COUNTRY INFORMATION

Geography | People | Health | Electricity | Money Matters | Travel within China | Customs Regulations | Airport Taxes | Climate & Clothing | Best time to visit | Time Zone | Language and writing | Literature on China | Art | Religion and Philosophy

 

Geography:
China is one of the biggest countries in the world. It has an area of about 9.6 million sq. km which comprises about 6.5% of the world total land area. Its population of more than one billion accounts for 23% of the world's population. China is the world's oldest continuous civilization. World Travel Organization predicts that by year 2020, China will become the number one travel destination in the world. China is situated in the eastern part of Asia on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is the third largest country in the world (after Canada and Russia). The distance from east to west measures over 5,200km and from north to south, over 5,500km. When the sun shines brightly over the Wusuli River in the east, the Pamire Plateau in the west is in the very early morning. When blizzards wrap the north along the Heilongjiang River in the winter, spring sowing is underway on Hainan Island in the south. China has a land border of 22,143.34km long and is bordered by twelve countries: Korea in the east; Russian in the northeast and the northwest; Mongolia in the north; India, Pakistan, Bhutan and Nepal in part of the west and southwest; Burma, Laos and Vietnam in the south. Beside a vast land area, there are also extensive neighboring seas and numerous islands. The coastline extends more than 14,500km. Across the East China Sea to the east and South China Sea to the southeast are Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. More than 5,000 islands are scattered over China's vast territorial seas; the largest being Taiwan and the second largest, Hainan. One territorial sea and three neighboring seas altogether constitute 4.73 million sq. km. Mountains:  China is a mountainous country with 2/3 of its total land area covered by mountains, hills and plateaus. Out of the world's twelve highest peaks of more than 8,000 m, seven are located in China. The highest peak in the world, Mount Qomolangma (8,828 m) (Mount Everest) stands on the border between China and Nepal. There are five major mountain systems in China. These mountain systems, together with numerous intermontane plateaus, basins and plains are interwoven into three macro-land form complexes in China. Therefore, the topography of China from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau eastward, is broadly arranged into four great steps descending step- by-step from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the coastal area in the east. 1. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the top of the staircase, covers 2.2 million sq. km and averages 4,000 m above sea level. It is the highest and largest plateau on earth and is popularly called "roof of the world". 2. From the eastern margin of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau eastward up to the Da Hinggan-Taihang-Wushan mountains line, composed mainly of plateau and basins with elevation from 2,000 to 1,000km. 3. From the above mentioned line eastward up to the coast are the largest plains of China. The plains are also interspersed with hills generally below 500km in elevation. 4. The continental shelf, with an elevation that is generally less than 200km. The west of China is comprised of mountains and deserts as well as plateaus that do not provide much arable land for agriculture. Throughout most of history, the civilization that grew up to the east in what is today China, was not surrounded by other nearby major civilizations. To this extent, the Chinese were "isolated" from competing civilizations although there was a broad and fluid frontier zone on the western margins. Although the mountains and deserts of the west limited contact between early imperial dynasties and other centers of civilization in Inner Asia, Middle East, South Asia, and Europe, there were some important and notable exchanges of culture. The legendary Silk Road facilitated the exchange of goods and ideas between China and each of these areas. Rivers:  China has a great number of rivers. The inland river system accounts for 36% of the total land area in China, more than 1,500 sq. km of which have a catchment area exceeding 1,000 sq. km. Among these, the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Heilongjiang River, Pearl River, and Huaihe River are the major ones. China is also a country with numerous lakes; approximately 2,800 natural lakes with a total area of more than 80,000 sq. km. China's two major Rivers, the Huang He (Yellow River) and the Chang Jiang (Yangzi or Yangtze River), as well as the Pearl River (Zhu Jiang) in southeastern China, have provided the framework for agricultural development and population growth throughout China's history. Another river, the Heilong Jiang (known also as the Amur River, its Russian name) marks the border between China and Russia. Because some of China's largest rivers have their source regions on the high Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and drop great distances over their middle and lower courses, China is rich in hydroelectric resources. Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) As China's "main street," this artery courses over 6,300km through several of China's most economically developed regions. Excellent river ports  - Shanghai, Zhenjiang, Nanjing, Wuhan, Yichang, and Chongqing--are located near or along the Chang Jiang making it one of the world's busiest inland waterways. As much as 40% of the country's total grain production, 70% of the rice output and more than 40% of China's population are associated with its vast basin that includes more than 3,000 tributaries. The flow of the Chang Jiang is some 20 times greater than that of the Huang He. With its numerous tributaries, the Chang Jiang drains nearly 20% of China's total area. Its upper reaches tap the uplands of the Tibetan Plateau before sweeping across the enormous and agriculturally productive Sichuan Basin that supports nearly 10% of China's total population. It is in the middle course of the Chang Jiang, the Three Gorges Dam project is being constructed. That is also the area the popular Yangtze River Cruise sails along the Yangtze. Huang He (Yellow River) China's second longest river, Yellow River rises in Qinghai province and flows some 5,464km to the Yellow Sea. Crystal clear lakes and lazy meandering are characteristic in its upper reaches. Along the Great Bend of the Yellow River in its middle course, the unruly river carves its way through the loessial plateau with substantial erosion taking place. As the river erodes the loess, it becomes a "river of mud", causing serious flooding almost every year. What was once a scourge that plagued the Chinese people throughout much of their history continues to be one of China's great natural challenges preventing both flooding and drought in a region with more than 100 million people. Siltation at the mouth of the Yellow River extended the length of the river by approximately 35km (20 miles) between 1975 and 1991.

