China

The People's Republic of China 🇨🇳 (中华人民共和国), also referred to as PRC or China (中国), is a nation in eastern Asia and the most populous in the world. Excluding Russia, it is the largest nation in Asia. The head of state since 2012 is Xi Jinping.
==Description==
The capital of the People's Republic of China is Beijing. On the mainland alone, its population has surpassed 1.3 billion people in early January 2005. The and 55 other minorities are officially recognised.
China currently administers 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities and 2 special administrative regions. The government claims the island of Taiwan as a 23rd province, along with the islands of (Quemoy), Lienchiang () and (Pescadores Islands).
==Apple in China==
In mainland China, Apple has an office in Beijing, as well as additional offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou and other regions. Many Apple products, such as the iPhone are manufactured in the mainland. In the region, it has offices in Hong Kong and Taipei, where TSMC fabricates processors for Apple.
Apple Computer's first joint venture in China was announced on December 12, 1995 with Southern Software Park in to develop technologies for the PowerPC platform.Apple Initiates First Joint Venture in China, Apple Computer. 1995-12-12. Archived 1999-05-07.
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In October 2009, the iPhone 3G and 3GS became the first iPhone models to be officially available for sale in mainland China through a deal between Apple and . The official models initially experienced soft sales due to imports of "cracked" overseas models with lower prices and Wi-Fi capability, which was banned in China at the time. However, some users still preferred the official models despite the higher cost as cracked iPhones would meet difficulty with software updates and online services, such as the App Store. iPhone gets slow start at China sales launch by Owen Fletcher, IDG News Service. 2009-10-31.Today in Apple history: iPhone goes on sale in China for first time by Luke Dormehl, Cult of Mac. 2021-10-31. In August 2010, the 8 GB model of the iPhone 3GS with Wi-Fi capabilities was introduced following the relaxation of the ban,[https://appleinsider.com/articles/10/08/06/wi_fi_enabled_iphone_3gs_coming_to_china_unicom_on_monday.html Wi-Fi enabled iPhone 3GS coming to China Unicom on Monday
], by Josh Ong, Appleinsider, 2010-08-06 followed by the iPhone 4 in September.[Chinese Apple fans line up for iPhone 4 launch https://www.macworld.com/article/207937/iphone4_china-3.html], by Michael Kan, Macworld, 2010-09-26 iPhone sales improved as Apple entered into a deal with , the largest carrier in China, in December 2013, followed by the introduction of the larger iPhone 6 series in 2014.Today in Apple history: iPhone comes to the world’s biggest carrier by Luke Dormehl, Cult of Mac. 2021-12-22.
In December 2021, reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook had signed an investment agreement in 2016 worth an estimated $275 billion for China's economy in exchange for regulatory exemptions.Inside Tim Cook’s Secret $275 Billion Deal with Chinese Authorities by Wayne Ma, The Information. 2021-12-07.
===Apple Stores in China===
As of 2022, there are 44 Apple retail stores in China. All were closed in February 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but were reopened by March 13 as the outbreak in China was stated to be under control.All 42 Apple Stores in China have reopened by Sam Byford, The Verge. 2020-03-13. On May 21, 2022, the 44th store in China, Apple Wuhan, was opened at Wuhan International Plaza within the of , the area of the original outbreak.Apple opens new store in Wuhan, brings dedicated product pickup area by José Adorno, 9to5Mac. 2022-05-22.Apple 武汉零售店将于 5 月 21 日 (周六) 在湖北开幕, Apple Inc. 2022-05-19.
==Macintosh user groups in China==
There is one nationwide Macintosh user group in the mainland (MacFans China) and other regional groups. Cities with local user groups include:
* Beijing — Beijing Macintosh Union, Beijing Macintosh User Group
* Qingdao — Qingdao Apple User Group, Sinomac
* Shanghai — AppleUnion, MacClub Shanghai
In the region, local user groups include:
* Hong Kong — Hong Kong University Mac User Group, MACitizen
* Taiwan
==Major Mac websites in China==
Included are major sites on the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and the Taiwan region.
* Macfans.com.cn (Nationwide)
* BeiMac (Beijing)
* Beijing Apple House (Beijing)
* MacWorld China (Beijing and Nationwide)
* Sinomac (Qingdao)
* uMac ()
* eLesson (Shanghai)
* MacClub (Shanghai)
* iMacGuru (Hong Kong)
* Frosty Place (Taiwan)
==References==
==External links==
*Apple (中国大陆) - 官方网站 official Mainland China website
**Apple Store 零售店，中国大陆
**Apple at Youku
**China at Apple Asia (archived 1996-10-29)
* at Wikipedia
Category:Mainland China