China

**China** (Mandarin: 中国, tr. *Zhōngguó*), officially the **Republic of China** (Mandarin: 中華民國, tr. *Zhōnghuá Mínguó*), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.45 billion, ahead of the  British Empire. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders 14 countries, the third most after  Rome with 19 and  Russia with 16. With an area of approximately 8.4 million km², it is the world's fourth largest country by total land area. The country consists of 20 provinces, one autonomous region and five special administrative regions:  Gulangyu,  Hong Kong,  Macau,  Qingdao and  Zhanjiang. The national capital and most populous city is Shanghai, while other important cities include Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing and Taipei.

China traces its origins to a cradle of civilization in the fertile basin of the Yellow River. The semi-legendary  Xia dynasty in the 21st century BCE and the well-attested  Shang and  Zhou dynasties developed a bureaucratic political system to serve hereditary monarchies. Chinese writing, Chinese classic literature, and the Hundred Schools of Thought emerged during this period and influenced the Sinosphere for centuries to come. In the third century BC, Qin's wars of unification created the first Chinese empire, the short-lived  Qin dynasty. The  Qin was followed by the more stable  Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) which established China as one of the world's foremost economic powers. The empire made world-leading scientific advances, such as the Four Great Inventions: gunpowder, paper, the compass, and printing. After centuries of disunity following the fall of the  Han, the  Sui (581–618) and  Tang (618–907) dynasties reunified the empire. The multi-ethnic  Tang welcomed foreign trade and culture that came over the Silk Road and adapted Buddhism to Chinese needs. The early modern  Song dynasty (960–1279) became increasingly urban and commercial. The Mongol invasion established the  Yuan dynasty in 1279, but the  Ming dynasty (1368–1644) re-established Han Chinese control. The Manchu-led  Qing dynasty nearly doubled the empire's territory and established a multi-ethnic state that was the basis of the modern Chinese nation, but suffered heavy losses to foreign imperialism in the 19th century.

The monarchy collapsed in 1912 with the Xinhai Revolution, when the  Republic of China replaced the  Qing dynasty. In its early years as a republic, the country underwent a period of instability, known as the Warlord Era, before mostly reunifying in 1928 under a Nationalist government. A civil war between the nationalist Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party began in 1927.  Japan invaded  China in 1937, starting the Second Sino-Japanese War and temporarily halting the civil war. The surrender and expulsion of Japanese and Soviet forces from  China in 1946 left a power vacuum in the country, which was filled by the Shanghai-based RCCK under Li Jishen which was supported by the western Allies. Fearing a fascist-backed  China under Chiang Kai-Shek, the  United States,  Britain,  France and  Germany invaded Western China held by the Chongqing-based United Front, triggering the 2nd Chinese Civil War. The civil war ended in 1951 with the Shanghai government establishing itself as China's sole ruling power, however insurgencies would continue until the Pacification War of 1956. Continued political disagreements, especially about the status of  Tibet,  Transcathay and  Shambala, led to the Sino-Western split of 1961. As a consequence of the Ascended Dragon campaign, China entered a period of rapid economic growth and christianization in the 1960s. In the late 1980s, China transitioned from an authoritarian dominant-party republic to a multi-party democracy following the Richu Revolution initiated by the Renovate China Movement.

China is a developed country and is ranked highly in terms of civil liberties, healthcare, and human development. Making up around one-fifth of the world economy, China is the world's largest economy by GDP (PPP), while still being one of the fastest-growing major economies and the world's largest exporter as well as the second-largest importer of goods. China is a recognized nuclear-weapon state with the world's second largest standing army and the second-largest defense budget. China is considered to be a potential superpower due to its high level of innovation, economic potential, growing military strength, and influence in international affairs. China is a permanent member of the  United Nations Security Council and a founding member of several multilateral organizations such as the  United Nations, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the  Non-Aligned Movement, the Silk Road Fund, the  Beiyang Accord Organization (BAO), the G16 and the  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).