China facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
People's Republic of China
|
|
|---|---|
.svg) Emblem
|
|
|
Anthem: "March of the Volunteers"
|
|
Location of the People's Republic of China Territory claimed but not controlled
|
|
| Capital | Beijing 39°55′N 116°23′E / 39.917°N 116.383°E |
| Largest city | Chongqing |
| Largest city | Shanghai |
| Official languages | Standard Chinese (de facto) |
|
Official script
|
Simplified characters |
| Ethnic groups
(2020)
|
|
| Religion
(2023)
|
|
| Demonym(s) | Chinese |
| Government | Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic |
|
• CCP General Secretary and President
|
Xi Jinping |
|
• Premier
|
Li Qiang |
| Zhao Leji | |
| Legislature | National People's Congress |
| Formation | |
| c. 2070 BCE | |
| 221 BCE | |
| 1 January 1912 | |
|
• Proclamation of the People's Republic
|
1 October 1949 |
| Area | |
|
• Total
|
9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi) (3rd / 4th) |
|
• Water (%)
|
2.8 |
| Population | |
|
• 2023 estimate
|
 1,409,670,000 (2nd) |
|
• Density
|
145/km2 (375.5/sq mi) (83rd) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
|
• Total
|
 $37.072 trillion (1st) |
|
• Per capita
|
$26,309 (73rd) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
|
• Total
|
$18.273 trillion (2nd) |
|
• Per capita
|
$12,968 (68th) |
| Gini (2021) | ▼ 35.7 medium |
| HDI (2022) | 0.788 high · 75th |
| Currency | Renminbi (元/¥) (CNY) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (CST) |
| Calling code |
|
| ISO 3166 code | CN |
| Internet TLD |
|
China (Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó), officially called the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a large country in East Asia. It has the second largest population in the world, with over 1.4 billion people. China is so big it covers five time zones. It also shares borders with 14 countries by land, just like Russia. This is the most land borders of any country in the world. With an area of almost 9.6 million square kilometers, China is the third largest country by total land area.
The country is divided into 23 provinces. One of these, Taiwan, is claimed by China but not controlled by it. China also has five autonomous regions and four direct-controlled cities. These cities are Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing. There are also two special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau.
China is one of the world's first civilizations. It started in the rich Yellow River basin in the North China Plain. For most of 2,000 years, from the 1st to the 19th century, China was one of the world's leading economic powers. For thousands of years, China was ruled by dynasties, which were like royal families. The first was the Xia dynasty around 2070 BCE. Since then, China has grown, split apart, and reunited many times.
In the 3rd century BCE, the Qin united China and created the first Chinese empire. The Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) had very advanced technology for its time. This included papermaking and the compass. They also made improvements in farming and medicine. Later, gunpowder and movable type were invented during the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127). These four inventions are known as the Four Great Inventions. Tang culture spread widely in Asia through the new Silk Road, which brought traders to faraway places.
China's last dynasty, the Qing dynasty, faced many challenges from foreign powers. The Chinese monarchy ended in 1912 with the 1911 Revolution. The Republic of China (ROC) took its place. China was invaded by Japan during World War II. The Chinese Civil War then led to a split in 1949. The Communist Party of China (CCP), led by Mao Zedong, started the People's Republic of China on mainland China. The ROC government moved to the island of Taiwan. Both the PRC and ROC still claim to be the only true government of China. This has led to an ongoing disagreement. In 1971, the United Nations recognized the PRC as the official government of China.
China is a unitary one-party socialist republic. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. China is also a founding member of many international groups. These include the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. It is also part of BRICS, the G20, and APEC.
China faces criticism for its human rights record. This includes limits on civil liberties and freedom of the press. There are also concerns about mass censorship and mass surveillance.
After economic reforms in 1978, China's economy grew very fast. It joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. By 2010, China had the second-largest economy by nominal GDP. In 2014, it became the largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity (PPP). China is the fastest-growing major economy. It is also the second-wealthiest nation and the world's largest manufacturer and exporter. China has the largest army in the world, called the People's Liberation Army. It also has the second-largest defense budget and is a nuclear-weapons state. China is seen as a potential superpower because of its strong economy and military.
