Low interest rates boost home sales

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:02:17 +0000

Record-low interest rates are pushing residential sales volume closer to pre-recession levels in the Rapid City area, and average sale prices are higher than they’ve been in five years, according to sales figures through April provided by the Black Hills Association of Realtors.

“It’s been a phenomenal start to the year,” said Bart Miller, vice president of the association.

The national average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has been below 4 percent all but one week since Dec. 8, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Rates hit a new low in the week ending May 10, at 3.83 with an average of 0.7 points paid.

“I cannot stress enough how great the interest rates are and how much a savings that is to you over the life of a 30-year mortgage,” Miller said. “I expect our year to continue to be busy, to continue to be positive.”

Through April, 420 residential properties had sold, at an average price of $178,863.

Joanie Howland, a mortgage loan officer at Highmark Federal Credit Union, said it’s been a record spring for the credit union in terms of the volume of mortgage loans processed.

“There really seems to be an increase in people who are buying or inquiring about buying,” she said.

Refinancing activity was strong over the winter, but with the change in seasons, purchasing is overtaking refinancing, Howland said.

“People are more comfortable with the economy, their job situation,” Howland said. “There are a lot of people who were sitting there deciding if it was comfortable. They’re to that point where they’re ready to make the move. I hear a lot of people who want to take advantage of the low interest rates.”

Miller said that in his own business, not necessarily across the whole market, he’s noticed that inventory in the more affordable price ranges is getting tighter, although not to the point where it’s driving up prices. He also said that according to his own records, there are more homes selling in the over-$500,000 price range than in recent years.

With low interest rates, “You can buy a lot bigger house than you used to ever be able to,” he said. “It’s a great time to move up.”

Contact Barbara Soderlin at 394-8417 at barbara.soderlin@rapidcityjournal.com.

Aniston's $40G Per Month Home

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:02:15 +0000

The queen of real estate, otherwise known as Jennifer Aniston, is at it again!

Or, rather, the queen of real estate turnover is at it again.

In the past year alone, Aniston sold her beloved “Ohana” estate, bought and then sold two New York City penthouse apartments, and plunked down $20.97 million for a new love nest in Bel-Air.

Click here for more Jennifer Aniston photos.

More recently, the celebrity real estate rumor mill has been buzzing with news that the Aniston and current boyfriend Justin Theroux are on the move yet again while they remodel their Bel-Air mansion. The “Wanderlust” co-stars have reportedly scooped up a rental property in the highly-sought-after 90210 neighborhood.

The $40,000-per-month rental first hit the market last summer as a for-sale listing at $14.9 million. But after a series of price reductions, Aniston snatched it up for temporary quarters. The gated contemporary features 5 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms and 6,500-square feet of living space.

A Zen-like vibe is quite apparent upon entering the property. The entryway is suspended above water features and leads to a hand-carved front door. According to the listing, views of the ocean can be seen from nearly every room and there’s the kind of open space that makes for perfect entertaining. Amenities also include a zero-edge pool and spa, an outdoor cooking area, outdoor shower, state-of-the-art home theater and temperature-controlled stone wine room.

Given all these amenities, maybe Aniston is test-driving the features she’d like to add to her new home? Then again, probably not. She’s no real estate renovation and decorating novice!

David Jones Seen Luring LBO on Lowest Value Since ‘04: Real M&A

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:02:07 +0000

Enlarge image

David Jones Seen Luring LBO on Lowest Value Since ‘04

Sergio Dionisio/Bloomberg

Revenue at David Jones, which sells everything from ties and fragrances to suitcases and cameras, peaked at A$2.1 billion in the year ending July 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It will fall about 10 percent from that high to A$1.9 billion this fiscal year, analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg show.

With David Jones Ltd. (DJS) trading at the
lowest price to its net assets in eight years, the Australian
department store’s real estate is making it a buyout candidate.

Competition on the Internet from American retailers,
including Saks Inc. and Nordstrom Inc. (JWN), and Australian savings
rates that are more than double those in the U.S. have sent
shares of Sydney-based David Jones down 51 percent in the past
year. After Australia’s second-largest department store operator
also projected its smallest annual profit in six years, the
company is trading at 1.4 times the value of its assets minus
liabilities, a level not seen since May 2004, according to data
compiled by Bloomberg.

While the slump has pushed David Jones’ market value down
to A$1.2 billion ($1.2 billion), its real-estate holdings alone
would be worth as much as A$1 billion if sold and leased back,
Bank of America Corp. said. With Australia’s central bank now
cutting interest rates, and David Jones in need of a turnaround,
now is the time for potential buyers to look, according to
Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

David Jones’ real-estate portfolio is “something tangible
that investors can hold onto when there’s capitulation in the
market,” said Robert Penaloza, Sydney-based head of equities at
Aberdeen Asset Management Ltd., which oversees about A$18
billion in Australia. “The company still has a decent brand
name and its positioning in the market is still valid.”

Four Properties

Helen Karlis, a Sydney-based spokeswoman for David Jones,
said she had no comment on takeover speculation.

Australia’s oldest department store, David Jones was
founded in 1838, half a century after Britain started sending
convicts to the country. The company is named after the Welsh-
born immigrant that opened a central Sydney store to sell “the
best and most exclusive goods,” according to its website.

The four sites that David Jones owns, one each on Elizabeth
Street and Market Street in Sydney and two on Bourke Street in
Melbourne, account for a quarter of the retailer’s sales, Karlis
said. They are adjacent to some of the priciest retail strips in
the world, according to Kevin Stanley, research director of
property consultants CBRE Group Inc. (CBG), the world’s largest
commercial real estate services company.

“The pedestrian flows in these areas are very high,” he
said. Sydney is the world’s third-most expensive city for retail
rents after New York and Hong Kong, and Melbourne the eighth-
most expensive, ahead of Milan, Frankfurt and Chicago, CBRE said
in a report last November.

Falling Sales

Revenue at David Jones, which sells everything from ties
and fragrances to suitcases and cameras, peaked at A$2.1 billion
in the year ending July 2008, according to data compiled by
Bloomberg. It will fall about 10 percent from that high to A$1.9
billion this fiscal year, analysts’ estimates compiled by
Bloomberg show.

David Jones, which didn’t include an online strategy in its
three-year plan released in 2008, trails rivals in tapping the
web. Comparing itself to 10 retailers including New York-based
Saks (SKS) and Nordstrom, David Jones said in March it generated the
smallest proportion of total sales — less than 1 percent –
from the Internet. U.K. department store operator John Lewis Plc
ranked first with 17 percent, while Saks and Seattle-based
Nordstrom each derived about 9 percent of revenue online.

U.S. and foreign retailers that ship to Australia are
capitalizing on an Australian dollar that has climbed 27 percent
against its U.S. counterpart in the past three years. In Hong
Kong, StrawberryNET sells a jar of Clinique Daily Relief
moisturizer for A$55, a price that includes shipping to
Australia. The same product at David Jones’ online site is
offered for A$90, 64 percent more.

Higher Borrowing Costs

After Australia recovered from the global financial crisis
that peaked in 2008, David Jones and the country’s other
retailers have struggled as interest rates climbed to 4.75
percent, the highest in the developed world.

The savings rate among Australian consumers reached 12.6
percent in December 2008, a level last seen in 1986, according
to data compiled by Bloomberg. At the end of 2011, it was 9
percent, still more than double the pace before the financial
crisis and about twice the personal savings rate in the U.S. at
the same point.

The central bank this month made its steepest cut to
borrowing costs in three years, reducing the benchmark rate to
3.75 percent.

A potential buyer of David Jones will need a plan to solve
its problems by lowering prices, investing in technology and
expanding its Internet platform, said Andrew McLennan, an
analyst at Commonwealth Bank in Sydney.

‘Pretty Good Deal’

“When these things are under a fair degree of cyclical
pressure and there are some structural concerns, this is the
time to have a look at them,” he said. “If some of those
structural concerns can be overcome and the cycle recovers,
you’ve ended up with a pretty good deal.”

David Jones forecast its lowest annual profit since 2006
for the year ending in July, spurring an 11 percent drop in its
shares on March 21. In the past year, the stock is the worst
performer among 22 Australian retailers with a market value
greater than $100 million, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Down 51 percent in that period, compared with an average
drop of 5.4 percent for the group, David Jones is trading at 1.4
times the value of its assets minus liabilities, or book value,
of A$803 million. That’s the lowest multiple since May 10, 2004,
data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Myer Path

The slump has created an opportunity for an acquirer to
capitalize on the value of David Jones’s real estate in Sydney
and Melbourne’s central business districts, according to Silvia Spadea, an analyst for Bank of America. If sold and leased back,
the stores in Australia’s biggest cities may be worth as much as
A$1 billion, Spadea wrote in a note last month. Spadea didn’t
return a request for an interview.

“David Jones is unique” compared with most retailers in
owning its valuable property assets, Spadea wrote. An external
party, such as a financial buyer, “would be in the best
position” to monetize the assets.

Using a “mid-point” valuation of A$800 million, the real
estate is worth A$1.52 a share, according to Bank of America,
which based its estimates on consultations with several property
developers, according to an April 12 note. David Jones shares
closed at A$2.20 last week.

Any buyer taking this route would be following the lead of
Fort Worth, Texas-based TPG Capital, which bought Australia’s
largest department store chain Myer Holdings Ltd. (MYR) for A$1.4
billion in 2006, said Michael Simotas, an analyst at Deutsche
Bank AG. The buyout firm sold the retailer’s flagship property,
next door to David Jones’s Melbourne store, the next year for
A$605 million.

‘Quite Reasonable’

“The property is certainly a factor and there is value
that could be unlocked,” said Sydney-based Simotas. “The
appetite for those assets would be quite reasonable.”

David Jones sold the stores once, only to reacquire them in
September 2006 for A$362 million to regain control of
redevelopment and avoid rising rental payments, according to
data compiled by Bloomberg.

Rents for the best retail locations in central Melbourne
have increased by an average 7 percent a year since 2006 and now
stand at A$8,700 per square meter, while those in central Sydney
have risen by 2 percent a year to A$11,500 per square meter over
the period, CBRE’s Stanley said.

TPG, which refurbished stores and boosted Myer’s profits,
sold the retailer in an October 2009 initial public offering
that valued Myer at A$2.4 billion. A buyer of David Jones would
also have to see an opportunity to turn the fundamentals around,
said Simotas, who has a sell rating on the stock.

