Journalism - CHINA Country Facts

China

China is the third largest country in the world after Russia and Canada and has an area of 9.5 million sq km. From the capital in Beijing the government rules 21 provinces and five 'autonomous regions' of Inner Mongolia, Nigxia, Xinjiang, Gaungxi and Tibet. The special municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing are administered directly by the central government. Hong Kong and Macau are termed Special Administrative Zones. Taiwan is also considered to be a province of China.

China's topography varies from mountainous regions with towering peaks to flat featureless plains. The land surface is like a staircase descending from west to east. It should also be remembered that two-thirds of China is mountains, desert or otherwise unfit for civilisation. All that remains for cultivation is a meagre 15% to 20% of the land areas. All this to feed 1.3 billion people!

People

China has an estimated population of around 1.3 billion people. Han Chinese make up about 93% of the population; the rest is composed of China's 55 officially recognised ethnic minorities.

The official language of the PRC is the dialect spoken in Beijing. It is usually referred to in the West as 'Mandarin', China does however have 8 major dialect groups. These dialects can be divided into many more sub dialects.

Customs

China has a very rich history. You will find the large majority of Chinese are very proud of their heritage and culture. However many volunteers find the culture shock quite severe. You will be thrown into a strange world with unfamiliar customs, strange food and even odder behaviour.

There are a few cultural things which might be useful to note before departing for China

Staring - Outside of the cosmopolitan cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou you might well experience people looking at you intently. They are not being rude just simply curious. They might even ask you for your photograph. Although this staring can feel strange or awkward for you, it is done with polite intentions and is not meant in an offensive way.
Noise - The Chinese are generally more tolerant of noise than most foreigners. People watch television at ear splitting volumes, drivers habitually lean on their horns, and much of China seems to wake uncomplainingly to the sound of jackhammers and earth moving vehicles. You will be hard pushed to find a bit of peace and quiet in any city in China, big or small.
Spitting - When China first opened to foreign tourism many foreign travellers were shocked by spitting, which was conducted noisily by everyone everywhere. Campaigns to stamp out the practice have been reasonably successful in the major urban centres - there is less spitting in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing but for the large majority of cities the phlegm still flies thick and fast!
Queues - In China there are a large number of people with a common goal - to get something first. This generally leads to a surging mass. The best thing is take a deep breath and dive right in there
Beggars - In major cities, beggars often target Westerners and are often found in certain touristy areas. Children most likely under the supervision of adults are often the most aggressive

Political Situation

Precious little is known about the inner workings of the Chinese government, however the entire monolithic structure, from grassroots work units to the upper echelons of political power is controlled by the Communist Party.

Climate

Spread over such a vast area, China is subject to the worst extremes in weather, from the bitterly cold to the unbearably hot. There isn't really an 'ideal time' to visit China as a whole

However, since you will be spending the most of your time in Shanghai or Wu Jiang it might be useful to take note of their weather patterns. Summers are long, hot and humid. Winters are short and cold with temperatures dipping below freezing - almost as cold as Beijing.

The most idea time to visit Shanghai is either Spring (April to early June) or Autumn (October to November).