The People’s Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949. Located in eastern Asia and on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, China is a socialist state under the people’s democratic dictatorship，led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants. Its national flag is a red rectangle emblazoned with five stars and its national anthem is “March of the Volunteers”. The national emblem of China features the national flag, Tiananmen Gate, cogwheel and ears of grain. The commonly used language in the country is Mandarin and standardized Chinese characters. The capital city is Beijing. China is a unified multi-ethnic country with 56 ethnic groups, with the Han ethnic group as the main body.
China has a land area of approximately 9.6 million square kilometers, with a coastline of over 18,000 kilometers in the eastern and southern parts of the mainland, and a total maritime area of about 4.73 million square kilometers. There are over 7,600 islands of varied size in its waters, with Taiwan being the largest, covering an area of 35,798 square kilometers. China borders 14 countries by land and neighbors eight by sea. China is composed of 34 provincial-level administrative regions, including 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, and 2 special administrative regions.
As one of the oldest countries in the world, China has splendid culture and well-celebrated revolutionary tradition. It is home to the largest number of world heritage sites. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, it entered the period of socialist revolution and development. The transition to socialism was achieved in 1956, followed by a tortuous process of socialist development. After the end of the “Cultural Revolution”, China adopted the reform and opening-up policy, concentrating on achieving socialist modernization along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Years of efforts have brought socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new era.
China is the most populous developing country in the world, ranking third in land area. It is the second-largest economy in the world and continues to be the largest contributor to global economic growth. In 2020, its economic aggregate exceeded 100 trillion yuan.
China pursues an independent foreign policy of peace and serves as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. It is also an important member of many international organizations.