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Coordinates: 35°N 103°E
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"People's Republic of China" and "PRC" redirect here. For the present-day Republic of
China, see Taiwan. For other uses, see PRC (disambiguation) and China (disambiguation).
People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国 (Chinese)
Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó (Pinyin)
Flag
Emblem
Anthem:
义勇军进行曲
Yìyǒngjūn jìnxíngqǔ
"March of the Volunteers"
Duration: 44 seconds.0:44
People's Republic of China
Territory claimed but not controlled
Capital Beijing
39°55′N 116°23′E
Largest city by municipal Chongqing[1]
population
Largest city by urban Shanghai
population
Official languages Standard Chinese (de facto)[2]
Official script Simplified Chinese (Mainland), Traditional
Chinese (Hong Kong, Macau)
Ethnic groups • 91.11% Han Chinese
• 1.39% Zhuang
(2020)[3] • 0.84% Uyghur
• 0.81% Hui
• 0.79% Miao
• 0.74% Manchu
• 0.70% Yi
• 0.68% Tujia
• 0.50% Tibetan
• 2.44% others
Demonym Chinese
Government Unitary communist state
• CCP General Xi Jinping
Secretary and President[a]
• Premier Li Qiang
• Congress Chairman Zhao Leji
• CPPCC Chairman[b] Wang Huning
• Vice President Han Zheng
Legislature National People's Congress[c]
Formation
• First pre-imperial dynasty c. 2070 BCE
• First imperial dynasty 221 BCE
• Establishment of the 1 January 1912
Republic of China
• Proclamation of the 1 October 1949
People's Republic
Area
• Total 9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi)[d][7] (3rd/4th)
• Water (%) 2.8[4]
Population
• 2024 estimate 1,408,280,000[e][8] (2nd)
• Density 147/km2 (380.7/sq mi) (83rd)
GDP (PPP) 2025 estimate
• Total $41.016 trillion[f][9] (1st)
• Per capita $29,191[9] (79th)
GDP (nominal) 2025 estimate
• Total $19.399 trillion[9] (2nd)
• Per capita $13,806[9] (78th)
Gini (2022) 36.0[10]
medium inequality
HDI (2023) 0.797[11]
high (78th)
Currency Renminbi (元/¥)[g] (CNY)
Time zone UTC+8 (CST)
Calling code • +86 (Mainland)
• +852 (Hong Kong)
• +853 (Macau)
ISO 3166 code CN
Internet TLD • .cn
• .中国
• .中國 (Mainland)
• .hk
• .香港 (Hong Kong)
• .mo
• .澳门
• .澳門 (Macau)
China,[h] officially the People's Republic of China (PRC),[i] is a country in East Asia.
With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the second-most populous
country after India, representing 17% of the world population. China borders fourteen
countries by land[j] across an area of 9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi),
making it the third-largest country by area.[k] The country is divided into 33 province-
level divisions: 22 provinces,[l] 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, and 2 semi-
autonomous special administrative regions. Beijing is the capital, while Shanghai is
the most populous city by urban area and largest financial center.
China saw the first humans in the region arriving during the Paleolithic era. By the
2nd millennium BCE dynastic states had emerged in the Yellow River basin. The
8th–3rd centuries BCE saw a breakdown in the authority of the Zhou dynasty,
accompanied by the emergence of administrative and military
techniques, literature and philosophy. In 221 BCE, China was unified under an
emperor, ushering in two millennia of imperial dynasties. With the invention of
gunpowder and paper, the establishment of the Silk Road, and the Great
Wall, Chinese culture flourished and has heavily influenced its neighbors and lands
further afield. China began to cede parts of the country in the 19th century, to
European powers by a series of unequal treaties. The 1911 Revolution overthrew
the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China was established the following year. The
country was unstable and fragmented during the Warlord Era, which ended upon
the Northern Expedition conducted by the Kuomintang to reunify the country.
