CHINA is a vast country, situated in the Far East. The landscape varies from high plateaux in the West, to flatlands in the East, with the mountains occupying almost one third of the land. The most notable mountains are the Himalayas, with Mount Everest lying on the border between China and Nepal.

The country consists of many provinces, each with its own dialect and regional characteristics.

The capital, Beijing, lies in the Northeast, and can be described as one great, historic museum. The inner area ‘The Forbidden City’, is now a museum and public park, but was once the residence of the Ming and Qing Emperors. Here is the Imperial Palace, with its fabulous halls, Palaces and gardens, housing a huge collection of relics from various dynasties, and which was once home to a total of 24 Emperors. Also here is Tiananmen Square (the largest public square in the world), beautiful parks, Beijing University, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and the Ming Tombs.

The Great Wall is a spectacular site, stretching for a distance of 5,400km (3,375miles), from the Shanhaiguan Pass in the East to the Jiayuguan Pass in the West. The section of the wall visited by the most tourists is at Badaling, to the Northwest of Beijing. Chengde to the Northeast of the capital, is a former mountain retreat of the Qing Emperors, and boasts many Temples, including the Temple of General Peace, where can be found the giant wooden image of Buddha. At over 22m (72ft) it is recognised as the largest in the world.

the Eastern provinces are bordered to the East by the Yellow and East China Seas, and houses many interesting cities, including Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Shanghai (one of the world’s largest cities), lying at the Estuary of the Yangtse River. Further South is the coastal city of Guangzhou, and Hainan Island, with its unspoilt beaches and palm groves.

The Central Provinces house the giant stone Buddha carved out of a cliff at Leshan, and, at Xi’an, the famous tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, with its Terracotta figures - over 6000 warriors and horses buried along with the Qing Dynasty Emperor responsible for the unification of China in 200BC.

Situated on the ancient ‘Silk Road’ route in the Northwest are the ancient towns of Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Turfan, and Urumqi. Dunhuang, situated on the edge of the desert, is famous for the Magoa Caves, the oldest Buddhist Shrines in China.

Tibet (Xizang), known as ‘The Roof of the World’ has spectacular scenery of isolated splendour. Lhasa, at an altitude of 3,700m (12,000ft), is dominated by the Potala or Red Palace, home to successive Dalai Lamas, with its labyrinths of dungeons beneath the Palace, and the gigantic bejewelled Buddhas

The climate varies with the regions. In the Northeast the summers are hot and dry – the winters very cold. The North and Central region has almost continual rainfall, with hot summers and cold winters. The Southeast has substantial rainfall, with semi-tropical summers and cool winters.