here's an overview of China and some major cities throughout. I found this nifty map on the Lonely Planet website. China is about the same land mass as the continental United States. It kinda looks like a chicken. Can you see it too? We live in the most north -western city...Urumqi, which is the most land-locked city in the world. what a claim to fame. 
Camels are nifty. There are 2 main kinds, but out here you can find the two-humped kind. :)
The Bactrian camel has two humps (like the letter B), a dark brown, thick, long-haired coat and hard feet which enable them to traverse difficult rocky ground. Camels have three eyelids, beautiful thick eyelashes, and contrary to rumor - they do not store water in their humps, but they store fat for scarce times. During sand storms, they can hold their nostrils shut to keep the sand out! Camels lie down to rest or sleep. Bactrian camels are endangered!
Down at Erdaoqiao Market (DaBazaar) there is a camel (or two) that is paraded around for tourists to take their photo with, or ride around the square. A great attraction! Our kids love to go see the camel, as they have named him "Happy!"
Found a neat site that displays your time zone....Xinjiang local time is actually 2 hours earlier than standard Beijing Time(the time shown below). China could span 4 time zones, as it is about the same distance across as the US, but it is ALL officially on Beijing time!
