Part 1: Country Research

Political MAP: FLAG:

Country Overview – find info about: Answers (notes): Sources (cut and
paste URL):

1. GEOGRAPHY: Human a. The current population of the China is

a. Population 1.402 million miles. https://
b. Languages b. All Chineses speak the Chinese www.thechinaguide.co
c. Ethnic groups language m/es/blog/chinese-
c. China officially recognizes 56 ethnic
d. Religious groups ethnic-groups
groups, including the majority Han.
e. Problems between https://
These groups are very diverse
religious/ethnic groups datosmacro.expansion.
culturally; fifty-three ethnic groups have
f. Health data their own language and 23 have their com/demografia/
· Birth rate own written language. Approximately religiones/china
· Infant mortality 8.4% of the Chinese population belongs https://www.bbc.com/
· Life expectancy to a minority ethnic group (ie not the mundo/noticias-
· Population per doctor Han majority). Together, they are 111 51531714
g. Education million people, enough to be the 12th https://
· Literacy rate most populous country in the world! www.indexmundi.com/
· Expected years in school Minorities constitute the population of
es/china/
60% of China's territory, mainly in Tibet
· GDP spent on education tasa_de_mortalidad_inf
and Xinjiang. About 8% of Beijing's
population (about 800,000 people) antil.html#:~:text=Tasa
belong to an ethnic minority, most of %20de%20mortalidad
whom are Mongols or Manchus. %20infantil%20de
However, most minorities live in border %20China&text=total
areas rather than in major cities or %3A
Part 1: Country Research

inland regions. %2011%2C8%20muert

d. In China, 67.5% of the population es
declares themselves to be believers. %2F,1.000%20nacimie
42% of the country's population ntos%20(2018%20est.)
practices Syncretism, so it is the religion
https://
most followed by its population.
datosmacro.expansion.
Buddhism follows with 12%, Christianity
with 5.8%, Animism with 3.99% and the com/demografia/
rest are non-believers. esperanza-vida/china
e. China says Xinjiang has policies that https://
"respect and guarantee religious datos.bancomundial.or
freedom." It also insists that what it calls g/indicator/
a "vocational training program in SH.MED.PHYS.ZS
Xinjiang" is "for the purpose of https://
combating terrorism and religious datosmacro.expansion.
extremism" and adds that only those
com/demografia/tasa-
convicted of crimes of terrorism or
alfabetizacion/china
religious extremism are being
"educated" in these centers. https://
f. *1.70 children per woman (2019) www.easyexpat.com/
*The current infant mortality rate for es/guides/china/
China in 2022 is 11.8 deaths per 1000 beijing/escuelas/
live births. sistema-escolar.htm
* In 2019, life expectancy in China
increased to 76.91 years. That year, the
life expectancy of women was 79.24
years, greater than that of men, which
was 74.76 years.
*In 2017, the number of licensed
medical personnel was 2.0% per 1,000
people.
g. *According to the latest data
published by UNESCO, China has a
literacy rate of 96.84%. Its male literacy
rate is 98.47%, higher than the female
one, which is 95.16%. If we look at the
literacy rate ranking we see that it is the
55th country in the literacy rate ranking.
The literacy rate, as we can see in the
table and graph, has increased in recent
years.
* The government offers primary
education for six years, beginning at the
age of six or seven, followed by six
years of secondary education for ages
12 to 18. There are three years of
middle school and three years of high
school. Many parents choose to enroll
 Part 1: Country Research

their children in nurseries or

kindergartens as well. The Ministry of
Education reported a 99 percent
attendance rate for primary school and
an 80 percent rate for primary and
secondary schools. There is a law that
regulates nine years of compulsory
education.
* Public spending in China in 2019 grew
by 509,332.3 million, 13.19%, to a total
of 4,370,440.8 million euros. In the case
of China, according to the latest
published data, it dedicated 11.45% of
its public spending to education.

