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China refers to a number of states and cultures that have existed and succeeded each other in continental East Asia for the last 4000 years. Depending on one's point of view, modern China can be described as a single civilization or of multiple civilizations, of a single state or of multiple states, of a single nation or multiple nations.

China is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations, with a history characterized by repeated divisions and reunifications amid alternating periods of peace and war and violent dynastic change. The country's territorial extent expanded outwards from a core area in the North China Plain, and varied according to its shifting fortunes. For centuries, China was one of the world's most technologically advanced civilizations, and East Asia's dominant cultural influence. However, China stagnated and fell behind, and by the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was too weak militarily to repel European interference or Japanese invasion. Imperial monarchy in China ended with the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912; however the next four decades were marred by warlordism, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the Chinese Civil War.

A communist victory in the Chinese Civil War in 1949 established the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 in Beijing, which has since then governed a large amount of territory known as Mainland China. The PRC has also assumed control over Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in 1999, which are not considered parts of Mainland China. In the mean time, the Republic of China (ROC) was forced to flee the mainland and retreat to Taiwan, which it has since governed. The PRC does not recognize the ROC, as it claims to be the sole successor of China including Taiwan. On the other hand, the ROC, while never formally surrendering its claims, has moved away from its former identity as the ruler of China, and increasingly characterizes itself as Taiwan, which is also the usage commonly adopted in the West (see political status of Taiwan for more information). The nature and extent of China is the subject of ongoing political disputes on unification/independence issues.

Travel Category: Main Travel Page » Asia » China

Useful travel links and resources for China by our editors. Find quality travel links about China's hotels, tours, cruises, car rentals and vacation packages in China.