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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@ramaworldtours.com or Toll free number
1-800-TEL-RAMA
BON VOYAGE
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