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China

The People’s Republic of China

A Brief History of China

Just like the Great Wall of China, the history of China is very long and winding. It began as one of the world’s first civilizations formed in the fertile Yellow River basin thousands of years ago. Thereafter, China entered the dynastic age beginning with the Xia Dynasty in 2000 BCE. However, China was still very fractured for the next 1800 years. It remained this way until the Great Qin Emperor unified China in 221 BCE. The Qin Emperor ruled with an iron hand and as a result China was more of less unified under dynastic rule until 1912. In 1912, the Nationalists overthrew the Qing Dynasty to form the Republic of China. With the exception of the Japanese occupation, the Chinese Nationalists remained in control until 1949 when they were overthrown by People’s Liberation Army. As a result, the Communist Party of China currently retains firm political control of mainland China.

The Geography of China

China is geographically the second largest country in the world behind Russia. As a result, China contains a very diverse landscape within its 3.7 million square miles. The arid temperatures in the north facilitate the formation of deserts such as the Gobi Desert and Taklamakan Desert. In contrast, the southern territory of China is subtropical and contains lush forest landscapes. Massive mountain ranges such as the Himalayas, Pamir and the Tian Shan separate China from Central Asia and Southern Asia. Furthermore, the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers are the 6th and 3rd longest in the world respectively. They originate on the Tibetan Plateau and flow across China to the populous eastern seaboard.

From the capital city of Beijing the country is governed as 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 2 special administrative regions and 4 directly controlled municipalities.

The Capital City Beijing

According to Wikipedia Beijing is the 3rd most populous city proper in the world behind Shanghai (first) and Karachi, Pakistan (second). Additionally, Beijing is the home of the national legislature of the Peoples Republic of China. Beijing is also one of the directly administered municipalities mentioned above.

The city has a very, very long history. Evidence of prehistoric life dates back over 250,000 years. More recently, evidence of human settlement has existed for over 3000 years, since 1046 BCE.

In 1928, the capital was moved temporarily to Nanjing while the country was under Nationalist control. However, Mao Zedong and the communists overthrew the Republic of China during the Chinese Civil War. Subsequently, in 1949 Mao moved the capital city back to Beijing where it remains to this day. Additionally, the Peoples Republic of China as established by Mao, remains in control of the government.

Some popular locations that we visited in and around Beijing include The Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Mao’s Mausoleum, Wangfujing, Beihai Park, Olympic Park, Lama Temple and much more! 

Shanghai, China

Shanghai is another of the initially mentioned directly controlled municipalities in China. In contrast to Beijing, Shanghai does not have as much historical prestige. Under the Song Dynasty Shanghai was first upgraded from a village to market town in 1074 AD. Shanghai has historically been an important sea port but was an easy target for Japanese pirates. The pirates were finally held at bay after the construction of a sea wall. However, it was not until the 1990’s that Shanghai would see an immense transformation. This was the result of the economic reforms instigated by Deng Xiaoping.

The result was massive construction that immensely transformed Shanghai into a global economic center. For example, the massive construction that went up to form the Pudong skyline is less then 30 years old!

Shanghai currently has a population of over 24 million and it is the largest city proper in the world. Additionally, Shanghai has the busiest container port in the world, it is a global financial center and a transport hub.

Shuiguan Great Wall of China

Visit Shuiguan Great Wall Of China

Posted on August 8, 2017 by mmhgloba

There are 3 locations on the Great Wall of China with easy access from Beijing 1) Badaling Great Wall 2) Juyongguan Great Wall and 3) Shuiguan Great Wall. I visited Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia

Visit Juyongguan Great Wall of China

Posted on July 14, 2017 by mmhgloba

One of the most famous mountain passes on The Great Wall of China is called Juyong pass or “Juyongguan”. In Chinese, “guan” translates as pass or gate. Juyong Pass was Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia
China Panda Breeding Center Chengdu China

Visit the China Panda Bears in Chengdu, China

Posted on July 11, 2017 by mmhgloba

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is a facility used to preserve endangered giant panda bears. As a result, the shrinking population has been abated and there has Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia | Tagged Giant Panda, Red Panda
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Xi'an China

Visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an, China

Posted on January 31, 2017 by mmhgloba

In Xi’an, China the best thing to do is visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. However, the historical pagoda is only one part of a large complex of attractions and Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia | Tagged Temples
Shanghai New Year's Eve

Shanghai New Year’s Eve Fireworks | The Bund

Posted on January 28, 2017 by mmhgloba

To be clear, in China, there are 2 new year celebrations every year. Of course, the main event is the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration which is held annually every Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia

Jiuzhaigou Park “Valley of Nine Villages” Winter Adventure

Posted on January 23, 2017 by mmhgloba

Jiuzhaigou Park is a mystical ecological wonderland in central China. The beautiful mountain valley is situated on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau in northern Sichuan Province. As a result, Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia
Taroko National Park

Taroko National Park Is a Taiwan Treasure

Posted on January 19, 2017 by mmhgloba

Taroko National Park is located in Eastern Taiwan and is most famous for its geological phenomena. Most notably, the park holds marble and jade treasures which are valuable commodities. However, Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia | Tagged waterfalls
Harbin Polar Land Beluga Whales

Harbin Polarland Is The World’s Best Arctic Show

Posted on January 16, 2017 by mmhgloba

Welcome to Harbin Polarland! There are several prolific attractions to visit while attending the Harbin Ice Festival. After visiting Harbin Siberian tiger park and Ice and Snow World then Harbin Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia | Tagged ice festival
Harbin Siberian Tiger Park

Harbin Siberian Tiger Park Adventures in Heilongjiang, China

Posted on January 14, 2017 by mmhgloba

While attending the local ice festival we also visited the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park. Indeed, the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin is the world’s largest. Conveniently, this unique Harbin attraction Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia | Tagged ice festival
Harbin Ice and Snow World

Visit Harbin Ice and Snow World

Posted on January 12, 2017 by mmhgloba

I had arrived in China in November and several friends recommended that I visit the annual Harbin Ice Festival. Indeed, the main attraction is the city of ice creation as Continue Reading →

Posted in All Travel Posts, China, Discover Asia | Tagged ice festival

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