Travel to China

For centuries, China has fascinated the whole world as a distant and exotic country. China’s ancient magic is extremely well preserved, and lots of tourists are attracted every year by the vast empire. The ancient imperial capitals of Beijing, Xian, Suzhou and Hangzhou have world-class historical sites. The Chinese landscapes range from the desolate plains of Tibet to the mighty rivers of southern and eastern China that flow quietly between the rice fields. In China’s modern metropolises, it is clear that the country is developing rapidly. Visit campingship for Trips to China.

Population: 1.37 billion

Capital: Beijing

Language: Chinese and various minority languages

• it is said that the world’s tallest building is being built in Changsa. If everything goes according to plan, the 838 meter high building will have 220 floors!
• even though the Chinese written language contains 40,000 characters, you “only” need about 4,000 characters to be able to cope in everyday life.

Geography and climate in China

China’s vast area holds 1.3 billion people, or a fifth of the world’s population. The vast majority live in the eastern half of China around large rivers such as the Yangtze and Huang He (Yellow River) and their fertile delta. The area to the west is quite sparsely populated. China is divided geographically by a vertical line almost in the middle. The area west of this line is filled with high mountains and plateaus, while the landscape becomes flatter further east with few, low elevations and large, low-lying plains. Farthest to the northwest and towards the border with Mongolia, the amounts of sand spread in the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts. The climate in China is characterized by the country’s enormous size. In the north the climate is temperate with summer temperatures around 25 ° and very cold winters, in the south it is subtropical with very hot summers and mild winters.

China’s history

China is one of the world’s oldest civilizations with cultures dating back to six thousand BC. Throughout its long history, China has alternated between being a powerful empire that subjugated its neighbors, and a collection of smaller dynasties that could not defend themselves against Huns, Tatars, Mongols, and other conquering powers. A variety of emperors have ruled through the ages. However, the biggest upheaval for the Chinese to date occurred in 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed with Mao Zedong as leader. Mao immediately began to reshape the great empire so that the land of the landowners became agricultural collectives or land for newly built factories. After Mao’s death in 1976, the hard, communist line softened a little, and soon a new constitution was adopted that prioritized economic growth and modernization over ideology.

Trade has long played a major role for China, thanks in part to the Silk Road that connected the country to Europe and western Asia. Although China has never been a colony in the true sense of the word, it has not escaped European influence. The many traders who came via the Silk Road, and the Opium Wars 1839-42 and 1856-60 have had a European cultural impact in China. However, the trend has also gone the other way. There are many good examples of ancient Chinese inventions. These include ceramics, calligraphy and noodles (which changed their name to spaghetti when they came to Italy). But also obvious things like architecture, fireworks, opera and golf.

Religion and communism

China has three main religions, namely Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, which the people after Mao’s death have a little more freedom to practice. China is a distinctly agricultural country, and the majority of Chinese people make a living from growing rice, wheat and soybeans around rivers and the Delta. There is also room for speculation in business. In recent years, economic growth has been enormous, and in the midst of the communist country, special economic zones have been set up where private and foreign investment can flourish without government intervention.

Attractions in China

A trip to China could never include all the sights of the country. Therefore, you should concentrate on individual areas or themes – or return several times, which you absolutely feel like doing. The old imperial cities are history and culture for every penny. In Beijing there is the world famous Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and of course the Great Wall of China in the mountains north of the city. In Xian, the terracotta warriors are still guarding China’s first emperor, and further south are the cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Here on the banks of the Yangtze River are refined garden art, charming canal towns and landscapes covered with tea bushes. In Hong Kong and Shanghai, the future is just around the corner, and the modern million-dollar cities are a fascinating blend of Eastern mystery and modern lifestyles that clearly reflect the country’s enormous contrasts.

If you want a holiday that is in the spirit of nature, there are also plenty of opportunities. In southern China, jade green rivers cut through dramatic rock formations in the unknown provinces of Yunnan and Fujian. A river cruise on the Yangtze is another relaxing way to experience the contrasts between modern and traditional China. Trips to China and Tibet can also be of a more unusual kind, such as visits to the monks at the remote Buddhist monasteries high up on the Tibetan plateau and train journeys across the roof of the world.

Climate and weather China

Below you can read about the climate in China – from the capital Beijing to the imperial city of X’ian in central China, Lhasa in Tibet and China’s largest city Shanghai on the east coast.

The climate in China varies from subarctic in the north with cold winters and hot summers, and tropical in the southern regions. In the dry climate in the northwest, the Gobi Desert extends and the temperature can reach around 50 ºC in summer. In south-southwest China you can talk about an eternal spring and summer with temperatures of 30 ºC. The topography of China is divided by a vertical line in the middle of the country. In the west there are high plateaus and mountain landscapes while the east offers hilly landscapes and the river delta. In the south, the monsoon wind pulls in over the country between May – October and provides a warm and humid rainy season.