2. GEOGRAPHY: Physical China is a continental power that

Where is your country located and how controls an extensive coastline htttps://
does its geography affect its political stretching from the South Sea Japan in www.clacso.org/china-
relationships? the northwest to the Gulf of Tonkin in y-el-nuevo-momento-
a. Climate the south. The biggest threats came geopolitico-mundial/
b. Topography from internal and rarely those from
https://
c. Fresh water availability abroad that came from piracy.
es.weatherspark.com/y/
a. In China, the summers are long,
d. Ocean access 6174/Clima-promedio-en-
hot, oppressive and windy; the
e. Rivers China-M%C3%A9xico-
winters are short, cool, and dry;
f. Bordering countries durante-todo-el-a
and it is partly cloudy year round.
g. Geo-political considerations %C3%B1o
During the course of the year, the
https://www.mfa.gov.cn/
h. Other physical temperature generally varies from
ce/cepe/esp/ljzg/
advantages/disadvantages of 10°C to 37°C, rarely falling below
t135249.htm#:~:text=Con
topography 4°C or rising above 39°C.
%20una%20inmensa
b. The topography descends step by
%20superficie
step from west to east. Mountains,
%20terrestre,ciento
plateaus and hills occupy 65
%20del%20total%20del
percent of the total territory. There
%20territorio.&text=Siete
are five major mountain ranges in
%20picos%20de
China. Seven mountain peaks are
%20monta%C3%B1as
higher than 8 thousand meters
%20son,encima%20del
above sea level.
%20nivel%20del%20mar.
c. China, with 7% of the world's fresh
https://
water, has the mission of giving
www.elagoradiario.com/
20% of all humans on this planet to
agua/agua-y-ciudades/
drink. Pekin, in theory, is an oasis
pekin-ciudad-china-
of water because in practice it is
problema-disponibilidad-
located in the north of the country.
agua/#:~:text=China%2C
d. The islands of the South China
%20con%20el
Sea. This sea is the one that
%207%25%20del,los
generates the most problems,
%20humanos%20de
mainly because it is larger and
%20este
 Part 1: Country Research

because there are more countries %20planeta.&text=Pek

surrounding it, which always ends %C3%ADn%2C%20en
up generating some friction. This %20teor%C3%ADa%2C
will also be where we find the two %20es%20un,sit
main problems of a transnational %C3%BAa%20al
nature. %20norte%20del%20pa
e. China is one of the countries with %C3%ADs.
many rivers in the world, in the http://
vast land the rivers run like a wild www.exteriores.gob.es/
gallop of ten thousand horses. documents/fichaspais/
Among them are the Yangtze china_ficha%20pais.pdf
River, the Yellow River, the Amur
River, the Pearl River, the Yarlung
Zangbo River, the Lancang River,
the Nujiang River, the Songhua
River, the Han River and the Liao
River.
f. In total, 22,117 km. of borders.
China borders the following
countries: Vietnam, Laos,
Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, India,
Pakistan (Kashmir), Afghanistan,
Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia,
North Korea.
g. None known.
h. None known.

