The Chinese civilization is an ancient civilization located in a cultural region. Depending on perspective, China is a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia.
In 1949, when major combat ended in the Chinese Civil War, two political entities emerged having the term "China" in their names:
Historically, China's cultural sphere has extended across East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing systems being adopted to varying degrees by neighbors such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The first evidence of human presence in the region was found at the Zhoukoudian cave and is one of the first known specimens of Homo erectus, now commonly known as the Peking Man, estimated to have lived from 300,000 to 780,000 years ago.[8][9][10]
The traditional (top) and simplified (bottom) characters for "China" in Chinese. The first character means "central" and the second character means "kingdom".
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In 1949, when major combat ended in the Chinese Civil War, two political entities emerged having the term "China" in their names:
The People's Republic of China (PRC), established in 1949, commonly known as China, has control over mainland China and the largely self-governing territories of Hong Kong (since 1997) and Macau (since 1999).
The Republic of China (ROC), established on the mainland in 1911, nowadays commonly known as Taiwan, has control over the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu after losing control of the mainland in 1949.
Historically, China's cultural sphere has extended across East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing systems being adopted to varying degrees by neighbors such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The first evidence of human presence in the region was found at the Zhoukoudian cave and is one of the first known specimens of Homo erectus, now commonly known as the Peking Man, estimated to have lived from 300,000 to 780,000 years ago.[8][9][10]
Etymology
Main article: Names of China
- English names