Contents
- China's Long History
- China's Geography
- China's Government and Politics
- China's Military Strength
- China's Economy
- Major Cities in China
- China's Ethnic Groups
- Languages Spoken in China
- How China's Cities are Growing
- Education in China
- Religions in China
- Chinese Culture and Society
- Transportation in China
- Related Pages
- Images for kids
- See also
China's Long History
China has one of the world's oldest and longest-lasting civilizations. There is archaeological evidence that it is over 5,000 years old. China also has one of the oldest writing systems still used today. Many important inventions came from China.
Ancient China: A Feudal Society
Ancient China was one of the first civilizations. It was a feudal society from around 2000 BCE. Chinese civilization was also one of the few to invent writing. Its golden age was during the Tang Dynasty (around 10th century CE).
China was the home of Confucianism and Daoism. These ideas greatly influenced nearby countries like Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. This influence was seen in their political systems, beliefs, art, writing, and stories. China also has some of the oldest artwork in the world. Statues, pottery, and jade decorations are classic examples.
The Warring States Period
Before the Qin dynasty united China, there were hundreds of small states. They fought each other for hundreds of years to control China. This time is known as the Warring States Period. Even though there was much suffering, many great ideas were born then. These included Confucianism and Daoism. These philosophies became the basis for many social values in East Asian cultures today.
Ancient China's borders changed, especially in the north and west. It was often attacked by nomadic people from the north. These included the Turkic peoples and the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan. Throughout history, northern nomadic groups and Chinese people fought for control. When northern groups won, they often adopted Chinese ways of life. Many strong Chinese dynasties were ruled by these northern people. These included the Tang Dynasty, Yuan dynasty (Mongolian), and Qing dynasty. Each time, they added new things to Chinese culture.
A New Era for China
China achieved many great things in the first and early second millennia. But it became an isolationist country in the 15th century CE. This happened because Spain found a lot of silver in the Americas. Silver was the main money in China and Europe then. China did not want foreigners to control its economy.
By the time of the Renaissance, European countries started taking over lands in Asia. China was never fully taken over. But countries like Britain and France created areas of influence there. China had cut itself off from the world for centuries. By the Qing dynasty, it had fallen behind in technology. It could not stop these foreign powers. This became clear when China lost the Opium Wars to Britain in the 19th century.
China also faced internal problems. The Taiping Rebellion was a big war in China from 1851 to 1864. It was led by Hong Xiuquan, who was influenced by Christian ideas. Hong wanted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. His rebellion gained many supporters in southern China. The Taiping rebels even created their own state with its capital in Nanjing. Hong called it "The Heavenly State of Great Peace." Local armies eventually stopped the rebellion.
In 1911, the Republic of China was founded by Sun Yat-sen. But its government was very weak. Many areas were controlled by Warlords. Chiang Kai-shek fought against them and became President.
In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria in northeastern China. On July 7, 1937, Japan attacked the rest of the country. This started the Second Sino-Japanese War, which became part of World War II. The war lasted eight years, and millions of Chinese people died.
.jpg)
After World War II, the Chinese Civil War began. It was fought between the Kuomintang (Nationalists) of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Communists. The Communists wanted to make China like the Soviet Union. The Nationalists wanted to keep China as it was. The Communists were led by Mao Zedong. The Communists eventually won the war. The Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek, moved to the island of Taiwan. They set up their new capital in Taipei. After the war, Mao Zedong declared the new country, the People's Republic of China (PRC), in Beijing on October 1, 1949.
Under Mao, China remained poor while Taiwan grew richer. His plans for industrialization and collective farming, called the Great Leap Forward, led to many deaths from famine. The Cultural Revolution caused huge social problems. After 1976, China started market economy reforms under Deng Xiaoping. It then had very fast economic growth. China is now one of the world's largest economies, mainly relying on exports.
In recent times, China has had issues with protests. There are also problems with blocking information on the Internet and censorship of news. The Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 were a very controversial event.
China's Geography
China's land is huge and varied. It has the Gobi Desert and Taklamakan Desert in the dry north. In the wetter south, there are subtropical forests. The Himalayas, Karakoram, Pamir, and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South Asia and Central Asia. The Yangtze River and Yellow River are the third and sixth longest rivers in the world. They flow from the Tibetan Plateau to the busy eastern coast.
China's coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long. It is bordered by the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea. China connects to the Eurasian Steppe through the Kazakh border. This steppe has been a route for communication between East and West since ancient times. It was the ancestor of the land-based Silk Road.
