Travel and Adventure

Travel to China can be a rich and rewarding adventure. A little planning and knowledge will go a long way toward making your trip to the Peoples Republic of China go smoothly. Learning more about the country, obeying the laws and respecting the customs will make your stay as pleasant and incident-free as possible.

China is the oldest uninterrupted major world civilization, with records dating back over 3,500 years. Successive dynasties developed a system of bureaucratic control which gave the agrarian-based Chinese an advantage over neighboring nomadic and hill cultures. Chinese civilization was further strengthened by the development of a common written language that bridged the gaps among the country’s many local languages and dialects.

Modern tourist facilities are available in all the major cities in. China is full of natural and man-made wonders. Its great rivers include the Yellow and the Yangtze. The Yellow River is the second largest river in China and the fourth largest in the world. The river is often called the “Mother River of China” and “the Cradle of the Chinese civilization” in China.

There are also many mountain ranges including the Himalayas along the southern border of Tibet and the Kunlun Mountains stretching east and west along Tibet’s northern edge. Part of the Gobi desert is located in China’s Inner Mongolia.

China’s most popular man-made wonder is the Great Wall. The Great Wall was built in the 3rd century B.C. (completed in 204 B.C.). It extends for about 1500 miles from Gansu province to the Bohai Gulf. The wall averages 20 to 50 feet high and 15 to 25 feet thick. The actual length, including branches and windings, is more than 2000 miles.

A China visa in a valid passport is required for entering into the mainland. If you arrive without a valid travel visa, you will not be allowed to enter, may be fined and will be immediately deported at your own expense.

If you want to visit any of the non-open cities, you need to acquire a travel permit. You can apply for these at the local public security bureau. If you plan to leave China and then return, you need to get a China travel visa that allows for double entry or multiple entries.

Visit U.S. Passport Service Guide for helpful tips, articles and videos on travel to China as well as step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a China travel visa.