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China
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{{this article is about|the Chinese civilization. For the state known as "China" in common usage, see
People's Republic of China. For other meanings, see
China (disambiguation).}}
Image:The Great wall - by Bernard Goldbach.jpg Great Wall of China.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|280px|The [[Great Wall of China, stretching over 6700 km, was first erected in the
3rd century B.C. to protect the north from
nomad nomadic invaders and has been rebuilt several times since..html" title="Meaning of 280px|The [[Great Wall of China">thumb|280px|The [[Great Wall of China, stretching over 6700 km, was first erected in the
3rd century B.C. to protect the north from
nomad nomadic invaders and has been rebuilt several times since.">280px|The [[Great Wall of China">thumb|280px|The [[Great Wall of China, stretching over 6700 km, was first erected in the
3rd century B.C. to protect the north from
nomad nomadic invaders and has been rebuilt several times since.
'''China''' ({{Audio|zh-zhongguo.ogg|listen}}; {{zh-tspw|s=ä¸å›½|t=ä¸åœ‹|p=ZhÅ?ngguó|w=Chung-kuo}};
Tongyong Pinyin: JhÅ?ngguó) is a geographical region in
East Asia. With over one-fifth of the world's population, the majority of China exists today as a
state known as the
People's Republic of China, but it also refers to a long-standing civilization comprising successive states and cultures dating back more than 4,000 years.
With one of the
world history world's longest periods of mostly uninterrupted
civilization and the world's longest continuously used written language system, China's
History of China history has been largely characterized by repeated divisions and reunifications amid alternating periods of
peace and
war, and violent
Chinese Empire imperial Chinese dynasty dynastic change. The
country's territorial extent expanded outwards from a core area in the
North China Plain, and varied according to its changing fortunes to include multiple regions of
East Asia East,
Northeast Asia Northeast, and
Central Asia. (The term "
China proper" is used by some observers and historians to describe the core territory historically home to the majority
Han Chinese, as opposed to lands associated later with China such as what is now
Xinjiang, or
Mongolia.) For centuries,
Chinese Empire Imperial China was also one of the world's most
technology technologically advanced civilizations, and East Asia's dominant
culture cultural influence, with an impact lasting to the present day.
By the
19th century nineteenth and early
20th century twentieth centuries, however, China's political, economic, and military influence declined relative to the growing regional power of
Japan and the influence of
Western world Western imperialism in Asia powers. The
History of China imperial system in China ended with the establishment of the
Republic of China (ROC) under
Sun Yat-sen in 1912; however, the next four decades of ROC rule were marred by
warlord warlord control, the
Second Sino-Japanese War during which the
Empire of Japan occupied large parts of China, and the
Chinese Civil War which pitted
Kuomintang Chinese Nationalists against the
Communist Party of China Communist forces.
In 1949, before the end of the
Chinese Civil War (
1946-
1950), the
Communist Party of China under
Mao Zedong established the
People's Republic of China (PRC), forcing the Nationalists to retreat and relocate the ROC government to the island of
Taiwan, which it had governed since the end of World War II. Since then, the ROC has maintained administrative control over Taiwan, the
Pescadores, several islands off the coast of
Fujian province of China province, and some islands in the
South China Sea. The disputed status of the island remains a major issue in international relations today.
image:puxi.jpg Shanghai.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|250px|[[Shanghai, China's largest city.html" title="Meaning of right|250px|
thumb|right|250px|[[Shanghai, China's largest city">right|250px|[[Shanghai">thumb|right|250px|[[Shanghai, China's largest city
Image:Taishan_-_cliff_and_peak.jpg Mount_Tai.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|250px|[[Mount Tai in
Shandong province.html" title="Meaning of right|250px|[[Mount Tai">thumb|right|250px|[[Mount Tai in
Shandong province">right|250px|[[Mount Tai">thumb|right|250px|[[Mount Tai in
Shandong province
Terminology
{{main|Names of China}}
"''Zhongguo''"
Image:ChinaGeography.png thumb|280px|left|Geography of China and geographic region labels
China is called ''Zhongguo'' in Mandarin Chinese (
Simplified characters Simplified: ä¸å›½,
Traditional characters Traditional: ä¸åœ‹; also
Romanization#Chinese romanized as ''Jhongguo'' or ''Chung-kuo''), which is usually translated as "Middle Kingdom." The first character ''Zhong'' (ä¸) means "middle" or "center" while ''guo'' (国 or 國) means "country" or "kingdom".
The term has not been used consistently throughout Chinese history, however, and carries certain cultural and political connotations both positive and negative, some
Han chauvinism ideological, and early states considered part of Chinese history are not called "Zhongguo". During the
Spring and Autumn Period, it was used only to describe the states politically descended from the
Western Zhou Dynasty, in the
Yellow River (Huang He) valley, to the exclusion of states such as
Chu (state) Chu and
Qin (state) Qin. The "Chinese" thus defined their nation as culturally and politically distinct from - and as the
axis mundi of surrounding nations; a concept that continued well into the
Qing Dynasty, although being continually redefined while the central political influence expanded territorially, and its culture assimilated alien influences.
image:Sword_of_Gou_Jian.jpg King_Gou_Jian_of_Yue thumb|90px|right|Sword of [[King_Gou_Jian_of_Yue|Gou Jian, King of the Yue Kingdom,
Spring and Autumn Period, ca. 470 B.C..html" title="Meaning of Gou Jian.html" title="Meaning of thumb|90px|right|Sword of [[King_Gou_Jian_of_Yue|Gou Jian">thumb|90px|right|Sword of [[King_Gou_Jian_of_Yue|Gou Jian, King of the Yue Kingdom,
Spring and Autumn Period, ca. 470 B.C.">Gou Jian.html" title="Meaning of thumb|90px|right|Sword of [[King_Gou_Jian_of_Yue|Gou Jian">thumb|90px|right|Sword of [[King_Gou_Jian_of_Yue|Gou Jian, King of the Yue Kingdom,
Spring and Autumn Period, ca. 470 B.C.
Thus ''Zhongguo'' quickly came to include areas farther south, as the cultural and political unit (not yet a "nation" or "country" in the modern sense) spread in a southerly direction, including the
Yangtze River and
Pearl River (China) Pearl River systems, and by the
Tang Dynasty it even included "
barbarian" regimes such as the
Xianbei and
Xiongnu.