The Chinese Civil War began in 1927, when Kuomintang forces purged members of
the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). China was invaded by the Japan in 1937,
leading the CCP and Kuomintang to form the Second United Front to fight the
Japanese. The Second Sino-Japanese War ended in a Chinese victory; however,
the CCP and the Kuomintang resumed their civil war. In 1949, the CCP proclaimed
the People's Republic of China and forced the Kuomintang-led government to
retreat to the island of Taiwan. The country was split, with both sides claiming to be
the legitimate government. Following the implementation of land reforms, attempts
by China to realize communism failed: the Great Leap Forward was responsible for
the Great Chinese Famine which resulted in millions of deaths, and the Cultural
Revolution was a period of turmoil and persecution. The reform and opening up that
began in 1978 moved the country away from a socialist planned economy towards
a market-based economy, spurring an economic boom. A movement for political
liberalization stalled after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.
Since 1949, China has been a unitary communist state with the CCP as its sole
ruling party. It is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and
a member of numerous multilateral and regional organizations. Making up around
one-fifth of the world economy, the Chinese economy is the world's largest by PPP-
adjusted GDP. China is the second-wealthiest country, albeit ranking poorly in
measures of democracy and human rights. The country has been one of the fastest-
growing economies and is the world's largest manufacturer and exporter, as well as
the second-largest importer. China is a nuclear-weapon state with the world's largest
standing army and the second-largest defense budget. It is described as either a
potential or established superpower, due to its influence in the fields of geopolitics,
technology, manufacturing, economics and culture. China is known for its
cuisine and culture. It is a megadiverse country, and has 60 UNESCO World
Heritage Sites.
Etymology
Main article: Names of China
China (today's Guangdong), Mangi (inland of Xanton),
and Cataio (inland of China and Chequan, and including the capital Cambalu, Xandu, and
a marble bridge) are all shown as separate regions on this 1570 map by Abraham Ortelius.
The word "China" has been used in English since the 16th century; however, it was
not used by the Chinese themselves during this period. Its origin has been traced
through Portuguese, Malay, and Persian back to the Sanskrit word Cīna, used
in ancient India.[14] "China" appears in Richard Eden's 1555 translation[m] of the 1516
journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa.[n][14] Barbosa's usage was derived
from Persian Chīn ()چین, which in turn derived from Sanskrit Cīna (चीन).[19] The origin
of the Sanskrit word is a matter of debate.[14] Cīna was first used in
early Hindu scripture, including the Mahabharata (3rd century BCE–4th century CE)
and the Laws of Manu (2nd century BCE–2nd century CE).[20] In 1655, Martino
Martini suggested that the word China is derived ultimately from the name of the Qin
dynasty (221–206 BCE) or the prior state of Qin.[21][20] Although use in Indian sources
precedes this dynasty, though not the state, this derivation is still given in various
sources.[22] Alternative suggestions include the names for Yelang and the Jing or Chu
state.[20][23]
The official name of the modern state is the "People's Republic of China" (simplified
Chinese: 中华人民共和国; traditional Chinese: 中華人民共和國; pinyin: Zhōnghuá
rénmín gònghéguó). The shorter form is "China" (中国; 中國; Zhōngguó),
from zhōng ('central') and guó ('state'), a term which developed under the Western
Zhou dynasty in reference to its royal demesne.[o][p] It was used in official documents
as an synonym for the state under the Qing.[26] The name Zhongguo is also
translated as 'Middle Kingdom' in English.[27] China is sometimes referred to
as mainland China or "the Mainland" when distinguishing it from the Republic of
China or the PRC's Special Administrative Regions.[28][29][30]
History
Main article: History of China
For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Chinese history.
