Vacation in China

This summer I went on vacation for three weeks with my wife and her parents,
to visit the country that invented kung-fu, noodles, silk, and gunpowder. 
China currently has a population of 1.3 billion people with a growing affluent minority
that nearly has the purchasing of the United States.

The country that is now modern China used to be comprised of many different
cultures, languages, and ethnic groups of which Han was the largest.
After the Communist revolution, many elements of the regions were unified,
including a simplified writing system based on Han characters.

Climate ranges from sandy deserts, to frigid tundra and tropical forests.

The fantastic city of Hong Kong is the most vertically built city in the world
and functions as a special administrative region with its own laws and government.
Hong Kong is the home of countless action movies and one of my biggest idols, Bruce Lee.

Another SAR is Macao, which was once a colony of the Portuguese.
It is home to the highest commercial bungee jump in the world at 233 meters.

China is working hard to grow into a new global identity,
but is making sure not to forget the values and culture that has held it together.
This picture is at a space observation temple in the middle of Beijing.

Nearby lies East Chang’an Avenue which crosses the forbidden city and Tian’anmen square.

It was exciting to see China from the inside and I look forward to
visiting it again in the future to see how everything has transformed.