China has a vast territory and a large population. Even though people all use the Chinese language, they speak in different ways in different areas, which are called dialects. Generally called local languages, dialects, and branches of the Chinese language are only used in certain areas. Used by the Han people in China, the Chinese language has a long history, having established a fairly mature written language more than 3 000 years ago.

The Chinese language has more than 1.2 billion users and can be regarded as the one spoken by the greatest number of persons. In addition to China, some people in Singapore and Malaysia also use Chinese, and millions of overseas Chinese and foreign citizens of Chinese origin distributed around the world use various Chinese dialects as a native language. The Chinese language is the main language used by the Chinese, also one of the working languages of the United Nations. At present, the Chinese language has seven dialects: the Northern dialect, the Wu dialect, the Xiang dialect, the Gan dialect, the Hakka, the Min dialect and the Yue or Guangdong dialect. Among them, the Northern dialect is used most widely. The Hakka, the Fujian dialect and the Guangdong dialect are also used by overseas Chinese.

The dialects of the Chinese language are very complicated. Various dialects differ from each other in three aspects: pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. And the difference in pronunciation is the most outstanding. There is a saying in the coastal areas of southeastern China: Pronunciations differ within 10-li (Chinese unit of measurement, 1 li=0.5 km) area. If all people in different areas speak in local dialects, it will lead to trouble in communications. The Chinese people had realized very early that a common language should be used in social intercourse. Compared with dialects differing within 10-li area, Mandarin can be understood by all people. Since it is beneficial for cultural exchange and information transmission between ethnic groups and people in different places, the Chinese Government attaches great importance to popularizing Mandarin and encourages people to learn it.

NOTES:

1. Vernacular Chinese is the written language commonly used by modern Han people.
2. The Northern dialect, represented by the Beijing dialect, is commonly used in northeastern China, northern China, northwestern China, southwestern China and areas along the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers.
3. The Wu dialect, represented by the Shanghai dialect, is commonly used in some areas in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces of China.
4. The Xiang or Hunan dialect, represented by the Changsha dialect, is commonly used in most areas of Hunan Province.
5. The Gan dialect, represented by the Nanchang dialect, is generally used in Jiangxi Province and southeastern Hubei Province.
6. The Hakka, represented by the Meixian dialect of Guangdong Province, is mainly used in northeastern Guangdong Province, western and northern Fujian Province, and southern Jiangxi Province.
7. The Min dialect is generally used in Fujian Province, Chaoshan area of Guangdong Province, Hainan Province and Taiwan Province.
8. The Yue or Guangdong dialect, represented by the Guangzhou dialect, is generally used in central and southwestern Guangdong Province, eastern and southern Guangxi Province, Hong Kong and Macao.

A man named Pangu axed the Heaven off from the Earth with a huge axe. Standing right in between the Heaven and the Earth, hands holding out the sky, feet stamping on the ground, he grew taller and taller, hence the sky became higher and higher while the ground became lower and lower.

This lasted for 18 000 years. As a result, the Heaven and the Earth have finally driven away from each other to a vast distance of 90 000 li and Pangu became a giant with his head holding up the heaven and his feet stamping on the ground. After his death, his eyes became the Sun and the Moon, his four limbs - the mountains, blood, rivers, lakes and seas, his sinews - the field, his arteries - roads and ways, his hairs and moustaches - the stars in the sky, his skin and body hairs - flowers, grass and woods, his teeth and bones - the shining metals, hard stones, glittering pearls and precious stones, his sweats - the dew.

What is miraculous is that many of the small insects on his body became human beings. This is the legend of Pangu creating the new Heaven and the Earth. This myth has been passed on generation until our time in China.

Located in Liaoning province, Dalian is a famous port in northern China, and also a well-known industrial and tourist city. Dalian has a solid industrial foundation and is one of the important industrial bases in China. With abundant aquatic resources, it is also an important fishery base. Dalian is a major port for international trade in China. Its international airport has airlines to every major city in China.

Dalian is at the top of the list of excellent tourist cities in China. There are several beaches for swimmers in the city. Tiger Beach Park is the first in China to have built a tourist cableway across the gulf with a length of 600m.

