A Guide to the Chinatown Bus

The word is out-the cheapest way to get from one major U.S.  City to another is on the’Chinatown bus’.  In recent times this has become transportation option of choice for budget travelers in the Big Apple, Washington DC, and Boston, and more latterly on the West Coast.  Scholars, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long loved the rock bottom costs that these bus companies offer.  Notwithstanding the idolization of these bus lines it can still be tricky to find information on Chinatown bus service. 
What exactly is a’Chinatown Bus’?  Read on and you will have the inside track on this great budget travel option. 

Chinatown Bus history

The Chinatown bus phenomenon began in the latter 1990s when an entrepreneur in NY’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in new york to Chinatown in Boston.  The service was targeted at Asian immigrants who wanted to shop or visit relations in either city and needed cheap and convenient transportation.  The service was bare bones-no advertising, customer service, or bus stations.  Customers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or van ), and paid the driver on boarding.  For those prepared to do without frills, they offered virtually the same service as standard bus companies at a significantly lower price .  Before long, the word spread and all kinds of folk began using the service.  It became especially popular with scholars, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply more acceptable. 

shortly more bus corporations replicated this model and began offering service in other cities.  Now you’ll find this kind of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, los angeles, las vegas and San Francisco.  At this point the term’Chinatown bus’ is used more loosely to describe this sort of low-cost/low-frills service.  Many if not most, of the companies don’t have Chinatown as their main location and may not serve the immigrant population in the slightest.  These operators are also sometimes called’curbside’ operators. 

How can tickets be so cheap?

$15 between Big Apple to Boston?  $25 from las vegas to Los Angeles?  It seems hard to fathom.  Chinatown bus firms can keep costs low because they operate in a fundamentally different way from traditional carriers.  Foremost, the service is terribly basic.  There’s not much in the way of customer service or comforts.  Many of these operators don’t have formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead.  They eschew conventional advertising in favour of word of mouth.  Further, lots of the operators play a very hands-on role in the operation-you won’t see idle executives at a small independent bus company.  Ultimately, these operators ensure they fill their buses.  That is why Chinatown bus operators usually only operate on heavily trafficked routes.  Indeed some companies only run buses at top times.

Are they safe?

When these firms first started operating, concerns were raised about safety standards.  There’s still controversy within the bus industry about whether these newcomers are complying with the same laws as the traditional firms. However a task force set up by the central government to look at safety issues found that Chinatown bus companies did not perform good or bad than other sorts of bus corporations ( ie.  Charter, tour buses ).  All bus corporations operating in the U.S.  Must undergo the same inspection standards and must go along with the same rules.  Realistically there’s probably a variety of quality among Chinatown bus carriers.  Some are fly-by-night operators trying to make a fast buck, while others are legitimate entrepreneurs who plan to grow and operate a long-term business. 

What you need to expect

• No frills service-the driver could be the ticket collector ; there won’t be a lot of purchaser service.
• Comfortable buses.  Despite the low fares buses are sometimes quite nice.  Most buses are comparable to Greyhound and many are really more deluxe.
• Communication challenges.  Drivers are legally required to communicate enough English to help passengers in the case of emergency.  In reality this is regularly sticked to rather loosely.  At the very least, expect your driver to have an accent.
• Possible delays.  Many of those bus routes are on highly congested roads.  When the roads are busy, expect delays.
• Rest stops.  Buses will have a can on board but there’s generally a 10 or 15 minute rest room break on trips over 4 hours.  Don’t be late returning to the bus, the driver won’t count heads before leaving at the allocated time.
• Full buses.  Buses definitely sell out at peak times ( weekends and evenings ).  Book ahead or get there early if you want secure a seat.
• Plastic Bags.  An odd tiny idiosyncrasy on Chinatown buses is that every aisle seat typically has a plastic grocery bag tied to the arm.  I guess they find this is the best way to keep the buses clean.

How do I find the Chinatown Bus?