Landscapes and Climate
China's land varies a lot across its huge size. In the east, along the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, there are large, busy plains. In the north, on the edge of the Inner Mongolian plateau, there are wide grasslands. Southern China has many hills and low mountains. The central-east has the deltas of China's two main rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. Other big rivers include the Xi, Mekong, Brahmaputra, and Amur.
To the west are major mountain ranges, like the Himalayas. High plateaus are found in the drier northern areas. These include the Taklamakan Desert and the Gobi Desert. The world's highest point, Mount Everest (8,848 meters), is on the border between China and Nepal. The country's lowest point is the dried lake bed of Ayding Lake (−154 meters). It is in the Turpan Depression.
China's climate is mostly affected by dry seasons and wet monsoons. This causes big temperature differences between winter and summer. In winter, cold, dry winds come from the north. In summer, warm, moist winds come from the southern coastal areas. China's climate changes from region to region because of its very complex topography (land features).
China's Amazing Biodiversity
China is one of 17 megadiverse countries. This means it has a huge variety of life. It is in two of the world's main ecozones: the Palearctic and the Indomalaya. In the Palearctic zone, you can find mammals like horses, camels, and jerboas. In the Indomalaya region, there are Leopard Cats, bamboo rats, and different types of monkeys and apes.
Some animals live in both regions. These include deer, antelope, bears, wolves, pigs, and many kinds of rodents. The famous giant panda lives only in a small area along the Yangtze River. China is working to stop the trade of endangered species with new laws.
China also has many types of forests. Cold coniferous forests cover most of the north. These forests are home to animals like moose and the Asian black bear. They also have over 120 bird species. Moist conifer forests can have thick areas of bamboo. In higher mountains, these are replaced by rhododendrons, junipers, and yew trees.
Subtropical forests are mostly in central and southern China. They support as many as 146,000 species of plants. Tropical and seasonal rainforests are found only in Yunnan and Hainan Island. But they contain a quarter of all the plant and animal species found in China.
China's Government and Politics
where the National People's Congress meets.
The Chinese constitution says that China is a "socialist state." It is led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and farmers. It also states that government bodies follow the rule of "democratic centralism."
China is one of the few socialist states that openly aims to build communism. The Chinese government has been called communist and socialist. But it is also described as authoritarian. This means it has strong control over many areas. There are strict limits on free internet access and freedom of the press. There are also limits on freedom of assembly and the right to form social groups.
China's Military Strength
The Chinese Armed Forces are known as the People's Liberation Army (PLA). It is one of the most powerful armies in the world. China is also one of the countries with nuclear weapons. It has the largest standing army in the world, with over 2 million active soldiers.
China's Economy
China had the largest economy in the world for most of the last two thousand years. During this time, it went through periods of growth and decline.
Today, China is very strong in many areas. These include manufacturing, retail, mining, and steel production. Other important areas are textiles, cars, energy, and green energy. Banking, electronics, and telecommunications are also key. Real estate, e-commerce, and tourism are major parts of its economy.
China has three of the ten largest stock exchanges globally. These are in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen. Together, they are worth over $10 trillion.
China has been the world's number one manufacturer since 2010. It took over this spot from the US, which had been number one for a hundred years. China has also been number two in high-tech manufacturing since 2012.
China is the second largest retail market in the world, after the United States. It leads the world in e-commerce. In 2019, it made up more than 50% of the global e-commerce market.
China is also a world leader in electric vehicles. In 2018, it made and bought half of all plug-in electric cars worldwide. By the end of 2018, China had 174 gigawatts of solar power capacity. This is more than 40% of the world's total solar capacity.
China has lifted more people out of extreme poverty than any other country. Between 1978 and 2018, China reduced extreme poverty for 800 million people.
Major Cities in China
China has over 160 cities with more than one million people. This includes seven megacities. Megacities are cities with over 10 million people. These are Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Shenzhen, and Wuhan. Shanghai is China's most populated urban area. Chongqing is its largest city by administrative area.
