2. Geography
China stretches some 5,026 km across the East Asian landmass. China is bordered by
seas and waters eastward, with the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, Taiwan
Strait, and South China Sea, and bordered by landmasses on its 3 other sides, from
North Korea to Vietnam. China has been officially and conveniently divided into 5
homogeneous physical macro-regions: Eastern China, Xinjiang-Mongolia, and the
Tibetan-highlands. Its physical features are multiples. The eastern and southern
half of the country, its seacoast fringed with offshore islands, is a region of fertile
lowlands and foothills with most of the agricultural output and human population.
The western and northern half of China is a region of sunken basins
(Gobi, Taklamakan), rolling plateaus, and towering massifs, including a portion of
the highest tableland on earth (Tibetan Plateau) with lower agricultural
possibilities and thus, far less populated.
3. People
China officially recognizes 56
distinct ethnic groups, the largest
of which are the Han Chinese, who
constitute about 91.51% of the
total population.The Han Chinese
– the world's largest single ethnic
group – outnumber other ethnic
groups in every
province, municipality and
autonomous region except Tibet
and Xinjiang, and are descended
from ancient Huaxia tribes living
along the Yellow River.
4. Language
The languages of China are collectively known as Zhongyu
(simplified Chinese: 中语; traditional Chinese: 中語;
pinyin: Zhōngyǔ), and their study is considered a distinct
academic discipline in China. The languages most studied
and supported by the state include
Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur and Zhuang. China
has 292 living languages and 1 extinct language (Jurchen)
according to Ethnologue.
Standard Chinese (known in China as Putonghua) is the
official national spoken language for the mainland.
Several other autonomous regions have additional
official languages
16. Religion
Buddhism
Buddhism was introduced to China around the first century
A.D. Since the fourth century A.D, it was widely spread and
gradually became the most influential religion in China.
Buddhism in China is divided into three branches according
to varied language families, namely, Chinese
Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Pali Buddhism and there
are about 200 thousand Buddhist monks and nuns under
these three branches. At present, there are more than 13
thousand Buddhist temples that are open to the public, 33
Buddhist colleges and nearly 50 types of Buddhist
publications in China.
17. Taoism
Taoism is a typically traditional religion in
China with a history of more than 18 hundred
years since the second century A.D. It
advocates the worship of natural objects and
ancestors as was practiced since time
immemorial and had various factions in the
history; later, it evolved into two major
factions, namely, Quanzhen and Zhengyi
Taoism, and was fairly influential among Han
people.
18. Islam
Islam was introduced to China in the seventh
century A.D with nearly 18 million believers from
Hui, Uygur, Tartar, Kirgiz, Kazakh, Ozbek,
Dongxiang, Sala and Baoan nationalities. Most of
the Muslims in China live in compact
communities in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Gansu,
Qinghai and Yunnan Provinces; besides, some
Muslims in small groups live in other provinces or
cities in China. At present, there are more than 30
thousand mosques in China with over 40
thousand imams or ahungs.
19. Catholicism
Catholicism was first introduced to China in the seventh century
and widely spread across the country after the Opium War in 1840.
At present, Chinese Catholic Church boasts one hundred parishes,
some five million believers, nearly five thousand cathedrals and
places for religious activities and twelve theological seminaries.
Christianity
Christianity was introduced to China in early 19th century and
widely spread after 1840s. In 1950, the church called on its
believers to shake off the vestige of foreign imperialist influence
and uphold patriotism in order to achieve self-administration, self-
supporting and self-propagation, which are the cardinal principle of
Chinese Christianity. At present, there are about ten million
Christian believers, 18 thousand priests and 12 churches or religious
sites in China.
30. All power within the government of the People's Republic of
China is divided among several bodies:
• the political branch, the Communist Party of China
• the executive branch, the State Council
• the legislative branch, the National People's Congress.
• the judicial branch, the Supreme People's Court
• the military branch, People's Liberation Army (PLA) via the
Central Military Commission
President of China: Xi Jinping
Vice President: Li Yuanchao
32. Education in the People's Republic of China is a state-run
system of public education run by the Ministry of
Education. All citizens must attend school for at least nine
years. The government provides primary education for six
to nine years, starting at age six or seven, followed by six
years of secondary education for ages 12 to 18. Some
provinces may have five years of primary school but four
years for middle school. There are three years of middle
school and three years of high school. The Ministry of
Education reported a 99 percent attendance rate for
primary school and an 80 percent rate for both primary and
middle schools. In 1985, the government abolished tax-
funded higher education, requiring university applicants to
compete for scholarships based on academic ability. In the
early 1980s the government allowed the establishment of
the first private schools.
36. The Socialist market economy of People's
Republic of China (PRC) is the world's second
largest economy by nominal GDP and
by purchasing power parity after the United
States. It is the world's fastest-growing major
economy, with growth rates averaging
10% over the past 30 years. China is also the
largest exporter and second
largest importer of goods in the world.
Currency: Renminbi ; Unit: Yuan
Fiscal Year: (1 January to 31 December)
