Jamhuri ya Watu wa China

China (pia: Uchina, Sina; kirefu: Jamhuri ya Watu wa China) ni nchi kubwa ya Asia ya Mashariki ambayo ndiyo nchi yenye watu wengi kuliko zote duniani.

China imepakana na Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Urusi, Mongolia, Korea ya Kaskazini. 

Kuna pwani ndefu kwenye Bahari ya Kusini ya China na Bahari ya Mashariki ya China ambazo ni bahari ya kando ya Pasifiki. 

China kuna makabila 56 tofauti. Wahan ndio kabila kubwa zaidi nchini China kwa idadi ya watu ikiwa na asilimia 92. 

Lugha rasmi ni Kichina cha Mandarin kinachotumiwa na asilimia 70 za wananchi. 

Siasa inatawaliwa na chama cha kikomunisti. 

Mji mkuu ni Beijing lakini Shanghai ndio mji mkubwa zaidi. 

Hong Kong iliyokuwa koloni la Uingereza na Macau iliyokuwa koloni la Ureno ni maeneo ya China yenye utawala wa pekee. 

Taiwan na visiwa vingine vya Jamhuri ya China vinatazamwa na serikali ya Beijing kuwa majimbo yake lakini vimekuwa kama nchi ya pekee tangu mwaka 1949.

Jiografia 
China ina eneo la kilomita za mraba milioni 9.6 hivyo ni nchi ya tatu au ya nne kwa ukubwa duniani.

Sura ya nchi inaonyesha tabia tofautitofauti. 

Upande wa kaskazini, mpakani mwa Siberia na Mongolia, kuna maeneo yabisi pamoja na jangwa la Gobi. 

Kinyume chake upande wa kusini, mpakani mwa Vietnam, Laos na Burma, hali ya hewa ni nusutropiki yenye mvua nyingi inayolisha misitu minene. 

Sehemu za magharibi zina milima mingi ambayo ni kati ya milima mirefu duniani kama Himalaya na Tian Shan.

Mashariki ya nchi huwa na tambarare zenye rutuba na hapa ndipo kanda lenye wakazi wengi. 

Upana wa China kati ya kaskazini na kusini ni kilomita 4,200 na kati ya mashariki na magharibi ni kilomita 4,200.

Pwani ina urefu wa kilomita 14,400. 

Kuna mito mikubwa; mrefu zaidi ni Yangtse (km 6,300), Hwangho au Mto Njano, Xi Jiang au mto wa Magharibi, Mekong, Mto wa Lulu, Brahmaputra na Amur. Mito hiyo yote ina vyanzo vyake katika milima mikubwa yenye usimbishaji mwingi, ikibeba maji kwenda tambarare pasipo mvua nyingi. 

Jiografia hiyo ilikuwa chanzo cha kilimo cha umwagiliaji na kukua kwa madola ya kwanza. 

Kutokana na madawa ya kilimo na maji machafu ya viwanda, mito na maziwa ya China hupambana na machafuko makali; mwaka 2007 ziwa Tai lilisafishwa kwa gharama kubwa mno kwa sababu maji hayakufaa tena kwa mahitaji ya binadamu (maji ya bomba).

Hali ya hewa 

Kuna kanda 18 za hali ya hewa zinazoonyesha tofauti kubwa kati yake. Upande wa magharibi, kaskazini na kaskazini-mashariki huwa na majira yenye joto kali na baridi kali. Upande wa kusini ina tabia ya tropiki au nusutropiki. Tibet huwa na hali ya hewa kulingana na kimo chake juu ya mita 4,000.
 
Ramani ya usimbishaji inaonyesha ya kwamba kilimo kinawezekana katika nusu ya kusini na kusini-mashariki ya nchi tu. Upande wa kaskazini na magharibi mvua ni chache mno. Mstari mwekundu unaonyesha mpaka na juu yake usimbishaji ni chini ya milimita 390 kwa mwaka.

Historia 

Historia ya China hugawanyika katika vipindi vya nasaba za kifalme mbalimbali. Vipindi muhimu zaidi ni kama ifuatavyo:
 Nasaba ya Qin (221 – 207 KK)
 Nasaba ya Han (206 KK – 220 BK)
 Kipindi cha milki tatu (220 – 280)
 Nasaba ya Jin (265 – 420)
 Kipindi cha nasaba za kusini na kaskazini (420 – 581)
 Nasaba ya Sui (581 – 618)
 Nasaba ya Tang (618 – 907)
 Nasaba tano na milki kumi (907 – 960)
 Nasaba ya Song (960 – 1279)
 Nasaba ya Yuan (1279 - 1368)
 Nasaba ya Ming (1368 - 1644)
 Nasaba ya Qing (1644 - 1911)

Utawala wa kifalme uliendelea hadi mapinduzi ya China ya 1911. 

Baada ya kipindi cha vurugu, jamhuri ya China ilitawaliwa na chama cha Kuomintang chini ya rais Chiang Kai-shek.

Wakati wa vita kuu ya pili ya dunia sehemu kubwa ilitwaliwa na Japani. Wakati huo Chama cha Kikomunisti cha China kiliandaa jeshi kikapambana na serikali ya Kuomintang na Japani pia. 

Baada ya mwisho wa vita kuu Wakomunisti waliendelea kupingana na serikali na mwaka 1949 Kuomintang ilishindwa. Wakomunisti chini ya Mao Zedong walianza kutawala China Bara kama Jamhuri ya Watu wa China na Kuomintang walikimbilia kisiwa cha Taiwan walipoendelea kutawala kama "Jamhuri ya China".

