China • Fabio’s LifeTour

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

China is a populous nation in East Asia whose vast landscape encompasses grassland, desert, mountains, lakes, rivers and more than 14,000 km of coastline. The capital, Beijing, mixes modern architecture with historic sites such as the Forbidden City palace complex and Tiananmen Square. Shanghai is a skyscraper-studded global financial center. The iconic Great Wall of China runs east-west across the country's north.

COUNTRY FACTS

POPULATION

1,303,701,000

RELIGION

Taoist, Buddhist, Muslim

CAPITAL

Beijing (10,849,000)

LIFE EXPECTANCY

GDP PER CAPITA

U.S. $4,700

AREA

9,596,960 square kilometers (3,705,405 square miles)

LANGUAGE

Chinese (Mandarin), Cantonese, other dialects and minority languages

LITERACY PERCENT

FABIO'S REVIEW

Coming soon!

VIEW SLIDESHOW

LOCATIONS EXPERIENCED

Scenic-Areas-around-Beijing-Yesanpo-Huyu-Shuhuashan-Xiaowutaishan-1993-1997-4-COVER

BEIJING (1993-1997 AND 2014)

Beijing, China’s massive capital, has history stretching back 3 millennia. Yet it’s known as much for its modern architecture as its ancient sites such as the grand Forbidden City complex, the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Nearby, the massive Tiananmen Square pedestrian plaza is the site of Mao Zedong’s mausoleum and the National Museum of China, displaying a vast collection of cultural relics.

HARBIN (2014)

Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province. The city grew in the late 19th century with the influx of Russian engineers constructing the eastern leg of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The city's Russian architecture includes its green-domed Saint Sophia Cathedral.

SHANGHAI (1993 AND 2014)

Shanghai, on China’s central coast, is the country's biggest city and a global financial hub. Its heart is the Bund, a famed waterfront promenade lined with colonial-era buildings. Across the Huangpu River rises the Pudong district’s futuristic skyline, including 632m Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, with distinctive pink spheres. Sprawling Yu Garden has traditional pavilions, towers and ponds.

SHEN YANG (2014)

Shenyang is the capital and largest city of China’s northeast Liaoning Province. It was the site of the 17th-century Manchu capital Mukden, and the imposing Mukden Palace (Shenyang Imperial Palace) is a blend of Manchurian and Tibetan architectural styles. Mausoleums of Qing dynasty emperors can be found at the Zhaoling Tomb site, amid the pine forests and lakes of Beiling Park, and at the Fuling Tomb site in the city’s east.

SUZHOU (1993)

Suzhou, a city west of Shanghai, is known for its canals, bridges and classical gardens. The Humble Administrator’s Garden, dating to 1513, contains zigzag bridges over connected pools and islands. The Lingering Garden features ornate viewing pavilions and the Crown of Clouds Peak (a limestone rock). Tiger Hill is home to the 7-story, leaning Cloud Rock Pagoda at its summit.