New Strategy

“Normally when a sponsor looks at a business like this, it
wouldn’t rely on getting an acceptable return using financial
engineering alone,” he said. “It would like to think it could
improve the business by making management or structural
changes.”

David Jones Chief Executive Officer Paul Zahra, mapping out
a strategy in March under what he called the toughest conditions
in his 30 years of retailing, said he’ll increase the number of
products available through the website to 90,000 from 9,000. The
company will lift online sales to about 10 percent of total
revenue from less than 1 percent, it said.

Potential buyers of David Jones may be deterred by the
prospects for Australian retail, said Martin Duncan, a fund
manager at Arnhem Investment Management in Sydney.

‘Dour Outlook’

“It would be highly unlikely because of the generally dour
outlook for retailing,” said Duncan. “The outlook continues to
be bleak because consumer confidence continues to be weak.”

Australian consumer confidence in May stagnated near the
lowest level this year as concern about the global economy and
the Greek debt crisis offset the central bank’s rate cut. From a
year earlier, confidence was down 8.3 percent, according to a
Westpac Banking Corp. and Melbourne Institute survey.

The slump in confidence hasn’t stopped buyout funds from
pursuing local consumer companies. KKR Co. approached Pacific
Brands Ltd. (PBG), Australia’s biggest underwear maker, in January.
TPG Capital offered to buy surfwear maker Billabong
International Ltd. (BBG) in February.

“We know private equity are having a sniff around these
assets, generally,” said Commonwealth Bank’s McLennan. “There
have been a lot of headwinds in the Australian household sector
which will not stay around forever, so let’s not get too
depressed about the retail sector.”

With David Jones trading so near the value of its assets,
there’s the chance to make money through a takeover, said
Penaloza at Aberdeen Asset Management.

“Interest rates are low, you can probably borrow enough to
buy the assets, sweat the assets and perhaps sell it on when
times are better,” he said. “Online is another way of shopping
but it’s not going to kill the bricks and mortar.”

To contact the reporters on this story:
Angus Whitley in Sydney at
awhitley1@bloomberg.net;
David Fickling in Sydney at
dfickling@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Daniel Hauck at
dhauck1@bloomberg.net;
Katherine Snyder at
ksnyder@bloomberg.net;
Philip Lagerkranser at
lagerkranser@bloomberg.net.

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First impression is key for home sales

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:01:01 +0000

Curb appeal: It’s your first chance to attract a buyer and make a good impression.

It also could mean the difference between selling your house or having it sit on the market for months and months, maybe even years.

Realtors and landscapers alike can offer suggestions for improving the curb appeal of your property, whether it’s for sale or just in need of an update.

Adding just a few touches here and there — either repair or decorative in nature — ultimately will add to the visual interest of your home.

» Remove any dead, diseased or dying plants with a spring or fall cleanup.

» Edge beds and mulch for a finished, professional look.

» Mature trees are popular, because shade can reduce a home’s energy bills.

» Plant annuals, perennials or flowering shrubs for instant color.

“Any type of color to the front of the house,” said Mike Moulton, residential design sales manager for Five Seasons Landscape in Reynoldsburg. “The first 30 seconds tell you if you like the house or not.”

» Redesign the front with a new walk, porch, new steps or coverings.

“There are a number of things we can design for a home that will enhance the appearance,” Moulton said. “You can spend just a few hundred dollars or can completely redo the front of the home between $20,000-$40,000.”

» Enliven your entryway.

“Freshen up the front door by painting, putting on a wreath or placing baskets or containers nearby,” said Cyndi Corder, Realtor with Frank Frye Century 21 in Newark. “Even freshening up or changing the hardware on the door will help.”

» Choose plants with a neat appearance and containers that are classically neat and neutral.

» Consider giving a fresh coat of paint to house trim, porch furniture, picket fences, porch columns, arches or other decorative architectural accents.

» If a lawn is in horrendous shape, consider replacing it with sod.

» A new house number can perk up the appearance of your home; consider brass or wrought iron for a modern look.

“The idea is to encourage the visitor to enjoy the elements from the curb to the door,” Corder said. “Keep in mind to match the landscaping to the style and size of the home. Give it seasonal updates.”

» Create a focal point between the street and the home so that prospective buyers (or visitors) enjoy their walk to the front door, Corder suggests.

» Keep your yard and driveway clutter- and vehicle-free.

» Kill any mold and mildew growing anywhere on the house.

» Accentuate nighttime curb appeal with landscape lighting along walks, drives and entries; or create focal points by spotlighting key landscaping elements or interesting architectural features.

» Get rid of novelty yard ornaments or garden props, which can detract from a landscape’s natural beauty.

» Go to the pros for help.

“Before you get yourself in trouble, ask a professional to find out exactly what would make it appealing to someone else,” Moulton said. “If you are looking to sell your home, there is something to enhance it without spending a lot of money.”

Simon Property becomes biggest real estate company

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:00:59 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The nation’s largest shopping mall operator, Simon Property Group Inc., is now also the world’s largest real estate company.

Indianapolis-based Simon Property this month is listed at No. 1 on the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index. John Barwick of the National Real Estate Investment Trust said Monday that’s based on the company’s market capitalization of $45.9 billion as of May 4. The market cap is the total market value of a company’s outstanding shares.

Yahoo! Finance recently estimated Simon’s enterprise value at $65 billion, the Indianapolis Business Journal reports. Simon says that’s a low estimate and it’s really worth about $85 billion, including unconverted ownership units and debt Simon has issued recently. Enterprise value includes additional factors besides market capitalization.

The IBJ reports Simon is the only real estate company listed on the Standard Poor’s 100 Index, a listing of the nation’s largest and most established companies including Apple Inc., Coca-Cola Co., and McDonald’s Corp.

In April, the company reported a 9.7 percent increase in revenue, to $1.12 billion and an 11 percent sales jump for its tenants. Simon also boosted its quarterly dividend to $1 per share.

Simon grew its revenue over the years by building and leasing new malls and acquiring rival mall owners, but the company has adjusted its strategy for growth now that it has more than 330 retail properties and 5,500 employees. The new strategy, the IBJ says, involves aggressive development of outlet malls in the United States and abroad, remodeling its top-performing U.S. properties, and a move overseas starting with a 30 percent stake in Klepierre, a French company that owns 270 shopping centers in 13 countries.

Rich Moore, an analyst for RBC Capital Markets in suburban Cleveland, said Simon is well positioned to continue to capitalize on the outlet mall craze with its 70-mall Premium Outlets chain. The outlets business contributes about 30 percent of Simon’s income, and the company is adding malls both in the United States and abroad, including several in Brazil.

“There’s no doubt when you get bigger, it becomes harder to grow,” Moore said. “However, in Simon’s case, there are so many different facets to that business, all of which are growing.”

Richard Feinberg, a Purdue University retailing professor, said Simon’s focus on foreign properties and outlet malls makes sense because it’s more expensive to build traditional enclosed malls.

Simon also plans to spend $1 billion a year remodeling and expanding its best malls, the IBJ reports.

Feinberg doesn’t see online shopping as a serious threat. He said Simon may actually be able to capitalize on the trend as it develops social media apps to support its malls.

“Clearly, they’re consumer driven, and they face the same fate as everyone who depends on the consumer,” Feinberg said. “In the short term, they’re in an updraft. Medium term, we’re not quite sure. Long term, unless nuclear weapons pop up, they’re in great shape.”

First impression is key for home sales

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:41:05 +0000

Curb appeal: It’s your first chance to attract a buyer and make a good impression.

It also could mean the difference between selling your house or having it sit on the market for months and months, maybe even years.

Realtors and landscapers alike can offer suggestions for improving the curb appeal of your property, whether it’s for sale or just in need of an update.

Adding just a few touches here and there — either repair or decorative in nature — ultimately will add to the visual interest of your home.

» Remove any dead, diseased or dying plants with a spring or fall cleanup.

» Edge beds and mulch for a finished, professional look.

» Mature trees are popular because shade can reduce a home’s energy bills.

» Plant annuals, perennials or flowering shrubs for instant color.

» Redesign the front with a new walk, porch, new steps or coverings.

» Enliven your entryway.

“What you have to remember is that what they see coming in is their first impression,” said Mark Cathers, Realtor with HER Real Living in Lancaster. “If they don’t like that, you may never even get them into the door. You can freshen up or change the hardware on the door.”

» Choose plants with a neat appearance and containers that are classically neat and neutral.

» Consider giving a fresh coat of paint to house trim, porch furniture, picket fences, porch columns, arches or other decorative architectural accents.

» If a lawn is in horrendous shape, consider replacing it with sod.

» A new house number can perk up the appearance of your home; consider brass or wrought iron for a modern look.

“You don’t want a rusty or unattractive house number, both for safety and appearances sake,” Cathers said. “You want to make it inviting.”

» Create a focal point between the street and the home so that prospective buyers (or visitors) enjoy their walk to the front door, Cathers suggests.

“The first impression will get a prospective buyer into the front door,” Cathers said. “But if the outside is not attractive, they may feel the inside of the house will be unattractive.”

» Keep your yard and driveway clutter- and vehicle-free.

» Kill any mold and mildew growing anywhere on the house.

» Accentuate nighttime curb appeal with landscape lighting along walks, drives and entries; or create focal points by spotlighting key landscaping elements or interesting architectural features.

» Get rid of novelty yard ornaments or garden props, which can detract from a landscape’s natural beauty.

» Go to the pros for help.

“Don’t be afraid to ask a professional to find out exactly what would make it appealing to someone else,” Cathers said. “Realtors are trained in the local market forces and what current buyers are looking for. What you can do without spending a lot of money could help you sell the property.”

Capili: Promoting the real estate course (I

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:40:58 +0000

b. Simple characterizations of the political structure since the 1980s are no longer possible.

c. excludes all disputed territories. Includes PRC-administered area (Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract, both territories claimed by India), Taiwan is not included.
d. Information for mainland China only. Hong Kong, Macau and territories under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, are excluded.
}}

The People’s Republic of China (PRC), commonly known as China, is the most populous state in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, it is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China (CPC). The PRC exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly administered municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two highly autonomous special administrative regions (SARs) – Hong Kong and Macau. Its capital city is Beijing.

