People's Republic of China
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world in terms of area (9.6 million square kilometers) and the largest
in terms of population (1.2 billion). China has shared its borders for
centuries with Korea, the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
India, Nepal, Skim, Bhutan, Burma, Laos and Vietnam.
Under the central government there are 23 provinces, five autonomous
regions -- Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Guangxi and Tibet -- and
four cities -- Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing. China's
topography varies from mountainous regions with towering peaks to flat,
featureless plains. The land surface, like a staircase, descends from
west to east. Melting snow from the mountains of western China and
Tibet -- the Qinghai Plateau -- is the main water resource for many of
the country's largest rivers, such as the Yangtze and the Yellow
rivers. Across the mountains on the eastern edge are the plains of the
Yangtze River Valley and northern and eastern China. As the homeland of
the Han Chinese, the plains, known as the Middle Kingdom or Zhongguo,
are the most important agricultural areas and the most heavily
populated.
Although climates range from the tropical, subtropical, temperate and
cool-temperate across China's vast land area, most of the country lies
in a temperate zone, which is warm and wet with a seasonal circulation
of winds. Winter in the North is bitingly cold and dust-laden. Summers
in central China are long, hot and humid, and parts in southern and
southeastern China are even more humid during.
China has a long history and ancient civilization dating back as far as
4,000BC with settlements in the ranges of the Yellow River. The Chinese
recount their history from the Xia Dynasty, which began in the 21st
century BC, followed by subsequent dynasties until 1911 when Sun
Yat-sen was proclaimed president of the Republic of China. In 1921,
when the Communist Party of China was founded, communists cooperated
with Sun Yat-sen's Nationalists, who broke away from the Nationalists
after Sun's death. The Communist Party then began to establish its
army, the Red Army. Through the protracted and arduous struggles under
the leadership of the party and Chairman Mao Zedong, the Chinese people
founded the People's Republic of China in 1949. After 1949, the
People's Republic of China (also called the New China) experienced the
Korean War with the Americans that gave way to a 10-year period of
rapid growth; the country then suffered three years of hardships due to
natural disasters and the withdrawal of aid from the Soviet Union. From
1966-1976 China launched its "Cultural Revolution" -- a nation-wide
movement against feudalism (including religion) and capitalism. As a
result, China's economy came to a grinding halt. After 1978, when Deng
Xiaoping assumed leadership, China began a reform and opening-up
program, enjoying 20 years of rapid development.
China is also noted for its rich culture. Traditional religions in
China include Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Islam and Christianity
were brought to China in the seventh century AD. Art, like religion,
had also developed over a period of more than 2,000 years. Calligraphy
and painting are two of the most revered areas in Chinese culture.
Ancient buildings, like temples, pagodas, palaces, monasteries, walls,
corridors and a wealth of antiquities and cultural relics, are
world-known. The Great Wall, the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'an, the
Longmen Cave in Henan and the Buddhist art in the Mogao Caves in
Dunhuang are some of the most attractive sites for foreign tourists.
China, with its fascinating scenes of natural beauty, such as Guilin,
the Up and Down of the Yangtze River, Lushan and many others, have a
lot to offer.
China is a country that accommodates 56 nationalities. Among them the
Han nationality is the largest, totaling about 85 percent of China's
1.2 billion people. The other 55 nationalities are called minority
nationalities, or minorities.
Most of the Han nationalities live in central and eastern parts of
China, while others live at border areas. Xinjiang Urgur Autonomous
Region and Tibet are two of the largest minority-inhabiting areas,
while the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region are also quite important in China.