CHINA COUNTRY DESCRIPTION:

The People’s Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949, with Beijing as its capital city. With well over 1.3 billion citizens, China is the world’s most populous country and the third largest country in the world in terms of territory. China is undergoing rapid, profound economic and social change and development. Political power remains centralized in the Chinese Communist Party. Modern tourist facilities are available in major cities, but many facilities in smaller provincial cities and rural areas are frequently below international standards.

Information about China:

Geography Total area: 9,596,960 sq. km. (about 3.7 million sq. mi.). Cities: Capital–Beijing. Other major cities–Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Harbin, Chengdu. Terrain: Plains, deltas, and hills in east; mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west. Climate: Tropical in south to subarctic in north.

People Nationality: Noun and adjective–Chinese (singular and plural). Population (July 2007 est.): 1,321,851,888. Population growth rate (2007 est.): 0.606%. Health (2007 est.): Infant mortality rate–22.12/1,000. Life expectancy–72.88 years (overall); 71.13 years for males, 74.82 years for females. Ethnic groups: Han Chinese–91.9%; Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uygur, Yi, Mongolian, Tibetan, Buyi, Korean, and other–8.1%. Religions: Officially atheist; Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam. Language: Mandarin (Putonghua), plus many local dialects. Education: Years compulsory–9. Literacy–90.9%. Work force (2006 est., 798 million): Agriculture and forestry–45%; industry–24%; services–31%.

Government Type: Communist party-led state. Constitution: December 4, 1982. Independence: Unification under the Qin (Ch’in) Dynasty 221 BC; Qing (Ch’ing or Manchu) Dynasty replaced by a republic on February 12, 1912; People’s Republic established October 1, 1949. Branches: Executive–president, vice president, State Council, premier. Legislative–unicameral National People’s Congress. Judicial–Supreme People’s Court. Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (the P.R.C. considers Taiwan to be its 23rd province); 5 autonomous regions, including Tibet; 4 municipalities directly under the State Council. Political parties: Chinese Communist Party, 70.8 million members; 8 minor parties under Communist Party supervision. Suffrage: Universal at 18.

Economy GDP (2007): $3.249 trillion (exchange rate-based). Per capita GDP (2007): $2,458 (exchange rate-based).GDP real growth rate (2007): 11.4%. Natural resources: Coal, iron ore, crude oil, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world’s largest). Agriculture: Products–Among the world’s largest producers of rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley; commercial crops include cotton, other fibers, apples, oilseeds, pork and fish; produces variety of livestock products. Industry: Types–mining and ore processing; iron; steel; aluminum; coal, machinery; textiles and apparel; armaments; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products including footwear, toys, and electronics; automobiles and other transportation equipment including rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; and telecommunications. Trade (2007): Exports–$1.221 trillion: electronics; machinery; apparel; optical, photographic, and medical equipment; and furniture. Main partners–United States, Hong Kong, Japan, EU, South Korea, Singapore. Imports–$917.4 billion: electronics, machinery, mineral fuel and oil, chemicals, plastic. Main partners–Japan, EU, Taiwan, South Korea, United States, Malaysia, Australia.

PEOPLE Ethnic Groups The largest ethnic group is the Han Chinese, who constitute about 91.9% of the total population. The remaining 8.1% are Zhuang (16 million), Manchu (10 million), Hui (9 million), Miao (8 million), Uygur (7 million), Yi (7 million), Mongolian (5 million), Tibetan (5 million), Buyi (3 million), Korean (2 million), and other ethnic minorities.

Language There are seven major Chinese dialects and many subdialects. Mandarin (or Putonghua), the predominant dialect, is spoken by over 70% of the population. It is taught in all schools and is the medium of government. About two-thirds of the Han ethnic group are native speakers of Mandarin; the rest, concentrated in southwest and southeast China, speak one of the six other major Chinese dialects. Non-Chinese languages spoken widely by ethnic minorities include Mongolian, Tibetan, Uygur and other Turkic languages (in Xinjiang), and Korean (in the northeast).