Again,’Chinatown bus’ is a term used to explain a sort of operator and not an individual bus company.  Many unrelated bus corporations fall into this class.  Since most Chinatown buses don’t spend money on advertising it can be tough to find out details about schedules and bus stop locations.  Lots of the carriers are becoming savvier about the Internet and quite a few have websites with information.  Usually a Web search will yield links to bus service to your destination.  There are several directories,eg chinatown-bus.org that include links for most Chinatown bus corporations and the author’s employer, GotoBus.com, is a centralized booking site that has schedules and sells tickets online for most Chinatown bus firms. 

The Chinatown bus is not for everyone.  If you want an orderly system with American style customer service, you should potentially stick to standard carriers.  However if you know what to expect and come prepared with a feeling of adventure and humor, you need to enjoy the trip fine.  You may also enjoy the money you save!

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While Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in the business field, Peking is well recognized as the political, educational and cultural centre of the Country, with a jurisdiction over 18 districts and counties.  To get around this metropolis you could find useful these brief suggestions on public transports once you land there. 

Public Bus and trolley Bus : you want to bear in mind some numbers.  Buses Nos.  1-200 and trolley buses run in the town ( one yuan per person ) ; buses Nos.  201-212 run at night ; buses Nos.  300-599 go to the suburbs, charging according to the distance covered.  Air conditioned buses beginning with n.  Eight are charged according to the distance covered.  They customarily run thru the busy streets.  Buses starting with n.  6 go to the home areas and so on.  ( for details see bjbus.com ). 

Beijing Capital international airport ( 010 645 63 604 ) is one of China’s major gateways.  It is twenty-eight km from the town centre, about 40 minutes’ ride by car.  Taxi costs roughly a hundred yuan. 

There are 4 railways stations in the town : Beijing Railway Station ( ph.  5101 ninety nine ninety nine ), Beijing West ( the largest ; ph : 5182 6253 ), South ( ph : 63030031 ) and North train line stations.  Passengers may buy train tickets from the ticket offices ten days ahead or book by telephone ( ph.  010- 51827188 from 9am-9pm every day ) or net ( 036.com.cn ) five to 11 days ahead. 

There are three different types of taxi charges ( 1.2, 1.6, and two yuan per kilometer ) and they are terribly handy to explore the town.  ( Call the taxi centre : 010- 683 73399 )

tube : four lines criss-cross the city of Beijing.  Line one, Line two, Line thirteen and Batong line.  The latter two are city rails.  They run from 5am till approximately 10 or 11 in the night.  Train entrances feature a gray cement structure with a designated lamp box.  An one-way ticket is about 3-5 yuan. 

Bikes and bikes!  As always we can’t avoid mentioning a healthy, ecological, convenient, cheap, safe and fun method of travel transportation and recreation!  The bike!  China really is the ‘Bicycle Kingdom’, manufacturing and using more bikes than any other nation in the world.  Cycling in China is a kind of life-style for the Chinese folks.  Do not forget that in the traffic and in the narrow alleys of the Hutongs bikes are the best means to explore the town and is a super-individual way of transport by your own pace!  Try companies like The bicycle kingdom to lease your own bike. 

Also, to avoid long nerve wracking researches on where to go and what to do, here we have highlighted for you some of the central Beijing districts divided by main interest.  Haidian District is home of China’s Silicon Valley -Zhongguancun- and 39 schools including Beijing, Tsinghua and Renmin colleges, so fundamentally good for shopping feaver.  Xuanwu District is a good area for everything related to standard drugs whilst the Chaoyang District is the 798 Art District and flea market district.  Dongcheng District is an area where many nice backpackers youth hotels are found.  Just to mention some names : the 9 dragons youth hostel, Beijing town Central youth hostel, the courtyard Hotel, Beijing harbor hotel hostel, the story youth hostel, the Beijing New Dragon Hostel. 

