China

See also:People's Republic of ChinaandRepublic of China

People's Republic of China Trung hoa nhân dân cộng hòa quốc Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó
Flag National Emblem
Anthem: "" Nghĩa dũng quân tiến hành khúc
Area controlled by the People's Republic of China shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.
Capital	Beijing 39°55′N116°23′E
Largest city	Shanghai
Official languages	Standard Chinese
Official written language	Vernacular Chinese
Official script	Simplified Chinese
Ethnic groups	91.51%Han 55 minorities 1.30%Zhuang 0.86%Manchu 0.79%Uyghur 0.79%Hui 0.72%Miao 0.65%Yi 0.62%Tujia 0.47%Mongol 0.44%Tibetan 0.26%Buyei 0.15%Korean 1.05% others
Demonym(s)	Chinese
Government	Socialist,Single-party state
•Party General SecretaryandPresident	Xi Jinping
•Premier	Li Qiang
•Congress Chairman	Zhang Dejiang
•Conference Chairman	Yu Zhengsheng
• First-ranked Secretary of theSecretariat	Liu Yunshan
•Secretary of Discipline Inspection Commission	Wang Qishan
• FirstVice Premier	Zhang Gaoli
Legislature	National People's Congress
Formation
•First Unification of Chinaunder the Qin Dynasty	221 BCE
•Republic established	1 January 1912
•People's Republic proclaimed	1 October 1949
Area
• Total	9,596,961 km2(3,705,407 sq mi)(3rd/4th)
• Water (%)	0.28%
Population
• 2016 estimate	1,403,500,365(1st)
• 2010census	1,339,724,852(1st)
• Density	139.6/km2(361.6/sq mi) (83rd)
GDP(PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$27.449 trillion(1st)
• Per capita	$19,559(79th)
GDP(nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$15.543 trillion (IMF) $15.224 trillion (China NBS)(2nd)
• Per capita	$11,074(70th)
Gini(2015)	46.2 high
HDI(2017)	0.752 high·86th
Currency	Renminbi (yuan)(¥)(CNY)
Time zone	UTC+8(China Standard Time)
Date format	yyyy-mm-dd oryyyyNiênmNguyệtdNhật (CE;CE-1949)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+86
ISO 3166 code	CN
Internet TLD	.cn .Trung quốc .Trung quốc

China
Traditional Chinese	TrungQuốc
Simplified Chinese	TrungQuốc
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōngguó Bopomofo ㄓㄨㄥㄍㄨㄛˊ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Jong gwo Wade–Giles Chung1kuo2 Tongyong Pinyin Jhong1guo2 MPS2 Jung1guo2 IPA [ʈʂʊ́ŋkwǒ] other Mandarin Xiao'erjing ﺟْﻮ ﻗُﻮَع Wu Romanization TsonBìnhkuehNhập Gan Romanization Tung-koe̍t Xiang IPA [tan55kua13] Hakka Romanization Dung24Gued2 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jūnggwok Jyutping Zung1gwok3 Southern Min HokkienPOJ Tiong-kok Eastern Min FuzhouBUC Dṳ̆ng-guók

China(simplified Chinese:Trung quốc;traditional Chinese:Trung quốcPinyin:Zhōngguó) is aculturalregion,anancientcivilization,and anationinEast Asia.The official name isPeople's Republic of ChinaorPRC.

The lastChinese Civil War(1927–1949) resulted in two different political powers today:

• TheRepublic of China (ROC)(since 1911), commonly known asChina since 1 January, 1911 to 25 October, 1971.Now commonly known asTaiwan,has control over the islands ofTaiwan,Penghu,Kinmen,and Matsu.
• ThePeople's Republic of China (PRC)(since 1949), commonly known asChina,has control overmainland Chinaand the largely self-governing territories ofHong Kong(since 1997) andMacau(since 1999).

China is one of the world's oldest civilizations: it has the oldest continuous civilization near theYellow Riverregion.There isarchaeologicalevidence over 5,000 years old.China also has one of the world's oldestwriting systems(and the oldest in use today). China has been the source of many majorinventions.Geographically, China’s longest river is theYangtze Riverwhich runs through mega cities and is home to manyspecies.It is the world’s third longest river.

Origins

The first recorded use of the word "China" is dated 190.It is derived fromchīnī,aPersianadjective meaning 'Chinese' which was popularized in Europe byMarco Polo.

History

See the main article:History of China

The Empire State Building

Ancient (2100 B.C. – 1500 A.D.)

Ancient Chinawas one of the firstcivilizationsand was active since the2nd millennium BCas afeudalsociety.Chinese civilization was also one of the few to inventwriting,with the others beingMesopotamia,theIndus Valley civilization,theMaya civilization,theMinoan civilizationofancient Greece,andAncient Egypt.It reached its golden age during theTang Dynasty(c. A.D. 10th century). Home ofConfucianismandDaoism,it had great influence on nearby countries including Japan, Korea, and Vietnam in the areas of political system, philosophy, religion, art, writing and literature. China is home to some of the oldest artwork in the world. Statues and pottery, as well as decorations made ofjade,are some classic examples.