3. ECONOMICS: What are the a. In 2020, the annual GDP was

characteristics of your country’s €12,901,901 million and its GDP https://www.politicaexte
economy? is not that great when compared rior.com/china-derrota-
a. What is your country’s gross to other countries. la-pobreza-extrema-
domestic product (GDP)? How does b. China's per capita income is pero-los-pobres-no-se-
this compare to other countries in the 10,500.40 USD (2020)
han-ido/#:~:text=M
world? c. More than 850 million people %C3%A1s%20de
b. Per capita income? have been lifted out of extreme
%20850%20millones
c. Population below the poverty poverty in four decades. In 2019,
the figure did not reach 1% and
%20de,pregonaba
line?
at the end of 2020, the Chinese %20su%20erradicaci
d. Diversity of the economy (e.g.
Does your country rely on in state press proclaimed its %C3%B3n%20del
come from agriculture? Tourism? eradication from the country. %20pa%C3%ADs.
Technology? etc) d. China is the world's second https://
e. Taxes & government spending: largest economy, the largest santandertrade.com/
What is the tax rate and how does that exporter and has the largest es/portal/analizar-
compare to other countries? What foreign exchange reserves in the mercados/china/
percentage of government spending world. New sectors such as e- politica-y-
goes to the military / education / social commerce and online financial
economia#:~:text=Chin
services are gaining momentum
 Part 1: Country Research
welfare programs?
4. ECONOMICS: Human
Development Index (health, education,
and living standard info):
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/
a. Your country's data:
http://hdr.undp.org/en/data/profiles/
b. How does this compare to other
major countries?
5. NATURAL RESOURCES: What
are the country’s natural resources?
What resources are missing / do they
rely on other countries for?
in an economy dominated by a%20es%20la
export-oriented sectors. %20segunda
e. Public spending in China in %20mayor,mayores
2019 grew by 509,332.3 %20reservas
million, 13.19%, to a total of %20cambiarias%20del
4,370,440.8 million euros. %20mundo.&text=Nuev
This figure means that public os%20sectores
spending in 2019 reached %20como%20el
34.12% of GDP, an increase %20comercio,sectores
of 1.19 points compared to %20orientados%20a
2018, in which public %20la%20exportaci
spending was 32.93% of %C3%B3n.
GDP. In addition to knowing https://
how much a country spends, datosmacro.expansion.
it is important to know what it com/estado/gasto/china
spends it on. In the case of
China, according to the latest
published data, it dedicated
11.45% of its public spending
to education, 9.07% to health
and 4.91% to defense.
a. Human Development Index: 0.761
(2020) http://hdr.undp.org/en/st
Health: Life expectancy at birth (years) atistics/
76.9
Education: Expected years of
schooling (years) 14.0
b. With other countries, it is
regularly compared in any of its
indices.
- China is also rich in oil, natural gas, https://
oil shale, phosphorus and sulfur. Oil repositorio.cepal.org/
reserves are mainly in the northwest bitstream/handle/
and also in the northeast, north and on 11362/44785/1/
the continental shelf of shallow seas to
S1900378_es.pdf
the east.
- Latin America is not a priority for
China, since it is located in a less https://nuso.org/articulo/c
important place than the United States, hina-y-america-latina-
Asia or Europe. Despite this, the recursos-mercados-y-
relationship has intensified. From the poder-global/
economic point of view, and with a few
exceptions, the link is based on the
 Part 1: Country Research
6. POLITICS: What sort of
government does your country have?
a. Formal name of country
b. Name of political system
(e.g. monarchy)
c. Government positions (titles and
names of people currently holding
those positions)
· Head of state
· Head of government
· Cabinet
· Legislative body
· Internal administrative districts
exchange of Chinese manufactured
goods for raw materials (oil, food and
minerals) from Latin America. In other
words, it is an exchange between work
and ground rent. From a political point
of view, the region is important in the
diplomatic dispute with Taiwan and as
a partner in the search for a more
multilateral world.
The type of government that China
has is the People's Republic of https://centrogilbertobos
China. ques.senado.gob.mx/do
a. China cs/F_China.pdf
b. It is a socialist state with a one-
party system represented by the
Chinese Communist Party.
c. * Xi Jinping is a Chinese
politician and chemical
engineer, currently serving as
General Secretary of the Central
Committee of the Communist
Party of China, Chairman of the
Central Military Commission,
and since March 14, 2013,
serving as President of the
People's Republic of China.
* Xi Jinping is also in the same
position.
* # Foundation Name
1 Ministry of Foreign Affairs 外交
部 1949 (from CPG) 1954 (from
PRC)
2 Ministry of National Defense 国
防部 1954 (from PRC)
3 National Development and
Reform Commission (NDRC) 国
家发展和改革委员会 2003
4 Ministry of Education (MOE) 教
育部 1949 (from CPG) 1954 (from
PRC)
* The National People's
Congress of China (simplified
Chinese: 全国人民代表大会;
traditional Chinese: 全國人民代表
大會; pinyin: Quánguó Rénmín
Dàibiǎo Dàhuì) (APNRPC) is the
highest legislative body of the
 Part 1: Country Research
7. POLITICS: What types of
ideologies (political, religious or other)
influence your country’s government?
a. List names of other important
organizations within the country
(political, religious, etc) and names of
current leaders.
b. Corruption perceptions index
(www.transparency.org)
People's Republic of China.
* There are currently 4 such
districts: three in Henan and one
in Heilongjiang.
- Chanhe Hui District.
- Guancheng Hui district.
- Shunhe Hui district.
- Meilisi Daur District.
There are three fundamental phases: http://
a first parochial-subject political www.scielo.org.mx/
culture, which corresponds to scielo.php?
traditional imperial China; a second script=sci_arttext&pid=
subject political culture, which
S1870-
corresponds to Mao's China, and a
69162015000200006
third subject-participatory culture,
which corresponds to today's post-Mao https://
China. We conclude by pointing to the www.mfa.gov.cn/ce/
probability that in the near future ceco/esp/zggk/pos/
China's political culture will be t224041.htm
participatory and foster the emergence http://
of a new civic culture in the country. www.transparency.org/
a. * Revolutionary Committee of the
Guomindang of China January
1948 Former Guomindanists and
personalities with historical ties to
the Guomindang, with 65,000
members, committee chairman He
Luli.
* China Democratic League
October 1941 Intellectuals of the
upper and middle levels, with
156,000 members, committee
chairman Ding shisun.
* China Democratic Construction
Association December from 1945
Characters of the economic circles,
and scholars and experts
concerned with 85,000 members,
committee chairman Cheng
Shiwei.
* China Association for the
Promotion of Democracy
December from 1945 Intellectuals
dedicated to teaching, culture,
science and publishing with 81,000
members, committee chairman Xu
 Part 1: Country Research

