China officially recognizes

56 distinct ethnic groups,

the largest of which are the

Han Chinese, who

constitute about 91.51% of

the total population. The

Han Chinese – the world's

largest single ethnic group –

outnumber other ethnic

groups in every province,

municipality and

autonomous region except

Tibet and Xinjiang, and are

descended from ancient

Huaxia tribes living along

the Yellow River.

LanguageThe languages of China are collectively known as Zhongyu

(simplified Chinese: 中语; traditional Chinese: 中語; pinyin: Zhōngyǔ), and their study is considered a distinct academic discipline in China. The languages most studied and supported by the state include Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur and Zhuang. China has 292 living languages and 1 extinct language (Jurchen) according to Ethnologue.

Standard Chinese (known in China as Putonghua) is the official national spoken language for the mainland. Several other autonomous regions have additional official languages

National Symbol

Animal: Giant Panda

Bird: Red-crowned Crane

Dress: changshan (men) cheongsam

(women)

Flag

Fruit: Kiwifruit

Mythical Symbol

Sport: Table Tennis

Anthem

Emblem

Tree: Gingko Tree

Natural Resources

• Coal• iron ore• Petroleum• natural gas• Mercury• tin• tungsten• antimony• manganese

• molybdenum• vanadium• magnetite• aluminum,• lead, zinc• rare earth elements,• Uranium• hydropower potential

(world's largest)

ReligionBuddhism

Buddhism was introduced to China around the first century A.D. Since the fourth century A.D, it was widely spread and gradually became the most influential religion in China. Buddhism in China is divided into three branches according to varied language families, namely, Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Pali Buddhism and there are about 200 thousand Buddhist monks and nuns under these three branches. At present, there are more than 13 thousand Buddhist temples that are open to the public, 33 Buddhist colleges and nearly 50 types of Buddhist publications in China.

Taoism

Taoism is a typically traditional religion in China with a history of more than 18 hundred years since the second century A.D. It advocates the worship of natural objects and ancestors as was practiced since time immemorial and had various factions in the history; later, it evolved into two major factions, namely, Quanzhen and ZhengyiTaoism, and was fairly influential among Han people.

Islam

Islam was introduced to China in the seventh century A.D with nearly 18 million believers from Hui, Uygur, Tartar, Kirgiz, Kazakh, Ozbek, Dongxiang, Sala and Baoan nationalities. Most of the Muslims in China live in compact communities in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan Provinces; besides, some Muslims in small groups live in other provinces or cities in China. At present, there are more than 30 thousand mosques in China with over 40 thousand imams or ahungs.

Catholicism

Catholicism was first introduced to China in the seventh century and widely spread across the country after the Opium War in 1840. At present, Chinese Catholic Church boasts one hundred parishes, some five million believers, nearly five thousand cathedrals and places for religious activities and twelve theological seminaries.

Christianity

Christianity was introduced to China in early 19th century and widely spread after 1840s. In 1950, the church called on its believers to shake off the vestige of foreign imperialist influence and uphold patriotism in order to achieve self-administration, self-supporting and self-propagation, which are the cardinal principle of Chinese Christianity. At present, there are about ten million Christian believers, 18 thousand priests and 12 churches or religious sites in China.

Culture and Arts

Dance

Dragon Dance

Dunhuang Dance

Lion Dance

Food

Jiaozi (filled dumplings, guotie)

Noodles

Educational

System

Education in the People's Republic of China is a state-run system of public education run by the Ministry of Education. All citizens must attend school for at least nine years. The government provides primary education for six to nine years, starting at age six or seven, followed by six years of secondary education for ages 12 to 18. Some provinces may have five years of primary school but four years for middle school. There are three years of middle school and three years of high school. The Ministry of Education reported a 99 percent attendance rate for primary school and an 80 percent rate for both primary and middle schools. In 1985, the government abolished tax-funded higher education, requiring university applicants to compete for scholarships based on academic ability. In the early 1980s the government allowed the establishment of the first private schools.

Economy

The Socialist market economy of People's Republic of China (PRC) is the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP and by purchasing power parity after the United States. It is the world's fastest-growing major economy, with growth rates averaging 10% over the past 30 years. China is also the largest exporter and second largest importer of goods in the world.

Currency: Renminbi ; Unit: Yuan

Fiscal Year: (1 January to 31 December)

Tourist

Spots

Great Wall of China

Terracotta Warriors

Forbidden City

Li River

Summer Palace

Bund Of Shanghai

Leshan Giant Buddha

Temple Of Heaven

Beijing National

Stadium

Jiuzhaigou Valley