At about 9.6 million square kilometres (3.7 million square miles), the PRC is the world’s third- or fourth-largest country by total area, depending on the definition of what is included in that total, and the second largest by land area. Its landscape is diverse, with forest steppes and deserts (the Gobi and Taklamakan) in the dry north near Mongolia and Russia’s Siberia, and subtropical forests in the wet south close to Vietnam, Laos, and Burma. The terrain in the west is rugged and elevated, with the Himalayas and the Tian Shan mountain ranges forming China’s natural borders with India, Nepal and Central Asia. In contrast, mainland China’s eastern seaboard is low-lying and has a long coastline (the 11th longest in the world), bounded on the southeast by the South China Sea and on the east by the East China Sea, beyond which lie Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.

The ancient Chinese civilization—one of the world’s earliest—flourished in the fertile basin of the Yellow River which flows through the North China Plain. China’s political system was based on hereditary monarchies (also known as dynasties) from time of the Xia (approx. 2000 BC). However, it was the Qin Dynasty that first unified China in 221 BC. The last dynasty, the Qing, ended in 1911 with the founding of the Republic of China (ROC) by the Kuomintang (KMT), the Chinese Nationalist Party. The first half of the 20th century saw China plunged into a period of disunity and civil wars that divided the country into two main political camps – the Kuomintang and the communists. Major hostilities ended in 1949, when the communists essentially won the civil war and established the People’s Republic of China in mainland China. The KMT-led Republic of China relocated their capital to Taipei on Taiwan; its jurisdiction is now limited to Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu and several outlying islands. Since then, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been involved in political disputes with the Republic of China over issues of sovereignty, the political status of Taiwan, and battle for international diplomatic recognition.

Since the introduction of market-based economic reforms in 1978, China has become the world’s fastest growing major economy, the world’s largest exporter and second largest importer of goods. It is the world’s second largest economy by both nominal GDP and purchasing power parity (PPP). PRC has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since 1971. It is also a member of formal/informal multilateral organizations including the WTO, APEC, BRIC, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and G-20. China is a recognized nuclear weapons state and has the world’s largest standing army with the second-largest defense budget. China has been characterized as a potential superpower by a number of academics, military analysts, and public policy and economics analysts.

History

Ancient China was one of the earliest centers of human civilization. Chinese civilization was also one of the few to invent writing, the others being Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilization, the Maya and other Mesoamerican civilizations, the Minoan civilization of ancient Greece, and Ancient Egypt.

Prehistory

Archaeological evidence suggests that the earliest hominids in China date from 250,000 to 2.24 million years ago. A cave in Zhoukoudian (near present-day Beijing) has fossils dated at somewhere between 300,000 to 780,000 years. The fossils are of Peking Man, an example of Homo erectus who used fire.

The earliest evidence of a fully modern human in China comes from Liujiang County, Guangxi, where a cranium has been found and dated at approximately 67,000 years old. Controversy persists over the dating of the Liujiang remains (a partial skeleton from Minatogawa in Okinawa).

Dynastic rule

Chinese tradition names the first dynasty Xia, but it was considered mythical until scientific excavations found early Bronze Age sites at Erlitou in Henan Province in 1959. Archaeologists have since uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs in locations cited as Xia’s in ancient historical texts, but it is impossible to verify that these remains are of the Xia without written records from the period.

The first Chinese dynasty that left historical records, the loosely feudal Shang (Yin), settled along the Yellow River in eastern China from the 17th to the 11th century BC. The Oracle bone script of the Shang Dynasty represent the oldest forms of Chinese writing found and the direct ancestor of modern Chinese characters used throughout East Asia. The Shang were invaded from the west by the Zhou, who ruled from the 12th to the 5th century BC, until their centralized authority was slowly eroded by feudal warlords. Many independent states eventually emerged out of the weakened Zhou state, and continually waged war with each other in the Spring and Autumn Period, only occasionally deferring to the Zhou king. By the time of the Warring States Period, there were seven powerful sovereign states, each with its own king, ministry and army.

The first unified Chinese state was established by Qin Shi Huang of the Qin state in 221 BC, who proclaimed himself as the “First Emperor” and created many reforms in the Empire, notably the forced standardization of the Chinese language and measurements. The Qin Dynasty lasted only fifteen years, as its harsh legalist and authoritarian policies soon led to widespread rebellion.

The subsequent Han Dynasty ruled China between 206 BC and 220 AD, and created a lasting Han cultural identity among its populace that extends to the present day. The Han Dynasty expanded the empire’s territory considerably with military campaigns reaching Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia and Central Asia, and also helped establish the Silk Road in Central Asia.

After Han’s collapse, another period of disunion followed, including the highly chivalric period of the Three Kingdoms. Independent Chinese states of this period such as Wu opened diplomatic relations with Japan, introducing the Chinese writing system there. In 580 AD, China was reunited under the Sui. However, the Sui Dynasty was short-lived after a failure in the Goguryeo-Sui Wars (598–614) weakened it.

Under the succeeding Tang and Song dynasties, Chinese technology and culture reached its zenith. The Tang Empire was at its height of power until the middle of the 8th century, when the An Shi Rebellion destroyed the prosperity of the empire. The Song Dynasty was the first government in world history to issue paper money and the first Chinese polity to establish a permanent standing navy. Between the 10th and 11th centuries, the population of China doubled in size. This growth came about through expanded rice cultivation in central and southern China, and the production of abundant food surpluses.

Within its borders, the Northern Song Dynasty had a population of some 100 million people. The Song Dynasty was a culturally rich period for philosophy and the arts. Landscape art and portrait painting were brought to new levels of maturity and complexity after the Tang Dynasty, and social elites gathered to view art, share their own, and trade precious artworks. Philosophers such as Cheng Yi and Chu Hsi reinvigorated Confucianism with new commentary, infused Buddhist ideals, and emphasized a new organization of classic texts that brought about the core doctrine of Neo-Confucianism.

In 1271, the Mongol leader and fifth Khagan of the Mongol Empire Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty, with the last remnant of the Song Dynasty falling to the Yuan in 1279. Before the Mongol invasion, Chinese dynasties reportedly had approximately 120 million inhabitants; after the conquest was completed in 1279, the 1300 census reported roughly 60 million people. A peasant named Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Mongols in 1368 and founded the Ming Dynasty. Ming Dynasty thinkers such as Wang Yangming would further critique and expand Neo-Confucianism with ideas of individualism and innate morality that would have tremendous impact on later Japanese thought. Chosun Korea also became a nominal vassal state of Ming China and adopted much of its Neo-Confucian bureaucratic structure.

Under the Ming Dynasty, China had another golden age, with one of the strongest navies in the world, a rich and prosperous economy and a flourishing of the arts and culture. It was during this period that Zheng He led explorations throughout the world, possibly reaching America. During the early Ming Dynasty China’s capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. In 1644 Beijing was sacked by a coalition of rebel forces led by Li Zicheng, a minor Ming official turned leader of the peasant revolt. The last Ming Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide when the city fell. The Manchu Qing Dynasty then allied with Ming Dynasty general Wu Sangui and overthrew Li’s short-lived Shun Dynasty, and subsequently seized control of Beijing, which became the new capital of the Qing Dynasty.

The Qing Dynasty, which lasted until 1912, was the last dynasty in China. In the 19th century the Qing Dynasty adopted a defensive posture towards European imperialism, even though it engaged in imperialistic expansion into Central Asia. At this time China awoke to the significance of the rest of the world, the West in particular. As China opened up to foreign trade and missionary activity, opium produced by British India was forced onto Qing China. Two Opium Wars with Britain weakened the Emperor’s control. European imperialism proved to be disastrous for China:thumb|left|upright|Clipper ship [[Celestial Empire (clipper)|Celestial Empire]]

The Arrow War (1856–1860) [2nd Opium War] saw another disastrous defeat for China. The subsequent passing of the humiliating Treaty of Tianjin in 1856 and the Beijing Conventions of 1860 opened up more of the country to foreign penetrations and more ports for their vessels. Hong Kong was ceded over to the British. Thus, the “unequal treaties system” was established. Heavy indemnities had to be paid by China, and more territory and control were taken over by the foreigners.

The weakening of the Qing regime, and the apparent humiliation of the unequal treaties in the eyes of the Chinese people had several consequences. One consequence was the Taiping Civil War, which lasted from 1851 to 1862. It was led by Hong Xiuquan, who was partly influenced by an idiosyncratic interpretation of Christianity. Hong believed himself to be the son of God and the younger brother of Jesus. Although the Qing forces were eventually victorious, the civil war was one of the bloodiest in human history, costing at least 20 million lives (more than the total number of fatalities in the World War I), with some estimates of up to two hundred million. Other costly rebellions followed the Taiping Rebellion, such as the Punti-Hakka Clan Wars (1855–67), Nien Rebellion (1851–1868), Miao Rebellion (1854–73), Panthay Rebellion (1856–1873) and the Dungan revolt (1862–1877).

These rebellions resulted in an estimated loss of several million lives each and led to disastrous results for the economy and the countryside. The flow of British opium hastened the empire’s decline. In the 19th century, the age of colonialism was at its height and the great Chinese Diaspora began. About 35 million overseas Chinese live in Southeast Asia today. The famine in 1876–79 claimed between 9 and 13 million lives in northern China. From 108 BC to 1911 AD, China experienced 1,828 famines, or one per year, somewhere in the empire.

While China was wracked by continuous war, Meiji Japan succeeded in rapidly modernizing its military and set its sights on Korea and Manchuria. At the request of the Korean emperor, the Chinese government sent troops to aid in suppressing the Tonghak Rebellion in 1894. However, Japan also sent troops to Korea, leading to the First Sino-Japanese War, which resulted in Qing China’s loss of influence in the Korean Peninsula as well as the cession of Taiwan to Japan.

Following this series of defeats, a reform plan for the empire to become a modern Meiji-style constitutional monarchy was drafted by the Guangxu Emperor in 1898, but was opposed and stopped by the Empress Dowager Cixi, who placed Emperor Guangxu under house arrest in a coup d’état. Further destruction followed the ill-fated 1900 Boxer Rebellion against westerners in Beijing.

By the early 20th century, mass civil disorder had begun, and calls for reform and revolution were heard across the country. The 38-year-old Emperor Guangxu died under house arrest on 14 November 1908, suspiciously just a day before Cixi’s own death. With the throne empty, he was succeeded by Cixi’s handpicked heir, his two year old nephew Puyi, who became the Xuantong Emperor. Guangxu’s consort became the Empress Dowager Longyu. In another coup de’tat, Yuan Shikai overthrew the last Qing emperor, and forced empress Dowager Longyu to sign the abdication decree as regent in 1912, ending two thousand years of imperial rule in China. She died, childless, in 1913.