Jialu.
* Chinese Peasants' and Workers'
Democratic Party August 1930
Intellectuals from the upper and
middle levels of the medical and
health, scientific, technological,
cultural and educational circles
with more than 80,000 members,
committee chairman Jiang
Zhenghua.
* Zhigongdang of China October
1925 Overseas Chinese returnees,
their relatives, and related scholars
and experts with more than 20,000
members, committee chairman,
Luo Haocai.
* Society "September 3" December
from 1944 Intellectuals from the
upper and middle levels of
scientific, technological, cultural,
educational, medical and health
circles with more than 80,000
members, committee chairman,
Han Qide.
* League for Taiwan Autonomy
and Democracy November from
1947 Characters from Taiwan who
reside on the mainland with more
than 1,800 members, committee
chairman, Zhang Kehui.
b. China with a score of 45 and a
rank of 66.

8. POLITICS: Which countries China borders the following countries: http://

share a border with your country?
Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Bhutan,
Nepal, India, Pakistan (Kashmir),
Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, North
Korea.
www.exteriores.gob.es/
documents/fichaspais/
china_ficha%20pais.pdf

9. POLITICS: Which countries are Xi Jingping, the current president of the

considered allies / enemies / frenemies
of your country? Why?
People's Republic of China, recently https://www.lavanguardi
declared that he seeks greater trust a.com/vida/junior-
and cooperation with Vladimir Putin, report/20180213/44727
the president of Russia. Years ago,
364822/amigos-
China decided to bet on the
enemigos-china.html
development of member countries of
the African Union: from Morocco to
 Part 1: Country Research

South Africa, passing through Sudan,

Egypt, Madagascar and even the
Seychelles Islands. China's interest in
the African continent began after World
War II (1939-1945), during the Cold
War. At that time, the former Soviet
Union (now Russia) and the United
States were at odds, and the world
was divided into two camps. During
those years, Africa was left off the
international agenda, but China took
the opportunity to invest in projects and
establish relations with African leaders.
Relations between the United States
and China, called Sino-American, are
usually complex and very different
depending on the historical moment
and the character of each president. It
could be said that they are like those
friends with whom you are not left out
of school, but with whom you maintain
a cordial relationship (counting on
some friction). China and North Korea
share geographical proximity and
communist ideology (there is no private
property and the means of production
are common). But in recent years
China has begun to adopt economic
policies more and more similar to those
of Western (capitalist) countries.
However, recent attempts by Kim
Jong-un, North Korea's supreme
leader, to develop nuclear weapons
may jeopardize this relationship.

