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DESTINATIONS Asia China
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China is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia. The last Chinese Civil War has resulted in two political entities:
China has one of the world's oldest and continuous civilizations, consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six millennia.It has the world's longest continuously used written language system,and is viewed as the source of many major inventions. Historically, China's cultural sphere has extended across East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing systems being adopted to varying degrees by neighbors such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The first evidence of human presence in the region was found at the Zhoukoudian cave and is one of the first known specimens of Homo erectus, now commonly known as the Peking Man, estimated to have lived approximately from 300,000 to 550,000 years ago. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. Paper, gunpowder, the compass and printing (both block and movable type) for example, are Chinese inventions. Chinese developments in astronomy, medicine, and other fields were extensive. A Chinese tomb contains a heliocentric model of the solar system, about 1,700 years before Copernicus. In mathematics, "Pythagoras' theorem" and "Pascal's triangle" were known in China centuries before their Western discoverers even lived. Geography and climate
China ranges from mostly plateaus and mountains in the west to lower lands in the east. Principal rivers flow from west to east.In the east, along the shores of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea there are extensive and densely populated alluvial plains. On the edges of the Inner Mongolian plateau in the north, grasslands can be seen. Southern China is dominated by hills and low mountain ranges. The climate of China varies greatly. The northern zone has summer daytime temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius and winters of Arctic severity. The central zone has a temperate continental climate with very hot summers and cold winters. The southern zone has a subtropical climate with very hot summers and mild winters. Medical tourism is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of traveling across international borders to obtain health care. Such services typically include elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries such as joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries. However, virtually every type of health care, including psychiatry, alternative treatments, convalescent care and even burial services are available. As a practical matter, providers and customers commonly use informal channels of communication-connection-contract, and in such cases this tends to mean less regulatory or legal oversight to assure quality and less formal recourse to reimbursement or redress, if needed. China has been a late bloomer in medical tourism. China is a popular tourist destination.Medical tourists can find good value for their money in China today. Sure there are risks. There is no such thing as foolproof medical care anywhere. Any medical treatment anywhere invokes a "cost-benefit ratio. China is fast emerging as a desirable destination for individuals seeking medical care in a wide range of medical specialties, including cardiology, neurology, orthopedics and others. A number of private and government hospitals in major cities have established international departments. Many leading hospitals provide treatments integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western medical technology and techniques.China is home to leading stem cell research and treatment hospitals that offer Westerners who want to take advantage of stem cell treatments that are still considered experimental or have yet to be approved in their home country. The Culture of China is one of the world's oldest and most complex cultures.The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces. Today there are 56 distinct ethnic groups in China.In terms of the numbers, however, the pre-eminent ethnic group is the Han Chinese. Throughout history, many groups have been assimilated into neighboring ethnicities or disappeared without a trace. At the same time, many within the Han identity have maintained distinct linguistic and regional cultural traditions. Language Spoken and Written The first 4,000 years of Spoken Chinese encompassed both Old Chinese and Middle Chinese, after which it began to split into various dialects and languages about 1,000 years ago. In the Ming Dynasty standard Mandarin was nationalized. Even so, it wasn't until the Republic of China era in the 1900s when there was any noticeable result in promoting a common unified language in China. The ancient written standard was Classical Chinese. It was used for thousands of years, but was mostly reserved for scholars and intellectuals. By the 20th century, millions of citizens, especially those outside of the imperial court were illiterate. Only after the May 4th Movement did the push for Vernacular Chinese begin. This allowed common citizens to read since it was modeled after the linguistics and phonology of a spoken language. Architecture Chinese architecture, examples of which can be found from over 2,000 years ago, has long been a hallmark of the culture. There are certain features common to Chinese architecture, regardless of specific region or use. The most important is its emphasis on width, as the wide halls of the Forbidden City serve as an example. In contrast, western architecture emphasize on height, though there are exceptions such as pagodas. Another important feature is symmetry, which connotes a sense of grandeur as it applies to everything from palaces to farmhouses. One notable exception is in the design of gardens, which tends to be as asymmetrical as possible. Like Chinese scroll paintings, the principle underlying the garden's composition is to create enduring flow, to let the patron wander and enjoy the garden without prescription, as in nature herself. Feng shui has played an important part in structural development. Martial arts China is one of the main birth places of Eastern martial arts. The names of martial arts were