China Country & Tourist Information

Location
East Asia.

Area
9,572,900 sq km (3,696,100 sq miles).

Population
1.3 billion (UN estimate 2006). Roughly a quarter of the world’s population lives in China.

Population Density
135.8 per sq km.

Capital
Beijing (Peking).
Population: : 15.2 million (2005), expected to reach 16 million by 2008. Chongqing is the largest urban area, with a population of more than 31 million. Shanghai has a population of over 18 million and, as of 2004, 11 other cities had a population of over 2 million and 23 cities had a population of 1 to 2 million.

Government
People’s Republic. China comprises 23 provinces, five autonomous regions, two special administrative regions and four municipalities directly under central government.

Language
The official language is Mandarin Chinese. Among the enormous number of local dialects, large groups speak Cantonese, Shanghaiese (also known as Shanghainese), Fuzhou, Hokkien-Taiwanese, Xiang, Gan and Hakka dialects in the south. Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang, which are autonomous regions, have their own languages. Translation and interpreter services are good. English is spoken by many guides and in hotels. Many taxi drivers do not speak English, even in big cities.

Religion
China is officially Atheistic, but the stated religions and philosophies are Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. There are 100 million Buddhists and approximately 60 million Muslims, 5 million Protestants (including large numbers of Evangelicals) and 4 million Roman Catholics, largely independent of Vatican control.

Time
GMT + 8. Despite the vast size of the country, Beijing time is standard throughout China.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Two-pin sockets and some three-pin sockets are in use. However, most 4 to 5 star hotels are wired for the use of 110 volt appliances.

Head of Government
Premier Wen Jiabao since 2003.

Head of State
President Hu Jintao since 2003.

Telephone
Country code: 86. Public telephones are available in post offices, hotels and shops displaying a telephone unit sign and at roadside kiosks. Domestic calls are cheaper to make between 2100 and 0700; it is also easier to get a connection during this time. It is often easier to make international phone calls from China than it is to make calls internally. There is a three-minute minimum charge for international calls.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most major international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good in towns and cities throughout the country, with sporadic coverage in rural areas. Almost one-third of the country has coverage.

Internet
Internet is available in many areas of China; there are Internet cafes in Beijing and many other main towns and cities. Beijing routinely blocks access to sites run by the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong, rights groups and some foreign news organizations. Postings by bloggers are now being actively curbed.

Media
China’s media are tightly controlled by the country’s leadership. The industry has been opened up in the areas of distribution and advertising but not in editorial content. Access to foreign news providers is limited and re-broadcasting and the use of satellite receivers is restricted; shortwave radio broadcasts are jammed and websites are blocked. In general, the press report on corruption and inefficiency among officials, but the media avoid criticism of the Communist Party’s monopoly on power. Hong Kong so far has retained its editorially free media. Each city has its own newspaper, usually published by the local government, as well as a local Communist Party daily. 

Agreements are in place which allow selected channels (including stations run by AOL Time Warner, News Corp and the Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV) to transmit via cable in Guangdong province. In exchange, Chinese Central TV’s English-language network is made available to satellite TV viewers in the USA and UK. Beijing says it will only allow relays of foreign broadcasts which do not threaten ’national security’ or ’political stability’. All foreign-made TV programs will be subject to approval before broadcast.

Post
Service to Europe takes from between two days and one week. Tourist hotels usually have their own post offices. All postal communications to China should be addressed ‘People’s Republic of China’. 

Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1900.

Press
• National newspapers include The People’s Daily and The Worker’s Daily, with many provinces having their own local dailies as well.
• News agencies include the state-run Xinhua and Zhongguo Xinwen She (aimed mainly at overseas Chinese nationals).
• The main English-language daily is the China Daily.
• There is also the weekly news magazine Beijing Review, with editions in English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.

Radio
• China National Radio is state run.
• China Radio International is a state-run external broadcaster with programs in more than 40 languages.

Below are listed the Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year.
18-20 Feb Spring Festival, Chinese New Year.
1-3 May Labor Day.
1-3 Oct National Day.

2008
1 Jan New Year. 
7-9 Feb Spring Festival, Chinese New Year.
1-3 May Labor Day.
1-3 Oct National Day.

Note
In addition to the above, other holidays may be observed locally and certain groups have official Public Holidays on the following dates:
8 Mar International Women’s Day. 4 May National Youth Day. 23 May Tibet Liberation Day. 1 Jun International Children’s Day. 1 Aug Army Day.

Contact Information:

China Tibet Tourism Bureau
3 Norbulingka Road, Lhasa, Tibet, People’s Republic of China
Tel: (891) 683 4315.
Website: www.tibettour.org/chinatibettoursite/moban/index.asp

China Tibet Tourism Bureau Beijing Office
Room A28F Oriental Kenzo Plaza, Dongzhimen, Beijing 100027, People’s Republic of China
Tel: (10) 8447 7899.
Website: www.tibettour.net.cn/en

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the UK
49-51 Portland Place, London W1B 1JL, UK
Tel: (020) 7299 4049.
Website: www.chinese-embassy.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1230 and 1400-1700.
Consular and visa section: 31 Portland Place, London W1B 1QD, UK
Tel: (020) 7631 1430 (telephone enquiries: Mon-Fri 1400-1600 only) or 09001 880 808 (recorded visa and general information; calls cost 60p per minute).
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200.

China National Tourist Office (CNTO) in the UK
71 Warwick Road, London SW5 9HB, UK
Tel: (020) 7373 0888 or 09001 600 188 (brochure request and general information; calls cost 60p per minute).
Website: www.cnto.org.uk

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the USA
2300 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 328 2500.
Website: www.china-embassy.org  
Visa section: Room 110, 2201 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA
Tel: (202) 338 6688.

China National Tourist Office (CNTO) in the USA
Suite 6413, 350 Fifth Avenue, Empire State Building, New York, NY 10118, USA
Tel: 1 888 760 8218.
Website: www.cnto.org


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