|RNature and climate:|N China has three topographical areas: The western containing several mountainchains with plateaus in between covers 60% of the country's area.
The eastern part is the coastal area with flat lands covers 30% of the area and the northeastern part with vast deserts and steppes.
The western part is covered by several mountainchains of which Himalaya is the greatest, with the highest peak in the world 8 848 m.a.s.l. Between these mountains are several highland plateaus, of which the Tibetanean with an average height above sea level of 5 250 m is both the biggest and the highest situated in the world.
Percipitation by the coast about 2000 mm, which decreases the further away from the coast you get. In the northwest less than 100 mm rain each year.
Average temperature in January in the western parts between -20°C and -3°C, in northeast -5°C and by the south coast +20°C.
Corresponding temperatures in July +15°C, +20°C and +30°C.
|RPeople:|N Han-people populates the greater part of the nation, 94% in all.
In autonomous regions live minorities like Mongoles, Hui-moslems, Tibetaneans, Turkish Uighurs and Zhung-people.
|REconomy:|N Only 11% of the area is cultivated, but in southern China the climate makes it possible to win two, at places even three harvests every year. 60% of the population is occupied in agriculture and related industries, 17% is occupied in manufacturing and trade.
Most important crops are wheat, rice, durra, millet, maize, soybeans, sugarcanes, tea, tobacco and vegetables.
For manufacturing is cotton, oilplants, jute and hemp grewn.
Furthermore a vast production of silk.
China is rich on minerals. Coal is found and extracted in practically the whole nation and covers 85% of the energyconsumption. Oil has been extracted since the 1950:s. China also have natural gas and hydroelectric power in great quantities.
China have iron ore, uranium, antimony, tungsten, bauxite, manganese, molybdenium, silver, tin, zink, lead, phosphate, mercury, copper and gold.
Textile manufacturing based on cotton, silk and wool has old traditions in China. It still accounts for a great part of the export value.
By tradition also an extensive manufacturing of handicrafts.
Since 1960 big investments have been made in heavy industry based on steel and oil. The raw materials are used in a growing engineering and mechanical industry, which has made China close to independent of import.
In resent years concentration has been made to raise the standard of living in China and production of watches, bicycles, radio- and TV-sets, washingmachines, cameras and other consumergoods have increased.
Since 1980 China has opened several provinces for foreign investors and know-how, first was Guangzhou in southern China. The economic growth in these areas are often between 15 and 20% per year, why more and more provinces seek the benefit of foreign help with investments and know-how.
|RHistory:|N Several finds from the older Stone Age have been made in China. Best known are the excavations of the Zhoukoudian cave 40 km southwest of Beijing, where traces have been found of settlements from the time 600 000 - 500 000 BC built by apemen, Sinanthropus pekinesis, the Pekingman. The first peasants seem to have settled by the Yellow River about 5 000BC.
During the Shangdynasty 1500 - 1028BC a townculture with palacies and craftsmens districts was developed. Already by then the art of writing was known in China, but of the 5000 signs used, only about 1500 can be deciphered today.
The Zhoupeople invaded from the north about 1030BC and conquered the whole China of that time. To a great extent they adopted the way of life of their subjects.
It was during this time, 551-479BC the philosopher Kong Fuzi, Confucius, lived and founded the confucianism, that was later exalted to state religion.
In 221BC the sovereign of Qin gained power over the whole of China. In his time the Great Wall of China, one of the seven wonders of the world, were completed. It is said to be the only thing built by man that can be seen from the moon. The administration was centralized and a uniform system of weights and measures was introduced in the whole nation.
During the succeeding Han-dynasty 207BC-220AD handicraft was at a very high artistic level, but finally the nation was split into three parts. At the end of the 6th century there were two empires, Wei in the north and Jin (Chin) in the south. In 581 they were united, had a time of prosperity 618-900, and were divided again.
In the 13th century Djingis Khan and his forces invaded from the north. 1280 the Chinese emperor was imprisoned and the Mongolians made Beijing their capital. The intruders was assimilated and adopted customs, fashion and form of government.
After several uprisings the first domestic emperor of the Ming-dynasty ascended the throne in 1368. During this period Korea, Tibet and Annam were conquered. The last Ming-emperor was ousted when the Manchurians in 1644 invaded from the north and conquered the whole nation.
The first emperors of this dynasty, the Qing (Ch'ing), were very competent and extended the empire extensively, but especially during the 19th century the dynasty was weakened and corrupted.
During this time the great western powers Great Britain, France, Germany and Russia carried on an extensive trade and claimed parts of the country.
Several wars were fought between China and the intruders, all with devastating result for China. After a war against Japan China had to leave Taiwan and recognize Korean independence.
Several popular uprisings were made but were quelled by international armies against great damages.
1911 the emperor was overthrown and republic declared. Leader of the revolution was Sun Yat-sen, but the army played an important roll and the supreme commander Yuan Shikai was elected president. He died 1917. The provinces in China were ruled by arbitrary generals. In Canton Sun Yat-sen proclaimed an independent republic.
After World War I, with both the Canton- and Beijinggovernments on the victorious side, China got back a number of areas that had been in German hands.
1926 the general Chiang Kai-shek, head of the military academy of Canton, made a coup against the government. When that succeeded he made a quick campaign to the north, defeated all resistance and united the whole nation. After this victory Chian Kai-shek performed an extensive purge against the communists who had supported him.
Then the communists founded the Red Army and withdrew to the Shaanxi-province where they proclaimed a Sovjet-republic with Mao Zedong as leader.
During the 1930:s Japan followed a policy of conquest and conquered vast parts of China. Under this pressure Chiang Kai-shek and the separate state led by Mao Zedong reconciled. They fought together during World War II and stopped the Japaneze from conquering the whole nation. After the war the internal fighting started again. This time the communists had advantage and Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949, while the communists gained control over the rest of the nation.
The legendary communistleader Mao Zedong led China through many phases from 1949 till he died in 1976. The Chinese communist party profess to the Marxist-Leninist ideology.
When Mao died the formerly expelled vice prime minister Deng Xiaoping was reconciled. He immediately started to reform both politics and economy. China was opened for economic cooperation with the western countries, and he started a huge plan for modernizing China.
Though Deng Xiaoping nowadays has no official rank of importance he still runs the nation as a father of the people and it is Deng who in the last end decides the development.
