About China

China one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, China is the treasure-trove of thick culture and 5000 years of history. Today the country is being counted among the world’s most exciting travel destinations. The magnificent Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, X’ian’s Terracotta Warriors and Horses and Tiananmen Square: the very names resonate with history and legacy. The mind blowing scenic beauty of Yunnan and the citylife of Shanghai makes China, the land of the Yangtze River, a compelling place to watch for.

History China

China is a Communist country, one of very few to withstand the collapse of communism during the early 1990s. People’s Republic of China or China, as it is commonly known, was founded by the Communists under MAO Zedong in 1949 after they emerged victorious in the civil war. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other communist leaders, deviating from earlier policy, took to market-oriented economy. This has resulted in the rapid growth of the country and is all set to be an economic superpower. China is a rapidly urbanizing nation and Beijing is the host city for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Bounded in the north by Russia and Mongolia; Korea, the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea in the east; in the south by Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Bhutan and Nepal; and to the west by Afghanistan, India, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, China has a varied topography ranging from flatlands in the east to high plateau in the west. One-third of the land is dominated by the mountainous areas. The Himalayas, the Altai Mountains, the Tina Shan Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains are the most famous high mountain ranges.

Capital: Beijing

Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Korea Bay and South China Sea, between Vietnam and North Korea
Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Total Area: 9,596,960 sq km
Total Population: 1,313,973,713
Population Growth Rate: 0.59%
Sex Ratio: 1.06 male(s)/female
Literacy: 90.9%
Ethnic Groups: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Irrigated land: 545,960 sq km
Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages
Time Zone: UTC+8
Currency: Yuan

Regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet)

Neighbouring countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Vietnam
Major Sports: Football martial arts, table tennis, badminton, basketball golf. Traditional sports of China include dragon boat racing.

Strategic Advantage:
Type of govt.: Communist state
Head of Govt.: Premier WEN Jiabao
Major Political Parties: Chinese Communist Party or CCP
Participation in International Organizations: AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BCIE, BIS, CDB, EAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM , IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OAS, OPCW, PCA, PIF, SAARC, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC.

Major Agricultural Products:
Rrice, wheat, corn, potatoes, millet, peanuts, tea, apples, barley, cotton, oilseed, pork and fish.

Natural Resources & Minerals:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, uranium, iron, manganese, copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, graphite, phosphorus, sulfur and sylvine, underground water and mineral water.

Industry & Transport:
Iron, steel, mining and ore processing, aluminum, and other metals, coal; textiles and apparel; machine building; armaments; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch
vehicles, satellites; transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft;

Airports: 486
Railways: 74,408 km
Roadways:
1,809,829 km
Waterways: 123,964 km

Major Trade Partners:
US, Japan, South Korea, Germany Taiwan.

Major Businesses:
machinery and equipment, plastics, optical and medical equipment, iron and steel.

Exports: $752.2 billion
Imports: $631.8 billion