A country as vast and diverse as China, it's hard to know where to begin. Geographically, China's landscape ranges from arid deserts to lush tropical forests to snow capped Himalayan peaks. In terms of people, the locals of different provinces - although predominately Han - speak different languages, eat different foods, have different belief systems, and are largely all proud to call themselves Chinese. Everywhere the signs of more than 5,000 years of civilization and ongoing social development are very much in evidence, all of which perhaps helps explain why traveling in China is so fascinating.