Zhejiang
Zhejiang brief information
Provincial capital: Hanghzhou
Population: 43.35 millions
Major cities: Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Shaoxing, Jinhua, Jiaxing, Huzhou.
Climate: Zhejiang has a sub-tropical monsoonal climate, warm, humid and rainy. It has a mean annual temperature of 15°ï¼18 °C, decreasing from south to north, and a mean annual precipitation of 1,200-1,800 mm. “Plum rains” occur between May and June and typhoons between summer and autumn.
Yunnan
Yunnan brief information
Provincial capital: Kunming
Population: 42.88 millions
Tourist complaints: 0871-3537361
Major cities: Dali, Jinghong, Kunming,Lijiang
The southwest Chinese province of Yunnan is a frontier region bordered by Myanmar, Viet Nam and the Laos. The name of the province, meaning’s land south of colourful clouds’, sheds some light on the natural beauty of Yunnan. At an altitude of 2,000 metres, Yunnan belongs to the temperate-tropical highland monsoon climate, and its land is clustered with snow-crowned mountains and glaciers, lakes and hot springs, highlands, primitive forests, and tropical rain forests. Yunnan is also known as a ‘Kingdom of Plants’ and a ‘Kingdom of Animals’, which have enough to offer those who care to come on bio-tour trips. Yunnan was home to Yuanmou Man 1.7 million years ago, and its land is filled with cultural relics and places of cultural interest. No other province in china has as many ethnic peoples as Yunnan. The 26 minority peoples who call Yunnan home include the Dais, Bais, Yis and Hanis. Traditional foods in Yunnan include chicken stewed in an earthen steam pot, rice noodles, roast ducks of Yiliang, Yunnan style ham, Xuanwei ham, and the daily are of ethnic peoples.
Climate: The climate in Yunnan is characterized by distinctive features which include:(a) marked regional differences and vertical changes;(b) slight variation in annual temperature changes in contrast to dramatic temperature changes during the day and night(c) there is plenty of rainfall, but the distribution is not equal; and (d) there is a sharp difference between the dry and the wet seasons.
Xinjiang
Xinjiang brief information
Provincial capital: Urumqi
Population: 17.75 millions
Major cities: Urumqi, Kashgar, Yining, Hami, Karamay, Aksu, Shihezi, Turpan, Hetian(Hotan), Korla
The northwestern Chinese border region of Xinjiang, lauded variously as a land of song and dance, melons and fruits, precious stones, and carpets, is situated in the heart of the Eurasia Continent. The Uygur people make up half of the population of Xinjing, the largest province of China and home to 12 other ethnic peoples, including the Hans, Kazakhs, Huis and Kirgizs. The local folklore is rich and varied. Xinjiang was a key link on the Silk Road and a hub for east west cultural exchanges in ancient times. Xinjiang’s fascinating scenery includes snowy mountains and lakes, glaciers and rivers, deserts and oases, gobi deserts and prairies, mirages, wind eroded landforms, and the Yadan topography. It is a nice place for those tourists who seek to get lost for a while in the embrace of nature.
While Xinjiang is famous for the ancient Silk Road, it is also home to 256 ancient cultural sites, tombs, ruins, Buddhist caves, stone sculptures and numerous contemporary monuments, some 154 of the sites are under state protection. In recent years, the region has opened 22 nature reserves for the protection of flora and fauna. The discovery of petroglyphs in Altay and dinosaur fossils has aroused the interests of experts, scholars and tourists alike.
Climate: While Xinjiang enjoys between 2,500 to 3,000 hours of sunshine each year, the amount of annual precipitation for the entire region averages a mere 150 milliliters (ml), and thus the air is quite dry
Tibet
Tibet brief information
Provincial capital: Lhasa
Population: 2.6 millions
Major cities: Lhasa, Shigatse, Nagqu, Ngari, Nyingchi, Zhangmu
The Tibet Autonomous Region, perched on the southwest Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is a southwestern frontier region in china. At an average altitude of 4,000 metres, Tibet is the world’s largest and highest plateau known as the ‘Roof of the World’. The world’s largest canyon the Yalung Zangbo Canyou, is in Tibet. In the mid-7th century, Songtsan Gambo established the unified Tubo dynasty and befriended the Tang Dynasty by marrying Princess Wencheng in 641 AD. In the mid-13th century, Tibet was incorporated as an administrative region of the Yuan Dynasty. Peaceful liberation came in 1951, and serfdom was abolished during the Democratic Reform of 1959. The Tibet Autonomous Region was officially established in 1965. Breathtaking is hardly an adequate word for Tibet’s landscape, which consists of snow-capped mountains of astonishing heights,primitive forests, vast steppes, mighty rivers, the world’s highest lakes, and exotic wildlife and plants. Tibetans, who make up upwards of 90 percent of the local population, are born singers and dancers with a splendid civilization. Buddhist art thrives, and among the region’s 2,700 temples are such famous ones as the Potala Palace, the Norbulinka Palace, the Jokhong Temple, and the Tashilhunpo Monastery.
Climate: Lhasa, the “City of Sun,” is nestled high in the Gyi Qu Valley and is blessed with seasonally mild and humid weather from monsoons in India 160 km.(100 mi.) to the south. Tibetan winters, as might be supposed, are fiercely cold. But for half the year, strong sunlight warms the thin air, making most days in Lhasa comfortably mild and, owing to protective mountains, relatively windless. Summer temperatures hover above 30′C (high-80s F) and only to drop to a searing -23′C (-10′F) in midwinter. The best time to visit is from late spring to early fall.
Sichuan brief information
SichuanÂ
Provincial capital: Chengdu
Population: 87 millions
Major cities: Chengdu, Leshan, Jiuzhaigou
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Known in ancient times as Ba and Shu, the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan covers a vast territory and is known as ‘Nature’s Storehouse’ which leads China in the output of paddy rice, citrus fruits and precious medicinal herbs. Among Sichuan’s rich flora and fauna resources are 54 endangered species. Most of the world’s giant pandas are found in the wooded mountains in northwest Sichuan. Hence the name, ‘Homeland of Giant Pandas’. Fifteen nature reserves have been established at national or provincial levels to protect these lovely animals. There are 9 national scenic resorts, 7 famous national historical and cultural cities, and 40-odd sites under national protection as key cultural relics in Sichuan, home to 14 ethnic minority peoples, including Tibetans, Yis, Qiangs and Naxis, who celebrate all manner of festivals such as the lantern festival, flower fair, horseracing festival, mountain singing festival, and the torch festival.
Climate: In the eastern basin area and the lower western valleys that are sheltered from cold polar air masses by the surrounding mountains, there are 350 frost-free days in the east, and the growing season lasts nearly all year round. In the west, the sheltering effect of the mountains is evident from the contrast between the perennially snow-capped peaks and the mild weather prevailing in the valleys beneath them. |