10. POLITICS: a. The transfer of sovereignty over

Organizations/Alliances/Memberships:
A. Independent sovereignty since…?
B. Does your country belong to any
regional organizations such as the
European Union (EU), the African
Union (AU) or the Organization of
American States (OAS)?When did your
country become a member of the UN?
C. Does your country belong to any
intergovernmental organizations
Hong Kong from the United https://www.oas.org/es/
Kingdom to the People's acerca/quienes_somos.
Republic of China, known as "the asp
return" or "the reunification" by
https://
the Chinese and "the handover"
research.un.org/es/
by some British, took place on
July 1, 1997. The event marked unmembers/founders
the end of British colonial rule https://elpais.com/
and the restoration of Chinese internacional/2020-11-
sovereignty over Hong Kong. 15/china-y-otros-14-
 Part 1: Country Research
outside the UN system such as the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) or the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC)?
D. Any other alliances or major
treaties?
11. POLITICS: Summary of national
interests / domestic issues which might
influence your country’s foreign policy
b. In None. The People's Republic paises-firman-el-mayor-
of China was one of the founders acuerdo-comercial-del-
of the UN and has been since mundo.html
June 26, 1945.
c. In none.
d. Fifteen countries in Asia and
Oceania have signed the
agreement to form the world's
largest trade association, in what
represents a great victory for
China, the main promoter of the
project since negotiations began
in 2012. The Regional
Comprehensive Economic
Association (RCEP, in its
acronym in English), excludes
the United States, but will cover
2.1 billion consumers and 30% of
world GDP. China, Japan, South
Korea, Australia and New
Zealand signed the pact together
with the ten member countries of
Asean (the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, made
up of Indonesia, Thailand,
Singapore, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar,
Cambodia , Laos and Brunei) at
the end of that organization's
summit, held this year by
videoconference due to the
coronavirus pandemic. India,
which had decided to withdraw
from the negotiations last year
due to concerns that cheap
Chinese goods could flood its
market, will have the possibility
to join in the future if it wishes.
The management of the foreign https://
policy of the central countries —for repositorio.cepal.org/
the same breadth of economic bitstream/handle/
exchanges as well as because of 11362/29426/
the political ties that they maintain S327N962A_es.pdf
practically with all the countries of file:///D:/Descargas/
the world - is subject to a criterion 28332-Texto%20del
of "gradation" much higher than the %20art%C3%ADculo-
Part 1: Country Research

international activity of developing 28256-1-10-

nations. The great powers impose 20060309.pdf
ranking criteria both in the
allocation of material resources and
political energies. Therefore, in
political-diplomatic planning Of the
big countries, there are certain
interlocutors who obtain the highest
priority on a permanent basis. Such
is the case, for the United States,
of its relations with the Soviet
Union, with Japan, with the main
European countries, with the
Republic Popular China and with
Canada, its second trade partner.
The accession of a new generation
to power after the XVI Party
Congress Chinese Communist
Party (CCP) in November 2002 and
the impact of accession – a year
before – to the World Trade
Organization (WTO), mark a period
of transition in which internal issues
absorb the attention of the leaders
of the People's Republic. The goal
announced by Jiang Zemin in his
last speech as general secretary –
quadruple the GDP in 2020– and
the consolidation of the middle
class as a pillar of the PCCh, they
will guide the actions of a
government more concerned with
the stability of the system than with
its international objectives. Another
feature of Chinese diplomacy may
explain this apparent international
indecisiveness: its passivity. Since
the founding of the People's
Republic in 1949, China has had a
foreign policy that can be described
as reactive, assuming for several
decades a pivotal role in the
strategic competition between other
 Part 1: Country Research

powers.

12. HISTORY: What are some major a. * Foundation of the People's Republic, http://www.cctv.com/
events in your country’s history? Why 1949. The victory of the Chinese people's espanol/special/
are they important? revolution and the founding of the asuntossugestivos/01/
a. General People's Republic of China opened a index.shtml
b. Last 50 years new page in the annals of Chinese
c. Very recent history. The Communist Party of China,
which led and organized this revolution
and led it to victory, has since become
the ruling party on a national scale,
entrusted with the important mission of
leading the people of various ethnic
groups in the world. country in building a
new life, and the Party's history also
entered a new period.
* Peaceful liberation of Tibet, 1951.
On October 1, 1949, the People's
Republic of China was proclaimed. On
the same day, Panchen Erdeni X,
(Qoigyai Gyamcain by name), one of the
two Great Living Buddhas of the Gelug
Sect (Yellow Sect) of Tibetan Buddhism,
expressed his support for the Central
People's Government and expressed his
ardent desire to see an early liberation of
Tibet. The leaders of New China decided
to take every possible measure to
peacefully liberate Tibet. However, the
local authorities controlled by the pro-
imperialist and secessionist forces,
instead of responding to the Central
Government's proposal, tried to resist
with military and political methods. Since
persuasive efforts were ineffective, in
October 1950 the People's Liberation
Army entered Qamdo, which it liberated
through military actions intended to
promote peace. Immediately afterwards,
the establishment of the People's
Liberation Commission of the Qamdo
prefecture was proclaimed, directly
subordinate to the Council of State, in
accordance with what was established in
all the districts of the prefecture. The
Battle of Qamdo spurred political change
in Tibet and ultimately helped bring about
peace negotiations.
Part 1: Country Research

