China Culture
China culture cannot be condensed to a single page, so we figured it would be wise to dedicate a whole section to it in our Travel Guide.
As a civilization spanning thousands of years, and a culture that draws influences from various wisdom traditions, neighboring countries, the personal agenda of different dynasties, and innumerable scientific, philosophical, and artistic endeavours, it seems like China culture is as expansive as the Forbidden City forecourt. Quite literally, it would take months to gain an understanding that goes beyond the superficial.
For our customers looking to gain some understanding of what’s behind the people, places, and things that make up China culture before embarking on a travel adventure, we’ve provided the basics here. Expect to find background information uncovering the essence of China culture, including its evolution from prehistoric times to contemporary life. We touch on Chinese art, literature, music , and the performing arts. Read more
You will also find background on spiritual beliefs in China, language, and useful facts about the influences of minority cultures who have integrated into the predominant Han Chinese people, who make up approximately 95 percent of the 1.4 billion population.
And though China culture has drawn influences from people, places, and things from afar, as one of the world’s oldest cultures, its influence is also far-reaching. Advanced shipbuilding techniques and navigation technology, including the compass, saw early Chinese exploration, and consequently, dissemination of China culture such that led to its emergence as the main geographic region within the East Asian region.
With such an expansive history and far-reaching impacts arising from the Middle Kingdom, you may find it hard to know where to start. Let us step in and help. Explore our Travel Guide that’s been curated especially to make preparation for your China travel adventure as easy and fun as possible.
China Culture Articles
Faced with the virtually impossible task of distilling China culture into a single page, we’ve taken the approach that more is, well, more. In this selection of China culture articles, introduce yourself to China’s emperors, learn the difference between Sichuan and Szechuan, uncover the basics of Buddhism and Confucianism, discover the origins of traditional Chinese medicine, and more. It’s all here in the Travel Guide!
We can also organise private China tour guides who speak other foreign languages
Ask us about tour guides who speak en Français, auf Deutsch, in Nihon, and many other European and Asian languages.
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Testimonials
- WingF wrote a review 23 June 2024
Perfect China TripThe small group tour of Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai organised by China Tours was a great way to see these 3 fantastic cities of China. Each of the local guides Nancy (Beijing), Elysha (Xi’an) and Lucy (Shanghai) were very friendly, knowledgeable and interesting and had a passion for their jobs. They were all super helpful answering any questions and offering advice and tips for navigating each city in our own free time, including recommendations for places to eat and other attractions to see not covered by the tour. All the main attractions and sites were visited with plenty of time spent at each. The main highlights for me were the Forbidden City and Great Wall (Nancy took us to a great part of the wall that was not overcrowded) in Beijing and the Terracotta Army in Xi’an (including meeting the farmer who made the discovery in the 1970’s). It was not a rushed tour and was also flexible. In Xi’an because of the weather the itinerary order was changed to suit the group. Being a small escorted tour meant that you were not just one of many in the usual large group tours which made it more personal and enjoyable. A special mention for Nancy and Elysha who made suggestions, with no hidden agenda, in Beijing and Xi’an respectively to see live shows as add-ons which turned out to be unexpected delights. Martha of China Tours was very easy to deal with and was patient with all my requests and queries when booking the tour. Overall I can highly recommend China Tours if you plan to visit China and wish to arrange a tour. From start to finish everyone was extremely helpful and communicated in very good English. - TravelerToo wrote a review 20 June 2024
Fantastic Tour Itinerary, Guide, and HotelsI can’t imagine a better way to see and experience Taiwan than this 9-day tour. Starting in Taipei and driving counterclockwise we went from the top to the farthest southern tip of the country and back. Hotels were much nicer than expected as were all of the locals we met along the way. As most travelers know, a few words in the local language are much appreciated so set your Google translate app to Traditional Chinese and say hello! Our tour leader Cathy was funny, smiley, organized, and felt like my 2nd mother as she constantly made sure I was all right and happy. The trip itinerary was varied and extensive (maybe a few too many temples but that’s my problem). Perhaps the most impressive was the coordination between our tour leader and the travel company when an issue arose as when an indigenous cultural site unexpectedly closed. Cathy arranged for us to attend a special performance of another group which turned out to be one of the many highlights of the tour. This tour was excellent, a great introduction to an interesting country, a great value for the price. I highly recommend it. Oh, and try to get Cathy Lin as your guide; you won’t regret it. - Pioneer247973 wrote a review 19 June 2024
Amazing ExperienceOur 10 day tour with China Tours was an absolutely great experience. The hotels and transportation arrangements were great. We went to five cities, Beijing, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai. In each of those cities we had outstanding English speaking tour guides that were very knowledgeable and helpful. The tours were just the right amount of time to allow us spend some time on our own exploring each city. Overall, the trip was a great experience and we would highly recommend China Tours. - chithra sashi wrote a review 19 June 2024
Fabulous group tourAs I come to an end to my amazing and memorable 10day tour to this beautiful country. I have but only praise for this fabulous tour operator. All the ladies, Lora, Nancy, elysha, lucky were just brilliant and superb at their jobs from been super informative to been so punctual, to experiencing local culture and recommend spots to try out local Cuisines. We were a group of 3 in the no shopping stop tour. It was my first experience in a group and I got some wonderful friends for a lifetime. Everything so well taken care of by lord always available and very reliable. I would recommend Nancy for Beijing she is an excellent and wonderful guide suggesting amazing things to do in Beijing and experiencing the great wall. Elysha for xian experiencing the amazing terracotta warrior and rich culture. Lucky was so informative about the modern and ancient history of shanghai. Excellent company and oustanding customer service. - Snjezana Z wrote a review 11 June 2024
Amazing tripWe visited city walls of Xi'an, Terracotta warriors museum, Great Mosque, Muslim Quarter organised by China Tours. The guide was so knowledgable with so many interesting informations from history and nowadays life in China for complete experience. We enjoyed every minute of our trip. - Mark M wrote a review 11 June 2024
We did a 22 day tour over the main highlights of China including Tibet.China Tours held our hand every step of the way. There were no problems that were not solved. I can’t say enough about how much fun we had and how great the many tour guides were. Highly recommend using China tours for those interested. Note we are mid 60’s USA citizens.