![\"china.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/temp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/china.jpg\")
<\/p>\nChina isn’t a country – it’s a different world. Unless you have a couple of years and unlimited patience, it’s best to follow a loose itinerary here, such as following the Silk Road, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr Seuss…<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
China isn’t a country – it’s a different world. Unless you have a couple of years and unlimited patience, it’s best to follow a loose itinerary here, such as following the Silk Road, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province.From shop-till-you-drop metropolises to the desert landscapes of Xinjiang, China is a land of cultural and geographic schisms. It’s not that it has completely done away with its Maoist past – it’s more that the yin of revolutionary zeal is being balanced by the yang of economic pragmatism.<\/p>\n
China: When to Go
\nSpring (March-April) and autumn (September-October) are the best times to visit China, though the higher altitude areas of Tibet, Qinghai and Western Sichuan are best visited in high summer (June-September). Daytime temperatures range from 20\u00b0C to 30\u00b0C (68\u00b0F-86\u00b0F) in these seasons – but bear in mind that nights can still be bitterly cold and it can sometimes be wet and miserable. Major public holidays, in particular Chinese New Year, are best avoided as it’s difficult to get around and\/or find accommodation.<\/p>\n
Weather
\nThe climate for this Asian behemoth is understandably varied and ranges from bitterly cold to unbearably hot, and a whole lot in between. Your average winter day in the north might reach -8\u00b0C (17\u00b0F) if you’re lucky and yet sit in the low thirties (high eighties) in summer around July. The central Yangzi River valley area also experiences extreme seasonal temperatures. In the far south, the hot and humid summer lasts from April to September and, as in north China, coincides with the wettest weather. Typhoons can hit the southeast coast between July and September. The northwest experiences dry, hot summers, with China’s nominated hottest place – Turpan – receiving maximums of around 47\u00b0C (117\u00b0F). Winters here are as formidably cold as in the rest of northern China.<\/p>\n
China: Events
\nChinese New Year (or Spring Festival) starts on the first day of the lunar calendar, which usually falls in February. Although it officially lasts only three days, many people take a week off. Ear plugs are handy at this time to dull the firecracker assaults, and prices of hotel rooms tend to go through the roof. Try not to travel during Chinese New Year or the week-long May 1 or National Day holidays, when tens of millions of Chinese are on the move. The Lantern Festival isn’t a public holiday, but it’s big and it’s colourful. It falls on the 15th day of the 1st moon (around mid-February to mid-March) and marks the end of the New Year celebrations. The famous lion dances occur throughout this period. Tomb Sweeping Day is in April, and sees Chinese families spend the day tending the graves of departed loved ones. Hong Kong hosts one of the liveliest annual Chinese celebrations – the Dragon Boat Festival. Usually held in June, the festival honours the poet Qu Yuan and features races between teams in long ornate canoes. Many Westerners take part in the races, but plenty of practice is needed to get all the paddles working as one.<\/p>\n
Special prayers are held at Buddhist and Taoist temples on full-moon and sliver-moon days. Temple and moon-based festivities include Guanyin’s Birthday (late March to late April), Mazu’s Birthday (May or June), Water-Splashing Festival (mid-April), Ghost Month (late August to late September), Mid-Autumn Festival (September or October) and the Birthday of Confucius (28 September). China’s minority regions host some of the best festivals, from the dramatic monastery dances of Tibet and Western Sichuan to the stunningly costumed festivities of the Miao (Hmong) people of Guizhou.<\/p>\n
China: Sights
\nWith its long and dramatic history, China offers endless cultural treasures. Famous attractions like the Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall, colonial Shanghai and the imperial grandeur of Beijing are obvious magnets, but there’s also sacred mountains and huge national parks to wander in.<\/p>\n
Army of Terracotta Warriors (Bingmayong)
\nAddress Xi’an Phone tel: (029) 8391 1961 (info) Transport mini-bus: green Terracotta Warriors
