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Destination Information
About China
A Brief Description
Much like the ancient Roman and Egyptian empires, China led much of the world in the arts and sciences for hundreds of years. Then, in the 19th Century, China experienced debilitating civil unrest, significant food shortages, military defeats, and foreign occupation. With the end of World War II, the upstart Communists under the leadership of MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life, and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision-making.  Those efforts were successful as GDP output quadrupled by the year 2000. Today, political controls still remain tight, but more and more economic controls continue to be relaxed. China's economy is booming and its influence is growing worldwide.  Tourism, always popular in China, is a growth industry, as the country presents (quite possibly), the most fascinating destination on the planet.
Facts and Figures
Name - China (People's Republic of China)
Population - 1,306,313,800
Capital City - Beijing
Currency - Yuan (CNY)
Languages - Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan, Xiang, Gan and Hakka dialects
Religions - Officially Atheist, with small groups of Daoist, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian
China is located in both the eastern and northern hemispheres. It occupies a huge part of eastern Asia and is bordered by the Yellow Sea, South China Sea, Pacific Ocean and by (14 countries), including North Korea, Russian Federation, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Laos and Vietnam.
Ancient Facts about China
Chinese Civilization is one of the few ancient civilizations to have its individual writing script. The Chinese language has over 56,000 characters. The average Chinese only learns about 5,000 of these in his lifetime. Dashanpu in the Sichuan province of China has yielded over 1000 Dinosaur Fossils . Four Winged Feathered Dinosaurs called Theropods have been found; these are considered to be the missing link between dinosaurs and birds. Child Emperor Pu-Yi was the last imperial ruler of China in the period 1908 -1912. Empress Wu of the Tang dynasty was the only female Emperor of China. The Great Wall of China is also known as the "Ten Thousand Li Wall", one Li is equal to 500 meters. The wall is over 5,500 miles in length. Khubililai or Kublai Khan issued Silk Notes as currency . There was also a Jade currency. Acupuncture treats illnesses with inserting sharp thin needles in various pressure spots, it originated over 5,000 years ago from China. The Chinese calendar is based on the Lunar Cycle . It is the oldest known calendar , originating in 2600 BC. It has twelve Zodiac signs. A complete cycle would take 60 years to complete.
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