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Country profile: China
Language: Mandarin Chinese Head of state: President Hu Jintao
Republic of China Religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam,
Taoism
Agro-Industry Development
China is one of the Four Ancient
Civilizations (alongside Babylon, India and
Egypt), according to Chinese scholar Liang
Qichao (1900). It boasts a vast geographic
expanse, 3,600 years of written history, as well
as a rich and profound culture. Many aspects of
Chinese culture can be traced back many
centuries ago. Chinese culture is so diverse and
unique, yet harmoniously blended, and presents
itself an invaluable asset to the world.
The guide contains articlesd ivided into
"national traditions & the heritage of china"
and " the art in china". Topics include: Chinese
food, China World heritage sites, China's
festival, China's Kung Fu and Beijing opera.
Experience authentic Chinese culture with China
Highlights.
China is the world's most populous country, with a continuous culture stretching back nearly 4,000 years.
Many of the elements that make up the foundation of the modern world originated in China, including paper, gunpowder, credit banking, the compass and paper money.
After stagnating for more than two decades under the rigid authoritarianism of early communist rule under its late leader, Chairman Mao, China now has the world's fastest-growing economy and is undergoing what has been described as a second industrial revolution.
The
People's
Republic
of
China
(PRC)
was
founded
in
1949
after
the
Communist
Party
defeated
the
previously
nationalist
Kuomintang
in
a
civil
war.
The
Kuomintang
retreated
to
Taiwan,
creating
two
rival
Chinese
states
-
the
PRC
on
the
mainland
and
the
Republic
of
China
based
on
Taiwan.
Beijing
says
the
island
of
Taiwan
is
a
part
of
Chinese
territory
that
must
be
reunited
with
the
mainland,
by
force
if
necessary.
The
claim
has
in
the
past
led
to
tension
and
threats
of
invasion,
but
since
2008
the
two
governments
have
moved
towards
a
more
cooperative
atmosphere.
China's economic transformation has not been joined by political change
The
leadership
of
Mao
Tse-Tung
oversaw
the
often
brutal
implementation
of
a
Communist
vision
of
society.
Millions
died
in
the
Great
Leap
Forward
-
a
programme
of
state
control
over
agriculture
and
rapid
industrialisation
-
and
the
Cultural
Revolution,
a
chaotic
attempt
to
root
out
elements
seen
as
hostile
to
Communist
rule.
However,
Mao's
death
in
1976
ushered
in
a
new
leadership
and
economic
reform.
In
the
early
1980s
the
government
dismantled
collective
farming
and
again
allowed
private
enterprise.
The
rate
of
economic
change
hasn't
been
matched
by
political
reform,
with
the
Communist
Party
-
the
world's
biggest
political
party
-
retaining
its
monopoly
on
power
and
maintaining
strict
control
over
the
people.
The
authorities
still
crack
down
on
any
signs
of
opposition
and
send
outspoken
dissidents
to
labour
camps.
Economy
Nowadays
China
is
one
of
the
world's
top
exporters
and
is
attracting
record
amounts
of
foreign
investment.
In
turn,
it
is
investing
billions
of
dollars
abroad.
As
a
member
of
the
World
Trade
Organization,
China
benefits
from
access
to
foreign
markets.
In
return
it
must
expose
itself
to
competition
from
abroad.
But
relations
with
trading
partners
have
been
strained
over
China's
huge
trade
surplus
and
the
piracy
of
goods;
the
former
has
led
to
demands
for
Beijing
to
raise
the
value
of
its
currency,
which
would
make
Chinese
goods
more
expensive
for
foreign
buyers
and,
in
theory,
hold
back
exports.
Some
Chinese
fear
that
the
rise
of
private
enterprise
and
the
demise
of
state-run
industries
carries
heavy
social
costs
such
as
unemployment
and
instability.
Moreover,
the
fast-growing
economy
has
fuelled
the
demand
for
energy.
China
is
the
largest
oil
consumer
after
the
US,
and
the
world's
biggest
producer
and
consumer
of
coal.
It
spends
billions
of
dollars
in
pursuit
of
foreign
energy
supplies.
There
has
been
a
massive
investment
in
hydro-power,
including
the
$25bn
Three
Gorges
Dam
project.
Social
discontent
The
economic
disparity
between
urban
China
and
the
rural
hinterlands
is
among
the
largest
in
the
world.
In
recent
decades
many
impoverished
rural
dwellers
have
flocked
to
the
country's
eastern
cities,
which
have
enjoyed
a
construction
boom.
Social
discontent
manifests
itself
in
protests
by
farmers
and
workers.
Tens
of
thousands
of
people
travel
to
Beijing
each
year
to
lodge
petitions
with
the
authorities
in
the
hope
of
finding
redress
for
alleged
corruption,
land
seizures
and
evictions.
The
collapse
in
international
export
markets
that
accompanied
the
global
financial
crisis
of
2009
has
hit
China
hard.
However,
concern
of
large-scale
social
unrest
proved
to
be
unfounded.
Other
pressing
problems
include
corruption,
which
affects
every
level
of
society,
and
the
growing
rate
of
HIV
infection.
A
downside
of
the
economic
boom
has
been
environmental
degradation;
China
is
home
to
many
of
the
world's
most-polluted
cities.
Human
rights
Human
rights
campaigners
continue
to
criticise
China
for
executing
hundreds
of
people
every
year
and
for
failing
to
stop
torture.
The
country
is
keen
to
stamp
down
on
what
it
sees
as
dissent
among
its
ethnic
minorities,
including
Muslim
Uighurs
in
the
north-west.
The
authorities
have
targeted
the
Falun
Gong
spiritual
movement,
which
they
designate
an
"evil
cult".
Chinese
rule
over
Tibet
is
controversial.
