China

[Prawn_86]

The People's Republic of China, commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population. It is a socialist republic ruled by the Communist Party of China under a single-party system and has jurisdiction over twenty-two provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two Special Administrative Regions. The capital of the PRC is Beijing.

[Prawn_86]

TWO separate accidents killed 32 people in China today, as explosives went off in a rural area while a lift crashed on an urban building site, highlighting the nation's poor work safety record.


http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24847486-401,00.html

[Prawn_86]

I would love to hear from anyone living in China, or people who have travelled through there. Its such a huge country with so much to do. Any recommendations?

CanOz, are you living there at the moment?

[INDOVAGANZA]

I only have been to China once, it was about 3 years ago.
I love Beijing, Shanghai, Guang chou. There are recommended places to visit :)

[Prawn_86]

Chinese New Year is coming up. Are there any recommendations as to the best places to attend this event in China?

[dhruv09]

the great wall of china is the only place on earth which is visible from the space......

[lxjtian]

I come in china, I living in city Tianjin, welcome to china travell

[lxjtian]

National Palace Museum is the world's largest and most complete existing ancient buildings, is also a precious cultural heritage of mankind. Imperial palace , and calls the Forbidden City , is Ming Qingliang generation the palace , the fully the most complete extant ancient architectural complex for our country .

[begusarai]

The Great Wall of China is even greater than once thought.

China revealed on Saturday the findings of a two-year investigation of the length of the Great Wall built during the Ming Dynasty era.

The new research has found that the Ming Great Wall is 1,586 miles longer than earlier thought. "Now instead of 6,000 kilometers in length, we have added more than 2,000 kilometers," Professor Chen Jun, the President of the National Geometrics Center of China,

[johnting101]

I have to say that, China is a really big country. It is one of the biggest countries in the world. Many places to visit, places to go, places to experience. Different people have different interests and it all depends on where they want to go. You want to meet people, go Beijing. Food, another place.

I've been to China a few times in my life and I would like to say that it is, well, different. People everywhere :) If you are the type that would like to meet people everyday, this might be the place you might want to go as the population one of the highest ^^

[Dredgy]

Been to China once in 2004/5, though I lived there helping teach English to kids (and adults)

Flew into Hong Kong. Surprisingly didn't do too much here. Stayed in a really nice penthouse. Went to Ocean Park - great rollercoaster just straight over the harbour offering a great thrill, plus the world's longest escalator.

Then I caught a bus across the border into mainland China and up to where my home would be - Qing Xi. It's kinda right on the outskirts of Dongguan. There are no foregners there - all natives, so if you don't speak Mandarin, you will get murdered. The food is great, but if you have a weak stomach, do not go to a native Chinese restaurant.

Crocodiles, dogs, turtles, worms, crabs are all live in cages. You take your pick and it's killed and cooked right there, and unless you spend your spare time fellating yaks, eating a "penis platter" may not be your thing.

Likewise, getting a tour of a toy factory is not a smart thing to do if you can't stomach child labour and paint fumes, though the owner's are really nice and will often give you free toys. Getting a tour isn't easy though, my chaffeur had to pull some strings.

Talking of which - get a chaffeur, unless you want to end up dead in the back of a taxi.

Down south in Shenzen, things are much safer and there are more tourists. Visit Happy Valley for your thrill-seeking needs, and there is another park which is a miniature model of the world, including a half-size Eiffel tower, a flume ride of the Niagara falls and kayak ride past Easter Island. Also in Shenzen is the Lo Wu station shopping complex which is MASSIVE and features all the counterfeit merchandise you could want.

[PrivateDayTrips]

hi there.

