Land area: 3,600,927 sq mi (9,326,411 sq km); total area: 3,705,407 sq mi (9,596,960 sq km)1

Population (2006): 1,313,973,713 (growth rate: 0.6%); birth rate: 13.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 23.1/1000; life expectancy: 72.6; density per sq mi: 365

Capital City: Beijing

Monetary unit: Yuan/Renminbi

Languages: Standard Chinese (Mandarin/Putonghua), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages

Ethnicity/race: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%.

Religions: Officially atheist; Christian 3%–4%; Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%–2%. (2002 est.)

For centuries China has stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences.

China is a country of great contrasts, with picturesque rural landscapes and congested cityscapes, and natural beauty that ranges from the untamed to the idyllic - from the windswept plains of the Gobi Desert and Mt Everest's notorious northern face to Yangshuo's gorgeous karst scenery. China is huge and bustling with rich culture, diversity and history.

In the southwest is Tibet, which China occupied in 1950. The Gobi Desert lies to the north.

China is a large country, home to billions of people. People in China focus on a different religion all together. They practice Buddhism, a religion that centers around the teachings of the Buddha, a prince of the Sakya tribe in Nepal. The principles of his religion are based on his wisdom and discoveries. It teaches to be humble and to not ignore the suffering of others. Dragons are deeply rooted in Chinese culture, so Chinese often consider themselves, 'the descendants of the dragon.'

Special occasions include festivals and holidays like the Chinese New Year, which are celebrated with family, food, fireworks, and lots of red and gold for good luck.

Ancient Chinese architecture features unique timber framework that clearly identifies supporting structure and bonding structure. The top load of a structure transfers to its foundations through its posts, beams, lintels and joists. Walls bear no loading and separate space only so that windows and walls will not be restricted to certain locations on the walls.

Chinese Buddhist architecture consists of temple, pagoda and grotto. Localization starts right after Buddhist architecture was introduced into China with Buddhism during the Han dynasty, interpreting Chinese architectural aesthetics and culture. Pagoda is also the main integrating part of the Buddhist architecture, with varied styles and strong local flavours. The Shaolin Temple is probably the most famous temple in China, not only because of its long history and its role in Chinese Buddhism, but also because of its martial arts or Wushu Chan. Shaolin Temple is situated in the beautiful Songshan Mountains

The Taipei 101 scyscraper is a modern architectural wonder of China. It is the tallest building in the world. In many aspects, the new building is the most technologically advanced skyscraper constructed to date. The building features fiber-optic and satellite Internet connections allowing speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second. The tower is designed to endure earthquakes above seven on the Richter scale, and once-a-century super typhoons. A 660 metric tons (730 tons) tuned mass damper is held at the 88th floor, stabilizing the tower against earthquakes, typhoons, and wind. The damper can reduce up to 40% of the tower's movements.