This week we are looking at China which is in East Asia and is the largest of all the Asian countries, making up nearly the entire East Asian landmass. It’s also nearly as large as Europe.

There are 33 administrative units under the central government, these consist of 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities and 2 special administrative regions.

It has a population of around 1,416,096,094 which is around 17.2% or the total world population, it is the second largest populated country.

The capital of China is Beijing and has been for around 8 centuries, it has a population of over 22 million.

The official language is Standard Mandarin which is mainly based on the Beijing dialect.

The flag is red with five golden stars, it has one large star and four smaller stars in a arc, it has been the national flag since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China on the 1 October 1949. It was designed by Zeng Liansong. The red represents the Communist Revolution, and the stars represent the unity of the four social classes of the Chinese people.

When we think of the Chinese currency, we think of the currency we think of the Yuan which is the basic unit however, the currency is the renminbi.

The People’s Bank of China has the exclusive authority to issue currency. Banknotes range in denomination from 1 fen to 100 renminbi. The obverse side of some banknotes contain images of communist leaders, such as Mao Zedong. The reverse side of most coins contains images of historic buildings and the country’s diverse landscape.

                    Buddhist Statues

China is a centre for world religious thought and practices. Although about half the population identifies as nonreligious or atheist, many belief systems have shaped Chinese society for centuries. The government officially recognizes five religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Islam, though it keeps these under tight control.

                       Confucianism Temple

Also popular is Confucianism which is a worldview, social ethic, political ideology, and way of life that entails ancestor reverence and profound human-centered religiousness. It emphasizes the duty of the individual in society and government.

There is also Daoism, which is a, indigenous religious-philosophical tradition, Daoism emphasizes mystical experience and the individual’s harmony with nature.

Buddhism came to China possibly as early as the 3rd century BCE. China became an incubator for many of the great present-day Buddhist sects, including Zen and Pure Land, and, by its extension into Tibet, the source of Tibetan Buddhism.

                   Folk Religion Temples

Many Chinese embrace aspects and rituals of indigenous folk religions, which comprise the largest group of those professing a belief. Deities of the popular pantheon are intimately involved in everyday life as givers of blessings or bringers of calamities.

Christians are a small but significant and growing minority, many of them converts to Evangelical Protestant denominations.

Islam Members of non-Han minorities constitute the bulk of those following Islam.

That will do for this post, more next week.