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CHINA ( Relocation, International Movers, City Guide news, Aparthotel, Real Estate, Moving, ... ) 6 - Other sectors Traditionally transport is done by river and canal, by horse drawn carts in the great northern plains, by mule, yak and camel in the mountains and the western steppe. The rail and road system is being reconstructed. The railways cover about 40,000 kms. In 1981 there was a total road network of 750,000 kms. There are 160,000 kms of navigable waterways, 40,000 of which can be used by steam boats and ships.  7 - Population It is undoubtably the most populated country in the world with an estimated 1,000,219,000 inhabitants in a territory of 9,596,961 sq. kms. making an average density of 127 inhabitants per sq.km. The capital Beijing (Peking) has a population of 8,900,000 inhabitants. About 2/3 of the territory is covered in mountains and desert, so the main part of the population is concentrated in a million and a half square kilometers with approx. 670 inhabitants per sq. kms. The annual population growth indicates a predominance of boys (51.8%). A strong birth rate (33%) and a death rate of 15% means that the number of under 18s in the population is about 50%. The population in China is primarily rural (75%) although the towns maintain 250 million inhabitants. The biggest urban concentration is in the industrialized regions (Lioa Ning, Hei Long Kiang, Kiang Sou, Kirin, Hou Pei). A majority of peasants make up the population. Other professions (shepherds, woodcutters, hunters, fishermen) are mostly to be found in outer China along the coast and in the mountains.   Ethnic groups : Nearly 94% of the population is Han with profound variations in their languages and folklore. It is a mongol race. Otherwise there are the Huis (Iranian Muslims) who live in the Souei Yuan and the Kan Su, and the Ouigours (of Turkish origin) who live in Sin Kiang, then there are the minorities : the Chuange, Tibetans, Ui, Miao, Manchurians, Mongolians and Koreans. 8 - Languages There are different languages unified by one ideographic writing form, and eight dialects. The official language is mandarin, but cantonese, wu, min, xiang, gan and hakka are commonly spoken. 9 - Religious Affiliations Popular religions : Buddhist, Muslim and Christian. Chinese beliefs have been influenced by three lines of thought : Taoist, Confucianism, Buddhism. Confucian precepts dominated the administration and the governing classes for many years. Followed by Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and Christianism (Catholic and Protestant). Nowadays the government promotes an educational system which is atheist, so religious practices have diminished. 10 - Weights, Measures and Voltage The metric system is in use but the traditional Chinese system continues in the countryside : pounds, picul and tael. 1 mou = 6 ares (600 sq meters) 1 li = 576 meters 1 jin = 500 grammes. 11 - Money The national currency is the Renmimbi yuan which was worth 0.59 F in 1995. It has a stable parity with the dollar. 1 Franc = 1.59 yuan (1996) 1 yuan = 0.70 Francs The Hong Kong dollar was worth 0.80 Francs in January 1996. 12 - Main towns Chinese towns are usually built on a perpendicular plan, with a fortified wall, one-storey houses with central courtyards built in fired and unfired bricks, varnished beams, wooden windows with weather proof paper or glass and tiled roofs. But modern architecture is taking over. North-east (ex Manchuria) : It is composed of three provinces and is highly industrialized. At the beginning of the century the Russians and the Japanese built a railway and industries and brought about the immigration of 25 million inhabitants. Main towns : Chen Yang which had 200,000 inhabitants in 1918 has now 3 million. Until 1644 it was the capital of the Manchurian empire. Nowadays it is heavily indutrialized, particularly in mechanics. Other big towns : Pin Kiang, Liu Ta, Fou Choun, Hsin King, An Chan, Tsitsikar, Kirin. The North : There are 260 million inhabitants in the 6 provinces of the north. The main towns are : Beijing (Peking), Tien Tsin, Si Ngan, Tsing Tao. Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It was founded more than 2000 years ago and became the imperial capital under the Tartar dynasty in 1122. It is divided in two, the Tartar town to the north and the Chinese town to the south. It is built on a perpendicular plan and has a 35 km fortified wall around it with 18 doors. It is a major cultural, university and scientific centre. Centre : This region includes the provinces in the Yang-tse-kiang bassin. It is the second most important region after the north. The plains, which are not very big, produce excellent rice harvests due to irrigation and rainfall, as well as hydroelectric and mining energy. Kiang Sou is a maritime province which has agricultural and trading resources (stories from Marco Polo). The other provinces are Ngan Houei and Se Tchouan, the latter being the most heavily populated and the biggest of the provinces. Main towns: Shanghai, situated in the estuary of the Yang-tse-Kiang River. In 1843 at the end of the Anglo-Chinese Opium War Shanghai was opened to foreign trade. Its population of 300,000 inhabitants nowadays numbers 10 million. The South : It is made up of 5 provinces, is mountainous with an unproductive agriculture. The coastal populations live from fishing and navigation. Main towns : Canton (2,500,000 inhabitants) is situated on the banks of the Si-Kiang. It has been the biggest maritime trading post with the west since 1100, controlled successively by Indians, Persians, Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch and English. It was created by the British East Indian Co. in 1684. It is an ancient fortified town and a modern one also. Other towns are Kun Min (1,100,000) and Hang Tcheou (960,000). 13 - Climate Varying greatly depending on the latitude : it is continental in the north, winters are cold and summers are very hot. It is tropical in the south and very humid in the summer, it is sunny all the year round, like in Hong Kong where the average temperature is 23° between October and March. In the centre and in the hinterlands the summers are very hot and often humid. The best seasons to visit the whole country are undoubtably spring and autumn. The south-east has much more rain than the west. The country is very spread out with a great variation of altitudes and latitudes, that is why there are such enormous differences in the climate. The climate is dominated by the monsoons, creating low pressure in summer with hot winds and heavy rains and high pressure in winter with cold northernly winds and dry weather. In the north-west the high Ordos plateaus are very dry except in July and August. Winter is cold. The northern plateaus of Tibet have a similar climate with violent winds in winter and very dry air. The Tarim desert is very dry and much hotter. In Tibet the climate is harsh, with dust storms, sand storms or snow. Around 3000 meters (Lhassa) the nights are extremely cold from October to March, the days are disturbed by piercing winds and the roads are impassable. Summer is hot with dusty winds. Above 5000 meters it freezes at night and the temperature never goes above 10° in the day. In southern China there is a tropical climate (Shanghai, Chungking). There is a rainy season from June to September/October. It is generally very humid. In the region of Canton, Yulin to the Island of Hainan, there is a tropical climate, humid from April to September. Average Temperatures (max/min) : J F M A M J J A S O N D PEKIN 1 4 11 21 27 31 31 30 26 20 10 2 Beijing nombre d’heures par jour - Pluies (hauteur en mm/nombre de jours) : Number of hours per day - Rain (depth in mm/number of days) : j f m a m j j a s o n d Beijing 7 7 8 8 9 9 7 7 8 8 6 6 Shanghai 4 4 4 5 5 5 7 7 5 6 5 4 Canton 4 3 3 3 5 5 7 7 7 7 6 5 Yulin 4 3 3 3 5 5 7 7 7 7 6 5 Chungquin 2 2 3 4 4 4 7 7 4 2 2 2 14 - Insects and Animals There are mosquitoes in the north in the summer and all the year around in the south.

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