GENERAL INFO ON TIBET ( CHINA )
LOCATION : China lies in the eastern part of Asia on the western shore of the Pacific
Ocean . The vast territory of China extends 5000 kilometers from the centerline
of the main navigation channel of the
Heilong River north of the Mohe Town in Heilongjiang Province to the
Zengmu Reef of the Nansha islands in the South China Sea. From west to east ,
it measures about 5200 kilometers , stretching from the Pamirs in
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the place where the main navigation
channels of the Heilong and Wusuli
rivers meet.
CLIMATE : Because China is
so vast , spanning nearly 50 degrees
latitude , its climate varies. Most of China is in the temperate zone.
Its southern part is in the tropical and subtropical zones, and its northern part is close to the frigid zone. Temperatures differ therefore rather strikingly across the
country.
The northern
part of Heilongjiang Province has long winters. The Huaihe River valley has distinctive seasonal changes but in the south of the
Yunnan – Guizhou Plateau, it is spring all the year round. The northwest inland has hot
summers and cold
winters. The Qinghai – Tibet Plateau in southwest China has a low
temperature all the year round, being
the frigid area in China ; and some deserts are dry in the four seasons.
China’s variety of topography and climatic types has given birth to abundant
scenic spots and places of cultural interest.
LAND AREA : China has a land
area of about 9.6 million
square kilometers, making up about one forth of Asia, and one fifteenth of the total land area in the world. China is the third largest country in
the world, only next to Russia and Canada.
POPULATION : China is the
most populous country in the world, and its population makes up about 22
percent of the world’s total. The plains on the lower reaches of the Yangtze
River and the Qiantang River, the Zhujiang River Delta, the Sichuan Basin and
the Huanghuai Plain have the highest population density.
CAPITAL : Beijing is
the capital of
People’s Republic of
China , as w ell as the political
, cultural and international
exchange center of the country. Located in the north of the North China Plain , Beijing
has a temperature semi-moist climate.
Beijing boasts a long history. As early
as 700,000 years ago,
“Peking Man” lived in the Zhoukoudian
area near Beijing.
Beijing is
one of the famous historical and cultural cities , and one of the ancient capitals in the world . In recent years , along with the rapid development of the economy and culture, Beijing has been marching toward the
world , and has become a world – renowned modern metropolitan.
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE : Chinese is the
most commonly language of China today, and one of the five working languages
designated by the United Nations. Now the official language in China is
Mandarin ( “Putonghua” in Chinese ). In the
major cities of
China , the English language
is widely spoken and understood.
CHINESE
CURRENCY : The Chinese currency is called Renminbi , issued by the Central Bank
– the People’s Bank of China. The unit of Renminbi is yuan ; and the subsidiary
unit is jiao and fen.
1 Yuan = 10 jiao . There are paper banknotes and coins for yuan and jiao. There are denominations of coins : 1 yuan , 2 yuan , 5 yuan , 10 yuan , 20 yuan, 50 yuan and 100 yuan, in addition to the paper banknotes of jiao : one jiao , two jiao and five jiao. The abbreviation for the Renminbi is RMB .
CREDIT CARDS : TRAVELER'S CHEQUE :
At present , the
holders of these cards like ; Master Card , Visa Card , American Express
Card , JCB Card and Diners Card , can draw cash from the Bank of China or use the cards for payment to shops ,
hotels , and restaurants designated by the Bank of China .
TIME ZONE : TIME DIFFERENCE : WORK SCHEDULE
China uses “ Beijing Time “ as
the standard time for the entire nation, which is the time of the Eighth
Eastern Time Zone designated according
to the time zone division system adopted
at 1884 International Longitude Meeting.
Beijing time
is eight hours earlier than Greenwich
Mean Time.
The Chinese people work five days a week, from
Monday to Friday. The work schedule for government organs is from 8:00 a.m. to
5:00 pm with one hour for lunch at noon.
TOURISTIC CITIES IN CHINA
LHASA : Lhasa is the
capital city of the
Tibet Autonomous Region, as well as a political , economic , cultural ,
communications and tourism center of the region. Located in the
valley of the Lhasa River , the main
branch of the Yarlungzangbo River , Lhasa is an ancient historical and cultural
city with a history of more than 1,300 years.
Lhasa has an area of 31,700 square kilometers and a total population of
410,000. Lhasa is home to more than 30
ethnic groups, of whom the Tibetan people make up 87 percent.
In the Tibetan
Language , Lhasa means holy land. Due to its sufficient sunshine , it is also known as the Sunchine City.
The Potala Palace , the Jokhang Monastry
and other historical sites are well known in the world. Tourists to Lhasa will
feel the sacred religious atmosphere , and the strong Tibetan Tibetan
customs .
The other tourist
attractions in Lhasa are , Sera Monastery , Gandan Monastery ,
Ramoche Monastery , Barkhor Street , Drepung Monastery , Norbu Lingka , Tibet
Museum , Yangbajian hot Springs etc
BEIJING : Beijing or
“Jing” in the abbreviated form, is the capital of the People’s Republic of
China, and China’s political ,
cultural and international exchange
center. Located in the north of the North China Plain , Beijing covers an area
of 16,800 square kilometers and has a
population of 11.08 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.
