Portal:China


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China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is divided into 33 province-level divisions, including two special administrative regions. Beijing is the capital, while Shanghai is the most populous city by urban area. Its geography features the Central Plain, major rivers such as the Yangtze and Yellow River, deserts, subtropical and temperate forests, plateaus, and mountain ranges such as the Himalayas. It is the world's second-most populous country after India, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion (17% of the world's population). Covering 9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third largest country by area.

Humans first arrived in China during the Paleolithic. During the 2nd millennium BCE, dynastic states emerged. In 221 BCE, China was unified under the Qin, followed by the Han dynasty, ushering in two millennia of imperial rule across periods of unity and division. The imperial era saw the expansion of the Silk Road and the invention of gunpowder, paper, printing, and the compass. After increased Western political, economic, and philosophical influence, the empire was succeeded by the Republic of China (ROC) after the 1911 Revolution. The Warlord Era and Chinese Civil War followed, interrupted by the Second Sino-Japanese War, which ended in a Chinese victory. In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proclaimed the PRC and the ROC retreated to Taiwan. Both sides still claim political legitimacy. Attempts by the CCP to advance its political program faltered through famine and political turmoil. The reform and opening-up that began in 1978 moved China towards a socialist market economy, spurring economic growth.

Chinese art and culture have influenced much of Asia, with a literary tradition dating back millennia to the Chinese classics. China is the birthplace of Confucianism and Daoism, which form the traditional three teachings of Chinese philosophy and folk religion alongside Buddhism. Chinese cuisine is diverse and highly regional, with rice as a staple in the south and wheat in the north. It has 60 World Heritage Sites, including the Great Wall and Grand Canal. The Han, speakers of Sinitic languages, are China's dominant ethnicity, although it is home to 55 recognized minorities, including the Hui, Mongols, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Zhuang. (Full article...)

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Cai Wenji

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Hunan cuisine, also known as Xiang cuisine, consists of the cuisines of the Xiang River region, Dongting Lake and western Hunan Province in China. It is one of the Eight Great Traditions of Chinese cuisine and is well known for its hot and spicy flavours, fresh aroma and deep colours. Despite this, only about 20% of the cuisine uses capsicum to produce a strong spicy taste. Common cooking techniques include stewing, frying, pot-roasting, braising and smoking. Due to the high agricultural output of the region, many different ingredients are used in Hunan dishes. (Full article...)


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Bönpa monastery of Narshi Gonpa
Bönpa monastery of Narshi Gonpa
Credit: Jialiang Gao

The Tibetan Bönpa monastery of Narshi Gonpa, in Sichuan Province.

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In the news

23 October 2026 – 2026 Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Champi kills a person and injures 163 others in Taiwan as the government evacuates 2,639 people from mountainous areas. (AFP via France 24) (Reuters)
22 October 2026 – 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
In artistic gymnastics, Japan's Daiki Hashimoto wins his fourth consecutive men's all-around title at the 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, finishing ahead of China's Zhang Boheng and Japan's Shinnosuke Oka. (AFP via France 24)
21 October 2026 – Cross-strait relations
Taiwanese prosecutors indict five people for allegedly accepting money and planning to injure Huang Yihao, an anti-Chinese Communist Party comedian in New Taipei City. (AP)
18 October 2026 – Cross-strait relations
The Taiwanese coast guard drives away 16 Chinese coast guard, research, and fishing vessels operating near Taiwan and the Pratas Island, including some that entered restricted waters. (AFP via The Hindu)
15 October 2026 – China–North Korea relations
The New Yalu River Bridge connecting Dandong, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea, opens following a 12-year delay. (BBC News) (NK News)
13 October 2026 – Scam centers in Myanmar
A Chinese court sentences three triad members to death for crimes linked to scam centers in Kokang, Myanmar, including fraud, drug trafficking, illegal gambling, prostitution, and the murders of two Chinese citizens. (AFP via CBS News)

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China's Politics

Emblem of the Communist Party of China
Emblem of the Communist Party of China
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping

The General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, officially General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is head of the Chinese Communist Party and the highest-ranking official within China, a standing member of the Politburo and head of the Secretariat. The officeholder is usually considered the paramount leader of China.

According to the Constitution, the General Secretary serves as an ex officio member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's de facto top decision-making body. Since the early 1990s, the holder of the post has been, except for transitional periods, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, making the holder the Commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army.

The current General Secretary is Xi Jinping (pictured), who took the office at the 18th National Congress on 15 November 2012.

National Emblem of the Republic of China
National Emblem of the Republic of China

The President of the Republic of China is the head of state of the Republic of China (ROC).

The Constitution names the president as head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces (formerly known as the National Revolutionary Army). The president is responsible for conducting foreign relations, such as concluding treaties, declaring war, and making peace. The president must promulgate all laws and has no right to veto. Other powers of the president include granting amnesty, pardon or clemency, declaring martial law, and conferring honors and decorations.

The current President is Lai Ching-te (pictured), since May 20, 2024. Lai is a Taiwanese politician and former physician, who is currently serving as the eighth president of the Republic of China under the 1947 Constitution and the third president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

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