Official Country Name: People's Republic of China
Area: 3,691,463 square miles
Population: 1.2 billion in 1995 (excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao)
Capital: Beijing (also 2nd largest city; 7.5 million people)
Nationalities: 56 ethnic groups.  Han (91%); minority groups include Zhuang, Hui, Uygur, Tibetan, and Mongolian.  Most minority groups live in border regions and the western part of China
Currency: Renminbi (People's money) is in Yuan.  The symbol is Y.
One Yuan is about 12 cents in American money.

Languages: Chinese; chief dialect is Mandarin.
The Chinese Government officially adopted the "pinyin" system for spelling Chinese names and places on January 1, 1979.  This system has now replaced other conventional spellings in Chinese English language publications.  The US government also uses the pinyin system.
In this system, most letters are pronounced as in American English with these exceptions:
 

 Prior to the pinyin system the Wade-Giles system of translation was used.  In documents printed prior to 1980 many spellings of Chinese words are not pinyin, but Wade-Giles, called common English spelling.  The following chart shows some examples of both systems.
   

Economy:
    Most people earn their living by farming although there are many other occupations in manufacturing, mining, oil production, and fishing.  Since the late1980's, when restrictions on private industry were relaxed, private businesses such as restaurants, repair shops, tailors, and small factories have grown.  The tourist and service industries have also grown rapidly.
    One out of every four people on Earth is Chinese.  Seven out of every ten Chinese people work the land to feed and clothe the population of China.   Only 20% of China's land is farmable--mostly in the eastern part of the the country.  Every available piece of this farmable land is used for farming.   Terrace farming is used to farm on mountainsides and roadsides are often planted in wheat of soybeans.  The major food crops are rice, corn (maize), peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, tea, mulberry leaves (for silkworms), and wheat.  The Chinese are one of the world's leading producers of eggs and pork.
    Many different minerals are mined in China.  china has the largest deposit of tungsten in the world.  Because large deposits of coal are also available, China is a world leader in steel production.
    China is second only to the US in salt production using large ponds to evaporate sea water.
    Chinese fishermen catch a variety of saltwater fish including:   sturgeon, crabs, sea cucumbers, eel, herring, and sharks.  Freshwater fish including catfish, carp, and bass are also caught in the many lakes and rivers.
    Other important businesses ar Import/Export, weaponry production, tourism, and service industry.
    Work hours in China depend on the business.  Stores and restaurants are open seven days a week from 9 am to 7 pm with a one-and-a-half hour lunch break from noon until 1:30 pm.  Recent changes in government policy have provided for a two-day weekend for most Chinese.  Many workers have Saturday and Sunday off even though most Chinese do not celebrate a holy day.
    The Chinese "dollar" is called the "yuan."  It is divided into 100 "fen." One Chinese "yuan" is worth about 12 cents in US dollars. (1 yuan = 0.122699 USD as of 3/17/99)

Environment:
    China is the third largest country in the world with a total land area of 3,691,463 square miles.  The topography varies from rugged mountains, deserts, and high plateaus to rain forests and sunken basins. China is located in about the same latitude as the United States.  Northern China experiences cold, dry winters while southern China enjoys a subtropical mild winter.  The summer is usually hot in most of China except for the mountain regions.  Coastal areas experience an average of eight typhoons (similar to hurricanes) a year.
    China's vastly different topographies create a great diversity in vegetation.  Some shrubs such as the rhododendron, azalea, and camellia are found in the US and China. Rare plants such as the ginkgo tree and the dragon spruce also grow there.  Flowers are revered.  Festivals honor the goddess of the Hundred flowers.
    China's major rivers are the Chang Jiang (Yangtze), Huang He (Yellow), the Heilong (Black Dragon), and the Zhujiang (Pearl). The Chang Jiang is about 200 miles longer than the Mississippi and is the third longest river in the world.
 

Wildlife:
    China is home to some rare and interesting animals.  China is the only country in the world that has wild pandas.  The Bactrin camel with its two humps has been domesticated and used for transportation. The Chinese River Dolphin can be found in fresh water rivers. The Takin is a small (3 feet tall), four hoofed animal that grazes in bamboo thickets.

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