 

People
The People's Republic of China is a unified, multi-national country, comprising of 56 nationalities. The Han people make up 91.02% of the total population, leaving 8.98% for the other 55 ethnic minorities. They are Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, Uygur, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Bouyei, Korean, Manchu, Dong, Yao, Bai, Tujia, Hani, Kazak, Dai, Li, Lisu, Va, She, Gaoshan, Lahu, Shui, Dongxiang, Naxi, Jingpo, Kirgiz, Tu, Daur, Mulam, Qiang, Blang, Salar, Maonan, Gelo, Xibe, Achang, Pumi, Tajik, Nu, Ozbek, Russian, Ewenki, Benglong, Bonan, Yugur, Jing, Tatar, Drung, Oroqen, Hezhen, Moinba, Lhoba and Gelo. All nationalities in China are equal according to the law. The Constitution protects their lawful rights and interests and promotes equality, unity and mutual help among them. Chinese population is distributed unevenly with more in the east (more than 300 persons per sq. km) and fewer in the west (about 40 persons per sq. km). The national average density of population is 119 per sq. km. The average size of household was 3.7 persons. The proportion of population aged at 0-14 was 26.4%, those aged 15-64 was 67.2%, and that of people aged 65 and over was 6.4%. The average Chinese life span of the population was 70.8 years--for males was 68.71 years. and females was 73.04 years. China has a population of 1.2 billion, about half of which are under the age of 30. There are ninety-five cities that have more than 1 million people, including such urban centers are Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Harbin, Chongqing, Nanjiang, Xi'an and Chengdu. Five cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, and Wuhan) have well over 5 million. Shanghai is the largest city in China with a population of 14 million.

 

Health
Any trip which involves a change of climate and diet can lead to difficulty in physical adjustment. One should take along some usual medicines, such as those for colds, diarrhea and constipation, though they are available at drugstore. Those who take special medicine on a regular basis should be sure to carry an adequate supply with them. It is advisable to avoid unboiled water and raw or under-cooked meat. Medical treatment in China is usually very inexpensive. No inoculations are required for travel in China. For most updated information on vaccinations contact the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/travel.html.  As a general precautionary measure, we recommended that you take out health insurance before traveling overseas. You should consult with your medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether your policy applies overseas and if it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation. Note that some insurers will only authorize payment for medical evacuations performed by companies with whom they have pre-existing agreements.

 

Electricity:
The voltage in China is 220 Volts (versus 110 in the US). In order to operate your electric appliances (hair dryer, electric razor, etc.) you need a converter. In addition to the converter (which your appliance might have built in you also need a set of adapters in order to use the differently shaped outlets in China.

