China

:This article is about Chinese civilization. For the modern-day state commonly referred to as "China", see People's Republic of China. For other meanings, see China (disambiguation).

Territory

Historical overview

The Zhou Dynasty, which preceded the unification of China by Shi Huangdi, was originally the region around the Yellow River. Since then, the territory has expanded outward in all directions, and was largest during the Tang, Yuan, and Qing dynasties. The Qing Dynasty included parts of modern Russian Far East and Central Asia (west of Xinjiang).

Related Topics:
Zhou Dynasty - Shi Huangdi - Yellow River - Tang - Yuan - Qing - Russian Far East - Central Asia - Xinjiang

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Along with provincial administrators, some foreign monarchs sent envoys to offer gifts to the Emperor of China and the Emperor returned compliments to them. The Chinese thought that the barbarians attached themselves to the virtue of the Emperor, while the foreign governments sometimes disagreed. Since the end of the 19th century, China has tried to reinterpret this relationship as suzerainty or suzerainty-dependency, but this no longer has any real conception in modern international political theories.

Related Topics:
Monarch - Envoy - Compliments - Virtue - Suzerainty - Dependency

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The Qing Empire reduced the territorial value of the Great Wall of China as a barrier of China proper after they merged their homeland (Manchuria) north of the wall with China proper south of it. In 1683 after the surrender of the Kingdom of Tungning established by Koxinga, Taiwan including the Pescadores became a part of the Qing Empire, originally as one prefecture, then two, and later a province. Taiwan was subsequently ceded to Japan after the first Sino-Japanese War in 1895. At the end of the second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, Japan relinquished the sovereignty of the island in the San Francisco Peace Treaty, and the Republic of China took over. Since then, the de jure sovereignty of Taiwan has been under dispute between the PRC, and the now democratic ROC and Taiwan independence supporters.

Related Topics:
Qing Empire - Great Wall of China - China proper - Manchuria - Kingdom of Tungning - Koxinga - Taiwan - Pescadores - Prefecture - Japan - First Sino-Japanese War - 1895 - Second Sino-Japanese War - Sovereignty - San Francisco Peace Treaty - Republic of China - Sovereignty of Taiwan - Taiwan independence supporters

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See: Taiwan, Republic of China, Tibet

Related Topics:
Taiwan - Republic of China - Tibet

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Historical political divisions

Top-level political divisions of China have altered as the administration changed. Top levels included circuits and provinces. Below that, there have been prefectures, subprefectures, departments, commanderies, districts, and counties. Recent divisions also include prefecture-level cities, county-level cities, towns and townships (see below for examples).

Related Topics:
Circuit - Province - Prefecture - Subprefecture - Department - Commanderies - District - Counties - Prefecture-level cities - County-level cities - Town - Township

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Historically, most Chinese dynasties were based in the historical heartlands of China, known by the politically-correct term of China proper. Various dynasties also exhibited expansionism by engaging in incursions into more peripheral territories like Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, Xinjiang, and Tibet. The Manchu-established Qing Dynasty and its successors, the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China cemented the incorporation of these territories into China. These territories are separated by borders that are vague at best, and do not correspond well to contemporary political divisions. China proper is generally thought to be bounded by the Great Wall and the edge of the Tibetan plateau; Manchuria and Inner Mongolia are found to the north of the Great Wall of China, and the boundary between them can either be taken as the present border between Inner Mongolia and the northeast Chinese provinces, or the more historic border of the World War II-era puppet state of Manchukuo; Xinjiang's borders correspond to today's administrative Xinjiang; and historic Tibet is conceived as occupying all of the Tibetan Plateau. China is also traditionally thought of as comprising North China (??) and South China (??), the geographic boundary between which north and south is largely generalized as Huai River (??) and Qinling Mountains (??).

Related Topics:
China proper - Expansionism - Inner Mongolia - Manchuria - Xinjiang - Tibet - Manchu - Qing Dynasty - Republic of China - People's Republic of China - Great Wall - Tibetan plateau - Great Wall of China - Northeast Chinese - World War II - Puppet state - Manchukuo - North China - South China - Huai River - Qinling Mountains

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See also:

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• Political divisions of China
• History of the political divisions of China

Geography and climate

Main article: Geography of China

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China is composed of a vast variety of highly different landscapes, with mostly plateaus and mountains in the west, and lower lands on the east. As a result, principal rivers flow from west to east, including the Yangtze (Mississippi), the Huang He (central-east), and the Amur (northeast), and sometimes toward the south (including the Pearl River, Mekong River, and Brahmaputra), with most Chinese rivers emptying into the Pacific.

Related Topics:
Landscapes - Plateaus - Mountains - River - Yangtze - Huang He - Amur - Pearl River - Mekong River - Brahmaputra - Pacific

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Most of China's arable lands lie along the two major rivers, the Yangtze and the Huang He, and each are the centers around which are founded China's major ancient civilizations.

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In the east, along the shores of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea are found extensive and densely populated alluvial plains; the shore of the South China Sea is more mountainous and southern China is dominated by hill country and lower mountain ranges.

Related Topics:
Yellow Sea - East China Sea - Alluvial - South China Sea - Hill country - Mountain range

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To the west, the north has a great alluvial plain, and the south has a vast calcareous tableland traversed by hill ranges of moderate elevation, with the Himalayas, containing the highest point Mount Everest. The northwest also has high plateaus among more arid desert landscapes such as the Takla-Makan and the Gobi Desert, which has been expanding. Due to a prolonged drought and perhaps poor agricultural practices, dust storms have become usual in the spring in China. Dust blows all the way to southern China, Taiwan, and has even been measured on the West Coast of the United States.

Related Topics:
Alluvial - Calcareous - Tableland - Hill - Himalaya - Mount Everest - Desert - Takla-Makan - Gobi Desert - Drought - Dust storms - United States

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During many dynasties, the southwestern border of China has been the high mountains and deep valleys of Yunnan, which separate modern China from Burma, Laos and Vietnam.

Related Topics:
Mountain - Yunnan - Burma - Laos - Vietnam

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The climate of China varies greatly. The northern zone (within which lies Beijing) has a climate with winters of Arctic severity. The central zone (within which Shanghai is situated) has a generally temperate climate. The southern zone (within which lies Guangzhou) has a generally subtropical climate.

Related Topics:
Climate - Beijing - Arctic - Shanghai - Temperate - Guangzhou - Subtropical

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The Palaeozoic formations of China, excepting only the upper part of the Carboniferous system, are marine, while the Mesozoic and Tertiary deposits are estuarine and freshwater or else of terrestrial origin. Groups of volcanic cones occur in the Great Plain of north China. In the Liaodong and Shandong Peninsulas, there are basaltic plateaux.

Related Topics:
Palaeozoic - Carboniferous - Marine - Mesozoic - Tertiary - Estuarine - Freshwater - Terrestrial - Volcanic - Liaodong - Shandong

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