The Pinyin System of Romanization On January 1, 1979, the Chinese Government officially adopted the pinyin system for spelling Chinese names and places in Roman letters. A system of Romanization invented by the Chinese, pinyin has long been widely used in China on street and commercial signs as well as in elementary Chinese textbooks as an aid in learning Chinese characters. Variations of pinyin also are used as the written forms of several minority languages. Pinyin has now replaced other conventional spellings in China’s English-language publications. The U.S. Government also has adopted the pinyin system for all names and places in China. For example, the capital of China is now spelled “Beijing” rather than “Peking.”

Religion Religion plays a significant part in the life of many Chinese. Buddhism is most widely practiced, with an estimated 100 million adherents. Traditional Taoism also is practiced. Official figures indicate there are 20 million Muslims, 15 million Protestants, and 5 million Catholics; unofficial estimates are much higher. While the Chinese constitution affirms religious toleration, the Chinese Government places restrictions on religious practice outside officially recognized organizations. Only two Christian organizations–a Catholic church without official ties to Rome and the “Three-Self-Patriotic” Protestant church–are sanctioned by the Chinese Government. Unauthorized churches have sprung up in many parts of the country and unofficial religious practice is flourishing. In some regions authorities have tried to control activities of these unregistered churches. In other regions, registered and unregistered groups are treated similarly by authorities and congregations worship in both types of churches. Most Chinese Catholic bishops are recognized by the Pope, and official priests have Vatican approval to administer all the sacraments.

Population Policy With a population officially just over 1.3 billion and an estimated growth rate of about 0.6%, China is very concerned about its population growth and has attempted with mixed results to implement a strict birth limitation policy. China’s 2002 Population and Family Planning Law and policy permit one child per family, with allowance for a second child under certain circumstances, especially in rural areas, and with guidelines looser for ethnic minorities with small populations. Enforcement varies, and relies largely on “social compensation fees” to discourage extra births. Official government policy opposes forced abortion or sterilization, but in some localities there are instances of forced abortion. The government’s goal is to stabilize the population in the first half of the 21st century, and current projections are that the population will peak at around 1.6 billion by 2050. To finance your Travel to China use this Dream Vacation Financing

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Country: Asia – City: Singapore

Hotel Stats: 380 rooms, 8 floors

Amenities: Dining Room Fitness Center Swimming Pool Room Service Non-Smoking Rooms Kids Activities Modem / Data Port Hot Tub Wheelchair Accessible Business Center Meeting Rooms

Hotel Description: Personality, sleek lines, snazzy interiors and verdant foliage brew a potent concoction that makes up Changi Village Hotel. Watch the planes fly by while lounging by our rooftop pool. Pamper yourself and regain your balance at the rooftop spa and wellness center. Host a meeting in our smart function rooms or treat yourself to sumptuous food, prepared with passion and skill. All this and more awaits you. Come, chill-out in style and luxuriate at the minimalist-chic Changi Village Hotel. Let us satisfy your business and leisure needs. Live the life… beyond the city. Complimentary hourly airport shuttle bus available for individual travelers only. Please contact the hotel directly for timetable. Utell Superior Selection – Offers the traveler quality rooms and facilities making their stay, whether business or leisure, relaxing and comfortable.

If you’re looking for the best hotels come on over, and remember that the best hotels are not always the most expensive.

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There is nothing comparable to being treated as if you are a king or queen while cruising the beautiful turquoise waters of Hawaii. The mild sway of the sea and the scent of the warm ocean breezes will put one in total relaxation mode. Can you feel it? Do you want it? Crewed charter yachts and Hawaii yacht charters may be more affordable than you think and may not require the whole king’s ransom.

Experience the feeling of having your own yacht without the repairs and upkeep expenses of ownership.Put your money to work for you by learning where to invest it for the best returns

Be treated like a yacht owner by the skillfully trained crew. They will be at your beck and call with just a wave of your hand.

Avoid Crowded Hotels and Large Luxury Liners.

Personalize your vacation whatever way you like on crewed charter yachts. On huge cruise ships with hundreds of other patrons to attend and cater to, that is not possible, there is a pre-planned itinerary.

Cordon Bleu trained chefs will cook renown recipes at your request. There are abundant recreational water activities such as; snorkeling, water skiing, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, etc.