Inner Mongolia,
Mongolia,
Xinjiang, and
Tibet, and the island of
Taiwan, over time, came to be dominated (to a greater or lesser extent) by, or officially ruled by, imperial China, and are often included as a part of ''Zhongguo'', though acceptance or denial of such claims remains politically controversial, especially where ''Zhongguo'' means PRC.
During the
Han Dynasty and before, ''Zhongguo'' had three distinctive meanings:
# The area around the capital or imperial domain. The ''
Book of Poetry'' explicitly gives this definition.
# Territories under the direct authority of the "central" authorities. The ''
Historical Records'' states: "Eight mountains are famed in the empire. Three are with the Man and Yi barbarians. Five are in ''Zhongguo''."
# The area now called the
North China Plain. The ''
Sanguo Zhi'' records the following monologue: "If we can lead the host of
Wu and
Yue (the kingdoms in areas of present-day
Shanghai, southern
Jiangsu and northern
Zhejiang) to oppose ''Zhongguo'', then we should break off relations with them soon." In this sense, the term ''Zhongguo'' is synonymous with ''Hua'' (�) and ''Xia'' (�), and distinct from southern peoples living around the
Yangtze River Delta.
During the period of division after the fall of the Han Dynasty, the term ''Zhongguo'' was subjected to transformation as a result of the surge of nomadic peoples from the northern frontier. This was doubly so after the loss of the Yellow River valley, the cradle of Chinese civilization, to these peoples. For example, the Xianbei called their
Northern Wei Dynasty Northern Wei regime ''Zhongguo'', contrasting it with the
Southern Dynasties, which they called the ''Yi'' (夷), meaning "barbarian". The southern dynasties, for their part, recently exiled from the north, called the Northern Wei ''Lu'' (虜), meaning "criminal" or "prisoner". In this way ''Zhongguo'' came to represent political legitimacy. It was used in this manner from the tenth century onwards by the competing dynasties of
Liao Dynasty Liao,
Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) Jin and
Song Dynasty Song. The term ''Zhongguo'' came to be related to geographic, cultural and political identity and less to ethnic origin.
The Republic of China, as it controlled mainland China, and later, the People's Republic of China, have used ''Zhongguo'' as an entity existing theoretically to mean all the territories and peoples within their political control as well as those outside of it (people in the Republic of China on Taiwan now usually use Zhongguo to refer to the PRC and use Taiwan to refer to itself). Thus it is asserted that all 56 officially recognized ethnic groups are ''Zhongguo ren'' (ä¸åœ‹äºº), or ''Zhongguo'' people. Their disparate histories are collectively the history of ''Zhongguo'', while the overarching ethnicity that unites these different groups is known as "
Zhonghua Minzu" (Chinese people).
"China"
Image:XiAn CityWall DiLou.jpg Xi'an.html"_title="Meaning of thumb thumb|280px|[[Xi'an,_known as
Chang'an in ancient times, was the imperial capital of 13 different historical dynasties (including the
Han Dynasty Han and
Tang Dynasty Tang dynasties) in China..html" title="Meaning of 280px|[[Xi'an">thumb|280px|[[Xi'an, known as
Chang'an in ancient times, was the imperial capital of 13 different historical dynasties (including the
Han Dynasty Han and
Tang Dynasty Tang dynasties) in China.">280px|[[Xi'an">thumb|280px|[[Xi'an, known as
Chang'an in ancient times, was the imperial capital of 13 different historical dynasties (including the
Han Dynasty Han and
Tang Dynasty Tang dynasties) in China.
English language English and many other languages use forms of the name ''China'' (also spelled ''Kina'' in Europe) and the
prefix '''''Sino'''-'' or '''''Sin'''-'', which is believed to have derived from the name of the ''
Qin Dynasty Qin'' dynasty that first unified the country, although this is still highly controversial. [http://chinese-school.netfirms.com/bigChina/China-word.html] Despite the fact that the Qin dynasty was short-lived and often regarded as overly tyrannical, it unified the written language in China and gave the supreme ruler of China the title of "Emperor"; hence the subsequent Silk Road traders might have identified themselves by that name.
In any circumstance, the word ''China'' passed through many languages along the
Silk Road before it finally reached Europe and England. The Western "China", transliterated to
Shina (word) ''Shina'' (支那) was also used by
Japanese from the nineteenth century, but is now obsolete and is regarded as an offensive term by the Chinese.
The term "China" can narrowly mean
China proper or, often, China proper and
Manchuria,
Inner Mongolia,
Tibet, and
Xinjiang, a combination essentially coterminous with the 20th and 21st century political entity ''China''; the boundaries between these regions do not necessarily follow
political divisions of China provincial boundaries. In many contexts, "China" is commonly used to refer to the People's Republic of China or mainland China, while "Taiwan" is used to refer to the Republic of China. Informally, in
economic or
business contexts, "the
Greater China region" (大ä¸è?¯åœ°å?€) refers to
Mainland China,
Hong Kong,
Macau, and
Taiwan.
Sinologists usually use "Chinese" in a more restricted sense, more akin to the classical usage of ''Zhongguo'', or to the meaning of the "
Han Chinese Han ethnic group", who make up the bulk of population in China.
In some contexts it may be more appropriate to speak of "
mainland China" (ä¸åœ‹å¤§é™¸,''zhÅ?ngguó dà lù'' in Mandarin), especially when contrasting it with other, politically different regions like
Hong Kong,
Macau, and territories administered by the
Republic of China Republic of China (Taiwan).
"Cathay"
The other more historical and lyrical English term for China is "Cathay." Cathay is derived from the name of the
Khitans (契丹) in northern China, founders of the
Liao Dynasty. The Chinese were referred to as "Cathayans" in English texts before the 16th century and the term Cathay was still commonly used to refer to China, particularly northern China, until the mid-19th century. Today, Russians and many Central Asian states still call China as "Kitay" (Китай) or variations of this name.
