Recent changes in government policy have provided for a two-day weekend for most Chinese. Many workers have Saturday and Sunday off even though most Chinese do not celebrate a holy day. China is the third largest country in the world with a total land area of 3,691,463 square miles. The topography varies from rugged mountains, deserts, and high plateaus to rain forests and sunken basins. China is located in about the same latitude as the United States.
Northern China experiences cold, dry winters while southern China enjoys a subtropical mild winter.
The summer is usually hot in most of China except for the mountain regions. China's vastly different topographies create a great diversity in vegetation. Some shrubs such as the rhododendron, azalea, and camellia are found in the US and China. Rare plants such as the ginkgo tree and the dragon spruce also grow there. Flowers are revered.