# China

By [Lilia](https://paragraph.com/@lilia) · 2024-01-17

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**China** ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters): 中国; [pinyin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin): _Zhōngguó_), officially the **People's Republic of China** (**PRC**),[\[k\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-22) is a country in [East Asia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asia). With [a population](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_of_China) exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the world's [second-most-populous country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_\(United_Nations\)). China spans the equivalent of five [time zones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_zones) and [borders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borders_of_China) fourteen countries by land.[\[l\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-23) With an area of nearly 9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the [third-largest country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area) by total land area.[\[m\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-28) The country is divided into 22 [provinces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_China),[\[n\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-29) five [autonomous regions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_regions_of_China), four [municipalities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-administered_municipalities_of_China), and two semi-autonomous [special administrative regions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_administrative_regions_of_China). [Beijing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing) is the national capital, while [Shanghai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai) is the [most populous](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_China_by_population) city and largest [financial center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_center).

The region has been inhabited since the [Paleolithic era](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_era). The earliest [Chinese dynastic states](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynasties_in_Chinese_history), such as the [Shang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty) and the [Zhou](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_dynasty), emerged in the basin of the [Yellow River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_River) before the late second millennium BCE. The eighth to third centuries BCE saw a breakdown in Zhou authority and significant conflict, as well as the emergence of [Classical Chinese literature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_classics) and [philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_philosophy). In 221 BCE, China was unified under [an emperor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_China) for the first time, ushering in more than two millennia in which China was governed by one or more imperial dynasties, including the [Han](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty), [Tang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_dynasty), [Yuan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuan_dynasty), [Ming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_dynasty), and [Qing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty). Some of China's most notable achievements—such as the invention of [gunpowder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder) and [paper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_paper#Paper_in_China), the establishment of the [Silk Road](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road), and the building of the [Great Wall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China)—occurred during this period. The imperial [Chinese culture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_culture)—including languages, traditions, architecture, philosophy and more—has [heavily influenced East Asia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinosphere).

In 1912, the monarchy [was overthrown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1911_Revolution) and the [Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_\(1912%E2%80%931949\)) was established. The Republic saw consistent conflict for most of the mid-20th century, including [a civil war](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Civil_War) between the [Kuomintang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang) government and the [Chinese Communist Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party) (CCP), which began in 1927, as well as the [Second Sino-Japanese War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sino-Japanese_War) that began in 1937 and continued until 1945, therefore becoming involved in [World War II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II). The latter led to a temporary stop in the civil war and numerous Japanese atrocities such as the [Nanjing Massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Massacre), which continue to influence [China–Japan relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93Japan_relations). In 1949, the CCP established control over China as [the Kuomintang fled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang%27s_retreat_to_Taiwan) to [Taiwan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan). Early communist rule saw two major projects: the [Great Leap Forward](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward), which resulted in a sharp economic decline and [massive famine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine); and the [Cultural Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution), a movement to purge all non-communist elements of Chinese society that led to mass violence and persecution. Beginning in 1978, the Chinese government launched [economic reforms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform) that moved the country away from [planned economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_economy), but political reforms were cut short by the [1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests_and_massacre). Economic reform continued to strengthen the nation's economy in the following decades while raising China's standard of living significantly.

China is a [unitary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_state) one-party [socialist republic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_state) led by the CCP. It is one of the five [permanent members](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_members_of_the_United_Nations_Security_Council) of the [UN Security Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council) and a founding member of several multilateral and regional organizations such as the [Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Infrastructure_Investment_Bank), the [Silk Road Fund](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_Fund), the [New Development Bank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Development_Bank), and the [RCEP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Comprehensive_Economic_Partnership). It is a member of the [BRICS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRICS), the [G20](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G20), [APEC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia-Pacific_Economic_Cooperation), the [SCO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation), and the [East Asia Summit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asia_Summit). China [ranks poorly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_rankings_of_China) in measures of [democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_China), [transparency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_in_China), and [human rights](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_China), including for [press freedom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press_in_China), [religious freedom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_in_China), and [ethnic equality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_China). Making up around one-fifth of the [world economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_economy), China is the world's [largest economy by GDP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_\(PPP\)) at [purchasing power parity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity), the [second-largest economy by nominal GDP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_\(nominal\)), and the [second-wealthiest country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_wealth#Total_wealth_by_country). The country is one of the [fastest-growing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_real_GDP_growth_rate) major economies and is the world's [largest manufacturer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_manufacturing_output) and [exporter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_exports), as well as the [second-largest importer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_imports), although its economic growth has slowed greatly in the 2020s. China is a [nuclear-weapon state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_nuclear_weapons) with the world's [largest standing army by military personnel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_military_and_paramilitary_personnel) and the [second-largest defense budget](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures).

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*Originally published on [Lilia](https://paragraph.com/@lilia/china)*