 

Money Matters:

On entering, no restrictions are imposed on the amount of foreign currency, travelers checks, credit cards. However, non-residents carrying more than 5,000 US dollars in cash should declare to the Customs. The RMB (¥) is not exchangeable on the international market, so it is only usable within the country. To change RMB back into your home currency, you must retain the exchange slips that are given to you at the bank or money exchange counter. Then when you want to go home, you have to bring the slips with you to prove that you are merely changing back money you haven't spent instead of taking out needed foreign exchange. The local currency in China is the Yuan. One US$ equals about 8.30 Yuan or HK$7.70 . The exchange rate is set by the government and is the same, no matter where you change. All major credit cards are widely accepted in China (especially in the big foreign managed hotels, and at tourist spots). Traveler Checks are accepted at government stores and can also be cashed at hotel lobbies, besides banks of course. ATM’s are found in Hong Kong and in some big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. The machines accept major credit cards and American ATM cards. (Visa and MasterCard's web sites give the latest details). You can use these and several other cards at larger branches of the Bank of China for the same purpose. There is a 4% commission charge, and a minimum withdrawal of Yuan 1,200 (about $145).

 

Traveling within China:
Points for foreigners with tourist visas: A foreigner holding the tourist visa (L) should go to an appointed port of entry or one which is opened to foreigners, receive the examination by a frontier inspection station, submit a valid passport and visa for inspection, and fill in an entry card; entry into China is granted only after the frontier inspection has approved all the documents and stamped them with an entry seal. Foreigners may travel in places opened to them in China with a valid passport and tourist visa (L). Foreigners travelling with their own transport vehicles should apply for approval before they enter China. These include bicycles, motorcycles, cars, boats and aircrafts. Foreign tourists are not allowed to enter areas not opened to foreigners: Violators will be penalized according to law. Foreigners who want to visit an area on business not opened to them should apply to the local public security organ for a Foreigners Travel Permit. When they apply for such a permit, they should show their own passports and valid visas, provide letters which explain the reasons for such a visit, and fill in the Application Form for Foreign Travellers. Only after approval is granted, can they enter the area not opened to foreign visitors. The Foreigners Travel Permit should be used along with the passport. When applying for lodging in a hotel, guesthouse, school or any other Chinese establishment, a foreign visitor should provide a valid passport and fill in a registration form for temporary lodging. A foreign visitor staying with a Chinese family should apply to the local public security organ within seventy-two hours after arrival with valid identification documents of both the guest and the host. A foreign visitor staying with a Chinese family in a rural area should apply to the local police station or residential administrative organ within seventy-two hours after arrival. This stipulation also applies to a foreign visitor staying in a foreign establishment or with a foreigner's family in China. A foreign tourist may travel in China within the approved period of time. If he wishes to continue traveling in China after the approved time of his stay expires, he should apply to the local public security organ for the extension of his stay. After he has finished his travel in China, he should fill in an exit document before his visa expires and submit his documents to the frontier inspection station in a port opened to foreigners; he is allowed to leave the country only after his document is stamped with an approval seal.

 

Customs Regulations
Incoming passengers are allowed to bring with them one of each of the items listed as follows:  Camera, portable tape-recorder, portable cinecamera, portable video-camera, and portable computer. Passengers carrying personal items over this limit should declare accurately to the Customs and fulfill all necessary customs formalities. Passengers should declare to the Customs if the amount of gold, silver and other ornaments made thereof they are carrying exceeds 50 grams. Any consignment for export of gold, silver and ornaments made thereof (including handicrafts of inlaid goldware and silverware) purchased in the territory shall only be allowed with special invoices issued by the People's Bank of China. Culture relics intended for export shall be sent in advance to the cultural administrative department for verification. Prohibited imports: Arms, imitation arms, ammunition and explosives of all kinds; counterfeit currency and negotiable securities; printed matter, films, photos, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and video-tapes, compact discs (video & audio), storage media for computers and other articles which are detrimental to the political, economic, cultural and moral interests of China; deadly poisons of all kinds; opium, morphine, heroin, marihuana and other addiction inducing or hallucinatory drugs; animals, plants and products made thereof infected with or carrying disease, insect pests and other harmful organisms; foodstuffs, medicines and other articles coming from epidemic-stricken areas and harmful to humans and livestock, or those capable of spreading diseases. Prohibited exports:  All articles enumerated as articles prohibited from import;  manuscripts, printed matter, films, photos, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and video-tapes, compact discs (video & audio), storage media for computers and other articles which involve state secrets;  valuable cultural relics and other relics prohibited from export; endangered and rare animals, plants (including their specimens) and their seeds or reproducing materials.