* National People's Assembly. The

APN is the supreme body of state power.
Its powers include legislation,
appointment and dismissal, decision-
making and supervision. 1. Legislative
power of the State: The NPC has the
power to amend the Constitution and to
make and revise laws relating to criminal
matters, civil matters, the structure of the
state and other basic laws. 2. Power to
elect, decide and dismiss the members
or leaders of the supreme organs of the
State: The NPC has the power to elect
the members of its Standing Committee,
elect the President and Vice Presidents
of the People's Republic of China, to
decide the candidate for Prime Minister
of the Council of This and the candidates
for Vice Premiers, State Councilors,
ministers , commission directors, Auditor
General, Secretary General, to elect the
President of the Central Military
Commission, decide the candidates for
other members of the Central Military
Commission, and elect the President of
the Supreme People's Court and the
President of the Public Prosecutor's
Office Supreme People. The APN has
the power to dismiss the members of the
supreme organs of the State chosen by
it. 3. Decision-making power of important
State affairs: The APN has the power to
examine and ratify the report on the
execution of the economic and social
development plan, examine and ratify the
state budget and the report on its
execution, ratify the institution of
provinces, autonomous regions and
municipalities directly subordinate to the
Central Government, decide the
establishment of special administrative
regions and their systems, decide the
problem of war and peace, and possess
other powers that it considers necessary
to exercise as the supreme organ of
State power. 4. Power of supervision
over the other supreme organs of the
State.
Part 1: Country Research

* China's first atomic bomb.

Experimental explosion of China's first
atomic bomb, October 16, 1964, Xinjiang.
Since then, China has always been a
responsible nuclear power. This 'success'
means that China's national defense
enters a new era. China declares that it
will not be the first to use the nuclear
weapon on any occasion.
* China's first artificial satellite, 1970.
China's first artificial satellite, Dong Fang
Hong-I ("the east is red"), launched on
April 24, 1970 by a Long March-I rocket.
Both the satellite and its carrier were of
national design and production.

b. * China's reinstatement in the UN.

October 25, 1971 is a historical day in
China. In the 26th General Assembly of
the United Nations, China rejoins the UN
with 76 votes in favor, 35 votes against
and 17 abstentions.
* The reform and opening, 1978. The
reform and opening up have aroused the
Chinese people's enthusiasm to
undertake the undertaking, which has
enabled China to strengthen its economic
power, said the Australian leader. China
is currently the fourth largest economy
(the tenth in 1978) and the second
largest exporter in the world (the thirty-
second in 1978), contributing 6% (1.8%
in 1978) to world economic growth,
leading the way in the . It has also made
obvious social progress. The living
standard of the Chinese people has risen
remarkably with the per capita income of
3,180 dollars in 2008 against the 190
dollars registered in 1978. It plays an
important role in international affairs and
maintains good bilateral relations with
other countries, in addition to be a
member of importance in international
organizations. China's vibrant economy
has created opportunities for its own
people and its neighbors, he said.
* Return of Hong Kong and Macao to
the motherland. China regains its
Part 1: Country Research

sovereignty over Hong Kong, a city that

had been a British colony for a hundred
years, on July 1, 1997. In the 9th
Quinquennium period, the Chinese
Government resumed exercising its
sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macao,
thus making historic progress in the great
cause of peaceful reunification of the
motherland. After the return of Hong
Kong and Macao to the motherland, the
principle of "one country, two systems"
and the Basic Laws of both regions have
been implemented in all fields. The work
of the governments of the Hong Kong
and Macao Special Administrative
Regions has been fruitful, the social
order of both regions has remained
stable and their economies have grown.
* The Beijing Olympics, 2008. The
2008 Beijing Olympic Games were held
in Beijing, capital of the People's
Republic of China, between August 8 and
24, 2008. After its conclusion, the XIII
Paralympic Games were held, which
began on September 6, being held in the
same city, and ending on the 17th of the
same month. The sporting event had 302
events in 28 sports in which some 11,028
athletes from 204 national and regional
Olympic committees participated. Apart
from Beijing, some other cities in China
will also hold the sporting events. The
soccer tournament was held in the cities
of Qinhuangdao, Tianjin, Shenyang and
Shanghai, while the sailing regattas and
the equestrian events were held in the
port of Qingdao and Hong Kong,
respectively.