called Kung Fu or its first name Wushu. China also includes the home to the well-respected Shaolin Monastery and Wudang Mountains. The first generation of art started more for the purpose of survival and warfare than art. Over time, some art forms have branched off, while others have retained a distinct Chinese flavor. Regardless, China has brewed some of the most renowned martial artists including Wong Fei Hung and many others. The arts have also co-existed with a variety of weapons including the more standard 18 arms. Legendary and controversial moves like Dim Mak are also praised and talked about within the culture. There is no dearth of hotels in China and you'll find everything from one-star local guesthouses to five-star international luxury chains and everything in between.Shanghai has some wonderful 5-star luxury hotels to choose from. Here are five of the best hotels to stay in if you are looking to be seriously pampered during your visit to China. Places of Interest The more common tourist spots are the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and The Summer Palace. In addition to these many tourists these days are exploring a bit more, in out of the way places all over China. For example, the beaches around Sanya, Hainan Island rival those of Hawaii. The beaches on Hainan Island are not yet so well known outside of China, but there are a few international hotels there now and the popularity especially of Sanya is growing. China extends from the tropics along the Chinese-Vietnamese border area to the Himalayan Mountain Range along the Western border of China, up to the Gobi Desert, and to Inner Mongolia up north. There is a lot to see in China. Travel inside China is convenient and inexpensive. Temple of Heaven Inside a huge park complex, the Temple of Heaven, or Tian Tian Gongyuan in Chinese, is an enjoyable way to spend a leisurely morning or afternoon. The site of imperial offerings and rites to the heavenly gods during Ming and Qing dynastic times, it now offers visitors a view of imperial gardens and interesting architecture. Jade Buddha Temple The Jade Buddha Temple is probably the most famous temple in Shanghai and will be printed on every hotel card destination listing. While the complex is small, it is interesting to wander through and has a number of halls to stop and peek in: Hall of Heavenly Kings, Great Treasure Hall and 10,000 Buddhas Hall. The centerpiece is, of course, the jade Buddha located in its own hall at the back of the complex. Totter up the well-worn stairs to have a look at the nearly 5 foot tall pale-green Burmese jade likeness. Longhua Temple & Pagoda While slightly less famous than the Jade Buddha temple, Longhua is the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in Shanghai. The monastery is said to have been founded in the 3rd century, while the 7-story pagoda dates from the 10th century. Jing'An Temple Sitting on one of the busiest roads in Shanghai, Jing'An temple is one of the few you'll probably see before you know what it is. Impressive from the outside with imposing walls, it is actually one of the less interesting inside - but still worth a look. The Forbidden City The Forbidden City, or Palace Museum, sits at the center of Beijing, directly north of Tiananmen Square where the famous portrait of Mao Zedong hangs on the palatial crimson wall. It was the imperial seat for Ming and Qing dynasty emperors from 1420 until 1912 when the last emperor, Pu Yi, abdicated. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The Great Wall The Great Wall winds its way across China covering over 4,000 miles (6,700km). While the latest construction occurred after 1368 during the Ming Dynasty, construction of the Great Wall began over 2,000 years ago. The Terracotta Warriors Discovered in 1974 when a local farmer was digging a well, the terracotta army, buried in 210 BC with the first emporer of the Qin dynasty, is a breathtaking site. The thousands of life-size figures have individually unique faces and hair and armor styles appropriate to their rank. Karst Mountains in Yangshuo Illustrating the 20 Renminbi (Chinese currency) note, the karst mountains are famously beautiful in China. Located in the south of China in Guangxi province, they can best be viewed from Yangshuo, a small town outside Guilin, a major city in Guangxi Province. The Yangtze River and the Three Gorges Dam Best seen by tour boat down the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam is a modern construction marvel. The dam is the world's largest as well as the world's biggest hydroelectric power station. The river itself is the world's third longest and the Three Gorges are the natural highlight of the boat cruise. Giant Pandas 3 hours outside Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is the Wolong Nature Preserve, the largest panda reserve in China. The center tries to ensure the Giant Panda species can continue to exist. How To Reach By Plane The main international gateways into mainland China are Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Almost every While several major airlines fly to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, budget seats can prove hard to come by. For good offers, book as early as you can. Particularly busy periods are usually when Chinese students are flying home for summer, flying back to universities around the world after summer or around Chinese New Year (early February). Tickets at these times are often hard to get and/or more expensive. If you live somewhere like Toronto or San Francisco with a large overseas Chinese community, check for cheap flights with someone in that community. Sometimes flights advertised only in the Chinese newspapers cost significantly less. Tiger Airways , Bangkok Airways . Air Asia and Cebu Pacific offer low-priced flights from Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Manila) to various destinations in southern China, including Xiamen, Jinghong, Guangzhou, Haikou and Macau. By Train China can be reached by train from many of its neighboring countries and even all the way from Europe.
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sizeable city will have an international airport, but these are usually restricted to flights from Hong Kong and neigbouring countries such as South Korea and Japan.