\nbus: Nos 306, 307 Hours 08:30 – 17:30 Web www.bmy.com.cn Keyword art-related, monument, archaeological site, war-related Ranking alongside the Great Wall and the Forbidden City as one of China’s top historical sights, the 2000-year-old Terracotta Army remains a stunningly well preserved, perpetually vigilant force standing guard over an ancient imperial necropolis. Almost as extraordinary is a pair of bronze chariots and horses on display in a museum by the main entrance.<\/p>\n
The discovery of the Army was, like many major discoveries, entirely serendipitous. In 1974 peasants digging a well uncovered what turned out to be perhaps the major archaeological discovery of the 20th century: an underground vault of earth and timber that eventually yielded thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers and their horses in battle formation. In 1976 two other smaller vaults were discovered close to the first one.<\/p>\n
The 6000 terracotta figures of warriors and horses face east in a rectangular battle array. Every figure differs in facial features and expressions. The horsemen are shown wearing tight-sleeved outer robes, short coats of chain mail and wind-proof caps. The archers have bodies and limbs positioned in strict accordance with an ancient book on the art of war.<\/p>\n
Archaeologists believe the warriors discovered so far may be part of an even larger terracotta army still buried around the Tomb of Qin Shihuang. Excavation of the entire complex and the tomb itself could take decades.<\/p>\n
Forbidden City
\nAddress Dongcheng District, Beijing Phone tel: (010) 6513 2255 (info) Transport underground rail: Tiananmen Xi, Tiananmen Dong Hours May-Sep 08:30 – 16:00 , Oct-Apr 08:30 – 15:30 Web www.dpm.org.cn Keyword royal The Forbidden City, so called because it was off limits for 500 years, is the largest and best-preserved cluster of China’s ancient buildings. It was home to two dynasties of emperors, the Ming and the Qing, who didn’t stray from this pleasure dome unless they absolutely had to. Allow yourself a full day, or perhaps several trips if you’re an enthusiast.<\/p>\n
On the north-south axis of the Forbidden City, from the Gate of Heavenly Peace in the south to Divine Military Genius Gate to the north, lie the palace’s ceremonial buildings. Restored in the 17th century, Meridian Gate is a massive portal that in former times was reserved for the use of the emperor. Across the Golden Stream is Supreme Harmony Gate, overlooking a massive courtyard that could hold an imperial audience of up to 100,000 people.<\/p>\n
Raised on a marble terrace with balustrades are the Three Great Halls, the heart of the Forbidden City. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the most important and the largest structure in the Forbidden City. Built in the 15th century, and restored in the 17th century, it was used for ceremonial occasions, such as the emperor’s birthday, the nomination of military leaders and coronations.<\/p>\n
Grand Buddha
\nAddress Leshan
\nThe serenely seated Grand Buddha, carved into a cliff face, is the pride and joy of the city, a spiritual uncle. Qualifying as the largest Buddha in the world he’s 71m (233ft) high, his ears are 7m (23ft) long, his insteps 8.5m (28ft) broad, and you could picnic on the nail of his big toe – the toe itself is 8.5m (28ft) long. Holy smokes!<\/p>\n
A Buddhist monk called Haitong started the whole thing in AD 713, hoping that the Buddha would calm the swift currents and protect boatmen from lethal currents in river hollows. Well, the big guy ‘matured’ slowly, finally completed 90 years after Haitong’s death. Surplus rocks from the sculpting filled the river hollow and did the trick, but locals insist it’s really the calming effect of the Buddha.<\/p>\n
It’s worth looking at the Grand Buddha from several angles. While the easiest way to see him is to walk along the riverfront on Binhe Lu, you need to get closer to him to really appreciate his magnitude. You can go to the top, opposite the head, and then descend a short stairway to the feet for a Lilliputian perspective.<\/p>\n
Great Wall
\nGreat Wall
\nPhone tel: (010) 6912 1338 (info)
\ntel: (010) 6912 1520 (info)
\ntel: (010) 6912 1423 (info) Transport bus: 919 to Badaling from Deshengmen, about 500m E of Beijing’s Jishuitan subway stop Hours summer: 06:00 – 22:00 ; winter: 07:00 – 18:00 Keyword architectural highlight The Great Wall (Changcheng) wriggles fitfully from its scattered remains in Liaoning province to Jiayuguan in the Gobi Desert. The wall was begun over 2000 years ago, required thousands of workers – many of whom were political prisoners – and 10 years of hard labour. Legend has it that one of the building materials used was the bones of deceased workers.<\/p>\n
An estimated 180 million cubic metres of rammed earth were used to form the core of the original wall.<\/p>\n
