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china:
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Here's some basic information for you when it comes to travel to China...
OFFICIAL NAME
People's Republic of China
CAPITAL
Beijing
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
There are seven major Chinese dialects and many subdialects. Mandarin (or Putonghua), the predominant dialect, is spoken by over 70% of the population. It is taught in all schools and is the medium of government. About two-thirds of the Han ethnic group are native speakers of Mandarin; the rest, concentrated in southwest and southeast China, speak one of the six other major Chinese dialects. Non-Chinese languages spoken widely by ethnic minorities include Mongolian, Tibetan, Uygur and other Turkic languages (in Xinjiang), and Korean (in the northeast).
FLAG
The flag of China is red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner.
MONEY
TIME
BUSINESS HOURS
RELIGION
Buddhism is most widely practiced, with an estimated 100 million adherents. Traditional Taoism also is practiced. Official
figures indicate there are 20 million Muslims, 5 million Catholics, and 15 million Protestants; unofficial estimates are much higher.
ELECTRICITY
Electricity is 220V AC, 50 Hz, as in Australia, Asia and most of Europe; appliances designed
for DC supply or different voltages need a transformer.
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
LEGAL MATTERS
DID YOU KNOW
Mandarin got your tongue? Call the China Help Line, an over the phone translation service (in Shanghai, 6100-9700; elsewhere in China, add 021-; chinahelpline.com; 35 cents per minute).
If you're gonna travel abroad, make sure you are prepared... take it from us, travel insurance is an absolute must!
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