Population: 1,200, 000,000

Area: 3,961,511 square miles

Language: Chinese. There are many variations od dialect of which the most prominent are Mandarin and Cantonese.

Time: +12 hours in Beijing from New York

Electricity: 220 Volts

Geography: China is bordered in the north by The CIS and Mongolia, to the east by North Korea and the east China Sea, to the south by Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, India and in the west by Pakistan and Afghanistan. See "Climate."

Tipping: It is catching on. Extend tips as you are comfortable with them. Do not over-tip, but at least a few coins of worth to acknowledge the service.

Shopping: Regular stores are open 9:00 am to 7:00 pm seven days a week during the winter and until 8:30 pm in the summer. The are sidewalk sellers and hawkers everywhere. You can bargain for almost anything with these vendors but not in the big stores. Be careful in selecting sizes as an extra- large in China is only a medium for North Americans. You are not allowed to export antiquities without special permission. You may export a reproduction but not an original. If you try to do so, your stay in China will be somewhat longer and not in the comfort of your tourist hotel.

Food and Drink: China has a wide variety of foods which can bet categorized in to the following: Shanghai ( mostly sea food), Sichuan (very spicy), Cantonese (mostly sea food) and Beijing (lots of noodles). Yogurt is a drink in China and is usually very good. It comes in a glass jar which needs to be returned. Beer is of differing varieties in different areas. Tsingdao is the best known. Chines beer tends to be better than the imported variety. No matter what do not drink the water if you are not in your hotel or it is not bottles. Usually travelers drink Coke or Pepsi or tea in various forms.

Social: You are a guest in China and as such are expected to be courteous in all your encounters and dealings with everyone. The Chinese are quite eager to talk if for no other reason than to practice their English. If you make reference to China never refer to it as Red China, Mainland China or Republic of China. It is simply China. The Chinese consider Taiwan as part of China - period. Chinese are not physically demonstrative. Hugging and other forms of intimate touching such as back slapping etc. may cause misunderstanding. Putting one's hand in one's mouth, biting fingernails, removing food from teeth are considered offensive. Staring at you by the Chines is still quite common. They are curious and want to know more about your appearance and clothing.

Money and Banks

Banking: Banks are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 amd until 3:30 pm. On Saturdays banks are usually open from 9 until noon.

Currency: Taiwan Dollar

Money Exchange: Best to do at banks

Credit cards: Visa, Master Card, American Express, Diners Club

Climate

China has a much too varied climate to be reduced to a few phrases. The weather patterns are wide in their variance. Some areas are desert while others are rich in green vegetation. The north bordering Siberia will see warm summers but bitter cold winters and the south is simply put - subtropical. If you want to visit China, check before you go to see what you will need to wear. Tour company will have the information that applies to your itinerary. For the most part it is a good rule of thumb to dress comfortably and not for formal occasions taking care to have footwear which are old friends.