c. * First Shenzhou VII spacewalk,

2008. The head of the Shenzhou 7
manned spacecraft design team
announced that the mission
achieved a number of
unprecedented achievements in
addition to conducting the first
spacewalk in China's history. The
country's first monitoring satellite,
 Part 1: Country Research

launched during the Shenzhou 7

mission, has been operating in
space for about 6 days, rotating on
the orbital module that was
detached from it and taking
pictures. The experts also
announced that they are studying
the samples of solid lubricant that
were exposed outside the ship and
that astronaut Zhai Zhigang
brought back to earth after his
historic spacewalk.

13. COOL STUFF: a. - 20% of the world's population It is

a. Things your country has the most populous country on Earth. It https://saposyprincesas.el
b. Things your country has done exceeds 1,400 million inhabitants, mundo.es/viajar-con-
c. Things your country is proud of which means that one in five people in ninos/por-el-mundo/curios
the world lives there. The immense idades-de-china/
d. Famous people
surface of its territory extends over https://www.bbc.com/
more than 9,500,000 square mundo/noticias-
kilometers, which places it behind internacional-43837666
Russia and Canada. https://es.wikipedia.org/
- One of the curiosities of China that wiki/Rep
amazes us the most is its own %C3%BAblica_Popular_
language. Although the Western belief China
is that Chinese is their language, the http://
reality is that there is no single www.historiayarte.net/a-
language. Mandarin Chinese dialects los-10-famosos-chinos-
are combined with other languages, mas-conocidos-
some completely foreign, such as internacionalmente.html
Tibetan. Among all the variants that
exist, Mandarin Chinese in its
Pekinese version is the official
language and the most used, although
each region has its own way of
speaking.
- It is a country with a marked
paternalistic and sexist character.
Women have a very defined role:
getting married and taking care of the
house. Although the authorities try to
break with this trend, the reality is that
if a woman is not married before she
turns 30, it is considered a disgrace or
a disgrace for her and her family.
- China has the most powerful
army in the world. The ground units
alone are made up of more than a
Part 1: Country Research

million active soldiers. In addition, the

country has the second highest
defense budget on the planet. To the
soldiers, in their training, they put small
pins on the collar of their uniform
shirts; its purpose is to ensure that they
keep their neck and posture upright.

b. - China remembers the time when it

was forced to do business against its
will. Today, he sees a reminder of this
unwelcome period in the West's efforts
to open up its market. The United
States and China are in conflict
because, according to the first, the
Asian giant sells products to it, but
does not let it do the same in its
territory. However, the trade balance
was not always in favor of China. In
Beijing, a time is still remembered,
almost a century and a half ago, when
China had little control over its own
market.
- China has always been
concerned that there be peace in
bordering countries. That partly
explains why today's unpredictable
North Korea is treated with caution. It
is not the first time that China has had
problems with nations with which it
borders. In fact, in the past it has had
worse neighbors than leader Kim Jong-
un, who recently paid a surprise visit to
Beijing in what was his first known
foreign trip since he came to power in
2011.
- China censors material with
certain political content, and those who
express political truths that the
authorities consider problematic can
end up in jail or with an even worse
fate. Telling the truth to the powerful
has always been a problem in China.
Their historians have often felt that
they must write what the state wanted
rather than what they thought was
important.
- Today's China wants to establish
Part 1: Country Research

itself as a technological hub. A century

ago it brought about another industrial
revolution. On both occasions, women
are at the epicenter. China is a world
leader in the field of artificial
intelligence, automatic speech
recognition and big data. A large
number of cell phones used around the
world contain chips made in China.
Young women work in many of the
factories where they are produced,
often enduring appalling working
conditions. but, at the same time, they
are making a place for themselves in
the industrial market economy for the
first time.

