Official Name: The People's Republic of China

Geography

Total area: 9,596,961 sq. km

Capital city: Beijing

Terrain: Plains, deltas, and hills in the east; mountains, high plateaus, deserts in the west

Climate: Extremely diverse; tropical in the south to subarctic in the north

People

Nationality: Chinese

Population (Nov. 2010 census): 1,370,536,875

Ethnic groups (Nov. 2010 census): 56 ethnic groups, Han Chinese 91.51%; Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other ethnic minorities 8.49%

Religions: The number of religious worshippers in China is estimated at well over 100 million, most of whom follow Buddhism. Other major religions are Daoism, Islam and Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant.

Language: Official --Standard Chinese (Putonghua)

Government

Constitution: Four constitutions have been formulated in 1954, 1975, 1978 and 1982 respectively since the founding of the PRC in 1949. The present Constitution was adopted in 1982 and has been amended four times, most recently on March 14, 2004.

Political parties: The Communist Party of China (CPC) holds office, and there are 8 other parties.

Head of State: President

Top legislative power: The National People's Congress (NPC) and its Standing Committee. Representing both the people and all levels of people's congresses throughout China, the NPC supervises all state-level institutions. Its powers include electing the President of China.

Top advisory body: The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Representing all ethnic groups and a broad range of political and special interest groups, the CPPCC provides advice on social issues and is responsible for the democratic supervision over the government.

Administrative divisions: 23 provinces; 5 autonomous regions; 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government; and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.

Major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Macao

Economy

GDP (2011): 47.1564 trillion yuan (US$7.4979 trillion)

GDP growth rate (2011): 9.2%

Natural resources: Coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential.

Trade: Exports (2011)-- $1.8986 trillion: electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textiles, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment. Imports (2011)-- $1.7435 trillion: electrical and other machinery, oil and mineral fuels, optical and medical equipment, metal ores, plastics, organic chemicals.

Currency: Renminbi (RMB)/yuan

History

China is an East Asian country with a large territory, a huge population and a long and rich history. With written records dating back 4,000 years, it is recognized as one of the world's great, ancient civilizations.

The Xia dynasty, established circa 2070 BC, was China's first dynasty and marks the beginning of China's slave society. The Shang Dynasty (16-11th centuries BC), which replaced the Xia, were representative of the very apex of bronze culture, characterized by beautiful bronze wares crafted by refined smelting and casting techniques. Pottery also developed very rapidly during this period with the appearance of primitive pottery wares. Sericulture and silk weaving also flourished.

From 475 BC to the end of the 19th century, China went through a long feudal period. The main dynasties include the Qin (221-206 BC), Han (206 BC-220 AD), Sui (581-618), Tang (618-907), Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911). Prior to the 15th century, China was one of the most powerful countries in the world, occupying a leading position in terms of both productivity and technology. Ancient China boasted a developed agriculture and advanced irrigation systems, as well as an independent tradition of medicine and advanced botanical knowledge. China's four greatest inventions, the compass, gunpowder, movable type printing and papermaking, not only changed the world but also accelerated the evolution of world history. In addition, China was rich in ceramics and silk textiles, which also had a global impact. China also kept the world's earliest, detailed astronomical records. Among the astronomical phenomena noted by the Chinese were comets, sunspots and new stars. China also produced the most advanced astronomical observation tools of the time. China long held a leading position in metallurgy. China was producing cast iron on an industrial scale four centuries before Europe had produced a single piece of cast iron.

During the early 19th century, the Qing Dynasty declined rapidly. At this time, Britain smuggled large quantities of opium into China, forcing the Qing government to impose a ban on the drug. In an effort to protect its opium trade, Britain launched a war of aggression against China in 1840, which led to the Qing government signing the Treaty of Nanjing with the British government, a treaty which many in China viewed as being one of national betrayal and humiliation. Many countries, including Britain, the United States, France, Russia and Japan, forced the Qing government to sign various unequal treaties following the Opium War. China was gradually relegated to the status of a semi-colonial, semi-feudal country. The Revolution of 1911 led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen was one of the greatest events in modern Chinese history, as it overthrew the Qing Dynasty that had ruled for some 270 years, ended more than 2,000 years of feudal monarchy, and established the Republic of China.

The May 4th Movement of 1919 is regarded as the ideological origin of many important events in modern Chinese history. Its direct cause was the unequal treaties imposed on China after the First World War. The movement was initiated by students who were motivated by a fierce sense of patriotism. It subsequently developed into a national protest movement involving people from all walks of life. It also marked the introduction into China of various new ideologies, among which the spread of Marxism-Leninism is worthy of special mention. Under the influence of Russia's October Revolution of 1917, 12 delegates, including Mao Zedong, representing communist groups in different places throughout the nation, held the First National Congress in Shanghai in 1921 which led to the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949, following the War of Resistance against Japan (1937-45) and the War of Liberation (1946-49).

During the initial post-Liberation period, the Chinese government successfully carried out land reform in areas which housed more than 90 percent of the total national agricultural population. In the reforms, 300 million peasants were granted approximately 47 million hectares of land. Among the achievements made during the First Five-Year Plan period, from 1953 to 1957, were an annual increase in national income which saw it surpass 8.9 percent. China also established basic industries necessary for full industrialization, producing airplanes, automobiles, heavy machinery, precision machinery, power-generating equipment, metallurgical and mining equipment, high-grade alloy steels and non-ferrous metals.

The ten years from 1957 to 1966 was the period in which China started large-scale socialist construction. The nation's total industrial fixed assets quadrupled between 1956 and 1966 and the national income increased by 58 percent. The output of essential industrial products increased several-fold or more. Large-scale agricultural capital construction and technical transformation also got underway. Unfortunately, the Cultural Revolution, which lasted from May 1966-October 1976 witnessed the most severe losses on both the state and its people since the state's founding.

After October 1976, the CPC reinstated Deng Xiaoping, former general secretary of the CPC, to all the Party and governmental posts he had been dismissed from during the "Cultural Revolution." In 1979, under Deng's leadership, China instituted a guiding policy of "reform and opening to the outside world", shifting the country’s focus to modernization. Major efforts were made to reform China's economic and political systems. Profound changes have come about in China since the country embarked on the policy of reform and opening-up. This period is characterized by rapid and vigorous economic advances and markedly improved living standards.

Jiang Zemin became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 1989 and head of state in 1993. Succeeding him, Hu Jintao took the position of general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2002 and president of the state in 2003. Today, the CPC Central Committee, headed by Hu Jintao, continuously upholds the policy of reform and opening-up initiated by Deng Xiaoping. As a result, China's policies enjoy widespread popular support in the midst of a stable political situation, burgeoning economy, and active diplomatic engagement.