History
:''Main articles:
History of China,
History of the Republic of China (1912–1949; 1949–Present on Taiwan),
History of People's Republic of China (1949–Present)''
Image:Gu_wine_vessel_from_the_Shang_Dynasty.jpg Shang.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|150px|Bronze wine vessel of the [[Shang (Yin), the first historical Chinese dynasty, 13th century B.C..html" title="Meaning of 150px|Bronze wine vessel of the [[Shang">thumb|150px|Bronze wine vessel of the [[Shang (Yin), the first historical Chinese dynasty, 13th century B.C.">150px|Bronze wine vessel of the [[Shang">thumb|150px|Bronze wine vessel of the [[Shang (Yin), the first historical Chinese dynasty, 13th century B.C.China was one of the earliest centers of human
civilization. Chinese civilization was also one of the few to invent
writing system writing independently, the others being ancient
Mesopotamia (
Sumerians),
India (
Indus Valley Civilization), and, some hold,
Ancient Egypt—though it may have been learned from the Sumerians. The
Chinese script is still used today by the Chinese and Japanese, and to a lesser extent by the Koreans. This script is the only
logographic script still used in the world.
The first
dynasty according to Chinese sources was the
Xia Dynasty, but its references have traditionally been believed to be legendary. Until scientific excavations were made at early
bronze-age sites at
Erlitou culture Erlitou in
Henan Province, it was difficult to separate myth from reality in regard to the existence of the Xia Dynasty. But since then, archaeologists have uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the possible existence of the Xia dynasty at the same locations cited in ancient Chinese historical texts.
However, the first confirmed historical dynasty is the
Shang Dynasty Shang, who settled along the
Huang He river from eastern China, dating from the 18th to the 12th centuries BC. The Shang were in turn invaded from the west by the
Zhou dynasty Zhou (12th to 5th centuries BC), whose centralized authority was slowly eroded by the ceding of state-like authority to warlords ruling small states; eventually, in the
Spring and Autumn period, many strong independent states, in continuous war, paid but nominal deference to the
Zhou state as the Imperial centre. They were all unified under one
Emperor of China emperor in
221 BC by
Qin Shi Huang, ushering in the
Qin Dynasty, the first unified centralized Chinese state.
Image:Qinshihuang2.jpg Qin Shi Huang.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|150px|left|The first emperor of China, [[Qin Shi Huang..html" title="Meaning of 150px|left|The first emperor of China, [[Qin Shi Huang">thumb|150px|left|The first emperor of China, [[Qin Shi Huang.">150px|left|The first emperor of China, [[Qin Shi Huang">thumb|150px|left|The first emperor of China, [[Qin Shi Huang.
This state, however, did not last for long, as its
Legalism (philosophy) legalist approach to control soon led to widespread rebellion. After the fall of authoritarian Qin Dynasty in 206 BC came the
Han Dynasty which lasted until 220 AD. A period of disunion followed again. In 580, China was reunited under the
Sui Dynasty Sui. Under the succeeding
Tang Dynasty Tang and
Song Dynasty Song dynasties, China reached its golden age. For a long period of time, especially between the 7th and 14th centuries, China was one of the most advanced
civilizations in the world in technology, literature, and art, although change was very gradual and mitigated by Imperial powers. The Song Dynasty fell to the invading
Mongols in 1279. The Mongols, under
Kublai Khan, established the
Yuan Dynasty. A peasant named
Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Mongols in 1368 and founded the
Ming Dynasty, which lasted until 1644. After the Ming dynasty, came the
Qing (Manchu) dynasty, which lasted until the overthrow of
Puyi in 1911.
Oftentimes regime change was violent and strongly opposed and the ruler class needed to take special measures to ensure their rule and the loyalty of the overthrown dynasty. For example, after the foreign
Qing (
Manchus) conquered China, because they were ever suspicious of the
Han Chinese, the Qing rulers put into effect measures aimed at preventing the absorption of the Manchus into the dominant Han Chinese population. However, these restrictions proved ineffective against the assimilation of Manchus into the Chinese identity and culture.
In the 18th century, China achieved a decisive technological advantage over the peoples of
Central Asia, with which it had been at war for several centuries, while simultaneously falling behind Europe in that respect. This set the stage for the 19th century, in which China adopted a defensive posture against European
imperialism while itself engaging in imperialistic expansion into Central Asia. See
Imperialism in Asia.
However the primary cause of the decline of the Chinese empire was not European and American interference, but rather the consequence of a series of internal upheavals. Most prominent of these was the
Taiping Rebellion Taiping Civil War which lasted from 1851 to 1862. The civil war was started by an extremist believer in a school of thought partly influenced by Christianity who believed himself to be the son of
God and the younger brother of
Jesus. Although the imperial forces were eventually victorious, the civil war was one of the bloodiest in human history - costing at least twenty million lives (more than the total number of fatalities in the
First World War), with some estimates upward of 30 million. Prior to this conflict a number of Islamic Rebellions, especially in Central Asia, had occurred. Later, a second major rebellion took place, although this latter uprising was considerably smaller than the cataclysmic Taiping Civil War. This second conflict was the
Boxer Rebellion which aimed to repel Westerners. Although secretly supporting the rebels, the Empress,
Ci Xi, made public efforts to aid foreign forces in suppressing the uprising.
Image:Whampoa1.jpg 1924.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|250px|At the [[1924 inauguration of the
Whampoa Military Academy,
Sun Yat-sen delivered a speech that would later become the lyrics of the
National Anthem of the Republic of China ROC's national Anthem..html" title="Meaning of right|250px|At the [[1924">thumb|right|250px|At the [[1924 inauguration of the
Whampoa Military Academy,
Sun Yat-sen delivered a speech that would later become the lyrics of the
National Anthem of the Republic of China ROC's national Anthem.">right|250px|At the [[1924">thumb|right|250px|At the [[1924 inauguration of the
Whampoa Military Academy,
Sun Yat-sen delivered a speech that would later become the lyrics of the
National Anthem of the Republic of China ROC's national Anthem.
In 1912, after a prolonged period of decline, the institution of the
Emperor of China disappeared and the
Republic of China was established. The following three decades were a period of disunion — the Warlord Era, the
Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) Sino-Japanese War, and the
Chinese Civil War. The latter ended in 1949 with the
Communist Party of China in control of
mainland China. The CPC established a
communist state—the People's Republic of China—that laid claim to be the
successor state of the Republic of China. Meanwhile, the disorganized and potentially corrupt ROC government of the
Kuomintang fled to Taiwan, where it continued to be recognized as the legitimate government of all China by the
Western bloc and the
China and the United Nations United Nations until the 1970s, when most nations and the UN switched recognition to the PRC.