The wall never really did perform its function as an impenetrable line of defence. As Genghis Khan supposedly said, ‘The strength of a wall depends on the courage of those who defend it’. Sentries could be bribed.<\/p>\n
However, it did work very well as a kind of elevated highway, transporting people and equipment across mountainous terrain. Its beacon tower system, using smoke signals generated by burning wolves’ dung, transmitted news of enemy movements quickly back to the capital. To the west was Jiayuguan, an important link on the Silk Road, where there was a customs post of sorts and where unwanted Chinese were ejected through the gates to face the terrifying wild west.<\/p>\n
The myth that the Great Wall is visible with the naked eye from the moon was finally laid to rest in 2003, when China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei observed that he could not see the barrier from space. The myth is to be edited from Chinese textbooks, where it has cast its spell over generations of Chinese<\/p>\n
Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve
\nTransport bus: from Chendu & Songpan Hours 07:00 – 18:00 Web www.jiuzhaigouvalley.com Keyword valley\/canyon, national park, forest Jiuzhaigou (Nine Village Gully) refers to the nine Baima Tibetan villages that can be found in the valley. According to legend, Jiuzhaigou was created when a jealous devil caused the goddess Wunosemo to drop her magic mirror, a present from her lover the warlord God Dage. The mirror dropped to the ground and shattered into 118 shimmering turquoise lakes.<\/p>\n
Those pools of eye candy are what lie within your dreams after you leave, along with the snow-crusted mountain peaks, and forests and meadows home to protected takins, golden monkeys and pandas.<\/p>\n
The park is pristine, however, resort-style hotels leading up to the park entrance have 20,000 beds; over 1.5 million people per year come here. The original residents have been forced to move in order to ‘protect’ the park (those here actually work within the park’s confines to keep up appearances). And as you’re technically not allowed to strike off into the backcountry, it can be a bit disheartening as the efficient shuttle buses whiz by with an alarming regularity. A word of warning: several tour operators in Chengdu have been blacklisted by travellers for lousy service and\/or rudeness. Ask around among travellers to pinpoint a reliable agency.<\/p>\n
Summer Palace
\nAddress 19 Xinjian Gongmen, Haidian District, Beijing Phone tel: (010) 6288 1144 (info) Transport rail: Wudaokou, then bus 331
\nunderground rail: Xizhimen station, then minibus or bus 375
\nboat: Houhu Pier, behind Exhibition Center near zoo
\nbus: 331, 801 from old Summer Palace Hours 08:30 – 17:00 Keyword castle One of Beijing’s most visited sights, the immense park of the Summer Palace requires at least half a day. Nowadays teeming with tour groups from China and beyond, this dominion of palace temples, gardens, pavilions, and lakes was once a playground for the imperial court. Royalty came here to elude the insufferable summer heat that roasted the Forbidden City.<\/p>\n
The Summer Palace with its cool features – water, gardens and hills – was the palace of choice for vacationing emperors and Dowager Empresses. It was badly damaged by Anglo-French troops during the Second Opium War (1860) and its restoration became a pet project of Empress Dowager Cixi, the last of the Qing dynasty rulers. Money earmarked for a modern navy was used for the project but, in a bit of whimsical irony, the only thing that was completed was the restoration of a marble boat. The boat now sits at the edge of the lake in all its immobile and nonmilitary glory. The Palace’s full restoration was hampered by the disintegration of the Qing dynasty and the Boxer Rebellion.<\/p>\n
The place is packed to the gunwales in summer, with Beijing residents taking full advantage of Kunming Lake, which takes up three-quarters of the park. The main building is the lyrically named Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, while along the north shore is the Long Corridor, so named because it’s, well, long. There’s over 700m (2300ft) of corridor, filled with mythical paintings and scenes. If some of the paintings have a newish patina, that’s because many of the murals were painted over during the Cultural Revolution.<\/p>\n
Tai Shan
\nAddress Tai’an Phone tel: (0538) 827 2114 (info) Transport bus: to\/from Jinan, Kaifeng, Qufu, Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai & Beijing
\nrail: to\/from Beijing, Jinan, Yanzhou, Shanghai & Qingdao Keyword views, religious\/spiritual, mountain, physically challenging Southern Chinese claim ‘myriad mountains, rivers and geniuses’ while Shandong citizens smugly contest they have ‘one mountain, one river and one saint’, implying they have the last word on each: Tai Shan (the most revered of China’s five sacred Taoist peaks, and the most climbed mountain on earth), Huang He (the Yellow River) and Confucius .<\/p>\n
