There is one aspect of China that truly sets it apart from other countries and cultures: the connected division where Old Meets New. China and Chinese culture as a whole can clearly be divided into two: traditional culture and modern culture. Like all other cultures of the world, China is changing continually and throughout history it has evolved and adapted, especially during the 20th century. Prior to the mid-1900s, traditional Chinese culture was prominent as people and families lived by ancient values and beliefs as well as age-old teachings and ways of life. However, after the upheaval of the Communist revolution in 1949, a new culture developed as China evolved and changed. Chinese people took on a whole new character as the traditional styles and ways were integrated into the new technologies and ways of living.

China is not purely “old” and  traditional or fully “new” and modern – it has become an harmonious and enthralling mélange of both. When you visit China you will see modern high-rise buildings and you may see a Sea-World style Ocean Park in Hong Kong, or exciting city night life in Shanghai, and the everyday life of the Chinese people is somewhat similar to that of the United States or Europe. However the two "subcultures" of Chinese culture are clearly distinct and different yet they peacefully co-exist much like the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang.

In Shanghai, a businessman may find himself amidst vast crowds of people, noisy traffic and massive skyscrapers. A Tibetan in the southwest can see Mount Everest overlooking the dry and cold timberland. In a small boat on the Li River, a country worker travels between the isolated limestone hills of Guilin. Farmers near the city of Xian observe their dry, wheat-growing fields. The beaches of the island of Hainan allow tourists to enjoy a beautiful sunset. In the north, Mongols inhabit the vast Gobi desert. The land here is massive and diverse, and on this immense piece of earth one can find both farmer and businessman; mountain and plain; drought and rainfall; wasteland and farmland - OLD and NEW. It is vast, it is colorful and multifaceted, yet these disparate and dissimilar presences are bound as one, side by side with each other. They are intrinsically bound, Old Meets New, under one name: China.

It is impossible to express in words exactly what symbolises China. The Himalayan Mountains are majestic, and the Forbidden City is opulent, yet there is one word that describes China: the cities, the mountains, the villages, the plains, the towns, the rivers, the deserts, and the people, and that word is Beauty. This vast and multi-faceted country is beautiful in all aspects - come and discover the Land of China!