Brief Introduction

China, as an oriental cential civilization, is the largest developing country in the world. It is located in the east of Asia, with the Pacific Ocean to the east. China has the third largest territory after Russia and Canada, stretching over 9,596,960 km2 (roughly 3.7 million square miles). Meanwhile, China contains the largest population among all nations with approximate 1.3 billion people by the end of 2000. China is abundant in natural resources including substantial deposits of coal, iron ore, mercury, tin, petroleum and uranium.

China's traditioanal values have long been influenced by Confucianism and Taoism. Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical system developed by the Chinese philosopher Confucius which stresses on individuals' moral development so that the state can be governed by moral virtue rather than coercive laws. Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility.Chinese culture has also been influenced by Buddhism.

China has a splendid ancient culture. Ancient Chinese were far ahead of the world both in astronomy and science, such as the Four Great Inventions of Ancient which is paper, compass, gunpowder and printing, although China was way behind the world in the modern science and technology. China has always been good at handicrafts, such as china and cloisonne. China is also renown as the hometown of tea and silk. Chinese arts are known for its diversity in all aspects. Chinese traditional paintings, music and literature also take a great part in Chinese culture and arts.