Notes on China

 China

Official name	People's Republic in China
Capital	Beijing (Peking)
Official Language	Mandarin (Putonghua)
Government Type	Single Party
Legislature	National's People Congress
Army	People's Liberation Army
Language	Uyghur, Cantonese, Mongolia
Currency	Yuan
population	138.64 Crore
National Anthem	March of the Volunteers
National Day	1st October
Province	23
Time Zone	UTC + 8
Newspaper	The People's Daily
Current President	Xi Jinping
Head of State	Li Keqiang
First President of Republic of China	Sun yat-Sen
First President of peoples Republic of China	Mao Zedong
Ethnic Group	Zhuang Tibetan Uyghur Turkic

NOTE: Uyghur and Turkic Minority Ethnic Group native to the Xinjing Region.

Religion	Confucianism Atheist Buddhism Taoism Islam Christianity
Highest Point	Mount Everest (8848m)
Longest River	Yangtze River
Largest Lake	Qinghai Lake
Biggest Dam	Three Gorges dam
Major mountain Range	Himalayas

NOTE:  

• 221 BC (Unification under Qin or Chin Dynasty)
• 1st January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic Republic of China).
• 1st October 1949 (People's Republic of China Established)

DESCRIPTION OF FLAG

• Also known as Five-starred Red Flag
• Red Flag with Five Stars
• Adopted on 27 September 1949
• It was designed by Zeng Liansong

RIVERS

• Yangtze River  - It is 6300 km, which drains into East China sea cities such as Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai.
• Yellow River - It is 5464 km, Which drains into Bohai Sea Cities such as Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Wuhai.
• Mekong River - It is 4350 km, which drains into the South China Sea.
• The Yarlung Tsangpo - It is 2840 km in the upper stream of Brahmaputra River which Originates in Angsi Glacier and drains into the Bay of Bengal.

SEA

• East China Sea
• South China Sea
• Yellow Sea
• Bohai Sea

                 

HISTORY

• The First Prehistoric Dynasty is said to be Xia Dynasty, established in 2070 BC.
• YU the Great was the founder of the Xia Dynasty.
• Yangcheng was the first capital of China and the Xia Dynasty.
• The Qin Dynasty was the First Imperial Dynasty established by Qin Shi Huang from 221 BC to 206 BC.
• The First unified Chinese State was established by Wing Dynasty are  Xianyand as its capital.
• Han Dynasty was the Second Imperial Dynasty of China (206BC to 220 AD).
• The Han Dynasty expanded the empire's territory considerably with military campaigns reaching Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia and Central Asia and also helped to establish the Silk Road in Central Asia.
• The Sang Dynasty was the First government in world history to issue paper money.
• Kublai Khan, the Mongol Leader and fifth Khagan of the Mongol Empire founded the Yuan Dynasty in 1271
• The Ming Dynasty was founded in 1368. China moved its capital from Nanjing to Beijing during this era.
• Qing Dynasty is also known as Manchu Dynasty and it was the last Imperial Dynasty and was founded in 1644 by Manchu Aisin Gioro Clan in Manchuria ruled China until 1912.
• Puyi was the Last Chinese Emperor.

Modern History of the Republic of china

• On 1st January 1912, The Republic of China was established, heralding the end of the Qing Dynasty.
• Nanjiang was the capital of the Republic of China.
• Sun Yat-Sen was the First President.
• The Sino-Japanese war of 1937-1945 forced ab uneasy alliance between the Nationalists and the Communist as well as causing around 20 Million Chinese Civilian death.
• With the surrender of Japan in1945, China emerged victorious, but financially drained.
• Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao founded the Communist Party of China in 1921.

Modern History of The Peoples Republic of China

• The People's republic of China was founded on 1st October 1949 after the Communist Party defeated the previously dominant nationalist Kuomintang in a Civil War.
• It is the Fourth Constitution superseding the 1954, 1975 and 1978 Constitution.

GEOGRAPHY

• It is the third-largest country in the world. The world's most populated cities are Shanghai and Beijing.
• China Bordered by 14 Countries.  It shares the longest land border with Mongolia (4677km) and the Shortest land border with Laos (423 km).
• Mac Mohan is the India-China Border.
• China is made up of 23 Province, 5 Autonomous Region and 4 Municipalities.
• Two-Third of the territory is mountainous or desert, only two-thirds are cultivated.
• Tibet was annexed in 1950 from China.
• In China, there is an obligatory military service of 2 years for all men between 18 and 22.
• The Han Chinese is the largest minority group in China and Mandarin Chinese is the official language. 
• Tiananmen Square is the world's largest students gathering Place.

RELIGION

• Taoism is an indigenous religion of China.
• Buddhism in China was First introduced from India and Central Asia during the Han Dynasty and later exported to Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

CULTURE OF CHINA

• It is one of the oldest and most complex civilizations in the world, with a history spanning more than 5,000 years. 
• Throughout the nation, customs and traditions differ greatly between towns, cities, and provinces. 
• Chinese Culture is a broad term used to describe the Cultural Foundation, even among Chinese-speaking regions outside of mainland of China.

