Sneak Preview

The great show that China put up during the 2008 Olympics announced to the world what everyone always suspected – China is a destination waiting to be discovered. Small Ming dynasty villages scattered around the countryside juxtapose against the towering skyscrapers of busy Shanghai make the diverseness of China apparent. From the Great wall of China to the Terracotta warriors of Xian, China symbolizes many things to may people. Kung fu. Ming vases. Silk. Tea. Classic cuisine. Confucius. Chairman Mao. Paper. Pagodas. Pandas. Paintings. Porcelain. China represents all that – and much, much more.

China has for a very long time played a pivotal role in the development of civilization – civilization may actually be said to have `dawned' (a grandiose term but singularly appropriate here) in China. And with its secrets finally beginning to open up to tourism, China itself is fast becoming an attractive destination. Travel to China and unravel the mystery.

'Face' is very important to the Chinese; do not do anything that may cause you or your hosts to lose face.

Historically Speaking

When it comes to history, China has a long and eventful one. Prehistoric remains indicate that China was already pretty well inhabited by the time of the Stone Age. The first more or less documented Chinese dynasty was that of the Zhou, the third of the fabled Three Dynasties who ruled China around 2000 years ago. As centuries passed, dynasties came and went. But China reached its peak only in the time of the Tang dynasty, in the 7th Century, when foreign trade enriched China considerably; Buddhism came to the land, the empire expanded and arts and crafts developed. The Tang dynasty eventually ended in military squabbles and political turmoil. China remained largely insignificant until the era of the Song dynasty (1126 onwards), during whose reign gunpowder, the magnetic compass and moveable type printing were developed, as were the arts.

The Song dynasty was wiped out by Genghis Khan, whose grandson, Kublai Khan, founded the Yuan dynasty in 1278. It was during this period that the foundations of Beijing’s Forbidden City were laid, and Marco Polo visited China. The next important empire was that of the Ming dynasty, in whose era the Great Wall was built and exquisite porcelain was developed.

China was already a big name in maritime trade, and trade with Portugal finally led to the Portuguese occupation of Macao. By mid 17th century, the Ming dynasty was replaced by the invading Manchus, who set up house as the Qing dynasty, and brought to China probably the most powerful and wealthy period it has ever seen. However, colonial powers had started eyeing China; the British began smuggling in opium leading to the Opium Wars. Political turmoil hit China by the late 1800s, with rebellion, dissension (most notably, the Boxer Rebellion), colonial occupation and general blood-letting. The Chinese Empire, already on its last legs, fizzled out in 1911, and was replaced by Dr Sun Yat Sen’s republic. The new republic’s hopes for a stable state died a swift death- World War I and the Japanese occupation dashed all chances of peace and prosperity. By 1921, however, Mao Tse-tung had began to organize the peasants into a workers’ army, under the aegis of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that later came to be known as the Red Army. The Red Army eventually triumphed against the `imperialist’ forces of Chiang Kai-shek and the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed in October 1949.

China has faced major troubles since then: population explosion, the Korean War, the trouble in Tibet, and rebellion against the communists. The intervening years were marked by an underlying tension between the forces in power and the people; the Cultural Revolution saw some gruesome purges in an effort to rid China of all that was old and `outdated’. 1978 and Deng Xiao-ping brought in a new economic policy, which helped the country open up in economic terms. The economic liberalization did not extend to other areas - the government still ruthlessly suppresses dissent, the 1989 Tian’anmen Square massacre is one such instance. Fortunately, Hong Kong’s return to the fold has not affected life on the island; the administration has surprisingly not suppressed public opinion in Hong Kong as vigorously as it does elsewhere.

Habitat

China’s a huge country- the third largest in the world, as a matter of fact. It spreads over 9,326,410 sq km of land and has a coastline stretching for 14,500 km. Such a large country, obviously, has a very diverse topography: there are plateaus, plains, mountains, and more. Broadly speaking, much of western (especially south-western) China, which consists of Tibet, lies in the rugged Himalayas- the highest mountain peak being Everest, at 8848 m. Tibet also encloses a plateau, from which four important rivers arise: the Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, and Hwang-ho (the Yellow River). The East is more humid, a fertile area watered by the Yangtse, while Central China is warmer (hot, actually- the Turpan Depression has been called the `Oasis of Fire’) and arid - the Taklamakan Desert occupies a large area. Plateaus- the Inner Mongolian and the Yunnan-Guizhbon- lie to the north and the southwest, respectively.

China’s environment has suffered terribly because of overpopulation: forests have been decimated; famines, air pollution, water pollution, water shortages, acid rain and soil erosion are just some of the problems facing the country today.

Flora and Fauna: A country as vast as China would obviously have a very wide range of flora and fauna too. China has many different types of wildlife- and vegetation. Half of the country- especially Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Ningxia and Qinghai- is covered by grasslands, with rare animals like the Asiatic Wild Ass, Przewalski’s horse and the Bactrian camel.

In addition, nearly 1/5th of the land is desert- particularly in the northeast. Much of the north, other than the deserts, has montage vegetation- mainly coniferous forests inhabited by moose, Asiatic black bears and birds. Central and Southern China is, (wherever there is any natural vegetation left- most of the land has been cleared for agriculture) covered by subtropical forests (with more than 1,46,000 species of plants!). Found here are some well known animals: the golden monkey, the South China tiger (only 20 left), and- best known of all- the giant panda. Yunnan and Hainan Island comprise a very rich ecosystem- they are covered with tropical rainforests, and are home to nearly a fourth of China’s total number of species.

China has tried to preserve its natural heritage- there are more than 300 nature reserves- but, with its huge population, the task of preserving the natural flora and fauna of the country becomes well nigh impossible.