The
United Kingdom and
Portugal transferred their colonies of
Hong Kong and
Macau on the southern Chinese coast to the PRC in 1997 and 1999, respectively.
The PRC does not
diplomatic recognition recognize the ROC, as it claims to have succeeded the ROC as the legitimate governing authority of all of China including Taiwan. On the other hand, the ROC—while never formally renouncing its earlier claims or changing official maps that show its territory as including both the modern-day PRC, Mongolia and Tibet—has moved away from this former identity representing its rule over all of China, and increasingly identifies itself as ''
Taiwan''. The PRC has historically resisted the ROC's identification of itself as Taiwan, especially in light of the movement supported by residents of Taiwan and others who advocate Taiwan's identity as an
Taiwan independence independent political entity. Significant disputes persist as to the nature and extent of ''China'', possible
Chinese reunification and the
Political status of Taiwan political status of Taiwan.
{{seealso|Timeline of Chinese history|Dynasties in Chinese history|History of Hong Kong|History of Macau|History of Taiwan}}
Chinese Pre-history
Archeological evidence suggests that the earliest occupants in China date as long as 2.24 million to 250,000 years ago by an ancient human relative (
hominin) known as
Homo erectus. One particular cave in
Zhoukoudian (near current-day
Beijing) has fossilised evidence dating to 300,000 and 550,000 years old. Evidence of primitive stone tool technology and animal bones in association to H. erectus have been studied since the late 18th century to 19th century in various areas of
Eastern Asia including
Indonesia (in particular the Island of
Java (island) Java) and
Malaysia. Originally it is thought that these early hominis first evolved in
Africa during the
Pleistocene and that
human evolution first took place in Africa expanding 7 million years. By 2 million years ago the first wave of migration from the species in association with H. erectus settled into various areas in the
Old World.
Fully modern
humans (''Homo sapiens'') are believed to originally have evolved roughly 200,000 and 168,000 years ago in
Ethiopia or
Southern Africa (ei.
Homo sapiens idaltu). By 100,000 to 50,000 years ago modern human beings settled in all parts of the Old world (including the
New World,
Americas 25,000 to 11,000 BCE). By less than 100,000 years ago all ''proto-human'' populations disappeared as modern humans took over or drove other human species into extinction.
It remains a controversial subject to whether fully modern humans evolved from separate H. erectus populations (known as "multiregional") as some evidence in ancient bones show a transitional change from H. erectus to H. sapiens having archaic features. However it is now more widely accepted that all modern humans genetically share a direct ancestor, a female nicknamed "
Mitochondrial Eve" from
Eastern Africa 150,000 years BCE. This model is known as
Mitochondrial Eve Hypothesis.
The earliest evidence examples of fully modern humans in China come from
Liujiang, China where a cranium dates 67,000 years BCE. Another is a partial skeleton from Minatogawa being only 18,000 years old.
Political history
:''Main articles:
Politics of Imperial China,
Politics of the People's Republic of China,
Politics of Taiwan,
Political status of Taiwan''
Before unification by the
Qin Dynasty in
221 BC, "China" did not exist as a coherent entity. The Chinese civilization consisted of a patchwork of several warring states, each ruled by a
monarch king (王),
duke (å…¬),
marquess (侯), or
earl (伯). Although there was a central king who held nominal power, and powerful
hegemons sometimes held considerable influence, each
state was ruled as an independent political entity. This is also the time of the beginnings of
Confucian philosophy and that of many other philosophies that greatly influenced Chinese philosophy/political thought.
This ended with the Qin Dynasty unification, during which the office of the
emperor was set up, and a system of
bureaucratic administration established. After the Qin, China experienced about 13 more dynasties, many of which continued the extensive system of
monarchy kingdoms,
duchy dukedoms,
earldoms, and
marquess marquisates. The territory varied with several expansions and contractions depending on the strength of each emperor and dynasty. However the
Emperor of China emperor had ultimate, supreme, and unquestionable authority as the political and religious leader of China. The emperor also consulted civil and martial ministers, especially the
prime minister. Political power sometimes fell into the hands of powerful officials,
eunuchs, or imperial
relatives, often at the expense of a child heriditary emperor. This happened especially since the emperor often was many layers of power removed from the outside world, making him susceptible to manipulation because his sources for information could manipulate that information causing him to make incorrect decisions, especially considering their age at becoming emperor often had no bottom limit, with rule passing heriditarily but also given "in trust" to another relative.
Political relations with dependencies (
tributary (political) tributary kingdoms) were maintained by international marriages, military aids, treaties, and gifts. (see section "Geography, Political" below for examples),
Image:Chinese republic forever.jpg Yuan_Shikai.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|200px|[[Yuan Shikai (''left'') and
Sun Yat-sen (''right'') with two different flags representing the early
Republic of China Republic..html" title="Meaning of 200px|[[Yuan Shikai">thumb|200px|[[Yuan Shikai (''left'') and
Sun Yat-sen (''right'') with two different flags representing the early
Republic of China Republic.">200px|[[Yuan Shikai">thumb|200px|[[Yuan Shikai (''left'') and
Sun Yat-sen (''right'') with two different flags representing the early
Republic of China Republic.
Luoyang,
Chang'an (today's
Xi'an),
Nanjing, and
Beijing are the four cities most commonly designated as
capitals of China over the course of history.
Chinese language Chinese was the official language, though periods of Mongol and Manchu conquest saw the arrival of
Mongolian language Mongol and
Manchu language Manchu as alternate
official languages.
On
January 1,
1912, the
Republic of China (ROC) was established, signaling the end of the Qing Empire.
Sun Yat-sen of the
Kuomintang (KMT or Nationalist Party), was proclaimed provisional president of the republic. However,
Yuan Shikai, a former Qing general who had defected to the revolutionary cause, soon forced Sun to step aside and took the presidency for himself (formally it was a negotiation where Sun agreed to step aside for what was then perceived as a strong reformer, Yuan). Before long, Yuan attempted to have himself proclaimed emperor of a new dynasty; however, he died soon of natural causes before fully taking power over all of the Chinese empire.
After Yuan's downfall, China was politically fragmented, with an internationally-recognized, but virtually powerless, national government seated in Beijing (thus failing to fit the definition of a
state). Warlords in various regions exercised actual control over their respective territories.