It is thought that by 2025, China will have 221 cities with over a million people.
|
Largest cities or municipalities in the People's Republic of China
China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population |
||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Pop. |
| 1 | Shanghai | 24,237,800 |
| 2 | Beijing | 18,634,000 |
| 3 | Guangzhou | 13,154,200 |
| 4 | Shenzhen | 13,026,600 |
| 5 | Tianjin | 12,968,100 |
| 6 | Chongqing | 11,488,000 |
| 7 | Wuhan | 9,180,000 |
| 8 | Chengdu | 8,379,700 |
| 9 | Hong Kong | 7,448,900 |
| 10 | Dongguan | 6,850,300 |
China's Ethnic Groups
China officially recognizes 56 different ethnic groups. These groups make up the Zhonghua minzu, or Chinese nation. The largest group is the Han Chinese. They make up over 91% of the total population. Han Chinese are the world's largest single ethnic group. They are the majority in every province except Tibet and Xinjiang.
Ethnic minorities make up less than 10% of China's population. This is based on the 2020 census. Between 2010 and 2020, the Han population grew by about 4.93%. The population of the 55 national minorities grew by about 10.26%. The 2020 census also counted 845,697 foreign nationals living in mainland China.
Languages Spoken in China
There are as many as 292 living languages spoken in China. Most commonly, people speak languages from the Sinitic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. This includes Mandarin, spoken by 80% of the population. Other types of Chinese language are also spoken. These include Jin, Wu, Min, Hakka, Yue, Xiang, Gan, Hui, Ping, and unclassified Tuhua.
Languages from the Tibeto-Burman branch are spoken across the Tibetan Plateau and Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. These include Tibetan, Qiang, Naxi, and Yi. Other minority languages in southwestern China include Zhuang, Thai, Dong, and Sui. These are from the Tai-Kadai family. Miao and Yao are from the Hmong–Mien family. Wa is from the Austroasiatic family.
In northeastern and northwestern China, local ethnic groups speak Altaic languages. These include Manchu, Mongolian, and several Turkic languages. Examples are Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Salar, and Western Yugur. Korean is spoken near the border with North Korea. Sarikoli, spoken by Tajiks in western Xinjiang, is an Indo-European language. Taiwanese indigenous peoples, including a small group on the mainland, speak Austronesian languages.
Standard Mandarin, based on the Beijing dialect, is China's national and official language. It helps people from different language backgrounds communicate. In China's autonomous regions, other languages like Uyghur in Xinjiang can also be used for communication. Government services in Uyghur are guaranteed by the constitution there.
How China's Cities are Growing
China has become much more urbanized in recent years. The number of people living in cities grew from 20% in 1980 to over 64% in 2021. China has over 160 cities with more than one million people. As of 2021, there are 17 megacities (cities with over 10 million people). These include Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Xi'an, Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Linyi, Shijiazhuang, Dongguan, Qingdao, and Changsha.
The total number of permanent residents in Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu is over 20 million. Shanghai is China's most populated urban area. Chongqing is its largest city by administrative area, with over 30 million permanent residents. The numbers below are from the 2020 census. They are estimates of urban populations within city limits. There is a different ranking for total city populations. It is hard to count people in cities because of many "floating populations" of migrant workers. The numbers below only include long-term residents.
|
Largest cities or municipalities in the People's Republic of China
China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population |
||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Pop. |
| 1 | Shanghai | 24,237,800 |
| 2 | Beijing | 18,634,000 |
| 3 | Guangzhou | 13,154,200 |
| 4 | Shenzhen | 13,026,600 |
| 5 | Tianjin | 12,968,100 |
| 6 | Chongqing | 11,488,000 |
| 7 | Wuhan | 9,180,000 |
| 8 | Chengdu | 8,379,700 |
| 9 | Hong Kong | 7,448,900 |
| 10 | Dongguan | 6,850,300 |
Education in China
In China, education is required for nine years. This includes primary and junior secondary school, from age 6 to 15. The Gaokao is China's national university entrance exam. It is needed to get into most higher education schools. Students can also get vocational education at secondary and higher levels. Over 10 million Chinese students graduate from vocational colleges each year. In 2022, about 91.6% of students went on to a three-year senior secondary school. Also, 59.6% of secondary school graduates enrolled in higher education.
China has the largest education system in the world. It has about 282 million students and 17.32 million full-time teachers. These are in over 530,000 schools. The money spent on education each year grew a lot. It went from less than US$50 billion in 2003 to over US$817 billion in 2020. However, there is still unequal spending on education. In 2010, Beijing spent ¥20,023 per secondary school student. But Guizhou, a poorer province, spent only ¥3,204. China's ability to read and write has grown a lot. It went from only 20% in 1949 to 97% of people over age 15 in 2020.
