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China (Traditional Chinese: 中國; Simplified Chinese: 中国;
Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōngguó (help·info); Tongyong Pinyin: Jhongguó) is a cultural
region and ancient civilization in East Asia. China refers to one of the
world's oldest civilizations, comprised of states and cultures dating back
more than six millennia. The stalemate of the last Chinese Civil War
following World War II has resulted in two de-facto sovereignties using the
name "China": the People's Republic of China (PRC), administering mainland
China, Hong Kong, and Macau; and the Republic of China (ROC), administering
Taiwan and its surrounding islands. See Political status of Taiwan for more
information.China has the world's longest continuously used written language
system. China is also the source of many of the world's great inventions,
including the four great inventions of ancient China: Paper, the compass,
gunpowder, and printing. |