Image:Cairo conference.jpg Chiang Kai-shek.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|200px|Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek(left),
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and
Winston Churchill met at the
Cairo Conference in 1943..html" title="Meaning of right|200px|Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek">thumb|right|200px|Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek(left),
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and
Winston Churchill met at the
Cairo Conference in 1943.">right|200px|Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek">thumb|right|200px|Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek(left),
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and
Winston Churchill met at the
Cairo Conference in 1943.In the late 1920s, the Kuomintang, under
Chiang Kai-shek, was able to reunify the country under its own control, moving the nation's capital to Nanjing and implementing "
political tutelage", an intermediate stage of political development outlined in Sun Yat-sen's program for transforming China into a modern, democratic state. Effectively, political tutelage meant one-party rule by the Kuomintang.
Ironically, both the Kuomintang and the CCP have heavy
Leninist influences. In 1947, constitutional rule was established, but because of the ongoing
Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China (CPC), many provisions of the 1947 ROC constitution were never put into actual practice on the mainland.
By early 1950, the CPC had defeated the Kuomintang on the mainland, and the ROC government retreated to the island of Taiwan. Beginning in the late 1970s,
Taiwan began the implementation of full, multi-party,
representative democracy in the territories still under ROC control (i.e.,
Taiwan Province,
Taipei,
Kaohsiung and some offshore islands of
Fujian province). Today, the political scene in the ROC is vibrant, with active participation by all sectors of society. But rather than the usual
conservative-
liberal policy distinctions that are the hallmarks of most democracies around the world, the main cleavage in ROC politics is the unification with China in the long-run vs. formal independence issue. However, Greens are generally more liberal (i.e. more
environmentalism environmentally friendly) and Blues are generally regarded as more conservative.
Image:China, Mao (2).jpg People's Republic of China.html" title="Meaning of Mao Zedong Mao Zedong|thumb|right|200px|Mao Zedong proclaims the founding of the [[People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949..html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|200px|Mao Zedong proclaims the founding of the [[People's Republic of China">Mao Zedong|thumb|right|200px|Mao Zedong proclaims the founding of the [[People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949.">thumb|right|200px|Mao Zedong proclaims the founding of the [[People's Republic of China">Mao Zedong|thumb|right|200px|Mao Zedong proclaims the founding of the [[People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
Meanwhile,
Mao Zedong, the leader of the communists, proclaimed the
People's Republic of China (PRC) on
October 1,
1949 in Beijing, saying China had stood up. From the beginning, the PRC has been a
dictatorial one-party state under the Communist Party. However, post-1978 reforms have led to the relaxation, in varying degrees, of party control over many areas of society. Nonetheless, the Communist Party still has absolute control over political aspects of society, and it continuously seeks to eradicate threats to its rule. Examples of this include the jailing of political opponents and journalists, general control of the press, regulation of religions and other non-party organizations,
censorship of the press, literature and film, and suppression of independence/secessionist movements. In 1989,
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 a popular demonstration held in Beijing at
Tiananmen Square was violently put to an end by the CPC. The attempted eradication of the
Falun Gong movement is also held by its supporters to be motivated by fear of Falun Gong's growing influence. Today, however, there is much more freedom in intellectual thought in non-political areas and
propaganda, while still continuing, has lessened.
{{seealso|Chinese nationalism|Propaganda in the People's Republic of China|Imperialism in Asia|Chinese sovereign|Chinese law}}
Territory
{{main|Political divisions of China|History of the political divisions of China}}
Historical overview
Image:Map-Chinese World.png Chinese_world 300px|right|thumb|[[Chinese world|Chinese cultural world consists of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and countries extensively linked to Chinese culture, such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam..html" title="Meaning of Chinese cultural world.html" title="Meaning of 300px|right|thumb|[[Chinese world|Chinese cultural world">300px|right|thumb|[[Chinese world|Chinese cultural world consists of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and countries extensively linked to Chinese culture, such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam.">Chinese cultural world.html" title="Meaning of 300px|right|thumb|[[Chinese world|Chinese cultural world">300px|right|thumb|[[Chinese world|Chinese cultural world consists of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and countries extensively linked to Chinese culture, such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
The
Zhou Dynasty, which preceded the unification of China by
Shi Huangdi, was originally the region around the
Yellow River. Since then, the territory has expanded outward in all directions, and was largest during the
Tang Dynasty Tang,
Yuan Dynasty Yuan, and
Qing Dynasty Qing dynasties. The Qing Dynasty included parts of modern
Russian Far East and
Central Asia (west of
Xinjiang).
Along with provincial administrators, some foreign
monarchs sent
envoys to offer gifts to the Emperor of China and the Emperor returned
compliments to them. The Chinese thought that the barbarians attached themselves to the
virtue of the Emperor, while the foreign governments sometimes disagreed. Since the end of the 19th century, China has tried to reinterpret this relationship as
suzerainty or
suzerainty-
dependency, but this no longer has any real conception in modern international political theories.
The
Qing Empire reduced the territorial value of the
Great Wall of China as a barrier of
China proper after they merged their homeland (
Manchuria) north of the wall with
China proper south of it. In 1683 after the surrender of the
Kingdom of Tungning established by
Koxinga,
Taiwan including the
Pescadores became a part of the Qing Empire, originally as one
prefecture, then two, and later a province. Taiwan was subsequently ceded to
Japan after the
first Sino-Japanese War in 1895. At the end of the
second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, Japan relinquished the
sovereignty of the island in the
San Francisco Peace Treaty, and the
Republic of China took over. Since then, the de jure
Political status of Taiwan sovereignty of Taiwan has been under dispute between the PRC, and the now democratic ROC and
Taiwan independence Taiwan independence supporters.
{{seealso|Taiwan|Republic of China|Tibet}}
Image:China administrative.png thumb|300px|right|Map of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Historical political divisions
Historically, top-level political divisions of China have altered as the administration changed. Top levels included
circuit (political division) circuits and
province of China provinces. Below that, there have been
prefecture of China prefectures,
subprefectures,
departments,
commanderies,
district of China districts, and
county of China counties. Recent divisions also include
prefecture-level cities,
county-level cities,
town of China towns and
township of China townships (see below for examples).
