Discover China

China has beautiful scenery, with mountains and ranges, highlands and plains, basins and hills. The highlands and hill regions account for 65 percent of the country's total land mass, and there are more than 2,000 lakes.

A land of mystery and charm. Its glorious history, spectacular landscapes, splendid culture and intriguing national customs have always offered a panorama of colour and excitement for visitors.

The third largest country in the world and the biggest of all Asian countries. With an area of 9.6 million square kilometres, it is 1.25 times the size of Australia. China's continental coastline extends for about 18,000 kilometres, and its vast sea surface is studded with more than 5,000 islands, of which Taiwan and Hainan are the largest. It extends more than 5000 kilometres from east to west and more than 5,500 kilometres from north to south, its southern borders lying 4,500 kilometres northwest of Northern Australia.
The topography varies tremendously and includes the world's highest peak, the 8,848 metre Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) on the China-Nepal border,

China has  23 provinces are Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Shangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Hainan. The 5 autonomous regions are Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Guangxi, and Tibet. And, four municipalities are Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing, whilst Hong Kong and Macao are the Special Administrative regions.

The world's most populous country, with Beijing as the People’s Republic of China’s capital, a population exceeding 1.26 billion - almost a quarter of the world's total. To bring population growth under control, the country has followed a family planning policy since the 1970s.

The most popular sites of China:

The Great Wall

The most magnificent man-made project on earth, the Great Wall of China was built 2,500 years ago and stretches more than 6,000 km. It is one of the most spectacular architectures and fortifications of ancient China. It was also one of two structures that astronauts could see from the moon. An ancient Chinese saying: "You cannot be called a hero if you have never been to the Great Wall. You can only truly experience the vastness of China and the essence of the Chinese spirit when you stand on the Great Wall".

Construction of the Great Wall started in the 7th century B.C. The vassal states that under the Chou Dynasty in the northern parts of the country, each built their own walls for defence purposes. After the state of Qin unified China in 221 B.C., it joined the walls to hold off the invaders from the Xiongnu tribes in the north and extended the wall by another 5,000 kilometres.

The Great Wall was renovated from time to time after the Qin Dynasty. A major renovation started with the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, and took 200 years to complete. The wall we see today is almost exactly the result of this effort. With a total length of over 6,000 kilometres, it extends to the Jiayu Pass in Gansu Province in the west and to the mouth of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province in the east.

Yangtze River

To sail through the famous Three Gorges of the Yangtze is to feel the power, majesty and timelessness of China's greatest-and the world's third longest river. Imagine the sight as sheer cliffs of rock close in around you, drawing you deeply into a scene of almost unspeakable beauty. Fishermen brave the rushing waters to net their livelihood, and birds dart between clouds, eyeing their prey far below.

Tian'anmen Square

Located in the centre of Beijing, Tian'anmen Square covers 400 000 square metres. It is the largest city square in the world. Tian'anmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), was the front gateway to the Imperial Palace in the Ming and Qing dynasties. A picture of Tian'anmen is at the centre of the Chinese National Emblem. The inauguration ceremony of the People's Republic of China was held at Tian'anmen Square on October 1st, 1949.

Tomb Figures of Cavalry of the Qin Dynasty

In China, the earliest pottery tomb figures appeared in the Period of the Warring States, but the figures were rough and relatively small. On the contrary, the tomb figures of soldiers and horses of the Qin Dynasty are craftworks of a high level because they are not only larger in size, but also finely made and nicely sculpted. The pottery tomb figures are 1.78 metres high at the lowest, and 1.97 metres at the highest. All the pottery tomb figures in the delves have been sculpted holding their own weapons-the ones they used in actual combat.