Welcome to Destination China your travel guide and travel directory on China part of the Best Destination Travel Guides series.
The Ancient Chinese considered their country as the centre of the world; barbarian countries stretched around it on all sides. The traditional names: Middle Kingdom, Zhong guo or Flowery Middle Country, Zhong hua, sprang from this idea. During the European Middle Ages, China was known, thanks to travellers like Marco Polo, by the name of Cathay, which became Kitai in Russian. The country name China comes from the name of the Qin Dynasty. Much of the China that we know today came into existence after the 1911 Revolution. Some frontiers are contested by the People's Republic of China, particularly in the direction of Indian Assam; in 1962, Chinese and Indian troops met in this area.
China is divided into 23 provinces (heng), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu), 4 municipalities (shi) and special administrative regions.
The provinces are: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)
The autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang Uygur, Xizang (Tibet)
The municipalities are: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
The special administrative regions are: Hong Kong and Macau
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