Republic of China (1912–49)

On 1 January 1912, the Republic of China was established, heralding the end of the Qing Dynasty. Sun Yat-sen of the Kuomintang (the KMT or Nationalist Party) was proclaimed provisional president of the republic. However, the presidency was later given to Yuan Shikai, a former Qing general, who had ensured the defection of the entire Beiyang Army from the Qing Empire to the revolution. In 1915, Yuan proclaimed himself Emperor of China but was forced to abdicate and return the state to a republic when he realized it was an unpopular move, not only with the population but also with his own Beiyang Army and its commanders.

After Yuan Shikai’s death in 1916, China was politically fragmented, with an internationally recognized but virtually powerless national government seated in Peking (Beijing). Warlords in various regions exercised actual control over their respective territories. In the late 1920s, the Kuomintang, under Chiang Kai-shek, was able to reunify the country under its own control, moving the nation’s capital to Nanking (Nanjing) and implementing “political tutelage“, an intermediate stage of political development outlined in Sun Yat-sen’s program for transforming China into a modern, democratic state. Effectively, political tutelage meant one-party rule by the Kuomintang.

The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) (part of World War II) forced an uneasy alliance between the Nationalists and the Communists as well as causing around 20 million Chinese civilian deaths. The Japanese ‘three-all policy‘ in north China — “kill all, burn all and destroy all”, was one example of wartime atrocities committed on a civilian population. With the surrender of Japan in 1945, China emerged victorious but financially drained. The continued distrust between the Nationalists and the Communists led to the resumption of the Chinese Civil War. In 1947, constitutional rule was established, but because of the ongoing Civil War many provisions of the ROC constitution were never implemented in mainland China.

History of the People’s Republic of China

Major combat in the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949 with the Communist Party of China in control of mainland China, and the Kuomintang (KMT) retreating to Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC), reducing the ROC territory to only Taiwan and surrounding islands. On 1 October 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China. “Communist China” and “Red China” were two common names for the PRC.

The economic and social plan known as the Great Leap Forward resulted in an estimated 45 million deaths. In 1966, Mao and his allies launched the Cultural Revolution, which would last until Mao’s death a decade later. The Cultural Revolution, motivated by power struggles within the Party and a fear of the Soviet Union, led to a major upheaval in Chinese society. In 1972, at the peak of the Sino-Soviet split, Mao and Zhou Enlai met Richard Nixon in Beijing to establish relations with the United States. In the same year, the PRC was admitted to the United Nations in place of the Republic of China for China’s membership of the United Nations, and permanent membership of the Security Council.

After Mao’s death in 1976 and the arrest of the Gang of Four, blamed for the excesses of the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping quickly wrested power from Mao’s anointed successor Hua Guofeng. Although he never became the head of the party or state himself, Deng was in fact the Paramount Leader of China at that time, his influence within the Party led the country to significant economic reforms. The Communist Party subsequently loosened governmental control over citizens’ personal lives and the communes were disbanded with many peasants receiving multiple land leases, which greatly increased incentives and agricultural production. This turn of events marked China’s transition from a planned economy to a mixed economy with an increasingly open market environment, a system termed by some “market socialism“, and officially by the Communist Party of China “Socialism with Chinese characteristics“. The PRC adopted its current constitution on 4 December 1982.

In 1989, the death of pro-reform official Hu Yaobang helped to spark the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, during which students and others campaigned for several months, speaking out against corruption and in favour of greater political reform, including democratic rights and freedom of speech. However, they were eventually put down on 4 June when PLA troops and vehicles entered and forcibly cleared the square, resulting in numerous casualties. This event was widely reported and brought worldwide condemnation and sanctions against the government. The “Tank Man” incident in particular became famous.

CPC General Secretary, President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji, both former mayors of Shanghai, led post-Tiananmen PRC in the 1990s. Under Jiang and Zhu’s ten years of administration, the PRC’s economic performance pulled an estimated 150 million peasants out of poverty and sustained an average annual gross domestic product growth rate of 11.2%. The country formally joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

Although the PRC needs economic growth to spur its development, the government has begun to worry that rapid economic growth has negatively impacted the country’s resources and environment. Another concern is that certain sectors of society are not sufficiently benefiting from the PRC’s economic development; one example of this is the wide gap between urban and rural areas. As a result, under current CPC General Secretary, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, the PRC has initiated policies to address these issues of equitable distribution of resources, but the outcome remains to be seen. More than 40 million farmers have been displaced from their land, usually for economic development, contributing to the 87,000 demonstrations and riots across China in 2005. For much of the PRC’s population, living standards have seen extremely large improvements, and freedom continues to expand, but political controls remain tight and rural areas poor.

Geography

The People’s Republic of China is the second largest country in the world by land area and is considered the third or fourth largest in respect to total area. The uncertainty over size is related to (a) the validity of claims by China on territories such as Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract (both territories also claimed by India), and (b) how the total size of the United States is calculated: The World Factbook gives , and the Encyclopædia Britannica gives . The area statistics do not include the of territory ceded to the PRC by the Parliament of Tajikistan on 12 January 2011, which ended a centuries-long dispute.

China borders 14 nations, more than any other country (shared with Russia); counted clockwise from south: Vietnam, Laos, Burma, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and North Korea. Additionally the border between the PRC and the ROC is located in territorial waters. China has a land border of , the largest in the world.

The territory of China lies between latitudes 18° and 54° N, and longitudes 73° and 135° E. It contains a large variety of landscapes. In the east, along the shores of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, there are extensive and densely populated alluvial plains, while on the edges of the Inner Mongolian plateau in the north, grasslands can be seen. Southern China is dominated by hill country and low mountain ranges. In the central-east are the deltas of China’s two major rivers, the Yellow River and Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). Other major rivers include the Xi, Mekong, Brahmaputra and Amur. To the west, major mountain ranges, notably the Himalayas, with China’s highest point at the eastern half of Mount Everest, and high plateaus feature among the more arid landscapes such as the Taklamakan and the Gobi Desert.

A major issue is the continued expansion of deserts, particularly the Gobi Desert. Although barrier tree lines planted since the 1970s have reduced the frequency of sandstorms, prolonged drought and poor agricultural practices result in dust storms plaguing northern China each spring, which then spread to other parts of East Asia, including Korea and Japan. According to China’s environmental watchdog, Sepa, China is losing a million acres (4,000 km²) per year to desertification. Water, erosion, and pollution control have become important issues in China’s relations with other countries. Melting glaciers in the Himalayas could also lead to water shortages for hundreds of millions of people.

China has a climate mainly dominated by dry seasons and wet monsoons, which leads to temperature differences between winter and summer. In winter, northern winds coming from high latitude areas are cold and dry; in summer, southern winds from sea areas at lower latitude are warm and moist. The climate in China differs from region to region because of the country’s extensive and complex topography.

Biodiversity

One of 17 megadiverse countries, China lies in two of the world’s major ecozones, the Palearctic and the Indomalaya. In the Palearctic zone are found such mammals as the horse, camel, tapir, and jerboa. Among the species found in the Indomalaya region are the Leopard Cat, bamboo rat, treeshrew, and various species of monkeys and apes. Some overlap exists between the two regions because of natural dispersal and migration, and deer or antelope, bears, wolves, pigs, and rodents are found in all of the diverse climatic and geological environments. The famous giant panda is found only in a limited area along the Yangtze. There is a continuing problem with trade in endangered species, although there are now laws to prohibit such activities.

China contains also a variety of forest types. Both northeast and northwest reaches contain mountains and cold coniferous forests, supporting animal species which include moose and Asiatic black bear, along with some 120 types of birds. Moist conifer forests can have thickets of bamboo as an understorey, replaced by rhododendrons in higher montane stands of juniper and yew. Subtropical forests, which dominate central and southern China, support an astounding 146,000 species of flora. Tropical rainforest and seasonal rainforests, though confined to Yunnan and Hainan Island, actually contain a quarter of all the plant and animal species found in China.

Environment

China has some relevant environmental regulations: the 1979 Environmental Protection Law, which was largely modeled on US legislation. But the environment continues to deteriorate. While the regulations are fairly stringent, enforcement of them is poor as they are frequently disregarded by local communities or governments while seeking economic development. 12 years after the law, only one Chinese city was making an effort to clean up its water discharges.

Part of the price China is paying for increased prosperity is damage to the environment. Leading Chinese environmental campaigner Ma Jun has warned that water pollution is one of the most serious threats facing China. According to the Ministry of Water Resources, roughly 300 million Chinese are drinking unsafe water. This makes the crisis of water shortages more pressing, with 400 out of 600 cities short of water.

Yet, with $34.6 billion invested in clean technology in 2009, China is the world’s leading investor in renewable energy technologies. China produces more wind turbines and solar panels each year than any other country.

Politics

The PRC is regarded by several political scientists as one of the last five Communist states (along with Vietnam, North Korea, Laos, and Cuba), but simple characterizations of PRC’s political structure since the 1980s are no longer possible. The PRC government has been variously described as communist and socialist, but also as authoritarian, with heavy restrictions remaining in many areas, most notably on the Internet, the press, freedom of assembly, reproductive rights, and freedom of religion.

Compared to its closed-door policies until the mid-1970s, the liberalization of the PRC has resulted in the administrative climate being less restrictive than before. The PRC is far different from liberal democracy or social democracy that exists in most of Europe or North America, and the National People’s Congress (highest state body) has been described as a “rubber stamp” body. The PRC’s incumbent President is Hu Jintao who is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and his Premier is Wen Jiabao who is also a member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee.

The country is ruled by the Communist Party of China (CPC), whose power is enshrined in China’s constitution. The political system is very decentralized with limited democratic processes internal to the party and at local village levels, although these experiments have been marred by corruption. There are other political parties in the PRC, referred to in China as democratic parties, which participate in the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

There have been some moves toward political liberalization, in that open contested elections are now held at the village and town levels, and that legislatures have shown some assertiveness from time to time. However, the Party retains effective control over government appointments: in the absence of meaningful opposition, the CPC wins by default most of the time. Political concerns in the PRC include lessening the growing gap between rich and poor and fighting corruption within the government leadership.

The level of support to the government action and the management of the nation is among the highest in the world, with 86% of people who express satisfaction with the way things are going in their country and with their nation’s economy according to a 2008 Pew Research Center survey.