Xicheng District hosts some public parks as the Beihai park, Jingshan Park, Yuetan Park and the Beijing Zoo.  In the area the famous Zhongnanhai and the popular Houhai bar.  If you like this ‘green’ area, we also suggest a very pleasant boutique worth hotel nested in an hold traditional hutong called the Spring Garden yard Hotel.  A hotel in a Chinese standard, deluxe yard, comprises an autumn and a spring garden offering a completely unique cultural connotation.  Actually, each of the rooms introduces you to the life of different distinguished emperors in Chinese history and the dynasties that they lived in.  In the multifunction hall, there are approximately one hundred pictures with English translations showing Beijing ( Peking ) past.  These include places of interest, culture, faith, and everyday life in the city.  There’s also a staff member available to answer questions and explain the eight hundred years of Beijing history ). 

Other central location districts are : Fengtai District ; Shijingshan District ; Chongwen District.

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In the late 1990s when the first low-fare bus service from Chinatown in new york to Chinatown in Boston started running, few would have expected the impact it would’ve had on the bus industry in total.  This wasn’t a service that was promoted to the general public.  It was meant to appeal to a specific group of people–recent Chinese immigrants–who required an inexpensive way to travel between the 2 cities to visit family, shop, or work.  The expansion of this phenomenon was organic.  The public heard of the’Chinatown bus’ via personal recommendation.  It caught on quickly and soon the market was flooded with other firms offering similar service on a selection of routes. 

it might be incorrect to claim that the only reason that these firms succeeded was due to cost.  Actually this was the main enticement for travelers.  However, it has to be said that the service that the conventional bus carriers was offering was ripe for competition.  In truth were the ‘full service’ offerings of the standard bus companies worth a premium?  Hardly.  Customer service lacked on every level, bus stations didn’t provide a comfortable waiting area, buses were often shabby and service was tormented by delays. 

Years after the advent of this first New York to Boston route, it is worth examining how it has been responsible for the bus industry to develop in total.  Overall, it sort of feels like the independent companies and the standard carriers are meeting somewhere in the middle.  Independent carriers have offered more amenities, adhere to closer to safety standards and laws, and increase fares.  At the same time, the standard carriers have been compelled to offer fiercely competitive pricing and generally tighten up their operations.  Greyhound and its partners tend to offer the most competitive pricing on the popular New York-Boston and NY -DC routes.  Further, these routes are the sole ones for which online consumers do not have to pay the large $4 online booking surcharge usually imposed at Greyhound’s web site.  They heavily promote this discounted pricing and it usually requires customers to book ahead online ( buying tickets at the time of exit can be virtually twice as expensive as thru their internet site ). 

What about safety standards?  This is the most argumentative point of discussion in the industry.  There are countless reports of safety violations and certainly anecdotal accounts of poor safety practices.  However , it does not appear that the real safety records of these firms are really worse than other bus carriers that are subject to the same Fed rules.  Thanks to intense lobbying efforts, in 2004 a special task force was set up by the Fed Motor Carrier Safety Administration ( FMCSA ) to step up inspections of’curbside’ ( Chinatown ) bus firms.  Despite the increased inspections, the FMCSA reported that curbside carriers had about the same rate of violations as other types of carriers under her agency’s authority3.  This is going to be a sign that hazardous operators have either stopped running or have improved their level of safety.

Fortunately bus travel is normally an extremely safe mode of transportation, with a median yearly fatality rate of only 22 for the past 10 years.  No bus deaths to date have involved Chinatown bus carriers.  Accidents are frequently reported for all segments of the industry–municipal buses, line run carriers, charter and tour companies1,2.  No concrete research has suggested that Chinatown bus corporations have a higher prevalence of Problems than other operators. 

it is vital to note that what was once a tiny niche of the bus industry is now an overcrowded segment.  To lump all carriers following this inexpensive model in the same group would be badly judged.  The standard of the service offered by the assorted companies varies greatly.  Some are fly-by-night concerns while others have transitioned into large companies with many employees and fleets of buses. 

