China

Beijing serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of China, positioned in Eastern Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Beijing accumulated 700 years of imperial grandeur into the Forbidden City — a 980-building complex housing 1.8 million artefacts — while simultaneously bulldozing its ancient hutong courtyard neighbourhoods to build Olympic infrastructure, creating a city where the world's largest surviving palace complex coexists with some of its newest glass towers.

With a population of approximately 1.41B, China is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Mandarin, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, China is reached via the dialling code +86. China's 56 officially recognised ethnic groups are dominated by Han Chinese (91%), but the Tibetan, Uyghur, Zhuang, and Mongolian minorities maintain distinct languages and cultural practices across a geographic and cultural diversity that the unifying concept of 'Chinese civilisation' spanning 5,000 years both connects and obscures.

China spans 9,706,961 km², in the Eastern Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 35.0°N, 105.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.

The official currency is the Chinese yuan (¥), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. China's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+08:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

The emblematic dish of China is Peking Duck. Chinese cuisine's regional variations are so profound they barely share ingredients — Sichuan's numbing peppercorns and chilli oil, Cantonese dim sum's delicacy, Beijing's roasted duck, Shanghainese braised pork belly, and Xinjiang's lamb skewers reflect climates, trade routes, and agricultural histories as different as Europe's distinct national cuisines.

Table Tennis holds a special place in the heart of China's national identity. Table tennis became China's unofficial national sport in 1961 when Zhuang Zedong won the first of three world titles — a sport promoted by Mao as a vehicle for national pride that produced a dominance so complete that China has won 60 of 69 possible Olympic gold medals since the sport's introduction in 1988.

The highest point in China is Mount Everest, rising to 8,849 metres above sea level. Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province — the inspiration for the floating Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar — features thousands of sandstone pillars rising up to 300 metres through cloud and mist, a landscape created over 300 million years of geological erosion and now protected as the first national forest park established in China in 1982.