China Beyond the Cities…
CGG3O
Transportation in China
• Good road and rail system along the coast
• Roads get progressively worse the further inland you go
• Boat travel up the major rivers is also a popular travel option
Qinghai-Tibet railway
• Completed in 1984• Crosses central China through the
mountains to Lhasa (capital of Tibet) at the western edge of the country
• 48 hour train ride from Beijing• 1142 km, almost all above 4000m in
altitude• Many Tibetans supplement farming
income with tourism (working as guides)
Tibet
• Highest country on earth (shares Mount Everest with Nepal)
• Dominant Religion is Tibetan Buddhism• In the 1950s (after a military conflict) it was
incorporated into the People’s Republic of China and its government was abolished– Up to 1 million tibetans were killed during Mao’s
“Great Leap Forward”– About 6000 monasteries were burned during the
Cultural Revolution
Tibet
• Today it is governed as an Autonomous Region of China
• There have been and continue to be many significant movements supporting Tibetan independence
• Dissent is quashed within China, so the movement is mostly based out of India and the United States
• The Free Tibet movement is a popular cause for celebrities (Paris Hilton, Richard Gere, Russell Brand, the Beastie Boys, Gorillaz)
The Yangtze
• China’s longest river
• Beautiful scenery
• 3 Gorges Dam (185 m high)
• Continue upriver to Chongqing– Former capital– Population of 30 million
Huangshan Mountains
• A.K.A. the “Yellow Mountains”
• In Anhui province
• Canyons, hotsprings, remote communities
• Big draw for– Ecotourists– Adventure tourists– Tourists wanting to see authentic Chinese
culture
Hainan Island
• In South China Sea
• About the size of Vancouver Island
• Tropical climate “the Hawaii” of China– 300 days of sunshine a year
• New international airport– Linked to 37 Chinese cities– Also Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, South
Korea
Hainan Island
• Culture– Festivals– Dancing
• Recreation– Beaches– Golf– Hot springs
• Currently about 15 million tourists visit a year – Hainan Provincial Tourism Bureau has a plan to attract 75 million tourists annually by 2020
Gobi Desert
• 5th biggest desert in the world• Cold – frost and snow are common – and
it can get to -40º in the winter (but +50º in the summer!)– Home to Bactrian camels (and the Mongolian
Wild Ass!) and lots of fossils
• Camel/horse tours are a popular way to see the region
• Part of the Silk Road tour
Other stuff to do in China
• Check out Giant Pandas (Sichuan province, also Shaanxi and Gansu)
It’s not all good news
• Tomorrow we’ll look at the dark side of China– Human Rights– Environmental concerns
But overall…
• As a tourist destination, China really does have it all– Varied geography– Rich history and ancient sites/artifacts– Recreational activities– Amazing variety of food and culture
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