China

Spring (March-April) and autumn (September-October) are the best times to visit China, though the higher altitude areas of Tibet, Qinghai and Western Sichuan are best visited in high summer (June - September). Daytime temperatures range from 20°C to 30°C in these seasons - but bear in mind that nights can still be bitterly cold and it can sometimes be wet and miserable.

China is the world's most populous country with about 1.3 billion people— one fifth of the Earth's population. Taking up most of East Asia, it is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, and the U.S.. It has hills, plains, and river deltas in the east and deserts, high plateaus, and mountains in the west. The capital city is Beijing.

In China, most people work in factories or on the land, which can be very hard. However many tourists do visit the country to look at the Great Wall of China – the only manmade thing that you can see from space – or travel along its many beautiful rivers, such as the Yangzi River. There are also shop till you drop cities and malls and beautiful historic places to visit, such as Emperor Qin's terracotta army or the ‘Forbidden City’ – the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Over the years, China has invented many things that we take for granted today. It is most famous for paper, printing and gunpowder, making some great fireworks, but it also invented other items, such as ice cream. (The very first ice cream was made of rice and milk then packed in the snow and ice of the winter months to freeze.)

Its most famous animal is the giant panda, which struggles to survive in the modern world. The Chinese government is taking a lot of steps to help it, while zoos around the world are also helping with a captive breeding programme.