Another development is that Chinese immigrants are not the sole players in this segment of the bus industry.  Several supposed’Chinatown’ bus firms belong to Hassidic Jews.  Additionally many charter bus corporations have entered the line-run business using the same low-cost model as Chinatown bus lines. 

The Chinatown bus industry has grown from a simple, one-man-operation to a longtime segment of the bus industry.  In all likelihood the evolution of the industry is not complete.  We intend to probably see some regulatory changes which will effect the way in which the Chinatown carriers run their operations.  Similarly, as competition within the segment increases, the poorly run operators will most likely be forced out of the game.  The standard carriers will have to continue to offer competitive fares and will also have to find new techniques compete.  What’s extravagantly clear is that shoppers are very pleased to forgo plenty of the services offered by conventional carriers in order to save cash. 

1Police : Driver fatigue likely factor in fatal bus crash
Monday, November twenty-eight, 2005 ; Posted : 7:15 a.m.  EST ( 12:15 GMT ) http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/27/california.bus/

2T bus catches fire in Everett ; blaze is fourth in 5 weeks
No riders are hurt ; officials seek cause
By Lucas Wall, Boston globe October 6, 2005

3 testimony of Annette Sandberg, FMCSA director, given before the House Committee on transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on roads, Transit and Pipelines.  Washington DC, March second, 2006.

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They are saying the world is shrinking and it is, in respect of the simplicity of world travel.  Holiday makers need to travel to the more remote outposts of the Earth and adventure travel is increasingly popular.  When I was a kid, I dreamt of visiting the Far East and the Great Wall China, particularly.  China held a fascination for me but I never dreamt that I’d essentially get there one day. 

My husband and I chose to save up and go on the holiday of a lifetime.  We’ve got a pal who lives and works in Japan who speaks Chinese Mandarin fluently, having studied the language at Beijing college and has additionally worked in Taiwan.  The plan was to visit our friend in Tokyo and see a bit of Japan.  Then we flew to HK to spend some time there and then onto China.  Our friend went with us, which made the trip a lot more fun and far easier, having somebody to translate for us. 

Beijing is a fascinating place and we did the usual sightseeing, including exploring the prohibited Palace and Tinnamen Square.  One of the striking things is the quantity of cars in the town and the background noise of tooting auto horns.  Then came the time to ski the coach to take us to the Great Wall China.  We had read as much about it as we could but nothing actually prepares you for it. 

I was determined to walk the wall, some of it anyway, as it stretches over 4,000 miles!  When we arrived, it was very busy, generally with Chinese folk and a few foreigners sprinkled here and there.  We walked one of the preferred stages of the Great Wall China.  It is divided into watchtowers, gateways and old barracks, some sections all the way back to the 5th century.  The longest human made construction in the world transcended all expectations. 

remarkably our buddy, who has one leg, had walked the wall before and this was his 2nd visit.  He leapt ahead of me, on his crutches and disappeared into the distance!  It was the toughest thing i have ever done and I was almost at quitting point sometimes but I persevered and finished my section.  The Great Wall China steps are very steep in places and it takes every ounce of energy to climb them.  There are several sellers there, selling clothing, post cards and other mementos.  I proudly acquired my I Climbed the Great Wall T-shirt, which I continue to wear today.  Experiencing the Great Wall China was truly notable and I’d recommend it to everybody.  Go to the gym first and get fit first, which is what I should have done but didn’t!

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A fishing vacation is rarely complete without fishing in the waters of hong kong, China.  You’ll explore the fishing realms that the area has to offer .  Hong kong has once been known as a superb port for fishing fans.  HK will offer you the kind of fishing that you will never forget. 

People could be after the food, shopping and the holiday maker spots of the region.  But for folk who are into fishing, hong kong can give more than what is anticipated of it as a city.  To fish in HK is extraordinarily exciting.  You will be in a position to learn and experience the techniques of fishing they have in hong kong. 

Since it is encircled by an ocean, this explains why the general public fish in saltwater in Hong Kong.  Targeting a fish is extremely simple.  The ocean and the harbors are very accessible.  You can fish in the harbors of Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kwun Tong or the HK Island. 