Before scheduling with one of the several crewed charter yachts available with Hawaii yacht charters compare prices, check the captain’s resume as well as the crew’s on the internet.Even the yacht’s specs will be there for you to look over. The yacht’s cabins will be available to see where you will be sleeping, where the crew is quartered, etc.

It is recommended that you check with a friend or colleague who may have recently sailed on one of the Hawaii yacht charters listed online. Traveler’s stories are always the best advice.

After booking the yacht’s captain will commonly phone you for special requests. At that time you can make known any particular foods that you would like prepared or areas you might want to explore. Sometimes he will meet you at the airport and personally transport you to the boat dock.

The knowledgeable trained crew and captain treat you like royalty in a way that is so discreet that you hardly notice them while they are piloting the yacht, preparing your meals, and freshen your room.

So, all you princes and princesses out there, unwind and relish your massages on the lido deck while sipping cocktails (shaking, not stirred) aboard privately crewed charter yachts.

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Country: Australia & South Pacific – City: Christchurch, New Zealand

Hotel Stats: Residences feature three bedrooms, two and one-half bathrooms, living and dining areas, gas fireplaces, courtyards, kitchens, foyers, garages, electronic garage openers, parking, decks, climate controls, TV outlets and aerials, telephones, Internet access, ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, bathroom tile heating, bathroom cabinets, and laundry facilities.

Amenities: No Dining Room No Fitness Center Swimming Pool Non-Smoking Rooms Pets Allowed Hot Tub Wheelchair Accessible Kitchenette

Hotel Description: The Residence features 29 residential home accommodations, in the heart of South Island’s Mackenzie Country, and the nearest major airport is Christchurch International Airport. Local attractions include Lake Tekapo, fishing, and golfing.Hotel amenities include a security-gated entrance, alpine landscaping, heated outdoor pool, barbeque, whirlpool, relaxation area, outdoor fireplace, and a pond.

If you’re looking for best hotels come on over, and remember that the best hotels are not always the most expensive.

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Many of us have to face facts, air travel is a mess.   The airline industry as a whole is going through a large amount of upheaval with numerous airlines going bankrupt as well as other merging in an attempt to just survive. From an economic perspective when there are less and less airlines to select from then you begin to see the costs of the airfare start to climb higher and higher.

The continued rise in cost of fuel is having a great impact on the cost of airfare in addition many airlines have no choice but to increase other fees as well simply to be able to afford to operate their flights on a daily basis. The majority of airlines are slowly doing away with extras such as in-flight meals to lessen their operating costs while other airlines are even to the point as to revamp their planes so that they will be lighter as well as taking up far less fuel.

Still Options Available

Do yourself a favor and don’t even bother looking into the baggage requirements because they have changed and the old days when the airlines would let slide people with baggage that would be slightly over the limit on flights are over as well. Yet even with all of that you still have the opportunity to locate low cost flights and at times and destinations you never really considered.

In some instances you can locate low cost flights simply by making a phone call to the airlines at a minimum of 30 days in advance of your actual flight departure but even that is beginning to wear off. So what’s the best way to find low cost flights?

The internet, without question, is a literal gold mind of airline deals and you can discover numerous low cost flights simply by investigating the internet. Yet when you purchase low cost flights over the internet you need to be careful that you are not getting scammed.

It is important that you always confirm any of the low cost flights that you purchase form the internet with the actual airline. It is far to simple a task for a shady internet vendor to sell you a bogus airline ticket and then make a claim it is the fault of the airline. There are numerous legitimate low cost flights available to the public on the internet yet you should always be careful.

Keep Your Local Travel Agent In Mind

There are travel agents that will see to it that they purchase blocks of airline tickets in advance and then sell them to their clients. This is an additional method of getting excellent low cost flights. It is a wise idea to check with a travel agent since they might have the exact holiday package that you are searching for with low cost flights rolled into them. They might also have just flights for sale that you would be able to benefit from as well.

Nowadays, with the consolidating airlines and the high price of fuel it is difficult to still locate low cost flights when you want them the most. Yet if you take the time and effort to search for them you can still find a deal. Just make certain to check all the necessary points out prior to you committing since you never know for sure when someone might want to take you for a ride.

To learn more go to Tickets For Cheap Flight and at Plane Tickets at The Last Minute

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