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CHINA
Capital | Beijing
FLAG DESCRIPTION: red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner; the color red represents revolution, while the stars symbolize the four social classes - the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie (capitalists) - united under the Communist Party of China
Population | 1,330,141,295
Area | 9,596,960 SQ KM
Official Language | Mandarin Chinese
Holidays | Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China, 1 October (1949)
Currency | Renminbi yuan (RMB)
Time Zone | UTC +8
Best Time to Visit | March to May (spring) and September to November (autumn)
Connecting with the Culture | Walking around the Great Wall sites near Beijing. Visiting the ancient Forbidden City and Summer Palace in Beijing. Parading through the Terracotta Warriors of Xian, grand reminders of China’s imperial past. Taking a trip to the more modern city of Shanghai. Enjoying the peace in Xishuangbanna’s lush, subtropical rainforest.
Read | The Search for Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence – one of the most readable attempts to encompass Chinese modern history in a single volume; the novels of Pearl S. Buck, including The Good Earth and Imperial Woman
Listen | to Moon Rising in the Rosy Clouds, a selection of classical and modern works featuring traditional instruments by the Chinese National Orchestra
Eat | Peking duck in Beijing
Drink | cha (tea)
In a Word | Tai gui le! (too expensive)
Characteristics | Pandas; unchecked development; students practicing English; modern art scene; Tiananmen Square; noodles; the Great Wall
Surprises | Not all Chinese “look” Chinese: the majority, Han Chinese (92%), are only one of 56 recognized ethnic groups in China.
NEWS ABOUT CHINA:
Hong Kong elects China loyalist as new chief executive
(PHOTO: Leung Chun-ying/Wikipedia) (HN, 3/24/12) - A Hong Kong election committee Sunday chose a China loyalist Leung Chun-ying to lead the territory amid protests by pro-democracy activists. 15 years after Hong Kong’s independence from the UK, a University of Hong Kong survey from December found a growing number of residents view themselves as "Hong Kongers", rather than Chinese. Hong Kong 1st became a British Colony in 1842 when the 'First Opium War' between the UK & China's Qing dynasty ended with the Treaty of Nanking, giving control of Hong Kong to the British to China's chagrin. It was occupied by Japan during the Pacific War, after which the British resumed control until 1997, when China resumed sovereignty. Leung Chun-ying was formerly the Convener of the Executive Council of Hong Kong until his resignation in September 2011. (Read more at CSM)
