WELCOME
TO CHINA
General Information of
China during your Visit
Location
China
is situated in eastern Asia on the western
shore of the Pacific Ocean, with an
area of 9.6 million square kilometers.
China's continental coastline extends
for about 18,000 kilometers, and its
vast sea surface is studded with more
than 5,000 islands, of which Taiwan
and Hainan are the largest.
Land Formation
and Rivers
China's
land drops off in escarpments eastward
to the ocean, letting in humid air currents
and leading many rivers eastward. Among
the 220,000 kilometers of rivers the
Changjiang (Yangtze), Huanghe (Yellow)
and Zhujiang (Pearl) are the most famous.
China has beautiful scenery, with mountains
and ranges, highlands, 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. The highest mountain
peak is Qomolangma (Everest), the highest
in the world, 8,848 meters above sea
level; the lowest point is the Turpan
Basin, 154 meters below sea level.
Weather
and Climate
China
has a continental climate, and a latitude
spanning nearly 50 degrees. Much of
the landmass is situated in the temperate
zone, with the tropical and subtropical
zones to the south, and reaching the
frigid zone in the north, so temperatures
differ strikingly across the country.
The northern part of Heilongjiang Province
has long winters but no summers, while
the Hainan Island has long summers but
no winters. The Huaihe River valley
is marked by distinctive seasonal changes,
but it is spring all year round in the
south of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
In the northwest hinterland, the temperature
changes dramatically. China's high tundra
zone is situated in the Qinghai-Tibet,
where the temperature is low in all
four seasons, and incredibly low in
winter. Some desert areas are dry all
year round.
Tourism
There
is strong competition in the travel
and tourism business in China. There
are many reputable and ethical agencies,
and there’s the others. It’s worth remembering
that if an operator is offering a trip
which seems amazingly cheap, then the
difference will be collected some other
way. Sometimes guides and drivers will
pay the agency for the right to guide
the visitor, (“buying” travelers), and
they will then find ways to recover
this from the visitors. Sometimes the
agency will use non-accredited suppliers,
for example for river boats, rather
than those which meet the government
standard.
Population
China
is the most heavily populated country
in the world. Over 1.33 billion in fact,
over 40% urban. Stringent population
controls have been in place for several
decades, and the government aims to
limit the mainland population to 1.37
billion by 2010. However, the population
of great Beijing, for example, is approaching
15 million, and the cities can be crowded
and noisy in parts, as can the buses,
trains, tourist sites etc.
Ethnic
Groups
China
is a multiracial country with 55ethnic
groups, including Achang, Bai, Bonan,
Blang, Bouyei, Korean, Daur, Dai, De'ang,
Dongxiang, Derung, Oroqen, Russian,
Ewenki, Gaoshan, Gelao, Hani, Kazak,
Hezhen, Hui, Jino, Gin, ingpo, Kirgiz,
Lahu, Li, Lisu, Lhoba, Manchu, Maonan,
Mongolian, Monba, Miao, Mulam, Naxi,
Nu, Primi, Qiang, Salar, She, Sui, Tajik,
Tatar, Tu, Tujia, Va, Uygur, Uzbek,
Xibe, Yi, Yuigur, Yao, Tibetan, and
Zhuang. The ethnical groups account
for only 8 percent of the population.
Administrative
Units
China
is divided into 23 provinces, five autonomous
regions, four municipalities under the
direct jurisdiction of the Central Government,
and two special administrative regions.
The 23 provinces are Hebei, Shaanxi,
Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi,Guangdong,
Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Hainan;
The five autonomous regions are Inner
Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Guangxi,
and Tibet; The four municipalities are
Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing;
Hong Kong and Macao are the two special
administrative regions.
Capital
Beijing
is the capital of the People's Republic
of China. A center for politics, economy
and culture, Beijing has been developed
into a world-class metropolis in which
the modern world is blends harmoniously
with the glories of the imperial past
Festivals
Most
of the traditional festivals in China
are based on the Chinese lunar calendar.