Historically, most Chinese dynasties were based in the historical heartlands of China, known as
China proper. Various dynasties also exhibited
expansionism by engaging in incursions into peripheral territories like
Inner Mongolia,
Manchuria,
Xinjiang, and
Tibet. The
Manchu-established
Qing Dynasty and its successors, the
Republic of China and the
People's Republic of China cemented the incorporation of these territories into China. These territories are separated by borders that are vague at best, and do not correspond well to contemporary political divisions. China proper is generally thought to be bounded by the
Great Wall and the edge of the
Tibetan Plateau;
Manchuria and
Inner Mongolia are found to the north of the
Great Wall of China, and the boundary between them can either be taken as the present border between
Inner Mongolia and the
Northeast China northeast Chinese provinces, or the more historic border of the
World War II-era
puppet state of
Manchukuo;
Xinjiang's borders correspond to today's administrative
Xinjiang; and historic
Tibet is conceived as occupying all of the
Tibetan Plateau. China is also traditionally thought of as comprising
North China (北方) and
South China (å?—æ–¹), the geographic boundary between which north and south is largely generalized as
Huai River (淮河) and
Qinling Mountains (秦嶺).
Geography and climate
{{main|Geography of China}}
image:Yangzi River gorge.jpg Yunnan.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|200px|Yangtse River gorge in [[Yunnan province.html" title="Meaning of 200px|Yangtse River gorge in [[Yunnan">thumb|200px|Yangtse River gorge in [[Yunnan province">200px|Yangtse River gorge in [[Yunnan">thumb|200px|Yangtse River gorge in [[Yunnan province
China is composed of a vast variety of highly different
landscapes, with mostly
plateaus and
mountains in the west, and lower lands on the east. As a result, principal
rivers flow from west to east, including the
Yangtze River Yangtze (central), the
Huang He (central-east), and the
Amur (northeast), and sometimes toward the south (including the
Pearl River (China) Pearl River,
Mekong River, and
Brahmaputra), with most Chinese rivers emptying into the
Pacific.
Image:Average annual precipitation in China(English).png thumb|left|200px|The precipitation in different regions of China
Most of China's arable lands lie along the two major rivers, the Yangtze and the Huang He, and each are the centers around which are founded China's major ancient civilizations.
In the east, along the shores of the
Yellow Sea and the
East China Sea are found extensive and densely populated
alluvial plains; the shore of the
South China Sea is more mountainous and southern China is dominated by
hill country and lower
mountain ranges.
To the west, the north has a great
alluvial plain, and the south has a vast
calcareous tableland traversed by
hill ranges of moderate elevation, with the
Himalayas, containing the highest point
Mount Everest. The northwest also has high plateaus among more arid
desert landscapes such as the
Takla-Makan and the
Gobi Desert, which has been expanding. Due to a prolonged
drought and perhaps poor agricultural practices,
dust storms have become usual in the spring in China. Dust blows all the way to southern China, Taiwan, and has even been measured on the West Coast of the
United States.
Image:Lightmatter panda.jpg Giant Panda.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|200px|The [[Giant Panda is an
endangered species native to the
bamboo forests of central and southern China..html" title="Meaning of 200px|The [[Giant Panda">thumb|200px|The [[Giant Panda is an
endangered species native to the
bamboo forests of central and southern China.">200px|The [[Giant Panda">thumb|200px|The [[Giant Panda is an
endangered species native to the
bamboo forests of central and southern China.
During many dynasties, the southwestern border of China has been the high
mountains and deep valleys of
Yunnan, which separate modern China from
Burma,
Laos and
Vietnam.
The
climate of China varies greatly. The northern zone (within which lies
Beijing) has a climate with winters of
Arctic severity. The central zone (within which
Shanghai is situated) has a generally
temperate climate. The southern zone (within which lies
Guangzhou and other southern provinces) has a generally
subtropical climate.
The
Palaeozoic formations of China, excepting only the upper part of the
Carboniferous system, are
sea marine, while the
Mesozoic and
Tertiary deposits are
estuarine and
freshwater or else of
terrestrial origin. Groups of
volcanic cones occur in the Great Plain of north China. In the
Liaodong and
Shandong Peninsulas, there are basaltic plateaux.
Economy
Today China is considered one of the economic
major powers and also an
Superpower#Potential Superpowers emerging future superpower.
''This article is on the Chinese civilization. See
Economy of the People's Republic of China,
Economy of Hong Kong,
Economy of Macau, and
Economy of Taiwan for information on the economies of modern Chinese political entities.''
Society
Demographics
{{main|Ethnic groups in Chinese history|Nationalities of China}} {{main|Demographics of China}}
Image:Crowded Nanjing Road in Shanghai.jpeg Nanjing Road, Shanghai thumb|150px|left|A crowded [[Nanjing Road, Shanghai|Nanjing Road in
Shanghai..html" title="Meaning of Nanjing Road.html" title="Meaning of thumb|150px|left|A crowded [[Nanjing Road, Shanghai|Nanjing Road">thumb|150px|left|A crowded [[Nanjing Road, Shanghai|Nanjing Road in
Shanghai.">Nanjing Road.html" title="Meaning of thumb|150px|left|A crowded [[Nanjing Road, Shanghai|Nanjing Road">thumb|150px|left|A crowded [[Nanjing Road, Shanghai|Nanjing Road in
Shanghai.
Over a hundred
ethnicity ethnic groups have existed in China. In terms of numbers, however, the pre-eminent ethnic group in China is the
Han Chinese Han, which is a group so diverse in its culture and language that some conceive of it as a larger overarching group bringing together many smaller, distinct ethnic groups sharing common traits in language and culture. Throughout history, many ethnic groups have been assimilated into neighbouring ethnicities or disappeared without a trace. Several previously distinct ethnic groups have been
Sinicized into the
Han Chinese Han, causing its population to increase dramatically; at the same time, many within the Han identity have maintained distinct linguistic and cultural traditions, though still identifying as Han. Many times in the past millennia many foreign groups have, in turn, shaped Han language and culture, for example the queue is a pig tail hairstyle strictly enforced by the Manchurians on the Han populace. The term
Zhonghua Minzu is sometimes used to describe a notion of a "Chinese nationality" transcending ethnic divisions.
The government of the
People's Republic of China now officially recognizes a total of
list of Chinese ethnic groups 56 ethnic groups, of which the largest is the
Han Chinese. China's overall population is 1.3 billion. With the global human population currently estimated at about 6.4 billion, China is home to approximately 20%, or one-fifth of the world's population.
