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China is a large country in East Asia.  With nearly 4,000 years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest civilizations.

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation.

After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

China since the early 1990s has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.

Ancient & Imperial China:

Ancient China was one of the earliest centers of human civilization.  Chinese civilization was also one of the few to invent writing, the others being Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilization, the Maya and other Mesoamerican civilizations, the Minoan civilization of ancient Greece, and Ancient Egypt.

Historically, the cultural sphere of China has extended across East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing systems being adopted to varying degrees by neighbors such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam.  Through its history, China was the source of many major inventions.  It has also one of the world's oldest written language systems.

Chinese tradition names the first dynasty Xia, but it was considered mythical until scientific excavations found early Bronze Age sites at Erlitou in Henan Province in 1959.  The first Chinese dynasty that left historical records, the loosely feudal Shang (Yin), settled along the Yellow River in eastern China from the 17th to the 11th century BC.  The Qing Dynasty, which lasted until 1912, was the last dynasty in China.

In reality, Chinese history is not as neat as is often described and it was rare indeed for one dynasty to end calmly and give way quickly and smoothly to a new one.  Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they had been defeated.  For example, the conventional date 1644 marks the year in which the Manchu Qing dynasty armies occupied Beijing and brought Qing rule to China proper, succeeding the Ming dynasty.  However, the Qing dynasty itself was established in 1636 (or even 1616, albeit under a different name), while the last Ming dynasty pretender was not deposed until 1662.  This change of ruling houses was a messy and prolonged affair, and the Qing took almost twenty years to extend their control over the whole of China.  It is therefore inaccurate to assume China changed suddenly and all at once in the year 1644.

In addition, China was divided for long periods of its history, with different regions being ruled by different groups.  At times like these, there was not any single dynasty ruling a unified China.

In the 19th century the Qing Dynasty adopted a defensive posture towards European imperialism, even though it engaged in imperialistic expansion into Central Asia.  At this time China awoke to the significance of the rest of the world, the West in particular.  As China opened up to foreign trade and missionary activity, opium produced by British India was forced onto Qing China.  Two Opium Wars with Britain weakened the Emperor's control. European imperialism proved to be disastrous for China.  Hong Kong was ceded over to the British.  Thus, the "unequal treaties system" was established.  Heavy indemnities had to be paid by China, and more territory and control were taken over by the foreigners. The weakening of the Qing regime, and the apparent humiliation of the unequal treaties in the eyes of the Chinese people had several consequences.  One consequence was the Taiping Civil War, which lasted from 1851 to 1862.  Although the Qing forces were eventually victorious, the civil war was one of the bloodiest in human history, costing at least 20 million lives (more than the total number of fatalities in the World War I), with some estimates of up to 200 million. Other costly rebellions followed the Taiping Rebellion, such as the Punti-Hakka Clan Wars (1855–67), Nien Rebellion (1851–1868), Miao Rebellion (1854–73), Panthay Rebellion (1856–1873) and the Dungan revolt (1862–1877).  In the 19th century, the age of colonialism was at its height and the great Chinese Diaspora began.

History of China ANCIENT 3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors Xia Dynasty 2100–1600 BC Shang Dynasty 1600–1046 BC Zhou Dynasty 1045–256 BC  Western Zhou  Eastern Zhou    Spring and Autumn Period    Warring States Period IMPERIAL Qin Dynasty 221 BC–206 BC Han Dynasty 206 BC–220 AD   Western Han   Xin Dynasty   Eastern Han Three Kingdoms 220–280   Wei, Shu & Wu Jin Dynasty 265–420   Western Jin 16 Kingdoms 304–439   Eastern Jin Southern & Northern Dynasties 420–589 Sui Dynasty 581–618 Tang Dynasty 618–907   ( Second Zhou 690–705 ) 5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms 907–960 Liao Dynasty 907–1125 Song Dynasty 960–1279   Northern Song W. Xia   Southern Song Jin Yuan Dynasty 1271–1368 Ming Dynasty 1368–1644 Qing Dynasty 1644–1911 MODERN Republic of China 1912–1949 People's Republic of China 1949–present Republic of China (Taiwan) 1945–present

While China was wracked by continuous war, Meiji Japan succeeded in rapidly modernizing its military and set its sights on Korea and Manchuria leading to the First Sino-Japanese War, which resulted in Qing China's loss of influence in the Korean Peninsula as well as the cession of Taiwan to Japan.

By the early 20th century, mass civil disorder had begun, and calls for reform and revolution were heard across the country.  In a coup de'tat, Yuan Shikai overthrew the last Qing emperor, ending two thousand years of imperial rule in China.  On 1 January 1912, the Republic of China was established, heralding the end of the Qing Dynasty.

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Modern China:

The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) (part of World War II) forced an uneasy alliance between the Nationalists and the Communists as well as causing around 20 million Chinese civilian deaths.  With the surrender of Japan in 1945, China emerged victorious but financially drained.  The continued distrust between the Nationalists and the Communists led to the resumption of the Chinese Civil War.

After the Chinese Civil War, mainland China saw a dramatic improvement in life expectancy, leading to an explosion in population.  A series of disruptive socioeconomic movements started in the late 1950s with the Great Leap Forward and continued in the 1960s with the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong's Communist regimen.  The Great Chinese Famine resulted in an estimated 30 to 36 million deaths.  With the death of its first generation Communist Party leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the People's Republic of China (PRC) began implementing a series of political and economic reforms advocated by Deng Xiaoping that eventually formed the foundation for mainland China's rapid economic development starting in the 1990s.

In 1979, the Chinese government instituted a one child policy to try to control its rapidly increasing population.  The controversial policy resulted in a dramatic decrease in child poverty.  The law currently applies to about a third of mainland Chinese.