FESTIVALS

• Spring Festival - It falls on the first day of the first lunar month, the beginning of the New Year.
• Dongzhi Festival (Winter Solstice) - December
• Yuan Xiao Festival - It is also called Lantern Festival in China and celebrated on the 15th day after the Spring festival. A Famous Dish called Tangyuan is eaten on this day.
• The Pure Brightness day
• The Dragon Boat Festival - It is celebrated on 25 June.
• The Mid-Autumn Festival - It is celebrated on 1st October.
• Qingming Festival - Also known as Tomb Sweeping Day.
• The Double-Ninth Festival.
• Chongyang Festival - It is celebrated on 25 October.
• Qixi Festival - It is also called China Valentine Day which is celebrated on 25th August.

ALPHABET, LANGUAGE AND SCRIPT

• The Chinese language is also called Sinitic Language and Mandarin.
• The Chinese language has over 20,000 characters but average Chinese people only learn 5000 of these in their lifetime.
• This language belongs to the Sino-Tibetian family, spoken by 29 Ethnicities.
• It is also an official language of the United Nations.
• It is also spoken as an official language in Mainland China, Singapore, Macao and Hong Kong.
• Characteristics of the Chinese Language are :

1. No Alphabet is used.
2. Logograms are used.

• These characters are called in Chinese are ''Han Zi''.
• Some Chinese characters are called in Korean (Han Za) and Japanese (kan Zi).

Ancient Facts About China

• Chinese Civilization is one of the few ancient civilizations to have its individual writing script
• Pu-Yi was the last Imperial ruler of China in the Period 1908-1912.
• Empress Wu from the Tang dynasty was the only woman emperor in China.
• Calendars in China are based on lunar cycles. It was the oldest known calendar, originating in 2600 BC which have 12 Zodiac Sign. The Cycle takes 60 years to complete.
• Paper, Compass, Explosive Powder and Printing qualify as the '' Four Great inventions of China''.
• Ice cream was invented in China. Marco Polo took their recipe of Ice cream and Noodles back with him to Europe.
• The Martial Art King Fu was invented by the Shaolin Monks who used it to protect themselves from robbers on lonely mountain roads.

World Heritage Sites

• Great Wall of China - It was built by several dynasties. The total length of the wall is 21,196km. The Purpose of the Great Wall of China is to separate China from Mongolia.
• In Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, is the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.
• Leshan -. It is located in China and is known as the world's largest Buddha Statue (71m).
• Forbidden City and Mukden Palace - 1987
• Magao Caves - 1987
• Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet - 1994
• Temple of Heaven, Beijing - 1998

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER

• Yang Chen-Ning and Tsung Dao Lee won the Nobel Prize winner in Physics in 1957.
• Liu Xiaobo - Also Called Chinese Nelson Mandela, It was the only Chinese who won the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2010.
• Tu Youyou is the only Chinese who won the Nobel prize winner in Physiology or Medicine in 2015.
• In 2000, Gao Xingjian won the Nobel prize for literature.
• Mo Yan won the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2012.

FAMOUS PERSON

• Jet Li
• Bruce Lee
• Stephen Chow
• Jackie Chan
• Lao Tse Tung was a great Chinese Philosopher.

NATIONAL HOLIDAY

• 1st Day of First Lunisolar month
• 1st October as National Day

IMPORTANT EXAM VIEWPOINTS

• 24% of the World Speaks Chinese and the Official state language is Pu-Tong-Hwa.
• Gun Powder was Discovered by China where it was used to create Fireworks, Signal Flares and small Missile used for military purpose.
• others Invention of China are Compass, Printing, Rockets, Paper, Kites, Silk, Seismography, Tea, Umbrella, Acupuncture and Noodles.
• Three Gorges Dam is a Hydroelectricity gravity dam on the Yangtze River in Yiling District, Hubei. It is the world's largest power station.
• Kuaizi is the Chinese word for Chopstick.
• Fa Hein visited India in the reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya 417 A.D
• Vinay Pitaka is the Buddhist Epic.
• Western Name of Taiwan is 'Formosa' which means Beautiful.
• Some Chinese Dance are: Cha-Cha, Rumba Jive, Paso Doble.
• The sino-French war was taken Place in 1885.
• 'Private Life of Mao' was written by Dr Zhi Soi.
• Lunar Mission of China is known as "Change Ye" launched on 24 Oct 2007.
• The first Chinese Satellite was launched on 24 April 1970 named DFH.
• In 1963, China signed on Nuclear Test Banned Treaty.
• "The Rickshaw Boy" was written by Luxun.
• "Soul Mountain" was written by Kau Xin Chiang.
• Huawei and Hier are the Chinese Mobile Company.
• Oolong, Pekoe are the name of Chinese Tea.