Cheap Flights to China

China, officially known as the People’s Republic of China is a vast country in Eastern Asia (about the same size as the United States of America) with the world’s largest population. With coasts on the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, in total it borders 14 nations. It borders Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to the south; Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to the west; Russia and Mongolia to the north and North Korea to the east. Only Russia has more land borders in Asia.

China has many large and famous cities. Below is a list of the nine most important to travelers in mainland China.

• Beijing - capital city, cultural center, and host of the 2008 Olympics
• Guangzhou - one of most prosperous and liberal cities in the south of China near Hong Kong
• Guilin - popular destination for both Chinese and foreign tourists, sensational mountain/river scenery
• Hangzhou - famously beautiful city, major center for the silk industry
• Kunming - capital of Yunnan, gateway to the villages of the ethnic minorities
• Nanjing - a renowned historical and cultural city with many historic relics
• Shanghai - famous for its riverside scenery, China’s largest city is a major commercial center with many shopping opportunities
• Suzhou - "Venice of the East," old city, famous for canals and gardens
• Xi’an - Oldest city and Ancient capital of China and home to ten dynasties including the Han and the Tang, terminus of the ancient Silk Road, and home of the terracotta warriors

You can travel to many of these cities using the lovely new fast trains. In particular, the Hangzhou - Shanghai - Suzhou - Nanjing line is a convenient way to see some historic areas.

People

China is a very diverse place with large variations in culture, language, customs and economic levels. Indeed, it has 56 officially recognized ethnic nationalities, 55 of which officially enjoy affirmative action for admission to universities, exemption from the one-child policy and other social benefits. The economic landscape is particularly diverse. A majority of Chinese still live in rural areas although only 10% of all land is arable. The major cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai are rich and modern. However, more than half the population, some 800 million rural residents, still farm with manual labor or draft animals. The government estimates for 2005 report 90 million living on under ¥924 (US$112) a year; 26 million were under the official poverty line, ¥668 (US$81) a year; the poorest are well below that.

The cultural landscape is unsurprisingly very diverse given the sheer size of the country. Of the 56 ethnic groups recognized by the PRC government, the Han Chinese comprise about 91.5% of the population, although the Han are far from homogeneous and speak a wide variety of mutually unintelligible local "dialects". Many customs and divinities are specific to individual regions and even villages. Indeed even the lunar new year and other nationwide festivals are celebrated in drastically different ways in different parts of the country. After the Han, the Zhuang, Manchu, Hui and Miao round out the top five. Other notable ethnic minorities include: Koreans, Tibetans, Mongols, Uyghurs and Russians. In fact, China is home to the largest Korean population outside Korea and is also home to more ethnic Mongols than Mongolia.

Climate

The climate is extremely diverse, from tropical regions in the south to subarctic in the north. Hainan Island is roughly at the same latitude as Jamaica, while Harbin, one of the largest cites in the north, is at roughly the latitude of Montreal.

There is also a wide range of terrain to be found in China with many inland mountain ranges, high plateaus, and deserts in center and far west; while plains, deltas, and hills are to be found in the east. On the border between the province of Tibet and the nation of Nepal lies Mount Everest, at 8,850 m, the highest point on earth. The Turpan depression, in northwest China’s Xinjiang is the lowest point in the country, at 154 m below sea level. This is also the second lowest point on land in the world after the Dead Sea.

Holidays

China is a huge country with endless travel opportunities. However, during holidays, millions of migrant workers return home and millions of other Chinese travel, so travelers may want to think seriously about rescheduling. At the very least, travel should be planned well in advance. Every mode of transportation is crowded and tickets of any kind are hard to come by, so it may be necessary to book well in advance (especially for those traveling from remote western China to the east coast or in the opposite direction). Train and other tickets are usually quite easy to buy in China, but difficulties arising from crowded conditions at these times cannot be overstated. Some travelers who have been stranded at these times, unable to buy tickets have managed to get airplane tickets, which tend to sell out more slowly.

Around the Chinese New Year, many stores and other businesses will close for several days, a week, or even longer.

China has three major annual holidays:

• National Day - October 1
• Chinese New Year or Spring Festival - late January / mid-February
• Labor Day (May Day) - May 1

These aren’t one-day holidays. Workers get at least a week or two off for Chinese New Year; students get four-six weeks. Both groups get about a week each for National Day and Labor Day.

Also, during early July millions of university students go home and in late August they return to school, jamming transportation options, especially between the east coast and the western provinces of Sichuan, Tibet, and Xinjiang.

Spring Festival is especially busy. Not only is it the longest holiday, it is also a traditional time to visit family, much as Christmas is in the West. More or less all the university students (20-odd million of them!) go home, and more or less all the migrant workers who have left their farms and villages for better pay in the cities go home. This is often the only chance they have. Everyone wants to go home, and China has a lot of "everyone"!

A complete list of Chinese festivals would be very long, since many areas or ethnic groups have their own local ones and even among the Han Chinese, the festivals celebrated vary from region to region. See listings for individual towns for details. Here is a list of some of the nationally important ones not mentioned above:

• Lantern Festival - 15th day of the 1st lunar month, just after Chinese New Year, usually in February or March. In some cities, such as Quanzhou, this is a big festival with elaborate lanterns all over town.
• Qingming Festival - About April 4-6, is called "grave sweeping day" in English. Cemeteries are crowded with people who go to sweep tombs and offer sacrifices. Traffic on the way to the cemeteries becomes heavy.
• Dragon Boat Festival - 5th day of the 5th lunar month, usually in June. Boat races are a traditional part of it.
• Double Seventh Festival - 7th day of the 7th lunar month, usually August, is a festival of romance, sort of a Chinese Valentine’s Day.
• Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Cake Festival - 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually in October. People meet outside, putting food on tables and looking up at the sky while talking about life.
• Double Ninth Festival or Chongyang Festival - 9th day of the 9th lunar month, usually in October.
• Winter Solstice Festival - December 22 or 23.

for more details, Please visit Travel Guide of China