Stretching around 5,026 kilometers across the East Asian landmass along the coastline of the infamous Pacific Ocean, China ranks as the third largest country in the world after Russia and Canada. The country has vast land expanses including broad plateaus, plains and lofty mountain ranges. On the eastern part of China, its seacoast is surrounded with offshore islands, deserts and subtropical regions. The western half is an area of rolling flat terrains and towering mountains. China extends around 3,400 miles from north to south and 3,100 miles from west to east.
China lies on the Eastern part of Asia and bounds the Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea, between Vietnam and North Korea.
Climate in the country widely vary from region to region. Its climate is dominated by dry season and wet monsoon. During spring and autumn, the temperature in the northern part of China is very pleasant, daytime temperature will rise from 20°C-30°C.
The nation is composed of various ethnic groups speaking numerous different languages. Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin is the official language used in mainland China. Other widely spoken dialects in the country are Cantonese (Yue), Shanghainese (Wu), Fuzhou (Minbei), Hokkien-Taiwanese (Minnan), Xiang, Gan, Hakka and other minority languages.
China has rich and colorful culture way back thousands of years. It is deemed one of the oldest and most complex cultures in the world. The following are some cultural differences of China from the rest of the world.
-Oldest person is always greeted first and a handshake with foreigners is the most common form of greetings. In formal greetings, address the person with their surname or title of respect but there are some who will advise you to call then on first name basis. Moreover, Chinese have great sense of humor, once they feel comfortable with you be ready to share laughs with them.
-During funerals, Chinese people will give an amount in which the last digit should in end in odd number to avoid ill fortune in life.
-In giving gifts to a Chinese host, do not give pointed objects like scissors or any other cutting utensils as it signifies separating the relationship. One more thing, gifts should not be wrapped in white, blue or black paper and it should be presented with two hands.
Aside from a great number of Christian, Hindu, Buddhism, Shinto, Jews and Taoism believers the continent also houses the biggest and the largest denomination of Muslim believers worldwide.
-China houses 1.3 billion people as of mid-2008, making it the most populous and largest nation in the world. The people in China are known to be polite, peaceful and hardworking. They believe in harmony and one should not look for confrontation. The family is very important in the country. Parents teach their children to respect elders and other fellows.
-The country dishes out a wide array of tasty cuisines giving rave impression from gourmands and foreign tourists across the world. Its cuisine is popularly known worldwide because it represents the splendid culture of the country. Every dish of China is painstakingly prepared and presented making it as one of the magnificent cuisines throughout the world.