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China Overview and History
Home » China » China Overview and History » China Overview and HistoryChina is located in East and Central Asia and contains more than one-fifth of the world’s population. Today it is known as the People’s Republic of China, but the history of China dates back more than 4,000 years. This fact gives China the reputation of having the world’s longest period of uninterrupted civilization as well as having the world’s longest continuously used written language system. China’s history is characterized by many different divisions and reunifications and many alternating times of peace and war. In addition, some of the imperial dynastic changes that have taken place have been extremely violent.
China’s territories have also changed greatly over the years. The area that was originally known as China is now referred to as “China proper.” This was the territory originally occupied by the Han Chinese. Centuries ago, Imperial China was one of the world’s most technologically advanced civilizations, but in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Japan and the influence of Western powers overtook the political, economic, and military influence of China. The imperial system ended in 1912 under Sun Yat-sen when the Republic of China was established. After the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Communist Party of China established the People’s Republic of China, which forced the government of the Republic of China to retreat to Taiwan, where they still hold power today.
In Mandarin Chinese, China is referred to as zhong guo, which means “Middle Kingdom”. Some believe that the name “China” is actually derived from the name of the Qin dynasty. This dynasty first united the country and gave the supreme ruler of China the title of “Emperor”.
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