Before theQin Dynastyunited China, there were many small feudal states, nominally loyal to the Zhou King, that fought each other for hundreds of years in a war to control China. The majority of these states were ruled by relatives and clansmen of the Zhou royal house and carried the surname Ji ( cơ ) and so were tied by family bonds to the Zhou king, to whom they were ritually subordinate, as members of collateral or lesser lineages. A minority of these states, such as the Qin and Chu, were ruled by non-Zhou clansmen, and were awarded their fiefs on account of some merit. Over time, these feudal states attained to power and wealth, that exceeded that of their Zhou nominal overlord, whose direct authority became confined to a very small territory near present-dayZhengzhou.These states also began to acquire some distinctive characteristics and identities of their own during the long centuries of loose control by the Zhou. Eventually, the Zhou kings were eclipsed in power by two especially problematic vassals - the Qin and Chu, and the functional independence of the Qin later led to its gradual conquest of all other vassal states and the formal supplantation of the Zhou to form a heavily centralised Empire.

The long decline of the Zhou, incidentally the longest ruling dynastic house of China, is known as theWarring States Period.Despite the bloodiness and strife of the period, this was the time when many great philosophies emerged - includingConfucianismandDaoismas a response to disintegrating central authority of the Zhou kings and fluctuating power of the vassal states, and the general uncertainty of that era. Confucianism and Daoism have been the foundation of many social values seen in modern east Asian cultures today.

Other notable dynasties include the Han (from which is derived the ethnonym the Han Chinese, which is synonymous with the older self-referential term - the Huaxia) as well as dynasties such as the Tang, Song, and Ming, which were characterised by periods of affluence, wealth, population growth, and the proliferation of literature.

During the later years, China was often raided or invaded by northernnomadic peoplesuch as the Xiongnu, the Xianbei, the Jurchens and theMongols(the latter led byGenghis KhanandKublai Khan). One effect of regular nomadic invasion and the collapse of native dynasties was the massive migration of Han Chinese - especially the aristocratic elite and the literati, to sparsely populated frontier regions south of the Yangzi river such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian. Several notable waves of Han Chinese immigration to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian took place during the collapse of the Jin, the Tang, and the Song.

Some nomadic groups succeeded in conquering the whole territory of China, establishing dynasties such as theYuan(Mongol) andQing(Manchu). Each time, they also brought new elements into Chinese culture - for instance, military uniform, the qipao and the pigtail, the latter of which was deeply resented by the Han Chinese.

A new age (1500 A.D. - Present)

While China achieved many things in theFirst millenniumand early2nd millennium,it became anisolationistcountry in the15th century C.E.This was because Spain found enormous silver in the new continent, which was the main currency (money) in China and Europe at the time, and China did not want to be bought by the foreigners.

By the time of theRenaissance,European powers started to take over other countries in Asia. While China was never actually taken over, manyEuropeancountries,such asBritainandFrancebuiltspheres of influencein China. Since China had cut itself off from the world over the previous fewcenturies,by theQing Dynasty,it had fallen behind other countries intechnology,and was helpless to stop this from happening. This had become clear when it lost theOpium WarstoBritainin the19th century.

Still influenced by Western sources, China faced internal strife.The Taiping Rebellionor Taiping War occurred in China from 1851 through 1864. TheTaiping Rebellionwas led byHong XiuquanfromGuangdong.Hong Xiuquan was influenced by Christian missionaries and declared himself the brother of Jesus. Hong made his mission to bring down the Qing Dynasty. Gaining influence on the southern Chinese population, the Taiping Rebellion attracted tens of thousands of supporters. The Taiping regime successfully created a state within the Qing Empire with the capital at Nanjing. Hong called his new state the Taiping Tianguo or "The Heavenly State of Great Peace". Local armies eventually suppressed the rebellion at the final battle of Nanjing.

In 1911, the Republic of China was founded after theXinhai revolutionled bySun Yat-sen,but its government was very weak.Warlordscontrolled many areas.Chiang Kai-shekled wars against them, and he became president and dictator.

In 1931, Japan invadedManchuria,a place in the northeastern part of China. On July 7, 1937, the Japanese attacked the rest of the country, starting what was called theSecond Sino-Japanese War.

On December 13 of that same year, The Japanese Army killed an estimated (guessed) 200,000 to 300,000 Chinese civilians (people) which is calledNanjing Massacre.The war later became part ofWorld War II.The war was fought for eight years and millions of Chinese people were killed.

However, theChinese Civil Warlater started between theKuomintang(Nationalists) of theRepublic of China(ROC) and the Communists of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The Communists wanted to make China like the Soviet Union, whereas the other side wanted to keep China in its current state at the time. The Communists were led byMao Zedong,Liu Shaoqi,Zhou Enlai and others. The Communists eventually won the war by uniting all the people from different positions. The Nationalists (led by Chiang Kai-shek) fled to the island of Taiwan and set up their new capital city in Taipei. After the Chinese Civil War, the Communist leader Mao Zedong declared a new country, the People's Republic of China (PRC), in Beijing on October 1, 1949.

