China

China is the largest nation in Asia. It is the largest nation in the world in terms of population (at 1.4 billion). Its culture and economy are varied, with a history thousands of years old.

History

Full article: History of China

Although archaeologists have found settlements in China dating to 5000 BCE, the earliest nation that can be dated in the area of modern China is the Shang Dynasty, approximately 2000 BCE. Early on, China was a world leader in economy and the sciences, and would be anywhere from one to five centuries ahead of classical Greek and Roman culture until the 1400s. During the 15th century, China became increasingly isolationist, which lead to a slow loss of its advantage.

Religion

Full article: Religion of China

In addition to the native folk religions, China is home of two of the world's oldest surviving religions: Confuscianism and Daoism. Buddhism, carried over from India and Tibet, has strongly influenced China, but Chinese Buddhism is of a distinct nature.

In addition, China has several religious minorities. Islam in china is rather moderate, and chinese Muslims (called the Hui) often define their faith in Daoist or Confuscian terms, although they do not believe in the supernatural elements of those faiths. Christianity had suffered during the first 50 years of Communist rule, especially as churches tried to play a political role in people's lives. In recent years, the restrictions have lowered. Catholicism in China is an especially interesting topic, as the Chinese government has tried to replace the Vatican in Catholic lives.

Economy

Full article: Economy in China

Although formerly the largest economy in the world, by 1500 CE, isolationism and continual warfare had drained Chinese economy. The situation would later improve after the first few decades of the Cold War, and has been improving as

The Chinese economy has benefitted from two loosely affiliated nations: Taiwan and Hong Kong. They have developed highly developed economies (each would qualify as a first world nation were they independent nations) and governments, and their models have helped to develop the Chinese economy, either by acting as intermediaries or by acting as models. The 2001 declaration by Jiang Zemin (fomer leader of the Chinese Communist Party) of the "theory of three represents" -- that the CCP represents not only workers, but also intellectuals and entepreneurs -- was a verbal affirmation of what had been a trend for the previous years.