Location  The People Republic of China is situated in eastern Asia on the
western shore of the Pacific Ocean, with an area of 9.6 million
square kilometers. China's continental coastline extends for about 18,000
kilometers, and its vast sea surface is
studded with more than 5,000 islands, of which Taiwan and Hainan are the
largest.

Land Formation and Rivers
China's land drops off in escarpments eastward to the ocean, letting in humid
air current and leading many rivers eastward. Among the rivers totaling 220,000
kilometers in length in China, the Changjiang (Yangtze) and the Huanghe (Yellow)
are world known.

China has beautiful scenery, with mountains and ranges, highlands, plains,
basins, and hills. The highlands and hill regions account for 65 percent of the
country's total land mass, and there are more than 2,000 lakes. The highest
mountain peak is Qomolangma (Everest), the highest in the world, 8,848 meters
above sea level; the lowest point is
the Turpan Basin, 154 meters below sea level.

Climate
China is characterized by a continental climate. The latitude spans nearly 50
degrees. The greater part of the Chinese territory is situated in the Temperate
Zone, its southern part in the tropical and subtropical zones, and its northern
part near the Frigid Zone. Temperatures differ therefore rather strikingly
across the country. The northern part of Heilongjiang Province has long winters
but no summers; while the Hainan Island has long summers but no winters. The
Huaihe River valley is marked by distinctive seasonal changes, but it is spring
all year round in the south of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. In the northwest
hinterland, the temperature changes dramatically. China high tundra zone is
situated in the Qinghai-Tibet, where the temperature is low in all four seasons.
Some desert areas are dry all year round.

Resources
China abounds in natural resources. It leads the world in many proven mineral
deposits; No country in the world boasts more wildlife than China, many of which
are native to China, such as giant panda, snub-nosed golden monkey, and Chinese
alligator; China's dawn redwood and Cathaya argyrophylla are known as the living
fossils of ancient plants.

To protect the nation's native animals and plants, especially the endangered
species, China has established more than 700 nature reserves.
History China, with a recorded history of 5,000 years, is one of the world's
earliest civilizations.          

In the 21st century B.C., China entered slave society with the founding of the
Xia Dynasty, thereby writing a finale to long years of primitive society. The
Xia was followed by the Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty, Which encompassed the
Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

In 221 B.C., Qin Shihuang established China's first centralized autocracy, the
Qin Dynasty, thereby ushering Chinese history into feudal-ism, which endured in
a succession of dynasties, such as the Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing,
until the Opium War of 1840.

The economy and science and technology were relatively well developed in ancient
China. During the Shang Dynasty some 3,000 years ago, the Chinese had mastered
the art of bronze metallurgy, and invented iron implements; Many distinguished
thinkers, scientists, artists and writers came into being. The contributions to
world civilization of ancient China's four inventions: papermaking, printing,
powder, and the compass, as well as remarkable achievements in mathematics,
medical science, astronomy, agriculture, and architecture, are universally
recognized.

The Bourgeois Democratic Revolution of 1991 led by Sun Yat-sen toppled the rule
of the Qing Dynasty, put an end to more than 2.000 years of feudal monarchical
system and culminated in the establishment of the provisional
government of the Republic of China.

The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1,1949. Today, China is
implementing reform and opening-up policies, and has established socialist
market economy, thereby charting the course for socialist modernization with
Chinese characteristics.
Population China, as the word's most populous country, has a population
exceeding 1.2 billion, which makes up 22 percent of the world total. To bring
population growth under control, the country has followed a family planning
policy since the 1970s.

The minority people of China
Ethnic Groups China is a multiracial country with 56 ethnic groups, including
Achang, Bai, Bonan, Blang, Bouyei, Korean, Daur, Dai, De'ang, Dongxiang, Derung,
Oroqen, Russian, Ewenki, Gaoshan, Gelao, Hani, Kazak, Han, Hezhen, Hui, Jino,
Gin, ingpo, Kirgiz, Lahu, Li, Lisu, Lhoba, Manchu, Maonan, Mongolian, Monba,
Miao, Mulam, Naxi, Nu, Primi, Qiang, Salar, She, Sui, Tajik, Tatar, Tu, Tujia,
Va, Uygur, Uzbek, Xibe, Yi, Yuigur, Yao, Tibetan, and Zhuang. The Han people
account for 92 percent of the population. No matter how big or small the
population is, all peoples share equal rights.

