A Snapshot of China

China is an enigmatic country, full of contrasts and question marks. In many respects it is modern and ambitious, but it still holds a deep regard for its traditions and history. Its cities are vast and hi-tech, but a trip into remote rural areas can take you back in time. Climate ranges from sub-tropical to sub-zero depending on the region and season. Overall GDP is exploding but GDP per capita remains relatively low due to hugely uneven development.

Over many centuries China grew up aloof and isolated from much of the rest of the world. Until the mid-nineteenth century, few foreigners travelled here except merchants and nomads, and in many remote parts of the country foreign faces are still such a rarity as to be greeted with extreme curiosity. While countless global civilizations have risen, fallen and disappeared into oblivion, Chinese culture and history has remained largely consistent, instilling in the Chinese the belief that theirs is an enduring, sophisticated and treasured civilisation, on a par with any other in the world.

However, over the past century China has witnessed a roller-coaster of political, social and economic upheaval. From the fall of the last imperial dynasty in 1911 to the horrors of the Cultural Revolution, to the ‘opening up’ in the 1980s that sparked China’s incredible rise as a global economic power, China has become a subject of huge interest and controversy as people have begun to take notice of her meteoric rise on the world stage.

But China’s current relationship with the rest of the world is also riddled with contradictions. The country’s many recent success stories, from the successful hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games to the booming economy, are often tainted due to its record on other issues, such as repression of dissidents, political non-transparency, human rights violation, sovereignty issues and rampant urban pollution levels. It’s easy to cast judgment on many or all of these issues based on what the media reports, but the only way to truly begin to unravel China’s complexities is to spend time here.

China fact file:

• China is the fourth largest country in the world, covering a surface area of 9.6 million square metres.
• Its population is around 1.4 billion, 92% of which is made up of the Han Chinese ethnic group, making it the most populous country on earth.
• It is bordered by no less than fourteen other countries, with many of whom it shares close economic and trade links.
• The country is officially atheist but the three major religions of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism still have significant followings.
• China is a one-party state ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, who have been in power since 1949.
• The landscape is highly diverse, comprising of fertile lowlands, towering mountain ranges and arid, hostile deserts.
• The longest river is the Yangtze (6275km) and the highest mountain is Qomolongma, or Mount Everest (8850m) which lies on the Nepalese border.
• China’s main exports are tea, clothing, fossil fuels and minerals. It is one of the biggest exporters in the world and its trading partners include the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and the European Union.