Human
rights
groups
accuse
the
authorities
of
the
systematic
destruction
of
Tibetan
Buddhist
culture
and
the
persecution
of
monks
loyal
to
the
Dalai
Lama,
the
exiled
spiritual
leader
who
is
campaigning
for
autonomy
within
China.
Little
was
known
about
the
low-profile
Mr
Hu
when
he
was
elected
by
the
National
People's
Congress
in
March
2003.
President Hu Jintao, said to be cautious and loyal to the party
His
position
as
the
presidential
heir-apparent
had
been
cemented
at
the
16th
Communist
Party
Congress
in
2002,
when
he
succeeded
Jiang
Zemin
as
head
of
the
party.
He
was
re-elected
as
president
in
March
2008.
Mr
Jiang's
decision
to
stand
down
as
head
of
the
powerful
Central
Military
Commission
in
2004,
three
years
earlier
than
planned,
was
said
to
have
completed
the
first
orderly
transition
of
power
since
the
communist
revolution
in
1949.
Mr
Hu
has
made
the
fight
against
corruption
a
priority;
he
has
promised
to
promote
good
governance,
saying
the
fate
of
socialism
is
at
stake.
But
he
has
rejected
Western-style
political
reforms,
warning
that
they
would
lead
China
down
a
"blind
alley".
Responding
to
rising
social
tensions
and
China's
wealth
gap,
he
advocates
a
drive
to
build
a
"harmonious
society"
and
has
promised
greater
spending
on
health
and
education
in
rural
areas.
Hu
Jintao
was
born
in
Anhui
province
in
1942,
according
to
his
official
biography.
A
committed
Communist
Party
member
since
1964,
his
party
career
took
off
in
the
late
1970s.
In
the
1980s
he
served
as
party
chief
in
Guizhou
and
Tibet,
where
he
oversaw
crackdowns
on
pro-independence
protests.
In
1992
Mr
Hu
became
the
youngest
member
of
the
Politburo
Standing
Committee,
the
party's
main
decision-making
body.
He
is
said
to
enjoy
dancing
and
table
tennis
and
has
been
described
as
a
cautious,
intelligent
man.
Party
loyalty
and
obedience
are
believed
to
have
contributed
to
his
political
rise.
China's
media
are
tightly
controlled
by
the
country's
leadership.
The
opening-up
of
the
industry
has
extended
to
distribution
and
advertising,
not
to
editorial
content.
Beijing
tries
to
limit
access
to
foreign
news
providers
by
restricting
rebroadcasting
and
the
use
of
satellite
receivers,
by
jamming
shortwave
radio
broadcasts,
including
those
of
the
BBC,
and
by
blocking
web
sites.
Ordinary
readers
have
no
access
to
foreign
newspapers.
However,
Beijing
introduced
new
reporting
rules
for
overseas
journalists
in
October
2008.
According
to
an
official,
they
followed
the
"principles
and
spirit"
of
regulations
introduced
for
the
Beijing
Olympics,
which
allowed
greater
freedom
for
foreign
reporters
to
travel
and
to
interview.
China online: Surveillance, censorship are extensive
253m internet users by June 2008 (official figure)
Reporters Without Borders lists China as one of 13 "enemies of the Internet"
Fears
that
the
media
in
Hong
Kong
would
lose
their
independence
when
the
territory
reverted
to
Chinese
control
in
1997
have
generally
not
been
borne
out.
Hong
Kong
still
has
editorially-dynamic
media,
but
worries
about
interference
remain.
The
press
reports
on
corruption
and
inefficiency
among
officials,
but
the
media
as
a
whole
avoid
criticism
of
the
Communist
Party's
monopoly
on
power.
Each
city
has
its
own
newspaper,
usually
published
by
the
local
government,
as
well
as
a
local
Communist
Party
daily.
With
more
than
one
billion
viewers,
television
is
a
popular
source
for
news
and
the
sector
is
competitive,
especially
in
urban
areas.
China
is
also
becoming
a
major
market
for
pay-TV;
it
is
forecast
to
have
128
million
subscribers
by
2010.
State-run
Chinese
Central
TV,
provincial
and
municipal
stations
offer
a
total
of
around
2,100
channels.
The
availability
of
non-domestic
TV
is
limited.
Agreements
are
in
place
which
allow
selected
channels
-
including
stations
run
by
AOL
Time
Warner,
News
Corp
and
the
Hong
Kong-based
Phoenix
TV
-
to
transmit
via
cable
in
Guangdong
province.
In
exchange,
Chinese
Central
TV's
English-language
network
is
made
available
to
satellite
TV
viewers
in
the
US
and
UK.
Beijing
says
it
will
only
allow
relays
of
foreign
broadcasts
which
do
not
threaten
"national
security"
or
"political
stability".
Of
late,
it
has
been
reining
in
the
activities
and
investments
of
foreign
media
groups.
The
media
regulator
-
the
State
Administration
for
Radio,
Film
and
Television
-
has
warned
local
stations
that
foreign-made
TV
programmes
must
be
approved
before
broadcast.
China
has
the
world's
largest
net-using
population,
but
the
web
scene
is
under
tight
control.
Beijing
routinely
blocks
access
to
sites
run
by
the
banned
spiritual
movement
Falun
Gong,
rights
groups
and
some
foreign
news
organisations.
It
has
moved
to
curb
postings
by
a
growing
number
of
bloggers.
An
international
group
of
academics
concluded
in
2005
that
China
has
"the
most
extensive
and
effective
legal
and
technological
systems
for
internet
censorship
and
surveillance
in
the
world".
The
media
rights
group
Reporters
Without
Borders
describes
the
country
as
the
world's
"largest
prison
for
journalists".
>> Mauritania
Agro-Industry Development
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