China - Ancient Treasures Modern Wonders

China is a colorful, clashing patchwork of the ancient and modern. The diversity of this sprawling country’s archaeology, architecture, cuisine, and cultural heritage will fascinate even the most jaded traveler. Whether you prefer a slow boat down the Yangtze, scaling the Great Wall, or hitting the streets of Shanghai for shopping and nightlife, traveling through the Middle Kingdom offers endless opportunities for adventure.

Geography

• Located in Southeast Asia along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, China is the world’s third largest country, after Russia and Canada. With an area of 9.6 million square kilometers and a coastline of 18,000 kilometers, its shape on the map resembles a rooster.
• People tend to divide China into four regions, the North, South, Northwest and the Qinghai-Tibetan areas. Because of geographical differences, residents of each region have distinctive life styles and customs.
• The vast land expanses of China include plateaus, plains, basins, foothills, and mountains. Rugged plateaus, foothills, and mountains occupy nearly two-thirds of the land. This higher elevation in the West and lower in the East resembles a 4-step ladder.
• China has large areas of mountainous land, about two-thirds of the country. The ranges mainly run from east to west and from northeast to southwest. Among these mountains, some seemingly scrape the sky, and others feature charming scenery.
• China has numerous rivers and lakes. According to statistics, more than 50,000 rivers have drainage areas that exceed 100 square kilometers; more than 1,500 exceed 1,000 square kilometers. These rivers can also be classified as exterior and interior rivers. The Yangtze, the longest in China and even in Asia, is the third longest in the world.