China

China has a lot of culture to see. The old Asian traditions are still practised very intensively today, the influence of the Western World only being felt in the large modern cities.

The landscape in China is extremely varied, don't forget the size of this country. Fertile river beds and broad rice fields flow into plains and high mountains. The most well known animals and plants include the Panda bear, the Water Ox (that is put to work), and of course Bamboo.

China is a Socialist Folksrepublic. The Communist Party is very strong force, known to have influenced the fortune of the country. Despite some political problems, China is a very safe country for foreign visitors.

The richest populated country in the world has a very moving history. Many Kings influenced the country with their Dynasties, until they were abolished by the communist regime of Mao Ze Dong. Despite the bloody cultural revolution against the control of Mao, the communists still have the country under control today and only a small elite portion of the population benefit from the development of the country, whilst the majority of the population live with poverty and unemployment.
China has developed into being a country with a lot of economic influence and appears to be opening up more and more to the Western World.

China

Over a hundred different ethnic groups have existed in China. In terms of numbers, however, the main ethnic group in China is the Han.
Throughout history, many ethnic groups have been assimilated into neighbouring ethnicities or disappeared without a trace. The term Zhonghua Minzu is sometimes used to describe a notion of a "Chinese nationality" transcending ethnic divisions.
The government of the People's Republic of China now officially recognizes a total of 56 ethnic groups. China's overall population is 1.3 billion. The current global population is estimated at being 6.4 billion, making China home to approximately 20%, or one-fifth of the human species (The lack of birth control and promotion of population growth during the rule of Mao Zedong resulted in a demographic explosion). As a response to the problems this is causing, the government has enacted a birth control policy, commonly known as the one child policy.

China is the third largest country in the world with a surface area of 9,6 million square kilometers. It has a population of approx. 1,3 million inhabitants. 92% of the Chinese belong to the Han-clan, and the remaining 8% to smaller groups that live in the north, west and southwest of the country.
The official language in China is Mandarin, however, there are many dialekts spoken. Every fifth citizen on the earth is Chinese, and Chinese is the most common language spoken in the world. Due to the rapidly developing economy and its marketing potential, this language will become more and more important in the future.

China is a country full of opposites and contradictions with many cultural values. As a visitor to China you can expect a country that has opened up to the Western World, but remained faithful to its old traditions. Stagnation seems to be an unknown factor. New cities with ultra modern transport systems, and facilities to accomodate tourists are shooting up in an explosive rate.

A trip to China, is not just a trip to another country, but one to another world.

Weather
The best time to travel to China is between April and the beginning of June, and between September and the middle of November. Summer in China can be very warm and often humid. The Monsoon season is in Summer, which means that you may be confronted with longer periods of rain, and cooler temperatures .... take alone some warm clothes, even if you plan to visit China in the summer.

Festivals
China has many colorful and cheerful festivals. The most important festivals would have to be the Spring festival, (New Years festival), the Lantern festival, the Qingming-festival, the Dragon boat festival and the Moon festival.

In September 2008 China took advantage of the Olympic Games in Peking to provide a great celebration for the whole world putting themselves in the international lime light.

Language

The Han speak several mutually unintelligible tongues, classified by modern linguists as being separate languages, but regarded within the Chinese languages as being "dialects" or "local languages" (topolects) within a single Chinese language.
The various spoken varieties of Chinese share a common written standard, "Vernacular Chinese" or "baihua", which has been used since the early 20th Century and is based on Standard Mandarin, the standard spoken language, in regards to grammar and vocabulary.

Culture

Home to one of the world's oldest and most complex civilizations, China boasts a history rich in over 5,000 years of artistic, philosophical, and political development.
Credited with shaping much of Chinese thought, Confucianism was the official philosophy throughout most of Imperial China's history.
With the rise of Western economic and military power at the turn of the last century, however, non-Chinese systems of social and political organization gained adherents in China. Some of these would-be reformers totally rejected China's cultural legacy, while others sought to combine the strengths of Chinese and Western cultures.
The history of 20th Century China is one of experimentation to find a new system of social, political, and economic organization.

Religion

A wide variety of religions have been practiced in China since the beginning of its history. Temples of many different religions dot the landscape of China, including Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religion.
Chinese religions, unlike many Western religions, are not organizations that demand the exclusive adherence of members. Chinese people may visit Buddhist temples while living life according to Taoist principles and participating in local ancestor worship rituals.
Most Chinese have their own conception of heaven and yin and yang. The Chinese also believe in Astrology, Feng Shui, and Geomancy.
Minority religions introduced from abroad include Islam and Christianity.

Chinese Food

Chinese cooking has a very long tradition and is one of the most varied in the world. Colour, taste, smell and beautiful arrangements are characteristic of all meals. During the preparation of a meal, close attention is paid to choice of ingredients, nutritional value and the cooking temperature.
The chinese cuisine differs a lot from the North to the South. Eating with sticks is quite a challenge initially, however with some practice even eating rice becomes possible. In China eating a meal together has become a most important social event.

Weather

The best time to travel to most areas in China is between April and the beginning of June, and between September and the middle of November. During the Summer months it gets very hot and often quite sticky in China. The Monsoon season is the Summer, and can be accompanied by longer periods of rain. It can be rather cool, so if you are thinking of visiting China in summer, don't forget to take along some warm clothes.

Visa information

A visa is required on travelling to China. More detailed information can be obtained under www.china-embassy.ch.