Boasting abundant tourism resources ,
Beijing has opened more than 200 tourist attractions to the public , such as
the Palace Museum - the largest imperial
palace in the world , the Temple of Heaven where the emperors used to pay
homage to Heaven , the Summer Palace , an imperial garden , the
Great Wall of Badaling , Mutianyu and Simatai , Prince
Gong’s Residence which is the largest
quadrangle in the world, Tian’anmen Square , Yonghegong Lamasery , the Ming Tombs , Tanzhe Temple ( Pool and Zhe
Tree Temple ), Beihai Park , The Ruins
of Yuanmingyuan , Hutongs , China Millenium Monument, Chairman Mao
Memorial Hall , Lu Xun Museum , Beijing Botanical Garden , Beijing Zoo and so
on. The metropolis contains 7,309
historical sites , of which 42 are under
state protection , and 222 under city protection.
SHANGHAI :
Shanghai is
called “hu” or “shen” for short . It is located at the mouth where the Yangtze
River empties into the sea. The
city has comfortable climate ,with distinct four seasons.
Shanghai is a municipality directly under the central government . It has an
area of 5,800 square kilometers and a population of 13.27 million. It is an economic , financial , trade and
cultural city in China.
Shanghai is famous for its bustling metropolis atmosphere and rich
cultural resources at home and abroad.
In the 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 , Modern Shanghai Museum ,
the Bund , Huangpu River , People’s Square, Jinmao Mansion ( 420.5 meters high)
, Nanpu Bridge , Ancient Waterside Town – Zhujiajiao , Former residence
of Lu Xun , Shanghai
International Convention Center , Great World Amusement Center , Shanghai
Theater and colorful celebrations and festivals including the
Shanghai Tourism Festival and China International Art Festival.
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.
With an area of 11,900 square kilometers and a population of over 10.19 million, it has jurisdiction over nine districts , four
cities ( country – level cities ) and
six counties.
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.
Chengdu contains many places of scenic and historic interest , such as Zhuge
Liang’s Shrine, Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage , and the world heritage Mount Qingcheng and the
Dujiangyan Irrigation System , Jinsha
Ruins , Huanglongxi Old Town Scenic Zone , Xiling Snow – covered Mountain , Sanxingdui , Qingyang Palace ,
Sichuan Museum etc.
In addition , Chengdu is a tourist
communication hub. 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
terracotta warriors and horses , and southwards to Mount Emei and Leshan where visitors can appreciate
the Giant Buddha.
CHONGQING : Chongqing is located in the
southeast of the Sichuan Basin , where
the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet. With an area of 82,300 square
kilometers ,and a population of 31
million, Chongqing became one of
the four municipalities directly under
the central government in 1997.
Known as a city
in the mountains , Chongqing is surrounded by waters on three sides ,
and by the mountains on four sides . 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”.
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
QINGDAO : In the south of the Shandong Peninsula ,
Qingdao borders the Yellow Sea and is adjacent to Yantai in the northeast .
Qingdao has an area of 11,026 square kilometers and a population of about 7.10
million. As a beautiful seaside city
with red tiles and green trees under
blue sky, Qingdao boasts a pleasant
climate , European – style urban scenery , vast blue seas and undulating
mountains. With unique enchanting tourism resources , Qingdao is a famous seaside tourism and holiday resort.
The tourist attractions in Qingdao are , The Pier
, Lesser Qingdao , Badaguan , Flower Stone Building , Catholic Church etc.
XI'AN : Xi’an capital of Shaanxi Province , is
situated in western part of Guanzhong Plain , 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 .
Known as
Chang’an in ancient China , Xi’an is a world – renowned ancient capital. The
3,000 year long history has left Xi’an a rich legacy of historical sites and
cultural relics.
There is
the most intact city wall in the world,
the fascinating terra-cotta army unearthed from the tomb of the First Emperor -
Qin Shihuang , four ruins of the Zhou , Qin , Han and Tang dynasties , the Bell Tower , and the
Forest of Steles . Xi’an’s charming is
also added by its three national forest
parks.
Thanks to its rich tourist resources , Xi’an , the
starting point of the well-known “ Silk Road”, is an ideal destination of
domestic and foreign tourists.
The tourist
attractions are Museum of Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Warriors and Horses , Huaqing Pool , Afang Palace , the
greater Wild Goose Pagoda in the Monastery of Grace , Xi’an City Wall ,
Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang , Lishan Forest Park , Spring Dawn Garden at
Qujiang etc .
GUANGZHOU : Guangzhou ,
the capital of Guangdong Province ,
is located in the northern part of the
Pearl River Delta and borders the South China Sea.
Covering an area of 7,263 square kilometers, Guangzhou has a population of 7.12
milion . With a tropical marine monsoonal climate of
South Asia, it is not very hot in summer , nor very cold in winter , with plentiful
rainfall.
Because of Guangzhou’s humid climate, flowers bloom all year round , which
is why it’s known as the “City of
Flowers”.
Guangzhou is the largest industrial and
commercial city and an active port city for foreign trade in Southern China .
Among the first group of national historical and cultural cities approved by
the state Council , Guangzhou 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.
In Guangzhou , 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.