Geography and Major Cities

China covers an area of roughly 9.6 million square kilometers, making it the world's third or fourth largest country by area. It encompasses immense geographic diversity: from the agricultural North China Plain surrounding Beijing, to the towering Tibetan Plateau with elevations exceeding 4,000 meters, through the fertile Yangtze River basin — the world's third-longest river — and down to the Pearl River Delta in the south, home to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, one of the most prosperous urban regions on earth.

China's most prominent cities include the capital Beijing (around 22 million people), Shanghai, the country's economic capital (around 25 million people), famed for its Bund waterfront and the futuristic Pudong skyline; Guangzhou and Shenzhen in the south; and the historic city of Xi'an, the starting point of the overland Silk Road.

A Brief History

China's history unfolds through a succession of ruling dynasties, beginning with the semi-legendary Xia dynasty, followed by the Shang dynasty, which left behind the earliest confirmed written records, and then the long-lasting Zhou dynasty, the era of Confucius and Laozi. In 221 BCE, Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the country for the first time, founding the Qin dynasty. This was followed in turn by the Han and Tang dynasties (the golden age of openness to the world via the Silk Road), the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, and finally the Qing dynasty, the last imperial dynasty, which ruled until 1912. The Xinhai Revolution (1911–1912) overthrew imperial rule, and Sun Yat-sen proclaimed the Republic of China. On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong declared the founding of the People's Republic of China from Tiananmen Square, following the Communist Party's victory in the civil war.

Economy

Today, China is the world's second-largest economy by nominal value, with a GDP approaching $19.4 trillion (2025), and it actually ranks first globally when measured by purchasing power parity. Known as the "world's factory," China accounts for roughly 28% of global industrial output, surpassing the combined production of the United States, Japan, and Germany. It has also become the world's largest exporter of electric vehicles, with a share of nearly 40% of global exports in the sector, and its exports have a growing presence in Arab markets, including Saudi Arabia. Beyond traditional manufacturing, cities such as Shenzhen have transformed into global technology hubs, hosting the headquarters of major companies like Huawei, Tencent, and BYD.

Climate

China's climate varies dramatically given the country's vast expanse: from a harsh subarctic climate in the north, in Heilongjiang province, to a humid tropical climate in the south, on Hainan Island; through a temperate monsoon climate that brings most of the summer rainfall to central and eastern regions; to a dry continental desert climate in the western Xinjiang region; and a cold, year-round alpine climate on the elevated Tibetan Plateau. Visitors are therefore advised to choose their destination and travel season carefully, depending on the region they plan to visit.

Society and Culture

China is home to more than 1.4 billion people, making it one of the most populous countries in the world, despite slowing growth rates in recent years. The official language is Mandarin Chinese, alongside dozens of local dialects and languages spoken by the country's various ethnic groups.

What many Arab travelers may not know is that China is home to a long-established Muslim community estimated at more than 20 million people, most of whom belong to the Hui ethnic group, dispersed across the country and culturally and linguistically integrated with wider Chinese society, and the Uyghurs, of Turkic origin, concentrated mainly in the Xinjiang region. According to traditional accounts, Islam first reached China during the Tang dynasty in the mid-seventh century CE, when Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, may God be pleased with him, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, arrived via the trading port of Guangzhou and then traveled to Chang'an (present-day Xi'an), the eastern terminus of the overland Silk Road. Xi'an and Guangzhou still preserve landmarks bearing witness to this long history: in Xi'an stands the "Great Mosque," founded in 742 CE, built in traditional Chinese architectural style without domes, while Guangzhou is home to the Huaisheng Mosque (also known as the Guangta Mosque), one of the oldest surviving mosques in China, which traditional accounts attribute to Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas.

Why Visit China?

  • The Great Wall of China: with a total length exceeding 21,000 kilometers built across various dynasties, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The most famous sections open to visitors near Beijing are Badaling and Mutianyu.
  • The Forbidden City: the imperial palace in Beijing, built between 1406 and 1420, comprising nearly 9,000 rooms across 72 hectares. Since 1925 it has served as the Palace Museum, displaying around 1.8 million artifacts.
  • Massive modern cities: from Shanghai's futuristic Pudong skyline to Shenzhen, which transformed over four decades from a small fishing village into a technology metropolis with a population exceeding 17 million.
  • High-speed trains: China has the world's largest high-speed rail network, spanning more than 50,000 kilometers, making travel between major cities fast, comfortable, and a practical alternative to domestic flights.
  • Other unmissable sights: the Terracotta Army of Xi'an, discovered in 1974, comprising more than 8,000 warriors; the enchanting sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie; and the Li River amid Guilin's famous karst hills.