As of 2021, China has over 3,000 universities. More than 44.3 million students are enrolled in mainland China. About 240 million Chinese citizens have received higher education. This makes China's higher education system the largest in the world. As of 2023, China had the most top universities globally. China is second only to the United States and the United Kingdom in top 200 universities. This is according to the 2023 Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities. China is home to two of the highest-ranking universities in Asia. These are Tsinghua University and Peking University. They are members of the C9 League, a group of top Chinese universities.
Religions in China
■ Chinese folk religion (including Confucianism, Taoism, and groups of Chinese Buddhism)
■ Buddhism tout court
■ Islam
■ Ethnic minorities' indigenous religions
■ Mongolian folk religion
■ Northeast China folk religion influenced by Tungus and Manchu shamanism; widespread Shanrendao
Freedom of religion is promised by China's constitution. However, religious groups that are not officially approved can face problems from the government. The government of China is officially atheist. The National Religious Affairs Administration oversees religious matters in the country.
Over thousands of years, Chinese civilization has been shaped by different religious movements. The "three doctrines" are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism (Chinese Buddhism). These have played a big role in Chinese culture. They added to the spiritual ideas of traditional religion, which started in the early Shang and Zhou dynasty.
Chinese folk religion includes these three doctrines and other traditions. It involves believing in the shen. This word means "energies of generation." These can be deities of nature or ancestral principles of human groups. They can also be ideas of civility or culture heroes. Many of these are found in Chinese mythology and history.
Some popular beliefs in folk religion are for Huangdi, a divine ancestor of the Chinese people. Others are for Mazu (goddess of the seas), Guandi (god of war and business), and Caishen (god of wealth). In recent years, the Chinese government has supported folk beliefs. They are also promoting Buddhism both in China and around the world. China has many of the world's tallest religious statues. These represent folk religion deities or Buddhist figures. The tallest is the Spring Temple Buddha in Henan.
It is hard to get exact numbers on religious beliefs in China. This is because "religion" and "belief" can mean different things. Also, Chinese religious traditions are not always organized. Experts say there is no clear line between the three doctrines and local folk practices. Chinese religions can also be seen as non-theistic and humanistic. This means they believe divine power is part of the world and humans, not completely separate.
Studies from the 2010s and early 2020s show that 70% of Chinese people believe in or practice Chinese folk religion. Among them, 33.4% may be Buddhists, 19.6% Taoists, and 17.7% follow other folk religions. About 25.2% are non-believers or atheists. 2.5% are Christians, and 1.6% are Muslims. Chinese folk religion also includes many organized groups that started in the Song Dynasty.
China also has different ethnic minority groups with their own traditional religions. Some major religions are linked to specific ethnic groups. For example, Tibetan Buddhism is common among Tibetans and Mongols. Islam is practiced by the Hui, Uyghur, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz peoples in northern and northwestern China.
Chinese Culture and Society
{{wide image|File:Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China - 010 edit.jpg|880px|The Temple of Heaven, a place for heaven worship and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It shows how Heaven and Humans interact.]]
.jpg)
Since ancient times, Chinese culture has been greatly shaped by Confucianism. In turn, Chinese culture has strongly influenced East Asia and Southeast Asia. For much of China's history, people could advance in society by doing well in special imperial examinations. These exams started in the Han dynasty. The focus on literature in these exams affected how cultural refinement was seen in China. For example, calligraphy, poetry, and painting were considered higher forms of art than dancing or drama. Chinese culture has always valued its long history and a focus on its own nation. Exams and a culture of merit are still highly valued in China today.
Today, the Chinese government has accepted many parts of traditional Chinese culture. These are seen as important to Chinese society. After the Cultural Revolution ended, many traditional Chinese arts saw a strong return. This includes literature, music, film, fashion, and architecture. Folk art has become popular both in China and worldwide. However, access to foreign media is still very limited.
Tourism in China
In 2019, China had 65.7 million international visitors. In 2018, it was the fourth-most-visited country in the world. China also has a huge amount of domestic tourism. Chinese tourists made an estimated 6 billion trips within the country in 2019. China has the second-largest number of World Heritage Sites (56) after Italy. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations.
