China is divided up into a series of twenty-two provinces similar to counties like the West Midlands and Shropshire only far bigger. There is also Taiwan which is counted as the twenty-third (for sure that one is argued over until the cows come home). Each province is individual and unique, so language, customs and even climate can be very different. There are other parts which are not seen as provinces; municipalities like Beijing and Tianjin are also counted separately. There are also vast areas that are claimed as ‘autonomous’ regions such as Xinjiang and Xizang/Tibet (yeah right!) Infact, there are many other huge regions with their own complete and separate identities all over the place.