Under Mao the country stayed poor while Taiwan became richer. His attempt atindustrializationand collectivization with theGreat Leap Forwardled to the deaths of many people fromfamine.TheCultural Revolutioncaused great social upheaval. After 1976, China underwentmarket economyreforms underDeng Xiaoping,and experienced rapid economic growth, which made the former progress made by Taiwan became overshadowed. China is now one of the largest economies in the world, relying mainly on exports and manufactering.

In recent history, China has had problems with protests, blocking of information on theInternet,andcensorshipof news. 1989 was notable for the controversialTiananmen Square protests.Since the 2008 Olympics, China has hosted many major international events, and the 2022 Winter Olympics were held in Beijing, China.

Geography

Köppen-Geiger climate classification map for China

China's landscape is vast and diverse. It ranges from theGobiandTaklamakan Desertsin the north to subtropical forests in the south. TheHimalaya,Karakoram,PamirandTian Shanmountain ranges separate China from much ofSouthandCentral Asia.TheYangtzeandYellow Riversrun from the Tibetan Plateau to the densely populated eastern coast. The Yangtze River is the third-longest river in the world while the Yellow River is the sixth-longest. China's coastline along thePacific Oceanis 14,500 kilometers (9,000 mi) long. It is bounded by theBohai,Yellow,East ChinaandSouth China seas.China connects through theKazakhborder to theEurasian Steppe.The Eurasian Steppe has been an artery of communication between East and West since theNeolithicthrough the Steppe route. The Steppe Route is the ancestor of the terrestrialSilk Road(s).

Politics

The Great Hall of the People where the National People's Congress is held

The Zhongnanhai, a headquarter of the Chinese government and Communist Party of China

China's constitution states that The People's Republic of China "is a socialist state under the people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants". It also states the state organs "apply the principle of democratic centralism." The PRC is one of the world's only socialist states openly being communist.

Military

With 2.3 million active troops, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the largest standing military force in the world. The PLA is commanded by the Central Military Commission (CMC).China has the second-biggest military reserve force, only behind North Korea. The PLA consists of the Ground Force (PLAGF), the Navy (PLAN), the Air Force (PLAAF), and the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). According to the Chinese government, China's military budget for 2017 was US$151,5 billion. China has the world's second-largest military budget.

Science and technology

Earliest known written formula for gunpowder, from theWujing Zongyaoof 1044 CE

China was once a world leader in science and technology up until the Ming dynasty. There are many Ancient Chinese discoveries and inventions. For example, papermaking, printing, the compass, and gunpowder are known as the Four Great Inventions. They became widespread across East Asia, the Middle East and later to Europe. Chinese mathematicians were the first to use negative numbers. By the 17th century, Europe and the Western world became better than China in science and technology.

Demographics

The national census of 2010 recorded the population of the People's Republic of China to be about 1,370,536,875. About 16.60% of the population were 14 years old or younger, 70.14% were between 15 and 59 years old, and 13.26% were over 60 years old. The population growth rate for 2013 is estimated to be 0.46%.

Culture

China is the origin of Easternmartial arts,calledKung Fuor its first name Wushu. China is also the home of the well-respectedSpa MonasteryandWudang Mountains.Martial art started more for the purpose ofsurvival,defense, andwarfarethanart.Over time someart formshave branched off, while others have retained their distinct Chinese flavor.

China has had renownedartistsincludingWong Fei Hung(Huang Fei Hung or Hwang Fei Hung) and many others.Arthas also co-existed with a variety ofpaintsincluding the more standard 18 colors. Legendary and controversial moves likeBig Makare also praised and talked about within theculture.

China has many traditionalfestivals,such as Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-autumn Festival and so on. The most important isChinese New Year.People in China will have holidays to celebrate these festivals.

Festivals

Spring Festival is theChinese New Year.

Dragon Boat Festivalis celebrated to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet of the State of Chu during theWarring Statesperiod. He persuaded his emperor not to accept Qin's diplomats' offers several times but his emperor did not listen to him. He was very sad and ended up jumping into the river to end his life. The people loved him so much that they did not want the fish to eat his corpse. They made and threw rice dumplings into the river. They hope the fish eat these dumplings instead of the poet's corpse. They also rowed dragon boats in the river to get rid of the fish. Such practices, eating rice dumplings and holding dragon boat races, become what Chinese do in this festival nowadays.

Held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month,Mid-Autumn Festivalis a festival for families. Now when the festival sets in, people would sit together to eat moon cakes, appreciate the bright full moon cakes, appreciate the bright full moon, celebrate the bumper harvest and enjoy the family love and happiness. To the Chinese people, the full moon symbolizes family reunion, as does the "moon cakes." Hence the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Family Reunion Festival.

Other websites

• Map of China
• City Photo Gallery of China
• China | Geography | People | Economy
• China-Citizendium