In hong kong, saltwater fishing is done everywhere in the surrounding ocean.  There’s never been a scarcity of fish in this region.  You will find fish everywhere in the water.  Travellers who come to fish can also visit Stanley, which is near hong kong.  Stanley will be perfect for you if you’re someone that wants peace, enjoy fishing quietly and away from the city life. 

The Lamma Island and Sai Kung headland and are also spots recommended by local Anglers.  These 2 places still have the features offered by a normal fishing hamlet.  They also provide people with charter boats. 

The Anglers in HK use the same saltwater fishing methods that are used in the US.  You may use your own techniques even if it is’s deep sea fishing or surf fishing.  Many people also use bloodworms or shrimps to catch fish. 

hong kong, also provides fresh water fishing.  Carp, Big Head Tilapia, and edible Goldfish are the types of fish that you’ll catch in these water reservoirs.  Tourists , however , have an issue trying the Freshwater fishing since they still have to offer a license to fish in HK. 

Going to HK to fish doesn’t require much planning for a fishing trip.  You will be able to hunt down easily the hot spots of HK where you can enjoy fishing.  Hong kong is trapped by water, meaning that fishing is everywhere.  You will be surprised that in a couple of hours, you’re able to catch a bucketful of pan-sized fish.

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A fishing holiday is never complete without fishing in the waters of HK, China.  You’ll explore the fishing realms the region has to give.  HK has once been known as a brilliant port for fishing enthusiasts.  HK will offer you the kind of fishing that you’ll always remember. 

People may be after the food, shopping and the holiday maker spots of the region.  But for people who are into fishing, hong kong can give more than what’s predicted of it as a city.  To fish in hong kong is terribly exciting.  You will be able to learn and experience the methods of fishing they have in hong kong. 

Since it is enclosed by a sea, this explains why the general public fish in saltwater in Hong Kong.  Targeting a fish is very simple.  The ocean and the harbors are awfully accessible.  You can fish in the harbors of Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kwun Tong or the HK Island. 

In hong kong, saltwater fishing is done everywhere in the surrounding sea.  There’s never been a scarceness of fish in this region.  You may find fish everywhere in the water.  Tourists who come to fish can also visit Stanley, which is near HK.  Stanley will be perfect for you if you are someone that wants peace, enjoy fishing quietly and away from the city life. 

The Lamma Island and Sai Kung peninsula and are also spots commended by local Anglers.  These 2 places still have the features offered by a normal fishing hamlet.  They also provide people with charter boats. 

The Anglers in HK use the same saltwater fishing methodologies that are used in the States.  You may use your own systems even if it’s’s deep sea fishing or surf fishing.  Many of us also use bloodworms or shrimps to catch fish. 

HK, also provides clean water fishing.  Carp, Big Head Tilapia, and eatable Goldfish are the kinds of fish that you are going to catch in these water reservoirs.  Visitors have a difficulty trying the Freshwater fishing since they still have to provide a license to fish in hong kong. 

Going to hong kong to fish does not require much planning for a fishing trip.  You will be able to find easily the hot spots of hong kong where you can enjoy fishing.  HK is besieged by water, that means that fishing is everywhere.  You’ll be shocked that in a couple of hours, you’re able to catch a bucketful of pan-sized fish.

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A trip to china is a trip to another world.  China has different culture, food and folks.  It is necessary with some bureaucracy before you enter the country, among other things you must make an application for a visa.  This are a selection of the reasons why you want some China travel hints before you go visit this vast and beautiful country. 

when you’re planning your trip to China there are some things you need to look after.  Here is a list with the most important things ;

* ensure that you have all obligatory paper-documents, you need this in order to entry the country.  A Chinese visa you might get at a Chinese embassy in your country, some travel agencies might also be able to organize this for you. 

* For group travel, your travel agency will help you get a group traveller visa, which is sufficient for entry into the country. 