The lack of birth control and promotion of population growth during the rule of
Mao Zedong resulted in a demographic explosion, culminating in over 1.3 billion people today. As a response to the problems this is causing, the government of the PRC has enacted a
birth control policy, commonly known as the
One-child policy.
The Han speak several mutually unintelligible tongues, classified by modern linguists as being separate languages, but regarded within the Chinese languages as "dialects" or "local languages" (topolects) within a single
Chinese language (the word for "area languages" has an implication of dialect rather than a separate language, although on the basis of use, these topolects can be found to be separate and mutually unintelligible, and are so classified by many linguists). The various spoken varieties of Chinese share a common written standard, "
Vernacular Chinese" or "''baihua''", which has been used since the early 20th Century and is based on
Standard Mandarin, the standard spoken language, in grammar and vocabulary. In addition, another, more ancient written standard,
Classical Chinese, was used for writing Chinese by the literati for thousands of years before the 20th Century.
Classical Chinese is no longer the predominant form of written Chinese, though it continues to be a part of high school curricula and is hence intelligible to some degree to many Chinese people. Other than Standard Mandarin, spoken variants are usually not written; the exception is
Standard Cantonese, which is sometimes written as
Written Cantonese in informal contexts.
Culture
{{main|Culture of China}}
Religion
{{main|Religion in China}}
image:500lohan longhuatemple small.jpg Shanghai.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|250px|500 Buddha lohans in [[Shanghai's
Longhua temple (first built during the
Three Kingdoms era).html" title="Meaning of right|250px|500 Buddha lohans in [[Shanghai">thumb|right|250px|500 Buddha lohans in [[Shanghai's
Longhua temple (first built during the
Three Kingdoms era)">right|250px|500 Buddha lohans in [[Shanghai">thumb|right|250px|500 Buddha lohans in [[Shanghai's
Longhua temple (first built during the
Three Kingdoms era)
The major religions of China are:
*
Confucianism - exact numbers unknown [majority]
*
Taoism and
ancestor worship - exact numbers unknown [majority]
*
Buddhism in China Buddhism - exact numbers unknown [8 to 12%]
*
Christianity in China Christianity - 2 to 4% (from Western sources; the Chinese official number is much smaller than 1%)
*
Islam in China Islam - 2%
*
Falun Gong - exact numbers unknown (claimed not to be a "religion", though from a scholarly perspective is a spiritual practice. Claimed numbers of followers of the Falun Dafa are also regarded as unreliable.)
While the People's Republic of China is officially
secular and
atheist, it does allow personal religion or supervised religious organization. Taoism and Buddhism, along with an underlying Confucian morality, have been the dominant religions of Chinese society for nearly the past two millennia, and continue to be so in modern Chinese societies, particularly those not in direct PRC control. As personal religion is widely tolerated in the PRC today, there has been a strong resurrection of interest in Buddhism and Taoism within the PRC in the past decade. Among the younger, urban secular population in the PRC, Taoist spiritual ideas of
fengshui have also become quite popular in recent years, spawning a large home decoration market in China.
In recent years,
Falun Gong, has attracted great controversy after the government of the People's Republic of China labeled it a malicious
cult[http://english.people.com.cn/english/200102/02/eng20010202_61435.html] and began an attempt to eradicate it. The Falun Gong itself denies that it is a cult or a religion. The
Falun Gong says that it has approximately 70-100 million followers, which is higher than estimates by foreign independent groups, though exact numbers are unknown. They regularly protest against their suppression, both domestically and internationally, sometimes through criminal acts such as hijacking airwaves and harassive soliciting.
{{seealso|Confucianism|Catholicism in China|Protestantism in China|Chinese folk religion|Way of former Heaven Sects}}
Arts, scholarship, and literature
Image:mifu01.jpg Chinese_calligraphy.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|250px|right|[[Chinese calligraphy by Mifu,
Song Dynasty.html" title="Meaning of 250px|right|[[Chinese calligraphy">thumb|250px|right|[[Chinese calligraphy by Mifu,
Song Dynasty">250px|right|[[Chinese calligraphy">thumb|250px|right|[[Chinese calligraphy by Mifu,
Song Dynasty
Chinese literature has a long and prolific continuous history, in part because of the development of
printmaking during the
Song Dynasty. Before that, manuscripts of the Classics and religious texts (mainly
Confucian,
Taoist, and
Buddhist) were manually written by
ink brush (previously scratching shells) and distributed. Academies of scholars sponsored by the empire were formed to comment on these works in both printed and written form. Members of royalty frequently participated in these discussions. Tens of thousands of ancient written documents are still extant and more, from
oracle bones to Qing edicts, are discovered each day.
For centuries, opportunity for economic and social advancement in China could be provided by high performance on the
imperial examinations. This led to a
meritocracy, though in practice this was possible only among those who were not female or too poor to afford test preparation, as doing well still required tutorship. Nevertheless it was a system distinct from the European system of blood nobility. Imperial examinations required applicants to write essays and demonstrate mastery of the Confucian classics. Those who passed the highest level of the exam became elite scholar-officials known as ''jinshi,'' a highly esteemed socio-economic position.
Chinese philosophers, writers, and poets have been, for the most part, highly respected, and played a key role in preserving and promoting the culture of the empire. Some classical scholars, however, were noted for their daring depictions of lives of the common people, often to the displeasure of authorities. (See
List of Chinese authors, and
List of Chinese language poets).
image:Lian_Zhu_Shi.jpg guqin thumb|250px|A Chinese stringed instrument ''[[guqin|qin'' (ç?´), often referred to in English as the "table harp".html" title="Meaning of qin.html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|A Chinese stringed instrument ''[[guqin|qin">thumb|250px|A Chinese stringed instrument ''[[guqin|qin'' (ç?´), often referred to in English as the "table harp"">qin.html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|A Chinese stringed instrument ''[[guqin|qin">thumb|250px|A Chinese stringed instrument ''[[guqin|qin'' (ç?´), often referred to in English as the "table harp"
The Chinese invented numerous
musical instruments, such as the
Guzheng zheng (ç®?),
guqin qin (ç?´),
sheng (instrument) sheng (笙),
xiao (flute) xiao (ç°«), and
erhu (二胡), that have later spread throughout
East Asia East and
Southeast Asia, particularly in Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The Chinese
sheng (instrument) sheng is the basis for several Western
free-reed instruments (
harmonica,
organ).