 

Airport Taxes:
A special Airport Development Tax is charged for each departure on a domestic flight at Chinese airports. This tax can only be paid in Yuan and must be paid by the passenger in cash. The tax varies from airport to airport and usually rises frequently. You should count on about ¥50 (approximately $6.00) per flight. Upon leaving China by train, air plane, ship or over land, travelers are charged a departure tax of ¥90 (about $11.00), which has to be paid in Yuan and in cash at the point of exit. Hong Kong’s departure tax charged only at the airport is HK$100.00 (about $13.00)

 

Climate & Clothing:  See our Weather Page.
China's climate ranges from year-round tropical heat in Hainan to Siberian conditions in the far north and classic desert weather in the far west. Clothing is usually dictated by the weather. In winter it's a good idea to wear layers of garments - thermal or silk underwear with a sweater and padded jacket - so as to be able to strip down when necessary. Padded jackets and wool-lined boots, in all sizes and styles, are among China's best buys. In the warm weather clothing should be casual and designed for comfort, without being too revealing. Slacks are still the norm for women in China, and are recommended for strenuous sightseeing. The Chinese are generally conservative in their dress, favoring dark colors. In recent years, the Western coat and tie have become popular.

Best time to visit:  See our Weather Page.
To decide when to travel to China depends on which places you wish to visit. China is a huge country and during your trip you will most probably encounter different climates. Traveling along the "Golden Route" (Beijing-Xi’an-Guillin- Shanghai) is like traveling from Seattle via Denver to San Diego with all its climatic variations. May, September and October are the peak tourist month. The weather is most comfortable; prices are the highest. Late March, April, June, August and early November are shoulder season; the weather is a bit unpredictable but usually still acceptable; prices are somewhat lower than during peak season. December, January, February and beginning of March are off season (however not in Hong Kong). Winters are cold and foggy in the north (Beijing and Xi’an); crowds are few and prices unbelievably low.

 

Time zone:

The whole of China operates as one time zone, eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. There is no daylight savings time adjustment in the summer.

 

Language and writing:

China has one official language, Chinese. Written Chinese is the same all over the country but when spoken, it is a different story. Putonghua, or Mandarin, is the universal language understood by all educated Chinese. But there are thousands of different dialects in China. Because there has long been a single method for writing Chinese and a common literary and cultural history, a tradition has grown up of referring to the eight main varieties of speech in China as "dialects". But in fact, they are as different from each other (mainly in pronunciation and vocabulary) as French or Spanish is from Italian, the dialects of the southeast being linguistically the furthest apart. The mutual unintelligibility of the varieties is the main ground for referring to them as separate languages. However, it must also be recognized that each variety consists of a large number of dialects, many of which may themselves be referred to as languages. The boundaries between one so-called language and the next are not always easy to define. People often have the impression that Chinese characters are extremely difficult to learn. In fact, if you were to attempt to learn how to write Chinese characters, you would find that they are not nearly as difficult as you may have imagined. And they certainly qualify as forming one of the most fascinating, beautiful, logical and scientifically constructed writing systems in the world. Each stroke has its own special significance. If you are familiar with the principles governing the composition of Chinese characters, you will find it very easy to remember even the most complicated looking character and never miss a stroke. The earliest known examples of Chinese written characters in their developed form are carved into tortoise shells and ox bones. The majority of these characters are pictographs. Archaeologists and epigraphers of various countries have learned that most early writing svstems went through a pictographic stage, as did the Egyptian hieroglyphics. Most writing systems, however, eventually developed a phonetic alphabet to represent the sounds of spoken language rather than visual images perceived in the physical world. Chinese is the only major writing system of the world that continued its pictograph-based development without interruption and that is still in general modern use. But not all Chinese characters are simply impressionistic sketches of concrete objects. Chinese characters incorporate meaning and sound as well as visual image into a coherent whole. In traditional etymology, Chinese characters are classified into six different methods of character composition and use these six categories are called the Liu Shu. There is a theoretical total of almost 50,000 written Chinese characters; only about 5,000 of these are frequently used. Among these 5,000, if you learn about 200 key words that are most often repeated in daily use, then you can say you know Chinese.