Prehistory
10,000-year-old pottery, Xianren Cave culture
(18000–7000 BCE)
Archaeological evidence suggests that early hominids inhabited China 2.25 million
years ago.[31] The hominid fossils of Peking Man, a Homo erectus who used
fire,[32] have been dated to between 680,000 and 780,000 years ago.[33] The fossilized
teeth of Homo sapiens (dated to 125,000–80,000 years ago) have been discovered
in Fuyan Cave.[34] Chinese proto-writing existed in Jiahu around 6600
BCE,[35] at Damaidi around 6000 BCE,[36] Dadiwan from 5800 to 5400 BCE,
and Banpo dating from the 5th millennium BCE. Some scholars have suggested that
the Jiahu symbols (7th millennium BCE) constituted the earliest Chinese writing
system.[35]
Early dynastic rule
Further information: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Xia dynasty, Shang
dynasty, Zhou dynasty, Spring and Autumn period, and Warring States period
Yinxu, the ruins of the capital of the late Shang
dynasty (14th century BCE)
According to traditional Chinese historiography, the Xia dynasty was established
during the late 3rd millennium BCE, marking the beginning of the dynastic cycle that
was understood to underpin China's entire political history. In the modern era, the
Xia's historicity came under increasing scrutiny, in part due to the earliest known
attestation of the Xia being written millennia after the date given for their collapse. In
1958, archaeologists discovered sites belonging to the Erlitou culture that existed
during the early Bronze Age; they have since been characterized as the remains of
the historical Xia, but this conception is often rejected.[37][38][39] The Shang dynasty that
traditionally succeeded the Xia is the earliest for which there are both contemporary
written records and undisputed archaeological evidence.[40] The Shang ruled much of
the Yellow River valley until the 11th century BCE, with the earliest hard evidence
dated c. 1300 BCE.[41] The oracle bone script, attested from c. 1250 BCE but
generally assumed to be considerably older,[42][43] represents the oldest known form
of written Chinese,[44] and is the direct ancestor of modern Chinese characters.[45]
The Shang were overthrown by the Zhou, who ruled between the 11th and 5th
centuries BCE, though the centralized authority of Son of Heaven was slowly eroded
by fengjian lords. Some principalities eventually emerged from the weakened Zhou
and continually waged war with each other during the 300-year Spring and Autumn
period. By the time of the Warring States period of the 5th–3rd centuries BCE, there
were seven major powerful states left.[46]
Imperial China
Further information: Chinese Empire and History of China § Imperial China
Qin and Han
The southward expansion of the Han
dynasty during the 2nd century BCE
The Warring States period ended in 221 BCE after the state of Qin conquered the
other six states, reunited China and established the dominant order
of autocracy. King Zheng of Qin proclaimed himself the Emperor of the Qin dynasty,
becoming the first emperor of a unified China. He enacted Qin's legalist reforms,
notably the standardization of Chinese characters, measurements, road widths,
and currency. His dynasty also conquered the Yue tribes in Guangxi, Guangdong,
and Northern Vietnam.[47] The Qin dynasty lasted only fifteen years, falling soon after
the First Emperor's death.[48][49]
Following widespread revolts during which the imperial library was burned,[q] the Han
dynasty emerged to rule China between 206 BCE and 220 CE, creating a cultural
identity among its populace still remembered in the ethnonym of the modern Han
Chinese.[48][49] The Han expanded the empire's territory considerably, with military
campaigns reaching Central Asia, Mongolia, Korea, and Yunnan, and the recovery of
Guangdong and northern Vietnam from Nanyue. Han involvement in Central Asia
and Sogdia helped establish the land route of the Silk Road, replacing the earlier
path over the Himalayas to India. Han China gradually became the largest economy
of the ancient world.[51] Despite the Han's initial decentralization and the official
abandonment of the Qin philosophy of Legalism in favor of Confucianism, Qin's
legalist institutions and policies continued to be employed by the Han government
and its successors.[52]
Three Kingdoms, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties
After the end of the Han dynasty, a period of strife known as Three
Kingdoms followed, at the end of which Wei was swiftly overthrown by the Jin