Administrative divisions

The People’s Republic of China has administrative control over 22 provinces and considers Taiwan to be its 23rd province, despite not having control over Taiwan which is currently administered by the Republic of China. The PRC’s claim is disputed by the Republic of China. There are also five autonomous regions, each with a designated minority group; four municipalities; and two Special Administrative Regions that enjoy some degree of autonomy. The 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, and four municipalities can be collectively referred to as “mainland China“, a term which usually excludes Hong Kong and Macau.

Foreign relations

China maintains diplomatic relations with most major countries in the world. China has diplomatic relations with 171 countries and maintains embassies in 162. Its legitimacy is disputed by Republic of China and a few other countries; it is thus the largest state with limited recognition. Sweden was the first western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic on 9 May 1950. In 1971, the PRC replaced the Republic of China as the sole representative of China in the United Nations and as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The PRC was also a former member and leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, and still considers itself an advocate for developing countries.

Under its interpretation of the One-China policy, the PRC has made it a precondition to establishing diplomatic relations that the other country acknowledges its claim to Taiwan and severs official ties with the Republic of China government; it has protested when any country shows signs of diplomatic overture, or sells armaments to Taiwan. It also opposes political meetings between foreign government officials and the 14th Dalai Lama.

The PRC has been playing an increasing role in calling for free trade areas and security pacts amongst its Asia-Pacific neighbors. In 2004, the PRC proposed an entirely new East Asia Summit (EAS) framework as a forum for regional security issues that pointedly excluded the United States. The EAS, which includes ASEAN Plus Three, India, Australia and New Zealand, held its inaugural summit in 2005. The PRC is also a founding member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), with Russia and the Central Asian republics.

In 2000 the U.S. Congress approved “permanent normal trade relations” (PNTR) with China, allowing Chinese exports in at the same low tariffs as goods from most other countries. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush asserted that free trade would gradually open China to democratic reform. Bush was an advocate of China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). China has a significant trade surplus with the United States, its most important export market. U.S. politicians have recently argued that the Chinese yuan is undervalued, giving China an unfair trade advantage.

Sinophobic attitudes often target Chinese minorities and nationals living outside of China. Sometimes the anti-Chinese attitudes turn violent, such as the 13 May Incident in Malaysia in 1969 and the Jakarta riots of May 1998 in Indonesia, in which more than 2,000 people died. In recent years, a number of anti-Chinese riots and incidents have also occurred in Africa and Oceania. Anti-Chinese sentiment is often rooted in socio-economics.

Much of the current foreign policy is based on the concept of Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence of Zhou Enlai – non-interference in other states’ affairs, non-aggression, peaceful coexistence, and equality and mutual benefits. China’s foreign policy is also driven by the concept of “harmony without uniformity” which encourages diplomatic relations between states despite ideological differences. This has led China to support states that are regarded as dangerous by Western nations, such as Zimbabwe, North Korea, or Iran. Conflicts with foreign countries have occurred at times in its recent history, particularly with the United States; for example, the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo conflict in May 1999 and the US-China spy plane incident in April 2001. Its foreign relations with many Western nations suffered for a time following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, though they have since recovered.

The relationship between China and Japan has been strained at times by Japan’s refusal to acknowledge its wartime past to the satisfaction of the PRC; take for instance revisionist comments made by prominent Japanese officials and in some Japanese history textbooks. Another point of conflict between the two countries is the frequent visits by Japanese government officials to the Yasukuni Shrine. However, Sino-Japanese relations have warmed considerably since Shinzo Abe became the new Japanese Prime Minister in September 2006. A joint historical study conducted by the PRC and Japan released a report in 2010 which pointed toward a new consensus on the issue of WWII atrocities.

Equally bordering the most countries in the world alongside Russia, China was party to a number of international territorial disputes resulting from the legacy of unequal treaties imposed on China during the historical period of New Imperialism. Since the 1990s, the PRC has been entering negotiations to resolve its disputed land borders, usually by offering concessions and accepting less than half of the disputed territory with each party. The PRC’s only remaining land border disputes are a disputed border with India and an undefined border with Bhutan. China is a party in multilateral disputes over the ownership of several small islands in the East and South China Seas.

While accompanying a rapid economic rise, the PRC since the 1990s seeks to maintain a policy of quiet diplomacy with its neighbors. It does so by keeping economic growth steady and participating in regional organizations and cultivating bi-lateral relations in order to ease suspicion over China’s burgeoning military capabilities. The PRC has started a policy of wooing African nations for trade and bilateral co-operation. Xinhua, China’s official news agency, states that there are no less than 750,000 Chinese nationals working or living in Africa. There are some discussions about whether China will become a new superpower in the 21st century, with certain commentators pointing out its economic progress, military might, very large population, and increasing international influence but others noting the dangers posed by the bubbles that exist in the mainland Chinese economy.

Military

With 2.3 million active troops, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the largest military in the world, commanded by the Central Military Commission (CMC). The PLA consists of an army, navy (PLAN), air force, and strategic nuclear force. The official announced budget of the PLA for 2009 was $70 billion. However, the United States claims China does not report its real military spending. The Defense Intelligence Agency estimates that the real Chinese military budget for 2008 could be anywhere from US$105 to US$150 billion.

China, with possession of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, is considered a major military regional power and an emerging military superpower. China is the only member of the UN Security Council to have limited power projection capabilities As a consequence, it has been establishing foreign military relationships that have been compared to a String of Pearls.

Much progress has been made in the last decade and the PRC continues to make efforts to modernize its military. It has purchased state-of-the-art fighter jets from Russia, such as the Sukhoi Su-30s, and has also produced its own modern fighters, specifically the Chinese J-10s and the J-11s. It has also acquired and improved upon the Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile systems, which are considered to be among the best aircraft-intercepting systems in the world, albeit Russia has since produced the new generation S-400 Triumf, with China reportedly already having spent $500 million on a downgraded export version of it. The PRC’s armored and rapid-reaction forces have been updated with enhanced electronics and targeting capabilities. In recent years, much attention has been focused on building a navy with blue-water capability.

Little information is available regarding the motivations supporting China’s military modernization. A 2007 report by the US Secretary of Defense notes that “China’s actions in certain areas increasingly appear inconsistent with its declaratory policies”. For its part, China claims it maintains an army purely for defensive purposes.

On March 13, 2011, the PLAN Missile Frigate Xuzhou was spotted off the coast of Libya, making it the first time in history a Chinese warship sailed in the Mediterranean. The entrance into the Mediterranean was part of a humanitarian mission to rescue PRC nationals and a few non-Chinese out of Libya, though analysts such as Fareed Zakaria also view this trip as part of the PRC”s attempts to increase its global presence.

Sociopolitical issues and reform

The Chinese democracy movement, social activists, and certain members of the Communist Party of China have all identified the need to address sociopolitical issues with reform. While economic and social controls have been greatly relaxed in China since the 1970s, political freedom is still tightly restricted. The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China states that the “fundamental rights” of citizens include freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to a fair trial, freedom of religion, universal suffrage, and property rights. However, these provisions do not afford significant protection in practice against criminal prosecution by the State.

With the Chinese economic reform, tens of millions of rural Chinese who have moved to the cities find themselves treated as second-class citizens by China’s obsolescent household registration system that controls state benefits, called hukou. The system of property rights is weak, and eminent domain land seizures has abused peasants. In 2003/2004, the average farmer had to pay three times more in taxes even though his income was only one sixth that of the average urban dweller. Since then, a number of rural taxes have been reduced or abolished, and additional social services provided to rural dwellers.

Censorship of political speech and information, including on the Internet, is openly and routinely used to silence criticism of government and the ruling Chinese Communist Party. In 2005, Reporters Without Borders ranked the PRC 159 (out of 167 states) in its Annual World Press Freedom Index. The government has put down demonstrations from organizations and beliefs that it considers a potential threat to “social stability” and control, as was the case with the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The Communist Party has had mixed success in controlling information: a very strong media control system faces very strong market forces, an increasingly educated citizenry, and cultural change that are making China more open, especially on environmental issues. However, attempts are still made by the Chinese government to control the information available from the outside world from reaching their populace.

A number of foreign governments and NGOs routinely criticize the PRC, alleging widespread civil rights violations including systematic use of lengthy detention without trial, forced confessions, torture, mistreatment of prisoners, restrictions of freedom of speech, assembly, association, religion, the press, and labor rights. China executes more people than any other country, accounting for 72% of the world’s total in 2009, though it is not the largest executioner per capita.

The PRC government has responded by arguing that the notion of human rights should take into account a country’s present level of economic development, and focus more on the people’s rights to subsistence and development in poorer countries. The rise in the standard of living, literacy, and life expectancy for the average Chinese in the last three decades is seen by the government as tangible progress made in human rights. Efforts in the past decade to combat deadly natural disasters, such as the perennial Yangtze River floods, and work-related accidents are also portrayed in China as progress in human rights for a still largely poor country.

The PRC government remains divided over the issue of political reform. Some high ranking members have spoken out in favor reforms, while others remain more conservative. Premier Wen Jiabao states that the PRC needs “to gradually improve the democratic election system so that state power will truly belong to the people and state power will be used to serve the people.” Despite his status, Wen’s comments were later censored by the government.

As the social, cultural and political as well as economic consequences of market reform become increasingly manifest, tensions between the conservative and reformists in the party are sharpening. Some Chinese scholars such as Zhou Tianyong, the vice director of research of the Central Party School, argue that gradual political reform as well as repression of those pushing for overly rapid change over the next thirty years will be essential if China is to avoid an overly turbulent transition to a middle class dominated polity. Some Chinese look back to the Cultural Revolution and fear chaos if the Communist Party should lose control due to domestic upheavals and so a robust system of monitoring and control is in place to counter the growing pressure for political change.

Economy

From its founding in 1949 to late 1978, the People’s Republic of China was a Soviet-style centrally planned economy. Private businesses and capitalism did not exist. To propel the country towards a modern, industrialized communist society, Mao Zedong instituted the Great Leap Forward. Following Mao’s death and the end of the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping and the new Chinese leadership began to reform the economy and move to a more market-oriented mixed economy under one-party rule. Collectivization of the agriculture was dismantled and farmlands were privatized to increase productivity. In 1978, China and Japan had normalized diplomatic relations and China had decided to borrow money from Japan in soft loans. Since 1978, Japan has been China’s No. 1 foreign donor. China’s economy is mainly characterised as a market economy based on private property ownership and is one of the leading examples of state capitalism.

