China doesn't do things in a small way. It has the world's largest
population (1.4 billion at last count), the only man-made structure visible
from space (The Great Wall), the world's largest public square (Tiananmen,
which can hold an estimated 500,000 people), and borders on the earth's
tallest peak (Mount Everest). It has produced great religions, great
political movements, great art, and great food. It is an epic nation that
has reinvented itself time and time again, and now, at the dawn of a new millennium,
it is again transforming as it emerges from decades of complete isolation
from the outside world.
China is changing and as it does, it is becoming an easier, more
welcoming place to visit. These days China offers stylish hotels,
international cuisine, air-conditioned
minibuses, and an improved domestic airline system. And, of course, the sweep
of 5,000 years of recorded history and a terrain that encompasses 6 million
square miles. China is bound to the north by the deserts of Mongolia and to
the southwest by the Himalayas; in between
sit everything from exquisite monuments to stunning gorges
to soaring skyscrapers. Delights awaiting visitors
include grand palace complexes and artful temples. Dynastic tombs and
ancient fortresses. Colonial-era mansions and modern-day silk mills.
As more and more travelers are now realizing, China
is fast becoming one of the most enticing, most engaging destinations of our
time.
estimated 500,000 people), and borders on the earth's
tallest peak (Mount Everest). It has produced great religions, great
political movements, great art, and great food. It is an epic nation that
has reinvented itself time and time again, and now, at the dawn of a new millennium,
it is again transforming as it emerges from decades of complete isolation
from the outside world.
China is changing and as it does, it is becoming an easier, more
welcoming place to visit. These days China offers stylish hotels,
international cuisine, air-conditioned
minibuses, and an improved domestic airline system. And, of course, the sweep
of 5,000 years of recorded history and a terrain that encompasses 6 million
square miles. China is bound to the north by the deserts of Mongolia and to
the southwest by the Himalayas; in between
sit everything from exquisite monuments to stunning gorges
to soaring skyscrapers. Delights awaiting visitors
include grand palace complexes
and artful temples. Dynastic tombs and
ancient fortresses. Colonial-era mansions and modern-day silk mills.