c. - Since the end of the Cultural

Revolution, China has made significant
investments in scientific research. In
2011, it spent more than US$100 billion
in this area. Science and technology are
seen by the government as vital to
achieving its economic and political goals
and are even a source of national pride
often described as "techno-nationalism".
Four Chinese scientists won the Nobel
Prize in Physics, and one the Nobel Prize
in Chemistry. China is rapidly developing
its education system with an emphasis
on science, math and engineering. In
2009, more than 10,000 engineers
earned their Ph.D. degrees and another
500,000 earned the equivalent of a
Bachelor of Science, more students than
any other country.3 China also became
the world's largest publisher of scientific
papers in 2016. Chinese tech
companies , like Huawei and Lenovo,
have become world leaders in
telecommunications and personal
computing, with Chinese supercomputers
consistently among the most powerful in
the world. China has been the world's
largest market for industrial robots since
2013 and will account for the 45% of new
robots installed between 2019 and 2021.
Part 1: Country Research

d. - Lin Chi-ling. The first of China's

most famous people is a woman
named Lin Chi-ling who is
internationally popular as an
actress and model. She has
become so famous in a short time
that the gossip press called her
fame "the Lin Chi-Ling
phenomenon." She is especially
known because she has a very
sweet voice and is highly valued in
China. She always appears in
advertisements, but she is also
famous internationally and was
featured in the movie Red Cliff.
- Jay Chou. Secondly, we find an
internationally famous Chinese
man who has one of the most
popular Chinese names in the
country and who has been able to
wear it with pride around the
world, since this multifaceted
character is a singer, producer,
musician, actor and also a
director. He is one of the first
artists who decided to include rap
in Chinese music and has even
directed and produced a movie in
Hollywood, as well as having put
his voice in the movie Kung Fu
Panda 3.
- Yao Ming. On the other hand,
without a doubt one of the best-
known Chinese celebrities
internationally is Yao Ming. It is
about a popular basketball player
who is undoubtedly one of the
most famous in the world but has
also become even more
recognized by becoming a popular
"meme" that circulates on the
Internet in different original and fun
images.
- Bruce Lee. Without a doubt one of
the most famous Chinese actors of
all time is Bruce Lee. He was an
actor who has become a legend
expert in martial arts and probably
Part 1: Country Research

the best reference of all time in

this type of film. He was very
famous as a martial artist and as
an actor, but also as a philosopher
and as a writer. Although his
nationality was American, he
undoubtedly had Chinese origins
and is one of the main exponents
and promoters of martial arts and
films of this genre.
- Gao Yuanyuan. As for women,
another of the best known Chinese
celebrities is Gao Yuanyuan. She
is a model and actress with
Chinese origins who is for many
men the perfect woman both in
China and in the rest of the world.
Yuanyuan became well known
with different Chinese series and
also carried the Olympic torch in
2008.
- Jackie Chan. On the other hand,
along with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan
is one of the most internationally
known Chinese celebrities. He is
an actor, director and film
producer who appears in multiple
films mixing humor with martial
arts, currently enjoying enormous
worldwide fame, being probably
the best-known living Chinese
celebrity in the world.
- Gui Jinjin. One of the most famous
and internationally known Chinese
women is the Olympic swimmer
Gui Jingjing. She is especially
known because she won the
Olympic medal in 2004 and 2008
and is also married to the
grandson of one of the richest men
in all of Hong Kong. Currently, she
is undoubtedly one of the most
popular advertising faces in a
large number of Chinese brands
that she proudly wears around the
world.
- Lucy Liu. As far as female
actresses are concerned, without
Part 1: Country Research

a doubt, the best-known Chinese

celebrity in the world today is the
actress Lucy Liu. Although she
grew up in New York, her parents
are immigrants from Beijing and
Shanghai and she is undoubtedly
a very popular actress throughout
the world who has starred in
blockbuster movies such as
"Charlie's Angels", "Kill Bill" ,
"Elementary", etc and has
participated in many famous series
such as Allie McBeal or
Emergencies.
- Ning Zetao. Also in the world of
sports is the famous and
internationally recognized retired
Chinese former swimmer and
world champion in 100 meters in
2015 Ning Zetao. He is a great
athlete specialized above all in
freestyle and short distance
events.
- Leslie Cheung. Finally we find one
of the most popular and
remembered Chinese musicians
and actors in all of China who has
already passed away. Leslie
Cheung was especially popular in
China for founding Cantonese pop
but he was also especially known
in Asia (Japan, Korea, Singapore
and Malaysia) and in the rest of
the world for being voted in a CNN
poll as the most famous musician
of all. the world behind only the
Beatles and Michael Jackson.