A wide variety of small-scale enterprises were encouraged while the government relaxed price controls and promoted foreign investment. Foreign trade was focused upon as a major vehicle of growth, which led to the creation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) first in Shenzhen (near Hong Kong) and then in other Chinese cities. Inefficient state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were restructured by introducing western-style management system and the unprofitable ones were closed, resulting in massive job losses. By the latter part of 2010, China was reversing some of its economic liberalization initiative whereby state-owned companies were buying up independent businesses in the steel, auto and energy industries.

Since economic liberalization began in 1978, the PRC’s investment- and export-led economy has grown 90 times bigger and is the fastest growing major economy in the world. According to IMF that PRC’s annual average GDP growth for the period of 2001–2010 was 10.5 percent and predicted to grow with 9.5 percent for the period of 2011–2015. From 2007 to 2011 China global economic growth is same as G7 growth combined together. As Global Growth Generators countries announced by Citigroup at February 2011, China has high 3G Index. It now has the world’s second largest nominal GDP at 39.8 trillion yuan (US$6.05 trillion), although its GDP per capita of US$4,300 is still low and puts the PRC behind roughly a hundred countries. The primary, secondary, and tertiary industries contributed 10.6%, 46.8%, and 42.6% respectively to the total economy in 2009. If PPP is taken into account, the PRC’s economy is second only to the US at $10.085 trillion corresponding to $7,518 per capita.

The inaugural Global Wealth Report by Credit Suisse Research Institute collects data across more than 200 countries in mid-2010 stated China is expected to overtake Japan as the second wealthiest country in the world by 2015 ($35 trillion) on the back of rapid economic growth and strong domestic consumption. Ten years ago, China was the seventh largest country in global wealth and China currently holds $16.5 trillion, 35 percent ahead of the wealthiest European country, France.

The PRC is the fourth most visited country in the world with 50.9 million inbound international visitors in 2009. It is a member of the WTO and is the world’s second largest trading power behind the US with a total international trade of US$2.21 trillion – US$1.20 trillion in exports (#1) and US$1.01 trillion in imports (#2). Its foreign exchange reserves have reached US$2.85 trillion at end of 2010 and it means increased by 18.7 percent from last year, making it by far the world’s largest for the last few years. The PRC owns an estimated $1.6 trillion of US securities. The PRC, holding US$1.16 trillion in Treasury bonds, is the largest foreign holder of US public debt. It is the world’s third largest recipient of inward FDI by attracting US$92.4 billion in 2008 alone, while the country itself increasingly invests abroad with a total outward FDI of US$52.2 billion in 2008 alone becoming the world’s sixth largest outward investor. FDI inward in 2010 was $106 billion rose 16 percent from 2009.

The PRC’s success has been primarily due to manufacturing as a low-cost producer. This is attributed to a combination of cheap labor, good infrastructure, relatively high productivity, favorable government policy, and some say, an undervalued exchange rate. The latter has been sometimes blamed for the PRC’s bulging trade surplus (US$262.7 billion in 2007) and has become a major source of dispute between the PRC and its major trading partners – the US, EU, and Japan – despite the yuan having been de-pegged and risen in value by 20% against the US$ since 2005.

The state still dominates in strategic “pillar” industries (such as energy and heavy industries), but private enterprise (30 million private businesses) now accounts for anywhere between 33% (People’s Daily 2005) to 70% (BusinessWeek, 2005) of GDP in 2005, while the OECD estimate is over 50% of China’s national output, up from 1% in 1978. Its stock market in Shanghai (SSE) is raising record amounts of IPOs and its benchmark Shanghai Composite index has doubled since 2005. SSE’s market capitalization reached US$3 trillion in 2007 and is the world’s fifth largest exchange.

China now ranks 29th in the Global Competitiveness Index and ranked 135^th among the 179 countries measured in the Index of Economic Freedom. 46 Chinese companies made the list in the 2010 Fortune Global 500 (Beijing alone with 30). Measured using market capitalization, four of the world’s top ten most valuable companies are Chinese. Some of these include first-ranked PetroChina (world’s most valuable oil company), third-ranked Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (world’s most valuable bank), fifth-ranked China Mobile (world’s most valuable telecommunications company) and seventh-ranked China Construction Bank.

Although a middle income country by the world’s standard, the PRC’s rapid growth managed to pull hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty since 1978. Today, about 10% of the Chinese population (down from 64% in 1978) live below the poverty line of US$1 per day (PPP) while life expectancy has dramatically increased to 73 years. More than 93% of the population is literate, compared to 20% in 1950. Urban unemployment declined to 4 percent in China by the end of 2007 (true overall unemployment might be higher at around 10%).

Its middle class population (defined as those with annual income of at least US$17,000) has now reached more than 100 million, while the number of super-rich individuals worth more than 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) is estimated to be 825,000 according to Hurun Report. China’s retail market is worth RMB 8.9 trillion (US$1.302 trillion) in 2007 and growing at 16.8% annually. It is also now the world’s second biggest consumer of luxury goods behind Japan with 27.5% of the global share.

The PRC’s growth has been uneven when comparing different geographic regions and rural and urban areas. The urban-rural income gap is getting wider in the PRC with a Gini coefficient of 46.9%. Development has also been mainly concentrated in the eastern coastal regions while the remainder of the country are left behind. To counter this, the government has promoted development in the western, northeastern, and central regions of China.

The economy is also highly energy-intensive and inefficient – it uses 20%–100% more energy than OECD countries for many industrial processes. It has now become the world’s largest energy consumer but relies on coal to supply about 70% of its energy needs. Coupled with a lax environmental regulation, this has led to a massive water and air pollution (China has 20 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities). Consequently, the government has promised to use more renewable energy with a target of 10% of total energy use by 2010 and 30% by 2050. In 2010, China became the largest wind energy provider worldwide, with the installed wind power capacity reaching 41.8 GW. On January 1, 2011, Russia said it had begun scheduled oil shipments to China, with the plan to increase the rate up to 300,000 barrels per day in 2011.

Science and technology

Historically

Among the technological accomplishments of ancient China were paper (not papyrus) and papermaking, woodblock printing and movable type printing, the early lodestone and needle compass, gunpowder, toilet paper, early seismological detectors, matches, pound locks, the double-action piston pump, blast furnace and cast iron, the iron plough, the multi-tube seed drill, the suspension bridge, natural gas as fuel, the differential gear for the South Pointing Chariot, the hydraulic-powered armillary sphere, the hydraulic-powered trip hammer, the mechanical chain drive, the mechanical belt drive, the raised-relief map, the propeller, the crossbow, the cannon, the rocket, the multistage rocket, etc.

Chinese astronomers were among the first to record observations of a supernova. The work of the astronomer Shen Kuo (1031–95) alone was most impressive, as he theorized that the sun and moon were spherical, corrected the position of the pole star with his improved sighting tube, discovered the concept of true north, wrote of planetary motions such as retrogradation, and compared the orbital paths of the planets to points on the shape of a rotating willow leaf. With evidence for them, he also postulated geological theories for the processes of land formation in geomorphology and climate change in paleoclimatology.

Other important astronomers included Gan De, Shi Shen, Zhang Heng, Yi Xing, Zhang Sixun, Su Song and Guo Shoujing. Chinese mathematics evolved independently of Greek mathematics and is therefore of great interest in the history of mathematics. The Chinese were also keen on documenting all of their technological achievements, such as in the Tiangong Kaiwu encyclopedia written by Song Yingxing (1587–1666).

China’s science and technology had fallen behind that of Europe by the 17th century. Political, social and cultural reasons have been given for this, although recent historians focus more on economic causes, such as the high level equilibrium trap.

Under the People’s Republic of China

After the Sino-Soviet split, China started to develop its own nuclear weapons and delivery systems, successfully detonating its first surface nuclear test in 1964 at Lop Nur. A natural outgrowth of this was a satellite launching program, which culminated in 1970 with the launching of Dong Fang Hong I, the first Chinese satellite. This made the PRC the fifth nation to independently launch a satellite.

In 1992, the Shenzhou manned spaceflight program was authorized. After four unmanned tests, Shenzhou 5 was launched on 15 October 2003, using a Long March 2F launch vehicle and carrying Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei, making the PRC the third country to put a human being into space through its own endeavors. China completed its second manned mission with a crew of two, Shenzhou 6 in October 2005. In 2008, China successfully completed the Shenzhou 7 mission, making it the third country to have the capability to conduct a spacewalk. In 2007, the PRC successfully sent the Chang’e spacecraft, named after the ancient Chinese moon goddess, to orbit and explore the moon as part of their Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. China has plans to build a space station in the near future and to achieve a lunar landing in the next decade. There are also plans for a manned mission to planet Mars.

China has the world’s second largest research and development budget, and is expected to invest over $136 billion in 2006 after growing more than 20% in 2005. The Chinese government continues to place heavy emphasis on research and development by creating greater public awareness of innovation, and reforming financial and tax systems to promote growth in cutting-edge industries.

In 2006, Hu Jintao called for China to make the transition from a manufacturing-based economy to an innovation-based one and the National People’s Congress have approved large increases in research funding. Stem cell research and gene therapy, which some in the Western world see as controversial, face minimal regulation in China. China has an estimated 926,000 researchers, second only to the 1.3 million in the United States.

China is also actively developing its software, semiconductor and energy industries, including renewable energies such as hydro, wind and solar power. In an effort to reduce pollution from coal-burning power plants, China has been pioneering the deployment of pebble bed nuclear reactors, which run cooler and safer, and have potential applications for the hydrogen economy.

In 2010, China developed Tianhe-IA, the world’s fastest supercomputer under 2011, currently stored in the National Supercomputing Center of Tianjin. The system is expected to process seismic data for oil exploration, conduct bio-medical computing and help design aerospace vehicles. Besides China’s National SuperComputer Center’s Tianhe-1A above, China has the Nebulae which is also among the world’s top 10 supercomputers.

Communications

China currently has the most cell phone users in the world with over 800 million users in July 2010. It also has the largest number of internet and broadband users in the world. At the end of 2010 internet users became 457 million or grew by 19 percent over the previous year, although there are government censors for pornographic and political issues and at the end of March 2011 touch 477 million. Based on China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), China’s average internet speed is 100.9 kbit/s or less than a half of the global average at 212.5 kbit/s.