Literature on travel in China:
There are thousands of books available dealing with every possible aspect on China and its surrounding areas. The following list is very selective with focus on mainly travel related topics. Each book is identified with its ISBN (International Standard Book Number) with which it can be found and ordered at any book store. A great place to browse, and order on-line is the Amazon Bookstore

 

CHINA: THE SILK ROUTES	Peter Neville Hadley	ISBN:1860110525
BAEDEKER CHINA	Jarrold Baedecker	ISBN:0028613651
BEIJING	William Lindesay, Wu Qi	ISBN:0844247685
IN SECRET TIBET	Theodor Illion	ISBN:0932813135
CHINA: LAND OF MYSTERY	Johnny Erling	ISBN:1860642209
HONG KONG: EPILOGUE TO AN EMPIRE	Jon Morris	ISBN:0679776486
LONELY PLANET BEIJING	Robert Storley	ISBN:0864423772
LONELY PLANET CHINA, (inc Hong Kong & Macau)		ISBN:0864422075
TRAVELS IN TARTARY, THIBET & CHINA, 1844-1846	Joseph Gabet, Evariste Regis Huc	ISBN: 0486254380
YANGTZE RIVER: THE WILDEST, WICHEDEST RIVER ON EARTH: AN ANTHOLOGY	Madeline Lynn	ISBN:0195869206
ANGHAI / THE PARIS OF THE ORIENT	Lyn Pan	ISBN:0844297046
BAZAARS OF CHINESE TURKESTAN: LIFE AND TRADE ALONG THE OLD SILK ROAD	Peter Yung	ISBN:019590270
THE SILK ROAD, 1994: FROM XI’AN TO KASHGAR	Judy Bonavia	ISBN:0844299510
CONSERVATION OF ANCIENT SITES ON THE SILK ROAD	Neville Agnew	ISBN:0892364165
HOUSE OF THE TURQUOISE ROOF	Dorje Yuthok	ISBN:1559390352
CHINA: Ancient Culture, Modern Land	Robert Murowchick	ISBN:0806126833
LIFE AND DEATH IN SHANGHAI	Nien Cheng	ISBN:014010870X

 

