About China
China is an incredibly diverse country. Its fascinating culture and colorful history spans 5,000 years.
China is home to ancient treasures, beautiful landscapes, megacities, giant pandas and a breathtaking 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This makes it a great destination for teaching English!
Want some fast facts? Check out these statistics about China.
In terms of geography, China is carved up into numerous different areas.
Most of the areas are referred to as provinces, but there are some other unique areas:
- 22 standard provinces
- 5 autonomous regions
- 4 municipalities
- 2 special administrative regions and Taiwan.
No matter which corner of China you end up teaching in, you're bound to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
China at a glance
Want some fast facts on China? Check out the table below. Official name People’s Republic of China (PRC) Official language Standard Mandarin Chinese, or Putonghua Population Over 1.3 billion...
China's standard provinces
Covering most of the country, China’s standard provinces are large geographical areas each with their own capital city and provincial government. Countries like the United States, Canada and Australia have a similar set-up. Similarities with...
China's autonomous regions
You’ve probably heard of Tibet, but did you know there are four other areas that comprise China’s autonomous regions? Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Xinjiang, as well as Tibet, all have their own local government – just lik...
China's municipalities
There are four direct-controlled municipalities in China – Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing. They’re basically large, densely populated urban areas which act like provinces. Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin have held municipality...
China's special administrative regions and Taiwan
Hong Kong and Macau These jurisdictions are China's special administrative regions, or SARs for short. Historically a British-controlled trading port, Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, while Macau was handed back by the Portuguese...
