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About China

About China
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China is situated in its eastern part of Asia with the Pacific Ocean to its West.  China is the third largest country in total land area after Russia and Canada. Countries that border China, are Korea in the East, Mongolia in the North, Russia in the Northeast, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia and Tadzhikistan in the Northwest, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan in the West and Southwest; and Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam in the South. Across the seas to the East and Southeast are the Republic of Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Shanghai is the largest city in China with a population of 13.56 million. Beijing is the capital of China. China has 22 provinces, five autonomous regions and some 5000 islands

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Chinese History

Ancient China has many achievements to its credit. Ancient China was very advanced in many areas such as agriculture, handicrafts, weaving, astronomy, mathematics, geography, medicine and shipbuilding.  The Chinese had a convenient transportation system by land and water to Japan, Korea, India, Persia, and Arabia. Ancient China maintained cultural, knowledge and trade exchanges with them.The Ancient Chinese invented papermaking, printing, gunpowder and the compass, which represent their advancement in science and technology. 

 Thinkers such as Lao Zi and Confucius influenced the Chinese culture and society. The Gan Shi Xing Jing (Gan Shi Catalogue of Stars) of the Warring States Period is the earliest catalogue of fixed stars in the world. Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty, invented the armillary sphere and seismograph.  Zu Chongzhi was the first person in the world to have accurately calculated the value of PI to seven decimal places (3.1415926 and 3.1415927). The Ben Cao Gang Mu (Materia Medica) by Li Shizhen of the 16th century records more than 1,800 kinds of herbal medicines and over 10,000 prescriptions.  

A special mention is the Qin Dynasty under which the Chinese were united for the first time into a single empire (221-207 BC).  This dynasty established administrative institutions, which remained features of the Chinese states for the following 2000 years. They also introduced centralized control, the dynasty standardized weights and measures and the writing system.  The Great Wall of China was constructed during this time. 

In 1271, Kublai Khan, grandson of Mongol invader Genghis Khan, established the Yuan dynasty The Mongols established a capital at what is now Beijing.  The nations administration was militarized and the Chinese people suffered greatly under his rule.  A Buddhist called Hongwu arose amidst rebellion to establish the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), with capitals at Beijing and Nanjing. 

Under the Ming dynasty, maritime power was established for the first time, and expeditions sailed to South-East Asia, Persia, Arabia and even eastern Africa.  Ancient China’s fortunes, prestige and national sovereignty was undermined by Qing who signed the Treaty of Nanking, in 1842, with Britain which reduced China to a semicolonial, semifeudal country. This marked a turning point in China’s history.  

The Revolution of 1911, a Chinese revolution, ended the rule of the corrupt Qing Dynasty. This marked the end of 2000 years of monarchy in China. The provisional government of the Republic of China was founded at this time.  Imperialism and feudalism were plaguing China and in 1919 the Chinese working class became active, in what is called the May 4th Movement. This movement continued for many years and was led by the Communist Party. In 1949 the Chinese people finally ended the rule of the Kuomintang.  

On 1 October 1949 Mao Zedong proclaimed the foundation of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Chiang Kaishek fled to Taiwan, taking with him the country's entire gold reserves and what was left of his air force and navy. The USA continued to recognize Chiang as legitimate ruler of China, and provided a naval blockade to prevent an attack on Taiwan from the mainland.  Mao oversaw the socialist transformation of China in agriculture, commerce and industry.  The role of public ownership was defined, and the transition from new democracy to socialism realized. During the ten years from 1957 to 1966 China began large-scale socialist construction.

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