China Telecom and China Unicom are two mammoth broadband service providers, accounted for 20% of global broadband subscribers, whereas the ten largest broadband service providers are 39% of the world’s broadband customers. China Telecom with more than 55 million broadband subscribers and China Unicom with more than 40 million whereas the third rank is NTT with only less than 18 million. The gaps between the top two operator and the world’s remaining broadband service providers will continue to grow rapidly, whereas the other top ten broadband ISPs operate in mature markets, with high levels of broadband penetration and rapidly slowing subscriber growth.

Transport

Transportation in the mainland of the People’s Republic of China has improved significantly since the late 1990s as part of a government effort to link the entire nation through a series of expressways known as the National Trunk Highway System (NTHS). The total length of expressway is at the end of 2010, second only to the United States. China has also the world’s longest high-speed rail network with over of service routes which of them has been serving with train with top speed of .

Private car ownership is growing rapidly surpassing the United States as the largest automobile market in the world by 2009 with total sales of over 13.6 million.

Domestic air travel has increased significantly, but remains too expensive for most. Long distance transportation is dominated by railways and charter bus systems. Railways are the vital carrier in China; they are monopolized by the state, divided into various railway bureaus in different regions. At the rates of demand it experiences, the system has historically been subject to overcrowding during travel seasons such as Chunyun during the Chinese New Year.

The PRC’s railway system is increasing in development. The major cities have rapidly expanding networks of underground or light rail systems. Hong Kong has one of the most developed transport systems in the world. Shanghai has a Maglev rail line connecting its urban area to its main international airport, Pudong International Airport.

Demographics

As of July 2010, there are 1,338,612,968 people in the PRC. About 21% (male 145,461,833; female 128,445,739) are 14 years old or younger, 71% (male 482,439,115; female 455,960,489) are between 15 and 64 years old, and 8% (male 48,562,635; female 53,103,902) are over 65 years old. The population growth rate for 2006 was 0.6%.

By end of 2010, the proportion of mainland Chinese people aged 14 or younger was 16.60%, while the number aged 60 or older grew to 13.26%, and totally both 29.86%. This means about 70% of the population is of workable age.

With a population of over 1.3 billion, the PRC is very concerned about its population growth and has attempted, with mixed results, to implement a strict family planning policy. The government’s goal is one child per family, with exceptions for ethnic minorities and flexibility in rural areas. The government’s goal is to stabilize population growth early in the 21st century, though some projections estimate a population of anywhere ranging from 1.4 billion to 1.6 billion by 2025. Hence, the country’s family planning minister has indicated that China will maintain its one-child policy until at least the year 2020.

The policy is resisted, particularly in rural areas, because of the need for agricultural labour and a traditional preference for boys (who can later serve as male heirs). Families who breach the policy often lie during the census. Official government policy opposes forced sterilization or abortion, but allegations of coercion continue as local officials, who are faced with penalties for failing to curb population growth, may resort to forced abortion or sterilization, or manipulation of census figures.

The decreasing reliability of PRC population statistics since family planning began in the late 1970s has made evaluating the effectiveness of the policy difficult. Estimates by Chinese demographers of the average number of children for a Chinese woman vary from 1.5 to 2.0. The government is particularly concerned with the large imbalance in the sex ratio at birth, apparently the result of a combination of traditional preference for boys and family planning pressure, which led to the ban of using ultrasound devices for the purpose of preventing sex-selective abortion.

Another factor is the under-reporting of female children to circumvent the law, as many as three million Chinese babies are hidden by their parents every year. In addition to the trends mentioned, above selective treatment of childhood illness, infanticide and abandonment of girls is blamed for the excessive female child mortality found in China, further affecting the sex ratio. According to the 2010 census, there were 118.06 boys born for every 100 girls, which is 0.53 points lower than the ratio obtained from a population sample survey carried out in 2005. However, the gender ratio of 118.06 is still beyond the normal range of around 105 percent, and experts warn of increased social instability should this trend continue. For the population born between the years 1900 and 2000, it is estimated that there are 35.59 million fewer females than males. Males accounted for 51.27 percent of the population, while females made up 48.73 percent of the total in 2010.

Ethnic groups

The PRC officially recognizes 56 distinct ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Han Chinese, who constitute about 91.9% of the total population. Large ethnic minorities include the Zhuang (16 million), Manchu (10 million), Hui (9 million), Miao (8 million), Uyghur (7 million), Yi (7 million), Tujia (5.75 million), Mongols (5 million), Tibetans (5 million), Buyei (3 million), and Koreans (2 million).

Urbanization

In the past decade, China’s cities expanded at an average rate of 10% annually. The country’s urbanization rate increased from 17.4% to 46.8% between 1978 and 2009, a scale unprecedented in human history. Between 150 and 200 million migrant workers work part-time in the major cities and return home to the countryside periodically with their earnings.

Today, the People’s Republic of China has dozens of major cities with one million or more long-term residents, including the three global cities of Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

The figures below are from the 2008 census, and are only estimates of the population within administrative city limits; a different ranking exists when considering the total municipal populations (which includes suburban and rural populations). The large floating populations of migrant workers make conducting censuses in urban areas difficult; the figures below do not include the floating population, only long-term residents.

Education

In 1986, China set the long-term goal of providing compulsory nine-year basic education to every child. As of 2007, there were 396,567 primary schools, 94,116 secondary schools, and 2,236 higher education institutions in the PRC. In February 2006, the government advanced its basic education goal by pledging to provide completely free nine-year education, including textbooks and fees. Free compulsory education in China consists of elementary school and middle school, which lasts for 9 years (age 6–15); almost all children in urban areas continue with 3 years of high school.

, 93.3% of the population over age 15 are literate. China’s youth (age 15 to 24) literacy rate was 98.9% (99.2% for males and 98.5% for females) in 2000. In March 2007, China announced the decision of making education a national “strategic priority”; the central budget of the national scholarships will be tripled in two years and 223.5 billion Yuan (US$28.65 billion) of extra funding will be allocated from the central government in the next 5 years to improve the compulsory education in rural areas.

In 2009, Chinese students from Shanghai achieved the best results in mathematics, science and reading in the test of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a worldwide evaluation of 15-year-old school pupils’ scholastic performance.

The quality of Chinese colleges and universities varies considerably across the country. The consistently top-ranked universities in mainland China are:

Beijing: Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University

Shanghai: Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, East China Normal University

Harbin: Harbin Institute of Technology

Tianjin: Nankai University, Tianjin University

Xi’an Jiaotong University (Xi’an)

Nanjing University (Nanjing)

University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei)

Zhejiang University (Hangzhou)

Wuhan University (Wuhan)

Guangzhou: Sun Yat-sen University (aka Zhongshan University)

Health

The Ministry of Health, together with its counterparts in the provincial health bureaux, oversees the health needs of the Chinese population. An emphasis on public health and preventive medicine characterized health policy since the early 1950s. At that time, the Communist Party started the Patriotic Health Campaign, which was aimed at improving sanitation and hygiene, as well as attacking several diseases. This has shown major results as diseases like cholera, typhoid, and scarlet fever were nearly eradicated.

With economic reform after 1978, the health of the Chinese public improved rapidly because of better nutrition despite the disappearance, along with the People’s Communes, of much of the free public health services provided in the countryside. Health care in China became largely private fee-for-service. The country’s life expectancy at birth jumped from about 35 years in 1949 to 73.18 years in 2008, and infant mortality went down from 300 per thousand in the 1950s to about 23 per thousand in 2006. Malnutrition stood at 12% of the population according to United Nations FAO sources.

Despite significant improvements in health and the introduction of western style medical facilities, China has several emerging public health problems, which include respiratory problems as a result of widespread air pollution and hundreds of millions of cigarette smokers, a possible future HIV/AIDS epidemic, and an increase in obesity among urban youths. China’s large population and close living quarters has led to some serious disease outbreaks in recent years, such as the 2003 outbreak of SARS (a pneumonia-like disease) which has since been largely contained.

Estimates of excess deaths in China from environmental pollution (apart from smoking) are placed at 760,000 people per annum from air and water pollution (including indoor air pollution). In 2007, China has overtaken the United States as the world’s biggest producer of carbon dioxide. Some 90% of China’s cities suffer from some degree of water pollution, and nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water. Reports by the World Bank and the New York Times have claimed industrial pollution, particularly of the air, to be significant health hazards in China.

Religion

In mainland China, the government allows a limited degree of religious freedom, however official tolerance is only extended to members of state-approved religious organizations and not to those who worship underground, such as house churches. An accurate number of religious adherents is hard to obtain because of a lack of official data, but there is general consensus that religion has been enjoying a resurgence over the past 20 years. A survey by Phil Zuckerman on Adherents.com found that in 1998, 59% (over 700 million) of the population was irreligious. Meanwhile, another survey in 2007 found that there are 300 million (23% of the population) believers as distinct from an official figure of 100 million.

Despite the surveys’ varying results, most agree that the traditional religions – Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religions – are the dominant faiths. According to a number of sources, Buddhism in China accounts for between 660 million (~50%) and over 1 billion (~80%) while Taoists number 400 million (~30%). However, because of the fact that one person may subscribe to two or more of these traditional beliefs simultaneously and the difficulty in clearly differentiating Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religions, the number of adherents to these religions can be overlaid. In addition, subscribing to Buddhism and Taoism is not necessarily considered religious by those who follow the philosophies in principle but stop short of subscribing to any kind of divinity.

Most Chinese Buddhists are nominal adherents because only a small proportion of the population (over 8% or over 100 million) may have taken the formal step of going for refuge. Even then, it is still difficult to estimate accurately the number of Buddhists because they do not have congregational memberships and often do not participate in public ceremonies. Mahayana (大乘, Dacheng) and its subsets Pure Land (Amidism), Tiantai and Chán (better known in the west by its Japanese pronunciation Zen) are the most widely practiced denominations of Buddhism. Other forms, such as Theravada and Tibetan, are practiced largely by ethnic minorities along the geographic fringes of the Chinese mainland.

