DESCRIPTION
China, while being a similar size as the US, the population is over four times the amount of the US with over 1.3 billion people as of July 2007. China has an abundant number of large cities, which are world renown for tourism, business, and its unique culture. Nine of the most popular cities in China are Guangzhou, Guilin, Hang Zhou, Kunming, Nanjing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Suzhou, Xi’an, and Beijing, which it China’s capital, cultural center and host of the 2008 Olympics. There are many famous destinations that are important to visit by most anybody that enjoys traveling, such as the Great Wall of China, the many “great” and ”sacred” mountains including Tibet, the Silk Road, Hainan Island, which is known as a tropical paradise and the dozens of UNESCO World Heritage sites. On the border of Tibet and Nepal lies the highest point on earth, Mount Everest, at 8,850 m. Just as the culture, language, and customs are very diverse in China, so is the climate. The climate in the south, such as the Hainan Island is roughly at the same latitude of Jamaica making it a very tropical climate, while the northern cities of China Such as Harbin is at the latitude of Montreal and can get very cold during winter. Another unique characteristic of China is that bicycles are the most common form of transportation with thousands of them typically spotted during rush hour. Massages are very popular throughout China, although it’s important to note that even though Prostitution is illegal, many of the “massage places” are actually brothels in disguise. The best way to tell the difference is if you can see a pink light or lots of girls in short skirts there is probably a lot more services than just typical massages. China’s official language is Standard Mandarin, known in Chinese as Putonghua. English is mandatory in schools; however, it can be challenging at times to find somebody who can fluently converse in English. The official currency used as money in the People’s Republic of China is the Renminbi (RMB), but the base unit of this currency is the Yuan (CNY). Credit cards are not widely accepted in China other than at hotels, major supermarkets and high-class restaurants, so it’s important to have cash on hand, especially because most foreign cards will not work at local ATM machines. Beer is very popular in China, with the most popular brand being Tsingtao.