Post-1978 reforms in mainland China have led to some relaxation of control over many areas of society.  However, the PRC government still has almost absolute control over politics, and it continually seeks to eradicate what it perceives as threats to the social, political and economic stability of the country.  Examples include the fight against terrorism, jailing of political opponents and journalists, custody regulation of the press, regulation of religion, and suppression of independence/secessionist movements.  In 1989, the student protests at Tiananmen Square were violently put to an end by the Chinese military after 15 days of martial law.  In 1997, Hong Kong was ceded to the PRC by the United Kingdom.

China's position in the war on terror drew the country closer diplomatically to the United States.  The economy continues to grow in double-digit numbers as the development of rural areas became the major focus of government policy.  Many analysts assert that the modern PRC is one of the leading examples of state capitalism in the 21st century.

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Economy:

Today, the PRC is a member of the WTO and is the world's second largest economy after the United States.  It is the world's fastest-growing major economy, with average growth rates of 10% for the past 30 years.  The PRC owns an estimated $1.6 trillion of US securities.  The PRC, holding US$1.16 trillion in US Treasury bonds, is the largest foreign holder of US public debt.  China is the world's third-largest recipient of inward FDI, attracting US$92.4 billion in 2008 alone, and China increasingly invests abroad, with a total outward FDI of US$52.2 billion in 2008 making it the world's sixth-largest outward investor.

China is also the largest exporter and second largest importer of goods in the world.  China became the world's top manufacturer in 2011, surpassing the United States.  The PRC's success has been primarily due to manufacturing as a low-cost producer.  This is attributed to a combination of cheap labor, good infrastructure, relatively high productivity, favorable government policy, and a possibly undervalued exchange rate.  The provinces in the coastal regions of China tend to be more industrialized, while regions in the hinterland are less developed.

Although a middle-income country by Western standards, the PRC's rapid growth has pulled hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty since 1978.  Today, about 10% of the Chinese population live below the poverty line of US$1 per day (down from 64% in 1978).  Urban unemployment declined to 4% in China by the end of 2007, although true overall unemployment may be as high as 10%.

China's middle-class population (defined as those with annual income of at least US$17,000) has reached more than 100 million as of 2011, while the number of super-rich individuals worth more than 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) is estimated to be 825,000, according to Hurun Report.  Based on the Hurun rich list, the number of US dollar billionaires in China doubled from 130 in 2009 to 271 in 2010, giving China the world's second-highest number of billionaires.  China is also now the world's second-largest consumer of luxury goods behind Japan, with 27.5% of the global share.

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Demographics:

China's population is over 1.3 billion, the largest of any country in the world.  According to the 2010 census, 91.51% of the population was of the Han nationality, and 8.49% were minorities.  China's population growth rate is only 0.47%, ranking 156th in the world.  The vast majority of China's population lives in the fertile plains of the east.

After the "opening up" of the 1980s, more religious freedoms were granted, and traditional beliefs like Taoism and Buddhism were supported as an integral part of the Chinese culture.  Nowadays Shenism-Taoism and Buddhism are the largest religions in China with respectively over 30% (of which 160 millions, or 11% of the total population of the country, are Mazuists) and 18-20% of the population adhering to them, thriving throughout the country as the government is allowing them to spread.  

Almost 10% of the population is composed of those regarded as non-Han ethnicities who following their traditional tribal religions.  

Christians are 3-4% of the population according to various detailed surveys; Muslims are 1-2%.  The remaining section of the population, ranging between 40% and 60%, is mostly agnostic or non-religious; purely atheists are 14-15%.  Confucianism as a religion is popular among intellectuals.

Culture:

The Culture of China is one of the world's oldest and most complex cultures.  The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces.  Today there are 56 distinct recognized ethnic groups in China.  In terms of numbers however, the pre-eminent ethnic group is the Han Chinese.  Most social values are derived from Confucianism and Taoism.  Most languages in China belong to the Sino-Tibetan languages family, spoken by 29 ethnicities.  There are also several major linguistic groups within the Chinese language itself.  The most spoken varieties are Mandarin (spoken by over 70% of the population), Wu, Yue (Cantonese), Min, Xiang, Gan, and Hakka.

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Tourism:

Tourism in China has greatly expanded over the last few decades since the beginning of reform and opening.  The emergence of a newly rich middle class and an easing of restrictions on movement by the Chinese authorities are both fueling this travel boom.  China is the world's third most visited country in the world.  The number of overseas tourists was 56 million in 2010.  According to the WTO, in 2020, China will become the largest tourist country and the fourth largest for overseas travel.

Tourist resources in China can be divided into three main groups:  natural sites, historical and cultural sites, and folk customs.  China has 41 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, ranking third in the world.  These sites comprise some of the most essential part of China's valuable and rich tourism resources.

The most popular tourist attraction in China is the Great Wall of China.  Also popular are the Forbidden City in Beijing, which was the center of Chinese Imperial power, and the Terracotta Army of the Qin Dynasty Emperor's mausoleum in Xi'an, a vast collection of full-size terracotta statues of Chinese Imperial soldiers and others.

Throughout China a great many hotels and restaurants have been constructed, renovated or expanded to satisfy all levels of requirement, and there are now 9,751 hotels with star ratings.  All large or medium-sized cities and scenic spots have hotels with complete facilities and services for both domestic and international visitors.

Even though English is becoming more and more popular in China, most Chinese people do not understand it.  Some form of Chinese is virtually universal in China, with Mandarin as the standard form and many other varieties also in use; some, like Cantonese and Shanghainese, have tens of millions of speakers.  Although many Chinese do not speak English, due to the educational system many Chinese near and in urban areas can read and write it, even though they may have difficulty with spoken English.