I’ve been to China more than 20 times for 2- 3weeks each time. It is amazing country and it keeps changing all the time even within the short period of time.
If you going to China try to go to less crowded places – like the Great Wall at Mutiyanu. Or, if you visiting water towns around Shanghai try Wuzhen. Or go to Shanxi Province and see Pingyao ( UNESCO World Heritage ), Datong, Mt Wutashan – they are not commercialised as much as big cities. Take a afternoon train from Beijing to Datong and then train or private car down to Pingyao and Mt Wutashan. You can continue to Luoyang and pass Zhengzhou, where you can visit the Shaolin Kung Fu School. There are new areas where Chinese Government invests more money to attract tourists: Shandong Province – Qingdao, ex German settlements well known for beer. In this province you can see the birth place of Confucius, Qufu. If you like winter then go to Harbin to see the Ice festival which takes place from January until the end of February. Or you can go skiing at the Yabuli Ski Resort which is close to Harbin. In the South part of China I would recommend Longshen which is north of Guilin. The best time to go is May to Sep when rice terraces are green giving the charm to the whole area. If you are more adventours I would suggest you to see Chinese Minorities in Guizhou Province, they didn’t have written history until 1949. There are few good hotels to stay in but staff doesn’t speak English. Would recommend a guide and car. If you are looking for cycling, trekking, hiking then go to Yangshuo which is south of Guilin. Stay at the Mountain Retreat guest house. And don’t miss Impression Liusanjie Show which takes place on the lake amongst carst peaks. It’s fascinating – director is the guy who directed the House of Flying Daggers and organised the opening ceremony for Beijing Olympic Games.

Can’t wait to go to China next time –hopefully in November for CITM in Kunming.

Tara

[kennas]

Wow, 20 times!

I haven't been yet. :(

On the list over the next few years.

It seems such an amazingly diverse country with some amazing scenery.

I suppose people from the West would just imagine there was a significant language barrier that would also make travelling difficult.

[Unregistered]

Wow, 20 times!

I haven't been yet. :(

On the list over the next few years.

It seems such an amazingly diverse country with some amazing scenery.

I suppose people from the West would just imagine there was a significant language barrier that would also make travelling difficult.

Hiya Kennas,

Its fascinating country!

The younger generations speaks good English. Especially in the big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. But even if they don’t speak English the Chinese people are so friendly and they would find a way to talk to you! On the train from Beijing to Lhasa my train companion didn’t speak English but his son did and during our journey he would occasionally call his son to translate what he wanted to say! The best thing was when he called his son to tell me good night. I felt embarrassed for not speaking Mandarin.


Tara

[chrissylewis03]

Crocodiles, dogs, turtles, worms, crabs are all live in cages. You take your pick and it's killed and cooked right there, and unless you spend your spare time fellating yaks, eating a "penis platter" may not be your thing.



I could just imagine myself being there and just buying all the dogs so they didn't have to get killed. Of course i would realise later that i had heaps of dogs that i didn't know what to do with!

oh wow, the place sounds amazing but scary as well. I think for my first time i would like to do a group tour to get my grasp on the country and the culture. Has anyone done any good tours through china with a company that they really liked???

Cheers

[PrivateDayTrips]

HI Crissy,

as you are from australia i would suggest you very good operator Wendy Wu. Check her website at ( i cant post a link as i had only two post. b**** red tape! google wendy wu ) She was born in Shanghai and moved to australia where she started her business 10 years ago. Now she is making stir in UK market with very good value for money tours. I would suggest you China Highlights, where you can see all the major attraction in China. Once you been and seen all ,you can later go back just to certain part of China to explore it more in depth. Wendy Wu prices include visa cost, all meals and tips. And I am not working for her.

ps: dont worry about dogs ( i am the same = i have four and half) you would see dogs on the streets... when they are coming back from their manicure...the biggest buisness in china at the mommnet is grooming of dogs.

[chrissylewis03]

yeah, i have heard the Wendy Wu is really good and all inclusive which makes it really easy! it sounds like you've been on one of her tours before?

[buddinghealth]

It really does sound like an amazing country, I think it gets a bad press but all the chinese people i have met have been awesome. It is a country that has so much - beautiful lusy forests and mountains and busy, fast-moving cities - it'll be on my agenda (when i get some money!)

[PrivateDayTrips]

hiya crissylewis,
wendy wu is my direct competitor. Never travelled with her before but i know she is good.
PrivateDayTrips

www.ReadyClickAndGo.com

[PrivateDayTrips]

I just come back from two weeks in Sichuan Province, China. If you after pandas go to Ya'an Pamde Centre which is 2.5 hours nice country drive from Chengdu.

[Prawn_86]

Sounds great PDT.

Where you there for a holiday or business? What was the highlight?

[dan313]

I live in China. And I am working for an international travel service in Chongqing, China. If you wish to have a look at the local culture of southern China, Chongqing is a good choice. There is world famous Three Gorges and Three Gorges Dam Project - world largest dam. Chongqing is the most important harbor at the upstream of Yangtze River. If you need to know more about Chongqing and Yangtze Cruise. You can visit our site for more detailed information.