Tai Shan is a unique experience – its supernatural allure attracts the Chinese in droves. Bixia, the Princess of the Azure Clouds, a Taoist deity whose presence permeates the temples dotted along the route, is a powerful cult figure for the rural women of Shandong and beyond. Tribes of wiry grandmothers – it’s said that if you climb Tai Shan you’ll live to 100 – trot up the steps with surprising ease, their target the cluster of temples at the summit where they burn money and incense, praying for their progeny. Sun worshippers muster wide-eyed on the peak, straining for the first flickers of dawn.In ancient Chinese tradition, it was believed that the sun began its westward journey from Tai Shan.<\/p>\n
From its heights Confucius uttered the dictum ‘The world is small’; Mao lumbered up and declared ‘The east is red’. You too can climb up and say ‘I’m knackered’.<\/p>\n
Avoid coinciding your climb with the public holiday periods held in the first weeks of May and October, otherwise you will share the mountain with what the Chinese call ‘re’n shan re’n havi’ – literally a ‘mountain of people and a sea of persons.’<\/p>\n
Yungang Caves
\nAddress Northern Shanxi Transport bus: 3 Hours 08:30 – 18:00
\nwinter: 08:30 – 17:00 Keyword monument, religious\/spiritual, cave These caves, cut into the southern cliffs of Wuzhou Shan, contain over 50,000 Buddhist statues including the earliest Buddhist carvings in China. Images surrounding the main statues include the omnipresent ‘1000 Buddha’ motif, flying apsaras (angels draped in flowing silk), pagodas in bas-relief and Chinese symbols such as dragons and phoenixes.<\/p>\n
On top of the mountain ridge are the remains of a huge, mud-brick 17th-century Qing dynasty fortress. As you approach the caves you’ll see the truncated pyramids, which were once the watchtowers. Sadly, many of the caves suffer damage from coal and other pollution, largely a result of the neighbouring coal mine. At the time of writing, most of the coal trucks were being diverted to a back road, making the trip more pleasant. East of the caves you can walk to a remnant of the Great Wall.<\/p>\n
The incredible artwork shows influences of the many foreign craftsmen, from India and Central Asia, who worked on the grottoes. There are no guides at the caves, but there are decent English descriptions and explanations for many points within.<\/p>\n
China: Money & Costs
\nFor most travellers plastic should do the job, with ATM locations growing surely but steadily in the more sizeable cities. Credit cards are also gaining ground in China, with Visa, MasterCard, American Express (branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen), JCB and Diners Club the most common. Cards can be used in most mid to top-range hotels, Friendship and department stores, but cannot be used to finance your transportation costs. If cards aren’t an option then cash will never fail and exchanging currency is relatively easy. Out in the west and in the countryside bring a mixture of cash and travellers cheques. Counterfeit notes are a problem so make sure when using cash you examine large denomination notes when given to you as change from street vendors.<\/p>\n
Currency
\nName Yuan Renminbi
\nSymbol Y The Bank of China issues RMB bills in denominations of one, two, five, 10, 20, 50 and 100 yuan. Counterfeit notes are a problem in China. Very few Chinese will accept a Y50 or Y100.00 note without first checking to see whether or not it’s a fake. Notes that are old, tattered or torn are also sometimes hard to spend. You can exchange notes for new ones at the Bank of China – counterfeits, however, will be confiscated. Local Chinese have a variety of methods for checking notes, including checking the watermark, the drawn lines (more distinct in fake notes) and colour (more pronounced in counterfeit notes). The texture of a fake note also tends to be smoother than authentic notes. Examine large denomination notes if given to you as change by street vendors; they could well be dumping a forged banknote on you.<\/p>\n
Coins come in denominations of one yuan, five mao, one mao and five fen. Paper versions of the coins remain in circulation.<\/p>\n
Changing Your Money
\nForeign currency and travellers cheques can be changed at the main branches of the Bank of China, the tourist hotels, Friendship Stores and some department stores. Hotels usually charge the official rate. You will need to keep your exchange receipts if you want to change any of your remaining RMB at the end of your trip. Travellers cheques are the best option because they are safer and the exchange rate is more favourable than that for cash; Thomas Cook, American Express and Visa are most commonly accepted. If you have to exchange cash, stay away from less reputable sources that may try and slip you counterfeit notes.<\/p>\n