Art:
The origins of traditional Chinese painting reach far back into China's distant history. Generally speaking, works dating from before the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) are mainly line drawings of people engaged in various activities. This was the "golden age" of human figure drawing. By the mid Tang Dynasty, landscape and flower-and-bird paintings began their rise to prominence. Paintings of mountains, forests, fields and gardens have the ability to transport one away from the vexations of the material world into a peaceful, carefree realm. Because of this, landscape paintings have always been highly regarded by China's literati and officialdom. The flowers, grass, trees, stones, birds and other animals depicted in the lively and energetic flower-and-bird paintings are also widely admired. Thus, the landscape and flower-and-bird types of painting, together with the earlier human figure painting, comprise the three main categories of traditional Chinese painting. The ruling and elite classes of the Tang and Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD) were major supporters of Chinese painting. The creative aim behind artistic works produced in this period was more serious and had political and educational significance. In style, the works tended to be elaborate and ornate. The Sung Dynasty court established a fairly well systematized academy of painting. Sung Emperor Hui Zong, a lover of fine art and painting and an accomplished artist in his own right, granted special patronage to the painters in this academy and sponsored the training of promising painters. The academy of painting reached the zenith of its activity in this period. However, due to gradual social, economic, and cultural changes, more and more men of letters began to take up painting and literature came to exercise an ever-increasing influence on painting. By the time of the famous Sung poet Su Shi (1036-1101 AD), better known as Su Dongpo), the school of "literati painting" had already emerged. By the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD), there was no longer a formal painting academy organization within the imperial palace so the court style of painting declined. At this point, the "literati" school of painting entered the mainstream and the leadership in Chinese painting circles fell into the hands of literati painters. Whether Chinese painting is "realistic" is the object of frequent debate. Some may feel that it is not realistic but such an answer tells only part of the story. Realism in Chinese painting reached its climax in the painting of the Tang and Sung Dynasties. However, the kind of "realism" sought in Chinese painting is not an objective reflection of the existence of an object as perceived through the sense of sight, but rather is an expression of a subjective kind of recognition or insight. For example, no overt effort is made to represent the shadows cast by a particular type of lighting at a certain place and time in the clothing on people depicted in the Sung Dynasty painting Che Kan Tu and for this reason, the painting does not have a clear three-dimensional effect. After the painter set the lines down on paper, he used watercolor wash techniques to achieve a chiaroscuro effect of light and dark, representing the forces of "yin" and "yang" to express his grasp of the eternal quintessential nature of his subject. A square planter painted according to the objective principles of perspective should in theory appear longer in front and be foreshortened in back, reflecting the perceived decrease in relative size of more distant objects. But the front and back edges of a real planter are equal in length and this knowledge of the physical world is incorporated into the image the painter of the Che K'an T'u created. The planter is represented as a flat surface with sides that are equal in length. The fundamental component of Chinese painting is the line, as it is in Chinese calligraphy. Because of this shared feature, these two arts have had, beginning from a very early time, a close mutual relationship. By the time that "literati" painting had become popular in the Yuan Dynasty, men of letters who painted put even more conscious effort into reaffirming the link to Chinese calligraphy and actively led a trend to fuse calligraphy and painting. The close relationship between poetry and painting was formed under the strong influence of literature on painting. Scholar-statesmen and literati led the melding of poetry and painting and this eventually spread to the academy of painting. The Sung Emperor Hui Zong is known to have used poetry to test painters on their ability to express with ink and paper the enchanted world created in written verse. Beginning in the Sung Dynasty, a small number of artists began to write the names of the giver and recipient of the painting or to stamp their name chop, in an inconspicuous corner of the work. When "literati" painting was in vogue in the Yuan dynasty, men of letters began adding personal notes on the painting or related lines of poetry to display their prose and calligraphic skill. This writing was now given a more prominent place on the work. At this point there was a new union of signature, names of giver and receiver and notes on the painting or related verse with the painting itself. The stamping of name chops also became established at this time. The addition of name chop impressions, in itself an art, further enriched the artistic content of Chinese painting. Calligraphy:  Chinese calligraphy is like a rare, exotic flower in the history of civilization and is a unique gem of Oriental culture. Graphically, it is comparable to painting in its ability to evoke emotion through a rich variety of form and design. As abstract art, it displays the rhythmic and harmonious flow of music. And from a practical point of view, it is written language. With the "four treasures of the study" (wen fang si bao), namely brush pens, ink sticks, paper, and ink slabs as tools and through the medium of lines, China's calligraphers, have over the centuries, developed uncounted different calligraphic styles. This plethora of diverse styles can however, be grouped into five basic categories : Chuan Shu, Seal Script; Li Shu, Official Script; Kai Shu, Regular Script; Xing Shu, Running Script and Cao Shu which literally means "Grass" Script but is usually referred to as Cursive Script. Chinese calligraphy is not only a practical tool of everyday living; it comprises, along with traditional Chinese painting, the mainstream of China's art history. All kinds of people, from emperors to peasants, have avidly collected works of fine calligraphy. Calligraphic works are not only for making into scrolls or framing and hanging in a room or study; they are to be found everywhere you look--on shop and government office building signs, on monuments and in stone inscriptions. All of these examples of Chinese calligraphy have supreme artistic value. Today, as in the past, calligraphers are often literati as well as artists. Their calligraphic works may include renderings of their own poems, lyrics, couplets or letters or those of famous masters. Over the millennia, the benefits of personality tempering and intellectual expression afforded by the art of Chinese calligraphy have not been restricted to China's borders alone. The neighboring countries of Japan and Korea and several nations of Southeast Asia have all made Chinese calligraphy part of their own respective cultures and developed their own schools and styles. Since World War II, Westerners have also been influenced by Chinese calligraphy. Representative of the significant position occupied by Chinese calligraphy in international art was a "Cobra" painting exhibition held in Scandinavia in 1948. The works displayed at this exhibition were by a painter who drew inspiration from Chinese calligraphy as practiced in Japan.  Ingenious Chinese Knots:  Chinese knots are a distinctive and traditional Chinese folk handicraft. Their main characteristic is that each knot it woven from one piece of thread and named according to its shape. Good wishes and praise may be expressed through combinations of knots that culminate in auspiciously designed ornaments, often Impressively elaborate, that have rich connotations, such as the Auspicious knot, the Happiness and Longevity knot, the Double Happiness knot, and the Bon Voyage Knot. In ancient China, knots were commonly used to adorn daily life utensils, such as sedan chairs, curtains, lanterns, bed-curtain hooks, folding fans, belts, hairpins, flower baskets, necklace pendants, sachets, pouches, spectacles boxes, and long-stemmed pipes. Chinese knots combine classical beauty, a strong folk flavor, and cultural connotations, and express earnest hopes, as well as good wishes.