Religion China is a multi-religious country. Taoism, Buddhism, lslamism,
Protestantism and Catholicism have all developed quite a following in this
country. Freedom of belief is a government policy, and normal religious
activities are protected by the constitution.

Language and Character Chinese is commonly used in modern China. It is one of
the five working languages designated by the United Nations. The majority of the
55 ethnic groups have their own languages. As a written language, Chinese has
been used for 6,000 years.
 
Family Names Chinese family names came into being some 5,000 years ago. There
are more than 5,000 family names, of which 200 or 300 are popular. The order of Chinese names if family
name first. For instance, the family name of a person called Zhang Side is Zhang.
Administrative Units China is divided into 23 provinces, five autonomous
regions, four municipalities under the direct jurisdiction of the Central
Government, and one special administrative region. The 23 provinces are Hebei,
Shaanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi,Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou,
Yunnan, and Hainan; The five autonomous regions are Inner Mongolia, Ningxia,
Xinjiang, Guangxi, and Tibet; The four municipalities are Beijing, Shanghai,
Tianjin, and Chongqing; Hong Kong is the special administrative region.

The Capital  
Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is not
only the nation's political centre, but also its cultural, scientific and
educational heart and a key transportation hub. Beijing has served as a capital for
more than 800 years. The city had many places of historic interest and scenic beauty, including the imperial Palace
(also known as the Forbidden City), the largest and best-preserved ancient
architectural complex in the world; the Temple of Heaven, where Ming and Qing
emperors performed solemn rituals for bountiful harvests; the Summer Palace, the
emperors' magnificent garden retreat; the Ming tombs, the stately and majestic
mausoleums of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors; and the world-renowned and genuinely
inspiring Badaling section of the Great Wall. Large-scale construction since the
founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 has brought great changes to
Beijing. Today's Beijing still retains the alluring fascination of an ancient
capital, but has added a small forest of skyscrapers and a complete range of
municipal facilities, transforming itself into an attractively modern metropolis
redolent of history.

The National Flag, National Emblem and National Anthem
The national flag of the People's Republic of China is red in color, rectangular in shape, with five
stars. The proportion between the length and height of the flag is three to two.
The five five-pointed yellow stars are located in the upper left corner. One of
them, which is bigger, appears on the left, while the other four hem it in on
the right.

The red color of the flag symbolizes revolution; the stars take on the yellow
color in order to bring out their brightness on the red ground. The larger star
represents the CPC, while the four smaller ones, the Chinese people. The
relationship between the stars means the great unity of the Chinese people under
the leadership of the CPC.

The national emblem of the People's Republic of China is Tiananmen in the center
illuminated by five stars and encircled by ears of grain and a cogwheel. The
ears of grain, stars, Tiananmen and cogwheel are painted golden, and the inner
part of the circle and hanging ribbons are painted red because these two colors
are traditional Chinese colors representing auspiciousness and happiness.
Tiananmen symbolizes the unyielding national spirit of the Chinese people in
their fight against imperialism and feudalism; the ears of grain and cogwheel
represent the working class and the peasantry; and the five stars stand for the
great unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC.
The national anthem was created in 1935, the lyrics by Tian Han, a famous poet,
and the music by Nie Er, a famous composer. The lyrics are as follows:
Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves;
With our very flesh and blood
Let us build our new Great Wall!
The peoples of China are in the most critical time,
Everybody must roar his defiance.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Millions of hearts with one mind,
Brave the enemy's gunfire,
March on!
Brave the enemy's gunfire,
March on! March on! March on, on!

This song, originally named March of the Volunteers, is the theme song of the
film, Young Heroes and Heroines in Stormy Years. The film describes the people
who went to the front to fight against the invaders in the 1930s when Japan
invaded northeast China and the fate of the Chinese nation was hanging in the
balance.

March of the Volunteers, inspiring and forceful, expresses the determination of
the Chinese people to sacrifice themselves for national liberation, and their
fine tradition of bravery, firmness and unity in their fight against aggression.
It was for this reason that the CPPCC on September 27, 1949 decided to adopt the
song as the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, and the National
People's Congress on December 4, 1982 officially decided to adopt the song as
the national anthem of the People's Republic of China.