Chinese characters have had many variants and styles throughout the Chinese history, and were "
Simplified Chinese character simplified" in the mid-20th century on mainland China.
Calligraphy is a major art-form in China, above that of
painting and
music. Because of its association with elite scholar-official bosses, it later on became commercialized, where works by famous artists became prized
possessions.
The great variation and beauty in the Chinese landscape is often the inspiration for great works of Chinese art. See
Chinese painting for more details.
Calligraphy,
sushi, and
bonsai are all millennia-old art that later spread to
Japan and
Korea.
Science and technology
image:China (172).jpg Long_March.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|200px|[[Long March 3A rocket launch.html" title="Meaning of 200px|[[Long March">thumb|200px|[[Long March 3A rocket launch">200px|[[Long March">thumb|200px|[[Long March 3A rocket launch
{{main|Science and technology in China}}
In addition to the cultural innovations mentioned above, technological inventions from China include:
{{col-begin|width=}}
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*
Compass
* Block
Printmaking /
Printing Technology
*
Paper
* Asian
abacus
*
Gunpowder
*
Crossbow
*
Stirrup
*
Lacquer
*
Blast furnace (steel)
*
Umbrella
*
Whiskey (medicinal/surgical use)
| width="{{{width|}}}" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" |
*
Rudder
*
Dry dock
*
Seismograph
*
Silk
*
Porcelain
*
Paper money and necessary monetary institutions
*
Glider
*
Hot air balloon
*
Fireworks and solid-fuel
rocket
*
Parachute
*
Petroleum#History Petroleum well
*
Clock
*
Matches
*
Fishing Pole{hook}
*
Chess
*
Fans
*
Porcelain {China}
*
Toilet Paper
*
Silk
*
Kite
*
Bronze
*
Wallpaper
|}
image:Yanghui_triangle.gif Pascal_triangle.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|200px|[[Pascal triangle first drawn by the Chinese (above made in
1303).html" title="Meaning of 200px|[[Pascal triangle">thumb|200px|[[Pascal triangle first drawn by the Chinese (above made in
1303)">200px|[[Pascal triangle">thumb|200px|[[Pascal triangle first drawn by the Chinese (above made in
1303)
Other areas of technological study:
* The main applications of
mathematics in traditional China were
architecture and
geography. Pi (
Pi π) was calculated by 5th century mathematician
Zu Chongzhi to the seventh digit. The
decimal system was used in China as early as the 14th Century BC.
Pascal's Triangle "Pascal's" Triangle was discovered by mathematician
Chia Hsien,
Yang Hui,
Zhu Shijie and
Liu Ju-Hsieh, long before
Pascal was born.
* Studies in
biology have been extensive, and historic records are consulted even today, such as
pharmacopoeias of
herbology medicinal plants.
*
Chinese medicine Traditional medicine and
surgery were highly advanced at various points in history, and in some fields are still seen as innovative. They continue to play a growing role in the international medical community, and have achieved recognition over the last few decades in the West as
alternative and complementary therapies. An example is
acupuncture, although it is somewhat controversial in some quarters. However,
autopsy was unacceptable, because of the common belief that a
corpse should not be violated, though nevertheless, there were several
physician doctors who increased the understanding of internal
anatomy by violating this autopsy
taboo.
* Military innovations include the
crossbow and the
grid sight, crossbow
stirrup,
repeating crossbows, the
trebuchet,
poison gas (smoke from burning dried mustard),
tear gas made from powdered lime,
relief maps for battle planning, manned
kites, fire lance, rockets, gunpowder incendiaries, gunpowder grenades, proto-handguns, various gun-related ammunition types and the
cannon.
Miscellaneous topics
{| style="background-color: transparent; width: {{{width|70%}}}"
| width="25%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" |
*
Chinese calendar
*
Chinese units of measurement
*
Confucianism
*
list of China-related topics
*
Chinese dragons
*
Chinese names
*
Flora of China Chinese plants
*
Beijing
*
Shanghai
*
Hong Kong
*
Taiwan
*
Xi'an
| width="25%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" |
*
Chinese language
*
Chinese nationalism, cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and
culture under state(s) that are primarily Chinese.
*
environment of China
| width="25%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" |
*
Cormorant fishing
*
giant pandas
*
imperialism in Asia
*
military history of China
| width="25%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" |
*
overseas Chinese
*
postage stamps and postal history of China
*
price of tea in China
*
Shanghai woman
*
List of Chinese battles
|}
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| width="{{{width|}}}" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" |
See also
*
Superpower#Potential Superpowers Potential Superpowers - China
*
Buddhism in China
*
Chinese art
*
Chinese democracy movement
*
Chinese painting
*
Chinese paper art
*
Chinese philosophy
*
Chinese poetry
*
Christianity in China
*
Chinese mythology
*
Music of China Chinese Music
*
Human rights in the People's Republic of China
*
Islam in China
*
List of Chinese provinces
*
Political divisions of China
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{{Portal}}
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{{Wikinewscat|China}}
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{{wikisourcecat}}
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{{East Asia}}
|}
{{ChineseText}}
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There are currently two states called '''China''':
* The
People's Republic of China (PRC), a state governing Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau; often simply called "China".
* The
Republic of China (ROC), a state governing Taiwan, Pescadores, Quemoy, Matsu, Pratas, and some nearby islands since 1949; often simply called "Taiwan".
This category is for articles and subcategories applying to the geographical region and civilization of
China as a whole, not those which are specific to
:Category:People's Republic of China or
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ro:Categorie:China
ru:КатегориÑ?:Китай
sh:Category:Kina
scn:Category:Cina
simple:Category:China
sk:Kategória:ÄŒÃna
sl:Kategorija:Kitajska
sr:Категорија:Кина
fi:Luokka:Kiina
sv:Kategori:Kina
tl:Category:Tsina
ta:பக�ப�ப�:சீனா
th:Category:ประเทศจีน
vi:Thể loại:Trung Quốc
tr:Kategori:Çin
uk:КатегоріÑ?:Китай
zh:Category:ä¸å›½
see
:Manual of Style (China-related articles)
Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 20px|People's Republic of China People's Republic of China China
see
Portal:People's Republic of China
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