China

From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.

For the article on the dishware, please see China (dishes).

China (in Chinese language, 中国, 中國, Zhōng guó "Middle Country") is a large country in East Asia. Today, the People's Republic of China controls the area of China and it also claims the island of Taiwan. However a government known as the Republic of China actually controls the island of Taiwan and other small islands (including the Pescadores, Quemoy, and Matsu).

China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. It has a recorded history of about five thousand years. It reached its golden age during the Tang Dynasty (about A.D. 10th century). China is home to some of the oldest artwork in the world. Statues and pottery, as well as decorations made of jade, are some classic examples.

China became less strong during the Qing Dynasty (around the 17th century to 20th century). Many of its lands were lost to Russia, the British, the Japanese and other strong countries. In 1911 a country, the Republic of China was founded by Sun Yat-sen. But its government was very weak. Army leaders in different area controlled the local governments, and later fell into the dictatorship of Chiang Kai-shek.

In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria, a place in the northeastern part of China. On July 7, 1937, the Japanese attacked the rest of the country, starting what was named the Sino-Japanese War. The war later became part of World War II. The war was fought for eight years and millions of Chinese people were killed. In 1945, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allied Powers.

However, the Chinese Civil War later started between the Kuomintang (Nationalists) and the Communists. The Communists, led by Mao Zedong, eventually won the war. The Nationalists (led by Chiang Kai-shek) fled to Taiwan. Mao Zedong declared a new country, the People's Republic of China, in Beijing on October 1, 1949.

In 1989, there was a massacre in Tiananmen Square of thousands of Chinese college students asking for freedom and democracy.