Economy:
In a short span of 25 years between 1978 and 2003,China's economy grew by an average rate of 9.4 per cent,with its gross domestic product(GDP),foreign trade and foreign exchange reserves jumping from US $147.3 billion,US $20.6 billion and US $167 million to US $1.40595 trillion,US$851.2 billion and US$ 403.2 billion respectively.China now is the world's 6 th largest economy(the other five being USA,Janpan,Germany,France,and England)and the 4 th largest trader(the other three being USA,Germany,and Japan).China's per capita GDP,though reaching the record high of US $ 1,000 in 2003,still ranks behind the 100 th place in the world.

Nationalities:
China has 56 nationalities.The Han nationality makes up approximately 91.59 per cent of the total population,mainly living in the eastern part of the country,while the 55 ethnic groups account for 8.41 per cent of the total population in China(according to 2000 census). According to the Chinese Constitution,all nationalities in China are equal.The state protects their lawful rights and interests and promotes equality,unity and mutual help among them.

Language:
The Han nationality,which makes up the overwhelming majority of the population,uses the Han(Chinese) language,which is spoken in all parts of the country.Of the 55 ethnic groups,the Hui and Manchu use the same Han language while the other 53 ethnic groups use their own spoken languages.Of the minority language,Han-Tibetan languages are used by 29 ethnic groups,including the Zhuang,Bouyi,Dai,Tibetan,Yi,Naxi,Miao,She,and Yao, who live mainly in central-south and southwest China.Altaic languages,by 17 ethnic groups,including the Uygur,Ozbek,Kazak,Mongol,Hezhen,and Yugur,who reside mainly in northeast and northwest China.South Asian languages by three ethnic groups.Indo-European languages,by two ethnic groups,and a South-Island language by the Gaoshan people.It is not uncommon for several ethnic groups to share a common language.

Religion:
China is a multi-religious state.Various religions exert different influence on different ethnic groups.The Hui,Yugur,Kazak,Ozbek,Tajik,Kirgiz,Tatar,Dongxiang,Salar,and Bonan nationalities follow Islam.The Tibetan,Mongolian,Dai,and Yugur nationalities follow Buddhism and Lamaism.Christianity is followed by the Miao,Yao and Yi nationalities,Shamanism is followed by the Orogen,Ewenki and Daur nationalities,the majority Han nationality people believe in Buddhism,Christianity and Daoism.The Chinese people enjoy the freedom of religion.

Rivers:
China boasts 50,000 rivers,each having a drainage area of over 100 square kilometers or 38.6 square miles.Of the 50,000 rivers,1,500 of them drain an area of more than 1,000 square kilometers or 386 square miles each. Most of them flow from west to east to empty into the Pacific Ocean .
Major rivers include the Yangtze River (6,300 kilometres or 3,912.3 miles), the Yellow River(5,464 kilometres or 3,393.1 miles),the Hilongjiang River(3,101 kilometres or 1,925.7 miles),the Pearl River(2,215.8 kilometres or 1,376 miles),the Liaohe River(1,390 kilometres or 863.19 miles),and the Haihe River,the Lancang River,Qiantang River…………..etc. Lakes: China has more than 370 large lakes.The five major freshwater lakes include the Poyang(the largest freshwater lake,occupies 3,583 square kilometers or 1,383 square miles.Lake surface elevation,21 metres,deepest,16 metres),Tongting(the second largest freshwater lake, occupies 2,820 square kilometers or 1,088.52 square miles.Lake surface elevation,34.5 metres,deepest,30.8metres),Taihu or Lake Tai(the third largest freshwater lake, occupies 2,420 square kilometers or 934.12 square miles.Lake surface elevation,3 metres,deepest,4.8 metres),and Hongze lake,Chaohu lake………………..etc.

Transportation:
Aviation; Since 1978,China's air network has witnessed an improvement year by year.It now has more than 140 airports.According to the statistics of the Civil Aviation Administration of China(CAAC),by the end of 2003,a total of 1,176 domestic and international airlines were operated in China.According to a landmark pact signed by between China and the United States on June 18,2004,the number of weekly flights between the two countries will increase nearly five times from the current limit of 54 weekly round trip flights to 249 within six years.The more open the market,the more advantaged the stronger power becomes.
Railway: By the end of 2002,China had 71,500 kilometres of railways,among them 15,000 kilometres were electrified.As railway is safe,punctual,and of low cost,and unaffected by weather,overseas tourists usually take soft seats or berth for short distance trips.By 2003,China had more than 2,000 pairs of regular passenger trains.The fifth massive speed-up of China's railways started on April 18,2004,and a sixth massive acceleration of railways will be carried out in 2005 to improve the railway's transport dfficiency,when trains on some major trunk lines will be running at the speed of 200 kilometres per hour.By the end of 2020,the total railways in China available for transport will be increased to 100,000 kilometres from the carrent 73,000 kilometres. Highway: Old saying says “Wealth comes from building road”.By the end of 2002,China had 1.76 million kilometers of highways,of which 25,200 kilometres were expressways,and the length of China's expressways ranks second after the USA in the world.All China's tourism cities have good transportation and communication facilities.Apart from the public bus,there is the tourist coach,mini-bus,and taxi.

Money:
The official currency in China is the renminbi(RMB) or “people's currency.”The basic unit is the Yuan(also know as “kuai”),which wquals 10 jiao(or “mao”),which is then divided into 10 fen.Paper currency comes in 1,2,5,10,20,50,and 100 yuan notes.Paper Jiao comes in denominations of 1,2,and 5.There are also 1 and 2 fen notes.As for coins,there are 1 yuan,and 5 jiao,and 1,2, and 5 fens.

Electricity:
Most luxury hotels in China have built-in converters in bathrooms for shavers,hair dryers,etc.Otherwise,come equipped,because an amazing variety of plug types is in use.The voltage is 220 volts.