Money Tips
\nAll four- and five-star hotels and some top-end restaurants add a tax or ‘service charge’ of 10% or 15%, which extends to the room and food; all other consumer taxes are included in the price tag.<\/p>\n
Generally, eastern China is much more expensive than the western part of the country. Visitors to eastern China could get by on around US$50.00 a day, but it would be a challenge. Budget travellers in western China should be able to keep costs down to US$25.00 per day. The main drain on savings tends to be long train journeys. Food is cheap throughout China, and if you’re careful you won’t have to spend much more than US$7.00 a day on meals. However, the bottom line is that you’ll be charged the ‘tourist price’ a lot of the time.<\/p>\n
Sample Price Guide
\nfood court meal Y 16 American hamburger Y 12 sending postcard overseas Y 4 internet cafe per hour Y 2 pack of 20 cigarettes Y 3 small bottle of beer from corner shop Y 2 draught pint of local beer from a bar Y 10 International Herald Tribune Y 23 city bus ticket Y 1 pirated dvd Y 8 litre of petrol Y 3 small bottle of water Y 2 souvenir t-shirt Y 25 Street snack – large lamb kebab Y 2 Average Room Prices
\nLow Mid High Deluxe
\nUS$25-35 US$35-100 US$100-300 US$300+
\nAverage Meal Prices
\nLow Mid High Deluxe
\nUS$1-5 US$5-10 US$10-25 US$25+<\/p>\n
Tipping
\nTipping is not really expected in mainland China.<\/p>\n
China: Getting there & around
\nGetting There
\nDespite over 115 ports of entry and exit, most visitors to China travel via Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing. The national carrier is Air China, which also operates a company called Dragonair as a joint venture with the Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific (bookable through Cathay Pacific worldwide). If you are leaving China by air, there’s a departure tax of Y90.00 , payable only in local currency, so be sure you have enough yuan to avoid a last-minute scramble at the airport moneychanging booth. However, there are plans to include this in the price of the air ticket so check before you fly.<\/p>\n
You can travel to China and back from Europe or Asia without having to leave the ground. Exotic routes include Laos-China, the Trans-Siberian railway, Tibet-Nepal and Xinjiang-Kazakstan – but don’t even think about bringing your own car, as foreigners are rarely allowed to drive in China. Other entry points include Zhuhai-Macau, Kashgar-Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan, via the Torugart or Irkeshtam passes), Beijing-Pyongyang (North Korea) and Pinxiang\/Hekou-Dong Dang\/Lao Cai (Vietnam). You can take a slow boat to China from Japan or South Korea. Popular places to sail to and from include Shanghai, Xiamen (opposite Taiwan), Tanggu (near Tianjin), Macau and – of course – Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
Getting Around
\nNow that private carriers have been allowed to set up operations in China, the Civil Aviation Adminsitration of China CAAC) has assumed the role of ‘umbrella organisation’ over airlines including China Eastern, China Southern, China Northern, Great Wall, Yunnan Airlines and several others. Discounting is common. There is an airport tax of Y50.00 payable on all domestic flights.<\/p>\n
Long-distance buses are one of the best means of getting around on the ground; they’re frequent and cheap (which also translates as crowded and stuffy) but there are extensive services, passable roads and interesting towns and villages en route. An even better mode is the train, which reaches into every province (including Tibet from July 2006) along a 52,000km (32,311mi) network. It’s cheap, relatively fast and a safer proposition than buses; the only dangers on the trains are getting your luggage pinched or dying from shock at the state of the toilets.<\/p>\n
As land transport improves, the romantic days of domestic boat travel are fading. But there are still a number of popular boat trips to be had between Hong Kong and the mainland. The best known river trip is the three-day cruise along the Yangzi River from Chongqing to Wuhan.<\/p>\n
Taxis cruise most city streets; while most cabs have meters, they usually only get switched on by accident. Motorcycle taxis, motor-tricycles and\/or pedicabs hunt in packs around most major train and bus stations. They’re a motley bunch, but they’re cheap and useful if you don’t mind sudden traffic-induced adrenalin rushes. But really, once you’ve settled in somewhere, the best way to get around is by renting a bike and joining the pedalling throng.<\/p>\n
