest, highest mountain of the world, is located near the Nepalese borderline. One can ride a motorcycle to the first camp at the foot of the mountain, but only if one is able to obtain entry permission for Tibet. The Tibet plain is more than 4000 meters high. For most individual tourists it is still a white patch on a map. The one-of-a-kind culture, which is very differing from China, can be discovered easiest through an organized trip.
Large rivers, like the Yellow River (Huanghe) or the Jangtse Kiang dominate China’s central region. The Jangtse River forms the border between North and South China. It runs for more than 6000 km across the country. The banks of the Yellow River with its fertile loess soil are the original settling area of the Han-Chinese. The regions along China’s coast are the economic boom-region of the country. Here people live very close to one another and the conditions for farming are good. Thousands of people from the central regions move here in order to find work. Life is more relaxed in Mongolia’s interior.
Nomadic shepherds and their herds live on an endless landscape of pastures. More and more tourists are drawn to the Hainan Island in the south of the country. The island offers lots of sunshine, long sand beaches and many tropical fruits. For admirers of culture and history China has numerous sights; for example Peking and the Chinese Wall. In Xi’an the largest army of terracotta soldiers in the world guards the grave of Chinas first Emperor.
From here one could continue his trip along the Silk Road towards the west; through the dry valley of Tarim with its oasis Turfan and move on to the far east to Kashgar (Kashi). In the coastal town Qingdao (Tshingtau) one can witness some German colonial history. Here Germans founded a brewery which produces the countries best kind of beer even nowadays. Modern China can be found in Shanghai. The metropolis at the coast is the biggest Chinese boomtown. Around and about one also finds historical sites: large tea plantations in Hangzhou and results of Chinese garden architecture in Suzhou. Eating is one of the biggest pleasures in China.
One is going to realize that the culinary diversity of the country has hardly anything to do with the Chinese food offered in Europe. Different types of pasta and spicy sauces dominate China’s north. Popular are for example Peking duck (in Hoi Sin – plum sauce), Chinese Fondue (raw meat or vegetables in a boiling chickens broth plus sauce) or Shuijiao (pasta pockets filled with pork, chives and small onions). South Chinese cuisine features chicken, pork and beef as well as snakes, dogs, cats and turtles. Specialties are Cha Siu Bao (dumplings filled with pieces of pork), Har Gau (steamed shrimp dumplings) and Shiu Mai (steamed pork with shrimp).
In China’s east people like spicy, sour soups, sea food, noodles and vegetables. Different ingredients are chopped, stewed in soy sauce or sesame oil with lots of garlic and pepper. Popular in China’s west are grilled meat and chicken in a spicy soy sauce with peanuts. Most favored beverage in China is certainly tea. Most common is green tea which might be flavored with ginger, jasmine or rose peddles. Typical Chinese are also Zhian Jing (rice wine served hot), Liang Hua Pei (a strong plum brandy) and Mao Tai (rice liquor). Tsingtao is the most popular beer.
Some geography:
The Peoples Republic of China stretches over an area of 9.6 square kilometers and an estimated number of 1.3 billion people inhabiting the country. More than 90 percent of them are Han-Chinese. Besides them 55 acknowledged minorities exist; e.g. Mandshu, Uighuren, Mongolians, Tibetans or Koreans. Language of the country is a standardized Chinese.
Besides that several dialects and language of the minorities exist. Officially China is an atheist country, but more and more people turn to religion. Buddhism, Islam, Taoism and Christian religions can be found. China celebrates its national holiday on October 1st. On this day in 1949 the Peoples Republic was founded. |
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