What are the most wonderous things about China?This is a varied list of wonders, capturing the most remarkable, impressive, and outstanding aspects of China. We hope you'll be inspired to see some of them for yourself…
1. The Roof of the World — Transcendent Tibet
From space or for an explorer theQinghai-Tibet Plateauand its surrounding mountain ranges, known as the Roof of the World, must be the most impressive thing about China. Remote, pristine, and transcendent, this isthe destination of dreams.
The Roof of the World has all the world's highest 100+ peaks, includingEverestandeverythingover 7,000 meters, and many other highest things, e.g. the highest railway and temple (Rongbuk), and the largest, deepest canyon —Yarlung Tsangpo. It is the largest highland plateau, remotest place outside the polar regions, and source of more big rivers than anywhere else (Yangtze, Yellow, Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, Ganges, Mekong, Salween, Indus, …).
(The Roof of the World, though technicallya multi-country wonder, with e.g. Mount Everest actually being in Nepal, is included as a Chinese wonder as no other country has such a great claim on it.)
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2. Chinese — The World's Most Complex and Largest Language
The Chinese language(Mandarin) has the most native users in the world today (1.4+ billion), and worldwide interest in learning it is growing.
The Chinese written language, i.e.气nese characters, is one of the oldest (about 4,000 years old), and the only pictographic/ideographic language in modern use, with 100,000+ characters, but only 3–4,000 required for functional literacy.
Characters (汉字hanzi) convey meaning often through symbolic units, quite unlike phonetic written languages. Profound and elegant, they lend themselves tobeautiful calligraphyand poetic phrase and idiom.
3. The Unification of China — "Qin-a" — by Emperor Qin
Who could not be enchanted byFirst Emperor Qin's vision of "peace through unity of a nation", as portrayed in the filmHero. Qin's vision paved the way for what is now the largest nation in the world.
First Emperor Qin's empire(221–206 BC) was short-lived, but his accomplishments were great, and his impact long-lasting.Han, longest ruling dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and namesake of the Chinese (majority) people, 汉族Hanzu, and language, 汉语Hanyu,即普通话,不会在unifie统治d China if it weren't for Qin (pronounced "chin"), whose namesake is China, and neither would subsequent dynasties and governments.
The Greek, Roman, Muslim, Mongol, and British Empires were all bigger than Qin's, but none of them now remain bigger than China, now or then. The pyramids are bigger than Qin's tomb, and so is the Taj Mahal, but no mausoleum has anything as remarkable in detail and meaning asthe Terracotta Army, representing Qin's army, who conquered to unite.
See the Terracotta Warriors and Qin's legacy with ourXi'an Tours.
4. The Great Wall of China — the Original Wonder Wall
Nothing remotely likethe Great Wall of Chinaexists. It is the greatest human construction project ever, in terms of man hours and lives expended, and it is by far the world's longest wall.
The Qin-Han Great Wall (another part of Emperor Qin's vision) ran 5,000 km from North Korea almost to Xinjiang. The linking of the walls of the Zhao, Yan, and Qin states resulted in a longer and more northerly Great Wall than the current Ming Wall.
- How Long is the Great Wall of China
- Which Section of the Great Wall to Visit
- Great Wall of China Facts
5. The Yangtze Dams — a Massive Harnessing of Nature
The Yangtze Hydroelectric and Flood Control Projecteclipses all comparable engineering feats. Once an annual cause of flooding, destruction, and loss of life, the taming of the Yangtze has turned a dangerous river into a major transport artery, electricity producer, and source of tourist revenue.
Envisioned by Sun Yat-sen in 1919,the Gezhou Damwasn't completed until 1988, stabilizing the Yangtze for the construction of三峡大坝upstream (virtually complete in 2012). The world's largest hydroelectric plant produces 10% of China's electricity! The two dams allow massive cargo ships 2,400 km (1,500 miles) inland, all the way toChongqing.
1188金宝搏 is the best way to see, and indeed travel up, this record-breaking colossus and see the beauty of theYangtze Gorges.
6. China's Last 35 Years of Development — Simply Awesome
In 1978 Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms awoke the "Sleeping Giant", and China's phenomenal economic growth (sustained at around 10% for 30 years) is only just seeing signs of slowing down.
During the last 35 years气na's construction has increased to the point of using nearly half the world's steel and concrete output; an unprecedented 350+ million people have become urbanized, and even more have been liberated from poverty. China's development into the "factory of the world" has captured the largest slice of the global supply chain. See more onDeveloping China.
Take a tour of Beijing and Shanghai中国现代奇迹的印象,一个d see how much this country has changed in just a third of a century.
7. Chinese Culture— Last, But by No Means Least
This final wonder is a broad category covering the huge cultural contribution China has brought to the world:气nese tea,气nese food,architecture and landscaping, fengshui,Daoism,TCM,festivals and customs,kung fu,tai chi,气nese opera,气nese music, …
气na's cultureis truly one of the world's most influential cultures andmaybe the richest culture in the world.
Tailor-make a tourto discoveranyaspect of Chinese culture you are interested in. Just let us know what you want and we'll do the rest.
Recommended Tours
Here are some bestsellers including these wonders:
- Our11-day CLASSIC WONDERS tour— Beijing–Xi’an–Guilin–Yangshuo–Shanghai
- OurTIBET BY RAIL— our 10-day Beijing–Lhasa–Shanghai tour