China: History
\nPre-20th-Century History
\nThe Chinese claim a history of 5000 years. The first dynasty, the Xia, is yet to be archaeologically verified but is accepted as lasting from 2200 to 1700 BC, and is described in legends as having been preceded by a succession of god-like sovereigns who bestowed the gifts of life, hunting and agricultural knowledge. The existence of ensuing dynasties is similarly hazy, but clarity increases with each era, revealing agricultural societies who practised ancestor worship.<\/p>\n
The Zhou period (1100-221 BC) saw the emergence of Confucianism and the establishment of the ‘mandate of heaven’ whereby the right to rule was given to the just and denied to the evil and corrupt, leading to the later Taoist view that heaven’s disapproval was expressed through natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and insect plagues.<\/p>\n
The Chinese were united for the first time during the Qin dynasty (221-207 BC). The dynasty standardised the writing system and completed construction of the Great Wall. The ensuing Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) featured much military conflict and the creation of the Three Kingdoms. Curiously, these war-torn centuries also saw the flowering of Buddhism and the arts.<\/p>\n
Unity arose out of the chaos under the Sui dynasty (581-618) and was consolidated under the Tang (618-907), commonly regarded as the most glorious period of Chinese history. Military conquests re-established Chinese control of the silk routes and society was ‘internationalised’ to an unprecedented degree. Buddhism flourished under the Tang, splitting into two distinct schools: the Chan (Zen) and Pure Land (Chinese Buddhist).<\/p>\n
The Song dynasty (960-1279) was marked by a revival of Confucianism and urban and commercial revolutions – it was during the 13th century that Marco Polo commented on the grand scale of China’s prosperous cities. Genghis’s grandson Kublai Khan’s Yuan dynasty (1206-1368) established a capital at what is now Beijing and militarised the nation’s administration. The novice Buddhist Hongwu established the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), with capitals at Beijing (‘Northern Capital’) and Nanjing (‘Southern Capital’) .<\/p>\n
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in China, anchoring off the coast in 1516. A trade mission was established in Macau by 1557, but it was not until 1760 that other powers gained secure access to Chinese markets via a base in Guangzhou. Trade flourished, but in China’s favour, as British purchases of silk and tea far outweighed Chinese purchases of wool and spices. In 1773 the British decided to balance the books by encouraging the sale of opium. By 1840 the Opium Wars were on.<\/p>\n
The resulting treaties signed in British favour led to the cession of Hong Kong and the signing of the humiliating Treaty of Nanking. A subsequent land-grabbing spree by Western powers saw China carved up into spheres of influence. The Chinese agreed to the US-proposed free-trade Open Door Policy and all of China’s colonial possessions soon evaporated, with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia falling to the French, Burma to the British, and Korea and Taiwan to Japan.<\/p>\n
Modern History
\nThe first half of the 20th century was a period of utter chaos. Intellectuals searched for a new philosophy to replace Confucianism, while warlords attempted to grab imperial power. Sun Yatsen’s Kuomintang (KMT, or Nationalist Party) established a base in southern China and began training a National Revolutionary Army (NRA). Meanwhile, talks between the Soviet Comintern and prominent Chinese Marxists resulted in the formation of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1921. Hopes of the CCP aligning with the KMT were dashed by Sun Yatsen’s death and the rise from the KMT of Chiang Kaishek in Beijing, who favoured a capitalist state supported by a military dictatorship.<\/p>\n
The communists were split between those who focused on urban revolt and those who believed victory lay in uniting the countryside. Mao Zedong established his forces in the mountains of Jinggang Shan, and by 1930 had marshalled a guerrilla army of 40,000. Chiang mounted four Communists extermination campaigns, each time resulting in communist victories. Chiang’s fifth campaign was very nearly successful because the communists ill-advisedly met the KMT head-on in battle. Hemmed in, the communists retreated from Jiangxi north to Shaanxi – the Long March of 1934. En route the communists armed peasants and redistributed land, and Mao was recognised as the CCP’s paramount leader.<\/p>\n
