China is big. The scenery and terrain of China is as grand and diverse as that of the US or Europe. From the peak of the world on Mt. Everest to the world-famous dinosaur digs in the Gobi desert to the tropical beaches of Hainan island, China has it all. Personally, I haven't actually seen that much of China, but what I did see was spectacular. In all my time on the road, I've considerably toned down my itchy shutter finger, but I shot 100 pictures in three hours at the Stone Forest outside of Kunming, and about the same around the surreal mountain peaks of Yangshuo. Judging from many of the pictures I've seen of other places around China, I'd say you probably won't be disappointed regardless of where you go.
Unfortunately, almost all of the ancient monuments in China were destroyed in the Cultural Revolution, when religion was deemed the enemy of the state. A few temples and monestaries remain, but if you have the same idillic picture of serene monestaries in ancient villages, you probably won't find it in China, unless you get into the more remote regions of Tibet. Many of the monestaries have been rebuilt, but unfortunately the difference is palpable. A concrete pagoda simply doesn't have the same feel as one carved from stone or wood. nevertheless, there are some great things to do and see in China. The most famous, of course, are the terracotta soldiers of Xi'an and the Great Wall near Beijing. Unfortunately, I didn't get that far north, so I didn't see either. If you're in Kunming, though, the Bamboo Temple is definitely worth a look, and if you have connections, try to get a photography permit from the government before you go, as otherwise photography is strictly forbidden, as it is in most temples in monestaries. China is also gearing up for some modern attractions, such as their international flower expo in Kunming, which is meant to be the largest of its kind in the world.
Once again, China is too big and diverse for a simple description of the weather. In the mountains it's cold, on Hainan it's hot, most everywhere else it's hot in summer and cold in winter. I must admit that I was surprised at how cold it was in Yangshuo during the winter, given how far south it is. Southern China gets a tremendous amount of rain during the winter, and is very humid in summer. The north is said to get quite a bit of snow in winter. For the backpacker or cyclist, the humidity in the south may be the biggest problem, as it can take days for your laundry to dry unless you can put it in the sun.
China is cheap. I didn't get to any of the other SE Asian countries, which I have heard are even cheaper, but I was pretty impressed at how cheap things could be in China. (None of this applies to Hong Kong, however, which has prices comparable to Europe. I have heard that the same is true of Beijing, but I haven't been there, so I don't know.) You can get a room by yourself for $10/night or less (sometimes $5), and a dorm room can cost as little as $1.50. Arts and crafts are ridiculously cheap, and generally of reasonable quality, though you definitely have to be on the lookout for fakes or poor craftsmanship. Everything is more expensive in Hong Kong, though it is still possible to get things like clothes and souvenirs at massive discounts compared to the same thing in Europe or America.
I actually wrote an entire journal entry about Chinese food and dining. Your best bet if you want to know about the food is to read that entry. The bottom line is that it's really cheap and delicious.
In general, I found Chinese people to be friendly and helpful, except when they work in government jobs. Government workers (the people at train stations, for example) tend to be incredibly impatient and gruff. They treat every question, especially when posed by someone who doesn't speak much Chinese (if any) as an imposition, a waste of their time. One thing which is both advantageous and irritating is that the chances of a tourist looking Chinese are pretty slim, so in all likelihood, you'll be spotted as a tourist immediately. Since virtually nobody outside of China speaks Chinese, most people you meet will automatically assume that you do not speak Chinese. Most Chinese have studied English, many for as much as five or six years. This does not, however, mean that they speak more than a few words, and their accents may be utterly incomprehensible to all but the most seasoned travellers. They are often excited to try, however, so if you don't mind having a conversation at the linguistic level of a 4-year old, you will probably make friends everywhere you go.
