Full Country Name: The People's Republic of China
Population: 1.24 billion
Area: 9,600,000 million square km
Language: Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua)
Capital City: Beijing
National Day: October 1
National flag: Red flag with five stars
National emblem: Tiananmen Gatetower under five stars, encircled by ears of grain and with a gear wheel below
Largest city: Shanghai
Ethnic Groups: 93% Han, 7% Other (including Zhuang, Hui, Uygur, Yi, Miao, Manchu, Tibetan, Mongol, Tujia, Bouyei, Korean, Dong, Yao, Bai, Hani, Kazakh, Dai, and Li minorities)
Currency: Renminbi (RMB) yuan
Exchange Rate: 8.3 yuan=US$1
Weights and Measures: metric system
Gross Domestic Product: 8,940.4 billion yuan (at the end of 2000) .
Topography: High in its west and low in its east: mountain areas 33.3%, plateaus 26%, basins 18.8%, plains 12% and hills 9.9%
Islands: Among the 5,400 islands, Taiwan Island (about 36,000 square km) is the largest, Hainan Island (about 34,000 square km) the second
Mountains: Among the 19 mountains over 7,000 meters high in the world, seven are in China. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as "the roof of the world", has many high mountains. The Himalayas, with an average elevation of 6,000 meters, have the world's highest peak Mount Qomolangma, 8,848 meters above sea level.
Rivers: The Yangtze River, 6,300 km long, the third longest in the world after the Nile and the Amazon. The Yellow River, the second longest in China, stretching 5,464 km.
Climate: Most of the country in the temperate zone, although geographically the country stretches from the tropical and subtropical zones in the south to the frigid zone in the north.
Time: Beijing Time. Beijing is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, 12 hours ahead of New York, and 15 hours ahead of San Francisco. All time within China is based on Beijing time, and there are no adjustments for seasons or longitude.

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China is one of the biggest countries in the world. It has an area of about 9.6 million square kilometers which comprises about 6.5 per cent of the world total land area, and its population of 1.24 billion accounts for more than twenty per cent of the world's population.

China has the world's oldest continuous civilization, and many of the world's most revered treasures, such as the Great Wall, the Yangtze River and Terra-Cotta Warriors. World Travel Organization (WTO) predicts that by year 2020, China will be the number one travel destination in the world.

The following offers a fast and ready reference of basic China facts as a guide for visitors and others.

Climate

China's climate and conditions vary widely from region to region.

Different kinds of weather:

Beijing in March will be like Washington DC at the same period—sometimes quite chilly, often windy, occasionally dusty--then warmer by late April, and in the 90’s by May;
Traveling in mid-China will hit cool to warm weather (and very cold if climbing a mountain);
Shanghai and Hong Kong in May/June will be in the high 90’s, with humidity to match.
North-Central China (Beijing, Xian) is similar in climate to Nebraska and Kansas, with less snow and rain during the winter. Late winter and early spring bring regular dust storms and haze.
South-central China (Shanghai, Guanzhou) is comparable to the Gulf Coast states, through winter storms do not occur as often. Summer is hot and humid with frequent rain. Winter is shorter, cooler, and often overcast with drizzle.
Northeast China (Shenyang, Harbin) is similar to Minnesota. Summer is hot and dry, and winter is long and very cold.
Xinjiang (Urumqi, Kashgar) experiences severe climatic conditions with dramatic daily temperature swings. Summer can get very hot during the day, but generally cools off at night. Similarly, winter temperatures warm up during the day but plummet at night.
Tibet (Lhasa, Xigaze) also sees marked changes. When the sun shines, temperatures reach the mid-80s in the summer and the mid-60s in the winter. At night or when it rains or snows, temperatures drop significantly. Precipitation is minimal in the winter; summer showers are more common but occur mainly at night.

Before decide when to take a tour, it is worth checking carefully the weather conditions of each city on the itinerary. Of course, if you choose the most attractive season to visit, you also choose the time when tourist spots and hotels are most stuffed.

While China is a year-round destination, the months of May, September, and October are ideal months for travel anywhere in the country. In the north, the winters are cold, and summers are warm, with moist monsoon air streams making it hot (80% of China's rainfall occurs between late May and early October, mostly in the Southern regions). June through August is a good time to visit central and northern China. Spring and autumn are the best months for travel in Southern China. The months of March and April are the lower-priced shoulder season; while the lowest price, off-season travel, is from November through the winter months. This is when adventuresome travelers are rewarded with unbelievably low prices and far fewer fellow tourists.

Regardless the time of the year, a visitor will always be rewarded with charming scenery throughout China.

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