China, with a recorded history of 5,000 years, is one of the world's earliest civilizations.
In the 21st century BC, China entered slave society with the founding of the Xia Dynasty, thereby writing a finale to long years of primitive society. The Xia was followed by the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties; then came the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which encompassed the "Spring and Autumn" and Warring States periods.
In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang established China's first centralized autocracy, the Gin Dynasty, thereby ushering Chinese history into feudalism, which endured in a succession 7 of dynasties, such as the Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing, until the Opium War of 1840.
The economy and science and technology were relatively well developed in ancient China. During the Shang Dynasty some 3,000 years ago, the Chinese had mastered the art of bronze metallurgy, and invented iron implements; Many distinguished thinkers, scientists, artists and writers came into being. The contributions to world civilization of ancient China's four inventions: papermaking, printing, powder, and the compass, as well as remarkable achievements in mathematics, medical science, astronomy, agriculture, and architecture, are universally recognized.
The Bourgeois Democratic Revolution of 1991 led by Sun Yat-sen toppled the rule of the Qing Dynasty, put an end to more than 2,000 years of feudal monarchical system and culminated in the establishment of the provisional government of the Re public of China.
The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949. Today, China is implementing reform and opening-up policies.
LOCATION
Location China is situated in eastern Asia on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, with an area of 9.6 million square kilometers. China's continental coastline extends for about 18,000 kilometers, and its vast sea surface is studded with more than 5,000 islands, of which Taiwan and Hainan are the largest.
Land Formation and Rivers
China's land drops off in escarpments eastward to the ocean, letting in humid air current and leading many rivers eastward. Among the rivers totaling 220,000 kilometers in length in China, the Changjiang (Yangtze River) and the Huanghe (Yellow River) are world known. China has beautiful scenery, with mountains and ranges, highlands, plains, basins, and hills. The highlands and hill region account for 65 percent of the country's total land mass, and there are more than 2,000 lakes. The highest mountain peak is Gomolangma (Everest), the highest in the world, 8,848 meters above sea level; the lowest point is the Turpan Basin, 154 meters below sea level.
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