Christianity in China was first introduced during the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century with the arrival of Nestorian Christianity in 635 CE. This was followed by Franciscan missionaries in the 13th century, Jesuits in the 16th century, and finally Protestants in the 19th century. Of the minority religions, Christianity has been particularly noted as one of the fastest-growing. The total number of Christians is difficult to determine, as many belong to unauthorized house churches, but estimates of their number have ranged from 40 million (3%) to 54 million (4%) to as many as 130 million (10%). Official government statistics put the number of Christians at 16 million, but these count only members of officially-sanctioned church bodies. China is believed to now have the world’s second-largest evangelical Christian population — behind only the United States — and if current growth rates continue, China will become a global center of evangelical Christianity in coming decades

Islam in China dates to a mission in 651, 18 years after Muhammad‘s death. Muslims came to China for trade, dominating the import/export industry during the Song Dynasty. They became influential in government circles, including Zheng He, Lan Yu and Yeheidie’erding. Nanjing became an important center of Islamic study. The Qing Dynasty waged war and genocide against Muslims in the Dungan revolt and Panthay rebellion. Statistics are hard to find, and most estimates figures that there are 20 to 30 million Muslims (1.5% to 2% of the population).

There are also followers of minority religions including Hinduism, Dongbaism, Bön, and a number of new religions and sects (particularly Xiantianism). In July 1999, the Falun Gong spiritual practice was officially banned by the authorities, and many international organizations have criticized the government’s treatment of Falun Gong that has occurred since then. There are no reliable estimates of the number of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Culture

For centuries, opportunity for economic and social advancement in China could be provided by high performance on Imperial examinations. The literary emphasis of the exams affected the general perception of cultural refinement in China, such as the belief that calligraphy and literati painting were higher forms of art than dancing or drama. China’s traditional values were derived from various versions of Confucianism and conservatism.

A number of more authoritarian and rational strains of thought have also been influential, such as Legalism. There was often conflict between the philosophies, such as the individualistic Song Dynasty neo-Confucians, who believed Legalism departed from the original spirit of Confucianism. Examinations and a culture of merit remain greatly valued in China today. In recent years, a number of New Confucians have advocated that democratic ideals and human rights are quite compatible with traditional Confucian “Asian values.”

The first leaders of the People’s Republic of China were born in the old society but were influenced by the May Fourth Movement and reformist ideals. They sought to change some traditional aspects of Chinese culture, such as rural land tenure, sexism, and a Confucian education, while preserving others, such as the family structure and obedience to the state.

Many observers believe that the period following 1949 is a continuation of traditional Chinese dynastic history, while others say that the CPC’s rule has damaged the foundations of Chinese culture, especially through political movements such as the Cultural Revolution, where many aspects of traditional culture were labeled ‘regressive and harmful’ or ‘vestiges of feudalism’ by the regime and thus, were destroyed. They further argue that many important aspects of traditional Chinese morals and culture, such as Confucianism, Chinese art, literature, and performing arts like Beijing opera, were altered to conform to government policies and propaganda at the time.

Today, the Chinese government has accepted a great deal of traditional Chinese culture as an integral part of Chinese society, lauding it as an important achievement of the Chinese civilization and emphasizing it as vital to a Chinese national identity. Since the Cultural Revolution ended, various forms of traditional Chinese art, literature, music, film, fashion and architecture have seen a vigorous revival, and folk and variety art in particular have gained a new found respectability, and sparked interest nationally and even worldwide.

Chinese culture and the West were linked by the Silk Road. Artifacts from the history of the silk route, as well as from the natural history of the Gobi desert, are displayed in the Silk Route Museum.

Cuisine

The overwhelmingly large variety of Chinese cuisine comes mainly from the practice of dynastic period emperors hosting banquets with 100 dishes per meal. A countless number of imperial kitchen staff and concubines were involved in the food preparation process.

Over time, many dishes became part of the everyday-citizen culture. Some of the highest quality restaurants with recipes close to the dynastic periods include Fangshan restaurant in Beihai Park, Beijing and the Oriole Pavilion. Arguably all branches of Hong Kong eastern style or even American Chinese food are in some ways rooted from the original dynastic cuisines.

Sports

China has one of the oldest sporting cultures in the world, spanning the course of several millennia. There is, in fact, evidence that a form of association football was played in China in ancient times. Besides football, some of the most popular sports in the country include martial arts, table tennis, badminton, swimming, basketball and snooker. Board games such as Go (Weiqi), and Xiangqi (Chinese chess) and recently chess are also commonly played and have organized competitions.

Physical fitness is widely emphasized in Chinese culture. Morning exercises are a common activity and often one can find the elderly practicing qigong and tai chi chuan in parks or students doing stretches on school campuses.

Young people are also keen on basketball, especially in urban centers with limited space and grass areas. The NBA has a huge following among Chinese youths, with Yao Ming being the idol of many. Major sporting events were also held in Beijing such as the 1990 Asian Games and the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Many traditional sports are also played. The popular Chinese dragon boat racing occurs during the Dragon Boat Festival. In Inner Mongolia, sports such as Mongolian-style wrestling and horse racing are popular. In Tibet, archery and equestrianism are a part of traditional festivals.

China has participated at the olympics since 1952. China finished first in gold medal count at the most recent Summer Olympic Games which were held in Beijing from 8 to 24 August 2008.

References

; Further reading

Farah, Paolo, Five Years of China’s WTO Membership. EU and US Perspectives on China’s Compliance with Transparency Commitments and the Transitional Review Mechanism, Legal Issues of Economic Integration, Kluwer Law International, Volume 33, Number 3, pp. 263–304, 2006. Abstract.

Heilig, Gerhard K., China Bibliography – Online. 2006, 2007.

External links

Overviews

China at a Glance People’s Daily

BBC News – Country Profile: China

Modern China: A Primer — slideshow by Life magazine

“Rethinking ‘Capitalist Restoration’ in China” by Yiching Wu

Documentaries

“China on the Rise” PBS Online NewsHour. October 2005.

China in the Red, 1998–2001. PBS Frontline.

China From the Inside A documentary series co-produced by KQED Public Television and Granada Television.

Government

The Central People’s Government of People’s Republic of China
China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn) – Authorized government portal site to China
Studies

Assertive Pragmatism: China’s Economic Rise and Its Impact on Chinese Foreign Policy – analysis by Minxin Pei, IFRI Proliferation Papers n°15, 2006

The Dragon’s Dawn: China as a Rising Imperial Power 11 February 2005.

History of The People’s Republic of China Timeline of Key Events since 1949.

Media, advertising, and urban life in China.

Travel

Maps

Google Maps – China

Google Maps – China Interesting locations

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Kate Hudson And Matt Belamy Buy London Home

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:40:54 +0000

London appears to be the new Los Angeles for Hollywood’s stars…

And now Kate Hudson, daughter of Goldie Hawn, is the latest American star has bought an £11 million London townhouse with fiance Matt Bellamy!

Kate and Matt, who are the proud parents of 10 month old son Bingham, are set to move into a Grade II listed property in the same area Sienna Miller and Sir Paul McCartney called home.

Pretty swanky!

According to the Daily Mail, the six-bedroom property is set over six floors and includes the must-have celeb luxuries of seven bathrooms, an indoor pool, a guest house and a home cinema.

We guess that’ll give the pair the perfect luxury space in which to watch Oscar-nominated Hudson in all her movies!

We hope the pair will be very happy in their new London abode.

Kate Hudson looks happier than ever…

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Oklahoma real estate value includes oil, gas

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:40:52 +0000

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A largely unseen business has helped fuel Oklahoma’s economic power alongside commercial real estate’s steady contribution.

Oil and gas drilling and mining have accounted for 10 percent of the state’s gross domestic product the last three years. From 2003 to 2008, subsurface energy development grew from 7 percent to 14 percent. The figure fell as the recession kicked in, then stabilized.

The growth essentially was a reverse of the decline from 1981 to 1986, when an oil, gas and mining boom busted — falling from close to 16 percent to about 7.5 percent.

Realty executive Ford Price presented the figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis at the recent Mayor’s Development Roundtable.

“It’s interesting the similarity that we now have to the 1980s, but I think it is equally clear that the quality and capitalization of the companies generating that GDP are vastly different than the 1980s,” Price, managing partner at Price Edwards Co., said at the event Thursday at Cox Convention Center.

Oil and gas have powered Oklahoma’s economic growth the past several years, The Oklahoman reported (http://is.gd/3kv7ol).

Price said that Oklahoma City has seen more commercial office space become occupied than vacated each year since 2006, except for 2009 — the depth of the recession.

Over the past five years, about 200,000 square feet of office space has been absorbed in downtown Oklahoma City, which Price said is a “great sign” for the area. However, the central business district has had an equal number of positive and negative years since 1986, he said.

Class A space downtown has only an 8 percent vacancy rate, and Class B has 14.9 percent vacancy. Class C, which includes older properties, is 51.5 percent vacant. That classification is dominated by the long troubled 1 million-square-foot First National Center.

“This really tells the tale of downtown right now. … The Class A and B buildings are doing quite well. The older Class C properties, the oldest of which is obviously First National Center, where we really have some challenges, some solutions need to be found,” Price said. “It will be very interesting to see what happens between now and the May 27 refinancing deadline for First National Center.”

From 2006 to 2009, vacancy in suburban Oklahoma City went from 21.6 percent to 8.8 percent in Class A properties. Class B hovered between 10 percent and 12 percent vacant, while Class C went from 16.6 percent vacant to 29.5 percent.

“The bottom line is that if you’re a quality large tenant looking for space, it’s going to be a tight market,” Price said.

___

Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com

Output, home sales indicate U.S. expansion

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 06:29:48 +0000

Manufacturers probably received more orders in April and home sales rose, a sign the U.S. expansion is still on track, economists said before reports due out this week.

Factory bookings for long-lasting goods rose 0.3% last month after falling 3.9% in March, according to the median forecasts of 61 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before a Tuesday Commerce Department report. Other figures may show purchases of existing and new houses also climbed.

Manufacturers may keep forging ahead as automakers crank out more cars and trucks, while housing will probably benefit from record-low mortgage rates that are making properties more affordable. Nonetheless, those industries alone will fail to spur a pickup in growth without bigger increases in employment throughout the economy that will propel consumer spending.

“The economy is growing, but it’s just not growing at an inspiring pace,” said Brian Jones, a senior U.S. economist at Société Générale in New York.

A Federal Reserve report last week showed factory production rose 0.6% in April. About half the gain came from automaking, which jumped 3.9% following a 1.2% increase in the prior month.

Another measure of strength, the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index, climbed to 54.8 in April, the highest level in almost a year, as orders picked up. Readings greater than 50 signal growth.

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Output, home sales indicate U.S. expansion