 |
 |
|
Welcome to my China Page. Please read below for a brief introduction
to China and follow the links to more in-depth artciles coverning
the topics in which you are interested.
Brief History
 For most
of its 5,000 years of history, China led the world in all facets
of agriculture, crafts, and science. As the Industrial Revolution
swept Europe in the 19th century, China lost its superiority to
the West and so began its suffering at the hands of the European
colonists. In 1949, the Communists under Mao Zedong established
a dictatorship that, while eliminating foreign domination , imposed
strict controls over all aspects of life. After 1978, his successor
Deng Xiaoping decentralized economic decision making which has led
to the amazing economic growth we see in China today. Political
controls still remain tight while economic controls have been weakening.
Present issues are: incorporating Hong Kong into the Chinese system;
reunifying Taiwan with the Motherland, closing down inefficient
state-owned enterprises; modernising the military; fighting corruption;
and providing support to tens of millions of displaced workers.
Geography and Climate
China is situated in Eastern Asia, and borders the East China Sea.
The tota l area is
almost 9326410 sq. km. The major administrative divisions of China
are Anhui, Beijing, Chongqing, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi,
Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hong Kong, Hubei, Hunan,
Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai,
Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin, Xinjiang,
Tibet, Yunnan, and Zhejiang. China considers Taiwan its 23rd province.
It has an extremely diverse climate; tropical in south to subarctic
in the north. It is also subject to severe earthquakes and typhoons.
Natural Resources
China is abundant in natural resources, including large deposits
of coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten,
antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminium,
lead, zinc, and uranium.
Population
China has a population of approximately 1.3 billion, which makes
it the world's largest country. Most of the Chinese population are
from the Han majority. Other nationalities include Zhuang, Uygur,
Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean etc., constituting
about 8.1% of the total population. China is officially atheist,
but there are small pockets of devotees practicing Daoism, Buddhism,
Islam and Christianity. The national language is Mandarin Chinese,
with Cantonese, Shanghaiese, Fuzhou, Minnan, Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects,
and other minority languages spoken widely). Many people can speak
some English, which is the most widely studied foreign language.
Foreign Relations
China has full diplomatic relations with approximately 160 countries.
Diplomatic recognition though is granted only upon recognition or
acknowledgement that Taiwan is a province of the People's Republic
of China. Dual recognition of Taiwan and the PRC is disallowed.
|
|
|