* Travel insurance is also recommended to buy although it isn’t completely necessary. 

* make sure that you bring small quantities of the local currency, named Yuan, and American dollars.  Yankee dollars is nice to have in the event of emergency.  Keep the Yank dollars in your socks or shoes. 

* undergo all requisite immunizations. 

* Learn the geography and the different time-zones. 

* Memorize the location to one of the consulates that belongs to your country. 

Before you leave home, brush up on the country declarations.  There are definite rules about what you can bring into the country that may limit you on certain items, especially electronics like cameras, video recorders, PCs and more .  Items like these will have to be declared in customs on entrance to the country. 

China has a particularly large land-areal, it is one of the biggest nations in the world, due to this the climate is totally different across the nation.  Some places it can be snow although it is summer and sun in others.  A good tips is to select the time of travel conscientiously. 

The best times to arrive are in May, September and October.  Though the country can be visited all year, these three months are the most cosy weather sensible but you might find some great travel deals in the winter months. 

Aglorious good~ sound} advice is not to cover all of the great tourist-attractions in one trip, the country is simply way to huge.  Your best bet would be to identify some areas that you would like to explore and then try to plan your itinerary primarily based on these places. 

Some nice places to go to might be ;

* The great wall of China

* Hainan island

* Beijing

* Yangtze river

* Shanghai

These places are grand and it is highly recommendable that you visit them, although it’s a great distance between many of them.  You can get to them by catch a train, bus or plane.  I’d suggest to take the aeroplane because China is extraordinarily large country and you do not want to spend all of your vacation on a bus or train, even though train and bus are an inexpensive way of travel in China. 

Be prepared and you will do fine in China.  Have a nice trip.

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ChinaVideoTravel is a new sort of video travel internet site that provides an immediate online visible exploration of locations and holiday maker attractions around Shanghai and Beijing with more Chinese location videos and articles being added to the site each week.  At the press of a mouse you can read educational articles and view engaging videos about China on nearly any topic, like its history, people, produce, travel locations, traveling hints, astrology, food, and you can even pick up a few simple to cook and really flavorsome Chinese recipes. 

So far China Video travel has made many online video shows in numerous locations in and around Beijing and Shanghai.  Our Chinese video travel tours take you to places such as The Great Wall of China, The Forbidden city ( now called the Palace museum ), Tiananmen Square, The Imperial Summer Palace, the Ming crypts, and the ultra modern skyline of Shanghai’s new business district Pudong.  The many backstreets and Shopping areas of Beijing and Shanghai are a real visual experience and not to be missed and the journey doesn’t stop there as we give you sneak preview video tours of what occurs behind the curtain of some of China’s well known industries such as the Jade, Tea, silk, and diverse Chinese artisan and performance groups, you’ll be amazed at what the Chinese can do.  Care for an online tea tasting? 

We are continually updating the site with new articles and many more Chinese travel videos of tourist locations and points of interest around China.  If you would like to experience life in China ( especially Beijing and Shanghai ) from the comfort of your own house log onto chinavideotravel.com now, and take yourself on a rememberable video travel tour through China that may help you experience, start to know, and appreciate some of the most fascinating and beautiful things the Chinese have to offer .

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China, with an area of 9.6 million sq km, is the 3rd biggest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada.  Found in eastern Pacific Rim, China is bordered by Russia and Mongolia to the north ; Russia and North Korea to the east ; Russia and Afghanistan to the west ; and India, Pakistan, Nepal, Burma, Bhutan, Vietnam, and Laos to the south.  The capital of China is Beijing.  Shanghai is the biggest city. 

traveling to China is a life time experience and a perfect way to understand the land of cultural and geographic schisms.  China offers gigantic possibilities for its visitors to make their travel quite engaging.  Whether you are interested in Chinese culture, Chinese history, or simply to enjoy Chinese views, a trip through the Chinese mainland has it all. 

if you do not have a couple of years for exploring the Chinese mainland, it’s a good concept to follow a loose itinerary.  Some good suggestions along these lines include a trip from the Chinese capital to Tibet thru Xi’an’s terracotta warriors, following the traditional Silk route, sailing down the Yangtze stream ( which supplies the most rarest and stunning views of Mother Nature ), or traveling round the Dr Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province. 