Chinese Literature
Chinese literature is based on the writings from the Zhou dynasty. The Chinese classic texts cover many topics. These include the calendar, military strategies, astrology, herbology, and geography. Some of the most important early texts are the I Ching and the Shujing. These were part of the Four Books and Five Classics and were important for education during the dynasties.
Classical Chinese poetry grew from the Classic of Poetry. It reached its peak during the Tang dynasty. Poets like Li Bai and Du Fu created new styles. Chinese historiography (history writing) began with the Shiji. The Twenty-Four Histories set the stage for Chinese fiction. This fiction included Chinese mythology and folklore.
During the Ming dynasty, Chinese classical fiction became very popular. This was due to a growing middle class. Historical stories, town tales, and gods and demons fictions were popular. The Four Great Classical Novels are examples: Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, and Dream of the Red Chamber. Along with wuxia stories by Jin Yong and Liang Yusheng, these remain popular in the Chinese cultural area.
After the Qing dynasty ended, the New Culture Movement started. Chinese literature entered a new era with written vernacular Chinese. This made literature more accessible to ordinary people. Hu Shih and Lu Xun were leaders in modern literature. After the Cultural Revolution, new types of literature appeared. These included misty poetry, scar literature, and young adult fiction. The xungen literature, influenced by magic realism, also emerged. Mo Yan, an author of xungen literature, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012.
Chinese Architecture
Chinese architecture has developed over thousands of years. It has greatly influenced the architecture of East Asia. This includes Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. It also had some influence on Southeast and South Asia.
Chinese architecture is known for its balance. It uses two sides that mirror each other. It also uses enclosed open spaces and feng shui (like specific directions). It emphasizes horizontal lines and includes many symbols from mythology and the universe. Chinese architecture traditionally groups buildings by type. These range from pagodas to palaces.
Chinese architecture changes based on who built it. Buildings for emperors, common people, or religious purposes look different. There are also different styles based on geographic regions and ethnic groups. Examples include stilt houses in the south, Yaodong buildings in the northwest, and yurt buildings for nomadic people. The Siheyuan buildings are common in the north.
Sports in China
China has one of the oldest sporting cultures. There is proof that archery (shèjiàn) was practiced during the Western Zhou dynasty. Swordplay (jiànshù) and cuju, a sport like association football, also date back to early Chinese dynasties.
Being physically fit is very important in Chinese culture. Morning exercises like qigong and tai chi are widely practiced. Commercial gyms and private fitness clubs are also becoming more popular. Basketball is the most popular sport to watch in China. The Chinese Basketball Association and the American National Basketball Association are very popular. Chinese players like Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian are well-known. China's professional football league, the Chinese Super League, is the biggest football market in East Asia.
Other popular sports include martial arts, table tennis, badminton, swimming, and snooker. China has a huge number of cyclists. In 2012, there were an estimated 470 million bicycles. China has the world's largest esports market. Many traditional sports are also popular. These include dragon boat racing, Mongolian-style wrestling, and horse racing.
China has participated in the Olympic Games since 1932. However, it has only participated as the PRC since 1952. China hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Its athletes won 48 gold medals, the most of any nation that year. China also won the most medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, with 231 total, including 95 gold. In 2011, Shenzhen hosted the 2011 Summer Universiade. China hosted the 2013 East Asian Games in Tianjin. It also hosted the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing. This made China the first country to host both regular and Youth Olympics. Beijing and nearby Zhangjiakou hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics. This made Beijing the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Chinese Festivals
The Spring Festival is the Chinese New Year. It lasts for fifteen days. It begins on the first day of the Chinese lunar year. It ends with the full moon fifteen days later. On the first day, people visit friends and family. Many people stay up late on New Year's Eve to watch the Spring Festival Celebrations on TV. So, they usually wake up later the next day.
The fifth day of the Spring Festival is for welcoming the God of Wealth (Chinese: 财神爷). Many people make and eat dumplings (Chinese: 饺子). They believe dumplings can "hold" the God of Wealth and bring good luck. The last day of the Spring Festival is the Lantern Festival. On this day, the moon is full. People go out to see lantern festivals everywhere. Afterward, they eat sweet dumplings (Chinese: 汤圆, 元宵). These dumplings are round and look like the full moon.