Dalian city is decorated with many pretty squares, such as the Haizhiyun Square (Sea Rhyme Square), The Triumph Square, the Sun Yat-sen Square, the Renmin Square (People's Square), the Olympic Square, etc. Statistics show that there are about 70 squares in the city. Dalian probably has the largest number of squares in Asia. These squares help to enrich the city's culture and demonstrate its charms.

Every year Dalian hosts many grand festivals, such as the International Fashion Festival, the Import & Export Trade Fair, the Spring Firecracker Festival, the International Marathon Tournament, and the „Bingyu“ (Ice Valley) Ice Lantern Festival. It successfully held the Travel & Trade Fair in 1997, and the Second Chinese Flowers Trade Fair. Dalian International Marathon Tournament has been successfully hosted there for 20 times.

The Changbai Mountains are located in the southeast part of Jilin Province, with 16 peaks over 2 500 m high. The main peak is Mount Baitou, with an altitude of 2 691 m. On the top of the Mount Baitou lies the Heavenly Pond 长白山天池which is formed by water accumulated in a crater. Encircled by precipitous mountains, the pond is as clear as a mirror. The pond offers a pleasing scene with its shimmering water against the green mountains. The Changbai Mountains are a great treasure house of natural resources. The montain area is original producer of the well known „Three treasures of the Northeast“ i.e. ginseng, mink and pilose antler.

【来源：中国地理常识】 [Source: Common Knowledge About Chinese Geography]

Changbai Mountain, also known as Paektu Mountain, is the tallest in Northeast China. It is also embraced by both the Manchu and Korean people as their sacred place of origin, the range representing the mythical birthplace of the Manchu state and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) founders.

As early as the pre-Qin period (the Qin Dynasty reigned from 221 BC to 206 BC), Classic of Mountains and Seas, an ancient compilation of Chinese mythology, mentioned Changbai Mountain, though at that time it was called Buxian. During the Qing Dynasty, emperors held Changbai Mountain in such divine regard that the mountain and its surrounding areas were designated a forbidden area for approximately 200 years. It is this gap of inaccessibility that shrouded the mountain range in mystery and thus stoked the creative fires for writers at that time.

Today, the folklore of Changbai Mountain continues. There are frequent news reports of tourists claiming to have seen a water monster at Tianchi (which means Heavenly Lake) at the top of the mountain.
Source: www.chinadaily.com

„Changbai mountain Heavenly Pond“ is a dormant volcano. The water in its crater is a lake. It is as white as snow in winter, surrounded by 16 peaks. There is only a narrow pool of water overflow between Tianhuo peak and Longmen peak. Changbai mountain was formed in the geological orogenic movement 12 million years ago. After several eruptions, it has become a huge umbrella body.

When the volcano is dormant, the spring overflows, forming a vast water surface of more than ten square kilometers. With an altitude of 2,189.1 meters, Tianchi 天池is slightly elliptic, 4.4 kilometers long from north to south and 3.37 kilometers wide from east to west. The catchment area of 21.4 ㎞ squared, the water area of 9.82 ㎞ squared, surface perimeter 13.1 kilometers, the average depth of 204 meters, the depth of 373 meters. The total storage capacity is 2.04 billion cubic meters.

The water temperature in Tianchi 天池is 0.7℃-11℃, and the average annual temperature is 7.3℃. Like a magnificent jasper inlaid among the majestic peaks of Changbai mountain, Tianchi 天池is the largest volcanic lake in China and the deepest alpine lake in the world. It is the boundary lake between China and Korea.

Source: baike.baidu

The Manchurian Tiger, also called Siberian tiger, originates from the northeast of Asia. Its body is about 1.6 – 2m long. As the the largest tiger in the world, it deserves the title of “The king of the animals“.

The pattern on its forehead resembles the Chinese character 王 (wáng - the king). The Manchurian tigers move around at night. They mainly live in the northeast of China and are granted State first-grade protection.

At present, wild Manchurian tigers are scarce and have receded to the south bank of the Songhuajiang River, mainly at the Sino-Russian border area in the drainage area of the Ussuri and Tumen rivers.

【来源：中国地理常识】

[source: Common Knowledge About Chinese Geography]