Beijing has been crowned as the nation’s capital for roughly 5 hundred years.  The city boasts some of the pretty sights such as the off-limits palace of Ming and Qing emperors, the banned city, their eunuch servants, princesses and harems.  The Summer Palace, one of the major attractions, was constructed in the latter Qing period.  China’s renowned imperial inheritance – the Great Wall – starts from Beijing.  The wall can be viewed from numerous places {, however ,} majority of the visitors approach it from Beijing. 

The sacred mountains of China have always been major pilgrimage destinations for many centuries and all these mountains feature well marked trails to the summits.  There are stairways carved into rock faces, and sights en-route includes inscriptions and poems and many churches.  The dawn at the summit is unavoidably one of the most spotted attractions.  Huangshan, Emeishan, and Taishan are the hottest mountains majority of the foreign travellers never miss in their China travel. 

China also prides for being home to the biggest Buddha statue in the world.  The Grand Buddha at Leshan in Sichuan Province is 71 m high and carved into a cliff face which overlooks the meeting of the Dadu and Min streams. 

China’s well-known collection of western european design is lined up facing the sea on the Bund in Shanghai.  Xiamen in Fujian Province features excellent collections of colonial design, on Gulangyr Island. 

Tourist attractions in China are too much info to cover.  Thus it’s better to contact a traveller operator first and get a concept about the chance and price of different tour programs before starting on one.

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China is usually left out of dialogue of early civilization which is a mistake since it was one of the first.  If you are taking a trip to China, here is some background info your should know. 

An Overview of China for Travelers

The official name of the country is the People’s Republic of China.  China covers a land mass of over 3.7 million square miles, making it a large country indeed.  The capital is Beijing.  Other major towns include Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Harbin, and Chengdu. 

With such a big land area, you can image that there’s a large range of terrain in the country.  Generally, one can find fields, deltas and hills in the east, while mountains, high plateaus and a vast desert exists in the west.  The climate ranges from tropical in the far south to arctic cold in the far north on the border with Siberia, Russia. 

The people of China are called Chinese.  The most recent population study put the total number of Chinese at over 1.3 billion folk, more than 4 times as many folk as found in the U.  S.  .  Population growth , however , has decelerated to approximately half a percent annually.  The cause of the slow down is very arguable.  Worried about business strain due to population expansion, China has implemented a policy of allowing for only one kid per family with some minor exceptions.  Enforcement of this policy is supposedly done thru fines, but forced abortions are known to occur despite presidency policy opposing them.  The government wants to stabilise the population at not more than 1.6 billion people thru 2050.  The existing child death rate is an incredibly high 25.5 per one thousand births. 

Ethnicity in China is a hodgepodge issue given its massive size and long history.  Han Chinese is the dominant group, composed of over 91 percent of the people.  This is a particularly loose group , however , as evidenced by varied dialects of language in the country.  There are 7 major Chinese dialects and literally hundreds of localized dialects.  Mandarin is the dominant dialect, spoken by over 70 percent of the population in one form or another.  That having been said, only sixty p.c of the Han Chinese can talk it with the leftover forty p.c talking other dialects.  As well as Mandarin, languages spoken widely included Turkic, Korean, Uygur, Tibetan and Mongolian.  It is often expounded that folk in one part of China can’t communicate with folk on the opposite side. 

From a spiritual perspective, China is officially non-believer.  That having been said, it requires a lax view towards religions that work with the govt.  Buddhism is the largest faith with over one hundred million practitioners.  Taoism is the second most popular.  There is a handful of Muslim and Christian believers, but nothing important. 

As this overview demonstrates, China is large and unique.  This makes it a great travel destination.

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