Quick Facts

  • Education

    The Chinese Constitution requires that all Chinese children receive nine years of compulsory education, including six years of primary school and three years of junior middle school.

  • Land and mineral resources

    The composition and distribution of China's land resources have three major characteristics.

  • Rivers and lakes

    China abounds in rivers. More than 1,500 rivers each drain 1,000 square kilometers or larger areas. More than 2,700 billion cubic meters of water flow along these rivers, 5.8% of the world’s total.

  • History

    China, one of the world’s most ancient civilizations, has a recorded history of nearly 4,000 years.

  • People

    China is a unified nation consisting of many different ethnic groups. Fifty-six different ethnic groups make up the great Chinese national family.

  • Geography

    The People’s Republic of China is located in the eastern part of the Asian continent, on the western Pacific rim.

  • Administrative division

    According to the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, the country’s administrative units are currently based on a three-tier system.

  • Capital

    Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world. The metropolis, located in north China, is governed as one of the four municipality directly under the central government.

  • National day

    The National Day of the People’s Republic of China is celebrated every year on October 1.

  • National emblem

    The National Emblem of the PRC features Tiananmen Gate beneath the five shining stars, encircled by ears of grain and with a cogwheel at the bottom.

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