China
For centuries, China has fascinated the whole world as a distant, mystical land. China’s old magic is in pristine condition, and large numbers of tourists are drawn each year by this huge realm. The old imperial capitals of Beijing, Xian, Suzhou and Hangzhou offer world-class historic sights. The landscapes of China range from Tibet’s desolate high plains to the mighty rivers of southern and eastern China, flowing calmly between the rice paddies. In China’s modern metropolises, it is plain to see that the country is undergoing development on a massive scale.
The geography and climate of China
China’s enormous land mass is home to 1.3 billion people, or one-fifth of the world’s entire population. The vast majority live in the eastern half of China around the big rivers such as the Yangtze and the Huang He (the Yellow River) and their fertile deltas. The area to the west is quite sparsely populated. The scenery in China is divided in two by a vertical line almost right down the middle. The area to the west of this line is full of high mountains and plateaus, whereas the landscape tends to get flatter towards the east, with a few low ranges of hills and large, low-lying plains. Farthest northwest and towards the border with Mongolia are the expanses of sand in the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts. The climate in China is influenced by the enormous size of the country. In the north, the climate is temperate, with summer temperatures of around 25°C and very cold winters; the south is subtropical with very hot summers and mild winters. In summer, the monsoon brings great squalls of rain from the east; in winter, dry, cold winds come whistling in from the northwest.
China’s history
China is one of the oldest civilisations in the world with cultures as far back as 6000 B.C. Throughout its long history, China has alternated between being a single mighty realm that held its neighbours in subjection and a collection of minor dynasties that were unable to defend themselves against the Huns, Tatars, Mongols and other powers bent on conquest. Innumerable emperors have reigned through the centuries. However, the greatest upheaval for the Chinese occurred in 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was established with Mao Zedong at the helm. Mao immediately began to transform the great realm; landowners’ land became agricultural collectives or the foundations for brand-new factories. After Mao’s death in 1976, the hard-line Communist approach softened a little, and soon a new constitution was adopted that put economic growth and modernisation above ideology.
Trade has long played an important role for China, notably as a result of the Silk Road, which connected China with Europe and western Asia. Although China has never in fact been a colony, it has not escaped European influence. The many traders who arrived via the Silk Road, and the Opium Wars of 1839–42 and 1856–60 resulted in European cultural influences on China. This tendency has also gone the other way, however. A great many familiar wares are old Chinese inventions. This includes ceramics, calligraphy and noodles (which were renamed spaghetti on reaching Italy) – as well as things we’ve come to take for granted, such as architecture, fireworks, opera and golf.
Religion and Communism in China
China has three main religions – Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism – which its population has had a little more freedom to pursue since Mao’s death. China is very much an agrarian country; the majority of Chinese make their living cultivating rice, wheat and soy beans around the rivers and deltas. However, there is also room for speculating in business. Recent years have seen enormous growth in the economy, and in the midst of this Communist country, special economic zones have been established where private and foreign investments can thrive without government interference.
The tourist sights of China
A trip to China can never cover all the sights there are to see. Therefore, the best idea is to concentrate on individual areas or themes – or keep going back time after time, which you will inevitably find you want to do. The old imperial cities are good value for money in terms of history and culture. Beijing is the location of the world-famous Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and, of course, the Great Wall of China in the mountains to the north of the city. In Xian, the Terra Cotta Warriors still watch over China’s first emperor, and further south are the cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Here by the banks of the Yangtze river you will find sophisticated landscape garden design, charming canal towns and landscapes covered in tea bushes. In Hong Kong and Shanghai, the future is never far away, and these modern cities with populations running into the millions are a fascinating blend of Oriental mysticism and modern lifestyle, clearly reflecting the enormous contrasts of China. You can engage with history even more along the Silk Road, where for centuries people and goods were transported, creating an exciting mixture of peoples and cultures in the oasis towns along the route.
If you fancy a holiday that is close to nature, there is plenty of scope here, too. In south China, the jade green rivers cut through dramatic rock formations in the unfamiliar provinces of Yunnan and Fujian. A river cruise on the Yangtze is another relaxing way of experiencing the contrasts between modern China and traditional China. Trips to China and Tibet can also be of the more unusual kind, with visits to out-of-the-way Buddhist monasteries high up on the Tibetan plateau, where you can cross the “roof of the world” (the Himalayas) by train.