Siasa 

Serikali ya China inatawala kwa mfumo wa udikteta chini ya uongozi wa Chama cha Kikomunisti ya China. Kuna vyama vidogo pia, lakini hivi havina umuhimu wowoteː vinasimamiwa na Wakomunisti, hivyo hali halisi ni mfumo wa chama kimoja. 

Kikatiba chombo kikuu ni Bunge la umma la China linalomchagua rais, serikali, mahakama kuu, kamati kuu ya kijeshi na mwanasheria mkuu. Lakini hali halisi maazimio yote ya bunge ni utekelezaji tu wa maazimio ya uongozi wa chama cha Kikomunisti. 

Uongozi huo ni kundi dogo la wakubwa wa chama na jeshi. Mwanasiasa muhimu ni Xi Jinping. Kwa sasa yeye anaunganisha vyeo vya Katibu Mkuu wa Chama cha Kikomunisti, Rais wa Jamhuri ya Watu wa China na mwenyekiti wa Kamati Kuu ya Kijeshi. Kwa jumla katika mapokeo ya Kikomunisti vyeo vya chama ni muhimu kuliko vyeo vya serikali ingawa katiba na sheria inasema tofauti.

Kuna pia "maeneo yenye utawala wa pekee" ambayo ni Hongkong na Macau. Katika miji hiyo miwili, iliyokuwa makoloni ya Uingereza na Ureno, kuna uhuru wa kisiasa na wa uandishi, uchaguzi huru na upinzani kwa kiasi fulani, lakini maeneo yana tu madaraka kadhaa ya kujitawala kwa mambo ya ndani.

Watu 

China ikiwa na wakazi milioni 1,400 (Januari 2020) ni nchi yenye watu wengi zaidi duniani. Historia yake yote iliona tena na tena vipindi vya njaa kutokana na idadi kubwa ya watu wake. Msongamano wa watu kwa wastani ni wakazi 145 kwa kilomita ya mraba. Lakini tofauti ziko kubwa kati ya miji mikubwa ambako milioni 115 wanakaa kwenye eneo la km² 50,000 na Tibet yenye watu 2 tu kwa kilomita ya mraba.

Zaidi ya asilimia 90 za wakazi wote wanakaa katika theluthi ya kusini-mashariki ya nchi yenye mvua ya kutosha. Ndani ya theluthi hiyo ni nusu ya Wachina wote wanaosongamana kwenye asilimia 10 za China yote, maana yake katika 10% hizi kuna msongamano wa watu 740 kwa km².

Wakazi walio wengi ni Wahan au Wachina wenyewe. Wanatumia hasa lahaja mbalimbali za lugha ya Kichina. Pamoja na Wahan kuna makabila 55 yaliyotambuliwa na serikali. Kwa jumla lugha hai ni 292 ambazo zinahusika na makundi mbalimbali ya lugha (angalia orodha ya lugha za China).

Serikali inafuata rasmi ukanamungu, lakini inaruhusu dini kwa kiasi fulani. Pamoja na hayo, dhuluma zinaendelea dhidi ya madhehebu mbalimbali. Takwimu hazieleweki, pia kwa sababu kabla ya Ukomunisti kupinga dini, hasa wakati wa Mapinduzi ya utamaduni, watu waliweza kuchanganya mafundisho na desturi za Ukonfusio, Utao na Ubuddha. Leo wanaoendelea kufanya hivyo wanakadiriwa kuwa asilimia 30-80 za wakazi. Wabuddha ni 6-16%, Wakristo (hasa Waprotestanti, halafu Wakatoliki na kidogo Waorthodoksi) ni 2-4%, Waislamu ni 1-2%.

Tazama pia 
 Majimbo ya China
 Orodha ya nasaba za Kichina
 Orodha ya nchi kufuatana na wakazi

Tanbihi

Marejeo 
 
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Viungo vya nje

 China at a Glance from People's Daily
 BBC News – China Profile
 
 China, People's Republic of from UCB Libraries GovPubs
 
 China's Encyclopædia Britannica entry
 "Rethinking 'Capitalist Restoration' in China" by Yiching Wu
 Key Development Forecasts for China from International Futures
 "China on the Rise". PBS Online NewsHour. October 2005.
 ChinaToday.com
 Interesting China facts

Serikali
 The Central People's Government of People's Republic of China
 China Internet Information Center —Authorized government portal site to China

Masomo
 "Assertive Pragmatism: China's Economic Rise and Its Impact on Chinese Foreign Policy". Minxin Pei (2006). IFRI Proliferation Papers. No. 15.

Utalii
 China National Tourist Office (CNTO)

Ramani
 Google Maps—China
 

Dini
 Buddhist Association of China
China Confucian Philosophy
China Confucian Religion 
 China Confucian Temples 
 Chinese Taoist Association
 China Ancestral Temples Network 
 China Temples and Monasteries Network 
 Living in the Chinese Cosmos, Asia for Educators, Columbia University.

Media
 Euraxess Science Slam: Meihuaquan and Community Life in North China
 eRenlai Ricci: The boundary between religion and the state in China by Prof. Lagerwey
 GBTimes: THE DEBATE: Insight into religion in modern China (part 1)—Part 2
 Berkeley Center: Ritual Economy and Religious Revivial in Rural Southeast China
 Berkeley Center: Secularization Theory and the Study of Chinese Religions
 Berkeley Center: Understanding Contemporary Religious Pluralism in China

 
Nchi za Asia