In 1931 the Japanese took advantage of the chaos in China and invaded Manchuria. Chiang Kaishek did little to halt the Japanese, who by 1939 had overrun most of eastern China. After WWII, China was in the grip of civil war. On 1 October 1949 Mao Zedong proclaimed the foundation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), while Chiang Kaishek fled to Taiwan. The USA continued to recognise Chiang as the legitimate ruler of China.<\/p>\n
The PRC began its days as a bankrupt nation, but the 1950s ushered in an era of great confidence. The people were bonded by the Korean War, and by 1953 inflation had been halted, industrial production was restored to prewar levels, the redistribution of land had been carried out and the first Five Year Plan had been launched. The most tragic consequence of the Party’s dominance was the ‘liberation’ of Tibet in 1959. Beijing oversaw the enforced exile of the Tibetan spiritual leader and initiated the genocide of a precious culture. To this day hundreds of monasteries still lie in ruins.<\/p>\n
The next plan was the Great Leap Forward, aimed at jump-starting the economy into first-world standards. Despite oodles of revolutionary zeal, the plan was stalled by inefficient management coupled with floods, droughts and, in 1960, the withdrawal of all Soviet aid. The Cultural Revolution (1966-70) attempted to draw attention away from these disasters by increasing Mao’s personal presence via his Little Red Book of quotations, purging opponents and launching the Red Guard. Universities were closed, intellectuals were killed, temples were ransacked and reminders of China’s capitalist past were destroyed.<\/p>\n
Beijing politics were divided between moderates Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping and radicals and Maoists led by Mao’s wife, Jiang Qing. The radicals gained the upper hand when Zhou died in 1976. Hua Guofeng, Mao’s chosen successor, became acting premier. Public anger at Jiang Qing and her clique culminated in a gathering of protesters in Tiananmen Square, and a brutal crackdown led to the disappearance of Deng, who was blamed for the ‘counter-revolutionary’ gathering. Deng returned to public life in 1977, eventually forming a six-member Standing Committee of the CCP.<\/p>\n
With Deng at the helm, and the signing of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, China set a course towards economic reconstruction, although political reform was almost nil. General dissatisfaction with the Party, soaring inflation, corruption and increased demands for democracy led to widespread social unrest, typified by the demonstrations of 1989 that resulted in the bloody Tiananmen Square massacre.<\/p>\n
Recent History
\nWith the handover of Hong Kong and Macau, China’s ‘one country, two systems’ plan shifted up a gear. Jiang Zemin’s leadership charted a new course based on economic growth; overseeing the admission of China into the World Trade Organisation and guiding Beijing to success in the 2008 Olympics bid. His successor, Hu Jintao is set to follow the path of economic modernisation more aggressively still. Continued civil rights abuses, official corruption and the stagnant rural economy are the sharpest thorns in the country’s side, but membership of the World Trade Organisation was a great leap forward – though probably not one Chairman Mao would have envisaged.<\/p>\n
The biggest barrier to the ‘One China’ model is the tiny rogue island of Taiwan, which has agreed in principle to the model but paradoxically interprets it in its idiosyncratic, Taiwanese way. China has retorted with rhetoric about ‘brothers and sisters’ and, just to prove that all families have their problems, have backed it up with a show of military muscle. It’s the equivalent of a Chinese burn administered by an older and stronger brother.<\/p>\n
China’s economy continues to expand at an astounding rate and with such growth comes the increased demand for energy (12% of the globe’s and growing), pressure on the environment and widening gap between the flourishing south and east-coast provinces and the less developed inland areas. Beijing has attempted to deal with these issues; opening the massive Three Gorges Dam hydro-electric scheme in 2006 and launching a Develop the West campaign to lure investment into the hinterland. Rural China has seen an upsurge in protests and demonstrations, often targeted at corrupt officials. The government retains a tight grip on the nation’s media, building the so-called ‘Great Firewall of China’ to filter the internet. As the Beijing Olympics approach, China’s less than commendable human rights record, typified by its treatment of Falun Gong members and its pursuit of trade and political links with international pariahs such as Myanmar and North Korea are both coming under international scrutiny.<\/p>\n