The Dragon Boat Festival celebrates the death of Qu Yuan. He was a patriotic poet from the State of Chu during the Warring States period. He tried to warn his emperor not to trust Qin's diplomats, but the emperor did not listen. Qu Yuan was very sad and jumped into a river to end his life. People loved him so much that they threw rice dumplings into the river. They hoped the fish would eat the dumplings instead of the poet's body. They also rowed dragon boats in the river to scare away the fish. Today, eating rice dumplings and holding dragon boat races are traditions for this festival.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. It is a festival for families. During this festival, people sit together to eat moon cakes. They also admire the bright full moon. They celebrate a good harvest and enjoy family love and happiness. For Chinese people, the full moon symbolizes family reunion. Moon cakes also represent this. So, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Family Reunion Festival.
Chinese Cuisine: A Taste of China
Chinese cuisine is very diverse. Generally, rice is the main food in the south. In the north, wheat-based breads and noodles are staple foods.
In ancient times, common people mostly ate grains and simple vegetables. Meat was saved for special occasions. Bean products, like tofu and soy milk, are still popular sources of protein. Pork is now the most popular meat in China. It makes up about three-fourths of the country's total meat consumption.
While pork is very common, there is also vegetarian Buddhist cuisine. There is also Chinese Islamic cuisine, which does not use pork. Southern Chinese food has a wide variety of seafood and vegetables. This is because the area is near the ocean and has a milder climate. It is very different from the wheat-based diets in dry northern China.
Many types of Chinese food have developed in other countries. These include Hong Kong cuisine and American Chinese food. These have appeared in nations where Chinese people have moved.
Chinese Music
Chinese music includes a wide range of styles. It goes from traditional music to modern music. Chinese music dates back to before the time of empires. Traditional Chinese musical instruments were grouped into eight types called bayin (八音).
Traditional Chinese opera is a type of musical theater. It started thousands of years ago. It has regional styles like Beijing opera and Cantonese opera. Chinese pop music (C-Pop) includes mandopop and cantopop. Chinese rap, Chinese hip hop, and Hong Kong hip hop have become popular recently.
Transportation in China
Trains are often used for traveling long distances in China. Bullet trains are faster and more common in cities. China has more high-speed trains than any other country in the world. Buses and air transport are also very common ways to travel.
Related Pages
Images for kids
-
10,000 years old pottery, Xianren Cave culture (18000–7000 BCE)
-
Yinxu, the ruins of the capital of the late Shang dynasty (14th century BCE)
-
China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, is famed for having united the Warring States' walls to form the Great Wall of China. Most of the present structure, however, dates to the Ming dynasty.
-
Map showing the expansion of Han dynasty in the 2nd century BC
-
The Tang dynasty at its greatest extent and Tang's protectorates
-
A detail from Along the River During the Qingming Festival, a 12th-century painting showing everyday life in the Song dynasty's capital, Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng)
-
The Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China to defeat the anti-foreign Boxers and their Qing backers. The image shows a celebration ceremony inside the Chinese imperial palace, the Forbidden City after the signing of the Boxer Protocol in 1901.
-
Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong toasting together in 1945 following the end of World War II
-
Mao Zedong proclaiming the establishment of the PRC in 1949.
-
China topographic map with East Asia countries
-
A giant panda, China's most famous endangered and endemic species, at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan
-
The Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world.
-
Chengdu J-20 5th generation stealth fighter
-
China and other major developing economies by GDP per capita at purchasing-power parity, 1990–2013. The rapid economic growth of China (blue) is readily apparent.
-
China's nominal GDP trend from 1952 to 2015
-
Earliest known written formula for gunpowder, from the Wujing Zongyao of 1044 CE
-
Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen. Huawei is the world's largest telecoms-equipment-maker and the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world.
-
Long March 2F launching Shenzhou spacecraft. China is one of the only three countries with independent human spaceflight capability.
-
Internet penetration rates in China in the context of East Asia and Southeast Asia, 1995–2012
-
The Beijing Daxing International Airport features the world's largest single-building airport terminal.
-
The Port of Shanghai's deep water harbor on Yangshan Island in the Hangzhou Bay is the world's busiest container port since 2010.
-
Ethnolinguistic map of China
-
A trilingual sign in Sibsongbanna, with Tai Lü language on the top
-
Map showing major regional cuisines of China
.jpg)
_Tai_L%C3%BC_script_in_Mohan,_Yunnan.jpg){kind=logo}
See also
In Spanish: República Popular China para niños