If you actually get to know any Chinese to any degree of depth, it is important to think about the concept of "face." Many westerners believe that this is a foreign concept, that the west does not have this idea. In fact, this is probably a universal human concept -- we call it pride -- but the Chinese take it to an extreme which is difficult for westerners to understand. Take, for example, the phrase "to salvage your pride." This means to come out of a bad situation (probably one of your own making) without looking like a complete fool. It is something with which we are all familiar: we have all made mistakes in our lives, but none of us wish to look like idiots. The idea in China is that if you look like a fool, you can't show your face without feeling shame. Therefore, you "lose face."
The biggest difference between "pride" and "face" is the person on whom the responsibility falls for the preservation of self-image. In other words, in the west we consider it our own responsibility to maintain our self-image, to keep ourselves from looking like fools. In China, it is everybody's responsibility to keep everybody else from looking like a fool. If you make a mistake in the west, somebody else may point it out in public. They can be tactful about it (think about pointing out a mistake to your spouse, or to an employee whom you really want to keep) or brutalize you with it. In our society, this kind of brutal, pride-ripping mistake-pointing is generally reserved for lawyers, but we all do it from time to time. In China, you never, ever, ever do this. If you point out a mistake, you do it in private, and even then you do it as if walking on eggshells. The only exception to this (or the only one which I observed, anyway) is if you are the boss and some foreigner points out a mistake you've made. Then you find your nearest underling and make a scapegout out of him, publicly chastising him for your mistake. How this makes that person feel is not at all clear to me. Perhaps he gets angry or upset, or perhaps he looks on it as his responsibility to save face for his boss. The details are complicated. For further insights into the concept of "face," check out my April 10, 1999 journal entry. The bottom line, though, is that you're sure to make mistakes in the face game, and you'll have to learn for yourself. The Chinese understand that westerners are not used to thinking about other people's pride much, so you're allowed some latitude.
Cleanliness in China is... well, it's different. At first glance, you might think to yourself "My God, these people are disgusting!" They spit on the floor, they throw their trash on the ground, the let their babies go to the bathroom in the streets. It's truly disconcerting at first, and many people who only spend a brief time in China are utterly repulsed by it. What you come to realize, however, is that they're amazingly good at cleaning it all up. One thing to remember is that China has around 1.3 billion people, which means a tremendous amount of man-power. I didn't see that much of China, but in every city and village I did see, every single street is cleaned every day. At the end of the day, you look around the streets and think "this is revolting," but the next day, you wake up and look around and realize that the streets are totally clean. If you didn't actually see the people with their carts of trash picking things up and brushing the streets, you might think that China had some kind of magic Garbage Fairies.
Again, it's impossible to describe the terrain of China, because it's so diverse. Basically, they've got a bit of everything, so get yourself a map and find whatever it is that suits your fancy.
China is bicycle heaven, in more ways than one. There are more bicycles than cars, so all the drivers are used to seeing -- and avoiding -- crazy bicyclists, even on long-distance roads. It would also appear that China is where all the bicycles go when they die, as there are virtually no decent bicycles. If you come to China with a modern bike, you may have a very difficult time finding parts. Chinese bike mechanics, however, are very good at improvising, and you can find one almost anywhere. Often, you will see a man sitting by the side of the road with nothing but a bunch of spare parts and tools. If you want your bike totally overhauled, he can probably do it for about US$5, and he'll do a good job. The difficulty is when your bike requires a part or tool which he doesn't have, which is a good possibility. A perfect example is the innertube valves. If you have presta valves, forget it, you'll have to carry at least one adapter, if not two. Chinese cars use the same valves that American cars do, so if you have schraeder valves (or a presta-schraeder adapter), you're in luck. Chinese bicycles use a completely different valve, however. Many bicycle shops will carry a schraeder adapter, but if you're going to do a lot of cycling in China, you should probably buy one and carry it with you.
Road quality is a crap shoot in China. Some of the new, modern roads are very good, and China adds new roads every day. Some of the older roads are in atrocious condition, with huge potholes and rough pavement. You could probably cycle all over China on a roadbike, but personally I'd recommend a mountain bike. If nothing else, your hands will thank you at the end of the day for the smoother ride.