There are also three key national holiday
periods in China, when a large part
of the population is on the move – all
travel bookings are extremely tight
at these times, hotels generally increase
their rates and flights and trains can
be very crowded. The main, week-long
holidays are: Chinese New Year in February,
International Labour Day the first week
of May, and to celebrate National Day
the first week in October.
China
Weather, Climate in China
WEATHER
is one of the biggest concerns a traveler
has especially if visiting a country
for the first time. With a country the
size of China it is even more important
as there can be extremes in climate
from North to South especially in the
winter. The daytime temperatures in
Harbin in the winter would be around
-30C (-22F) and night time temperatures
be even lower. While the temperature
in Shanghai would be over 35C ( (95F)
for most of summer. So before you travel
to China it is strongly recommended
that you check the conditions first.
China is vast, and the 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,
Guangzhou) 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.
North-east 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,
Shigatse) 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.
Accommodation
in China
Accommodation in China is generally
convenient. Whether you are in China
on vacation or on business, it is not
difficult to find a hotel.
Our experience says Hotels in China
are much better Hotels than in India.
The standard of Five Star Hotels in
India is equal to Four Star Hotels in
China. In other words, Four Star Hotels
in China have all the luxury facilities
as those are in Indian Five Star Hotels.
Five
Star Hotels are on the higher side with
huge lobbies and much more and have
better service as well as better facilities.Each
Hotel provides different kinds of buffet
with all kinds of breakfast i.e. vegetarian,
non-vegetarian, juices, fruits, bread-butter,
omelet and much more…….
Please
note –
In China Hotels have non smoking area
and smoking areas so one must inform
us before you book the tour, we normally
book non-smoking sectors.
Meals
–
(We do have arrangements to provide
Indian meals)
In China most of the places they provide
Chinese meals and other oriental meals
like Thai food, Korean, Cambodian etc.
There is shortage of Indian Restaurants
in China but we do have arrangements
to provide Indian meals as per your
requirement at Indian Restaurants. For
your information Indian Meals are quite
expensive in China. Normally we provide
vegetarian meal at Indian Restaurants
if somebody needs non-vegetarian meal
he/she must inform us at the time of
booking the tour.
Tips
to Local Guides , Local Drivers &
National Guide–
Please
note - Tips to local guides & local
driver is very very important since
these people survive on these tips only
provided by the passengers during their
tour. Normally minimum tip is as follows
–
Local Guide - $2 per person per day.
Local Driver - $1 per person per day.
National Guide - $2 per person per day.
In the group we recommend tour leader/tour
organizer should collect money from
the clients on daily basis to give tips
to Guides & Drivers after the tour
in each city. This will definitely help
to get better services from Guides &
Drivers during the Tour.
China
Visa –
Please note all nationality other than
Chinese nationals must have multiple
visa for China during their tour.
Optional
Tours –
Please note - Optional Tours particularly
in the evening time are avaliable on
request. The cost of these tours includes
entrance ticket,transportation,Guide
and Driver services. We recommend to
book your optional tour before the departure
of your tour for smooth operation and
to save time and money.
Essential
Recommendations –
-
Baggage - We recommend you
to take with you light luggage of one
suitcase of about 20 Kg, one handbag
during the tour. This is allowed particularly
in domestic flights in China For extra
baggage you have to make additional
payment.
- Camera -
This help you in capturing your special
moments during the tour.
- Umbrella
– In China weather always different
hence we recommend clients to take an
umbrella with them and some soft worm
cloths particularly in Beijing.
- Passport and foreign
currency must keep with you in safety.
The Client should change currency only
in the hotel and local guide will help
you for this. Never change currency
on the street just because they may
provide the duplicate / fake currency.
- Be careful when you
buy anything on road side due to delicacy
happens. We are not responsible for
your shopping; we can guide and assist
you in shopping.
For further information please contact
us through
E-mail - usa@clubramaholidays.com/usa@ramaworldtours.com
or Toll free number 1-800-TEL-RAMA
BON
VOYAGE