dynasty. The Jin fell to civil war upon the ascension of a developmentally disabled
emperor; the Five Barbarians then rebelled and ruled northern China as the Sixteen
States. The Xianbei unified them as the Northern Wei, whose Emperor
Xiaowen reversed his predecessors' apartheid policies and enforced a drastic
sinification on his subjects. In the south, the general Liu Yu secured the abdication of
the Jin in favor of the Liu Song. The various successors of these states became
known as the Northern and Southern dynasties, with the two areas finally reunited by
the Sui in 581.[citation needed]
Sui, Tang and Song
The Sui restored the Han to power through China, reformed its agriculture, economy
and imperial examination system, constructed the Grand Canal, and
patronized Buddhism. However, they fell quickly when their conscription for public
works and a failed war in northern Korea provoked widespread unrest.[53][54] Under the
succeeding Tang and Song dynasties, Chinese economy, technology, and culture
entered a golden age.[55] The Tang dynasty retained control of the Western
Regions and the Silk Road,[56] which brought traders to as far as Mesopotamia and
the Horn of Africa,[57] and made the capital Chang'an a cosmopolitan urban center.
However, it was devastated and weakened by the An Lushan rebellion in the 8th
century.[58] In 907, the Tang disintegrated completely when the local military
governors became ungovernable. The Song dynasty ended the separatist
situation in 960, leading to a balance of power between the Song and the Liao
dynasty. The Song was the first government in world history to issue paper money
and the first Chinese polity to establish a permanent navy which was supported by
the developed shipbuilding industry along with the sea trade.[59]
Between the 10th and 11th century CE, the population of China doubled to around
100 million people, mostly because of the expansion of rice cultivation in central and
southern China, and the production of abundant food surpluses. The Song dynasty
also saw a revival of Confucianism, in response to the growth of Buddhism during
the Tang,[60] and a flourishing of philosophy and the arts, as landscape
art and porcelain were brought to new levels of complexity.[61] However, the military
weakness of the Song army was observed by the Jin dynasty. In 1127, Emperor
Emeritus Huizong, Emperor Qinzong of Song and the capital Bianjing were captured
during the Jin–Song wars. The remnants of the Song retreated to southern
China and reestablished the Song at Jiankang.[62]
Yuan, Ming and Qing
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 dates to the Ming dynasty.
The Mongol conquest of China began in 1205 with the campaigns against Western
Xia by Genghis Khan,[63] who also invaded Jin territories.[64] In 1271, the Mongol
leader Kublai Khan established the Yuan dynasty, which conquered the last remnant
of the Song dynasty in 1279. Before the Mongol invasion, the population of Song
China was 120 million citizens; this was reduced to 60 million by the time of the
census in 1300.[65] A peasant named Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Yuan in 1368
and founded the Ming dynasty as the Hongwu Emperor. Under the Ming dynasty,
China enjoyed another golden age, developing one of the strongest navies in the
world and a rich and prosperous economy amid a flourishing of art and culture. It
was during this period that admiral Zheng He led the Ming treasure
voyages throughout the Indian Ocean, reaching as far as East Africa.[66]
In the early Ming dynasty, China's capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. With
the budding of capitalism, philosophers such as Wang Yangming critiqued and
expanded Neo-Confucianism with concepts of individualism and equality of four
occupations.[67] The scholar-official stratum became a supporting force of industry
and commerce in the tax boycott movements, which, together with the famines and
defense against Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) and Later Jin incursions
led to an exhausted treasury.[68] In 1644, Beijing was captured by a coalition
of peasant rebel forces led by Li Zicheng. The Chongzhen Emperor committed
suicide when the city fell. The Manchu Qing dynasty, then allied with Ming dynasty
general Wu Sangui, overthrew Li's short-lived Shun dynasty and subsequently
seized control of Beijing, which became the new capital of the Qing dynasty.[69]