China - Government
Based on the etymolgy of China, it was English name derives from the Qin (Chin) rulers of the 3rd century B.C., who comprised the first imperial dynasty of ancient China; the Chinese name Zhongguo translates as "Central Nation" or "Middle Kingdom". The Government system in this country is the communist party-led state type and the different Administrative divisions includes:
23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural), and two special administrative regions (tebie xingzhengqu, singular and plural)
provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)
autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), Ningxia, Xinjiang Uyghur, Xizang (Tibet)
municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
special administrative regions: Hong Kong, Macau
National symbols
Dragon, giant panda; national colors: red, yellow.
The flag
The National flag of China has red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner; the color red represents revolution, while the stars symbolize the four social classes - the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie (capitalists) - united under the Communist Party of China.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" (The March of the Volunteers) |
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| Lyric/music | TIAN Han/NIE Er |
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note: adopted 1949; the anthem, though banned during the Cultural Revolution, is more commonly known as "Zhongguo Guoge" (Chinese National Song); it was originally the theme song to the 1935 Chinese movie, "Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm"
More about the government of China
| Date of Independence | 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established); notable earlier dates: 221 B.C. (unification under the Qin Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | National Day (anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949) |
| Legal system | civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; note - on 28 May 2020, the National People's Congress adopted the PRC Civil Code, which codifies personal relations and property relations |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest promulgated 4 December 1982 |
| Amendments | Proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress or supported by more than one fifth of the National People’s Congress membership; passage requires more than two-thirds majority vote of the Congress membership; amended several times, last in 2018 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | least one parent must be a citizen of China |
| Dual citizenship recognized | no |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | while naturalization is theoretically possible, in practical terms it is extremely difficult; residency is required but not specified |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013) |
| Head of government | Premier LI Qiang (since 11 March 2023) |
| Cabinet | State Council appointed by National People's Congress |
| Elections/appointments | president and vice president indirectly elected by National People's Congress; election last held on 10 March 2023 (next to be held in March 2028); premier nominated by president, confirmed by National People's Congress |
| Election results | 2023: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,952 (unanimously); HAN Zheng elected vice president with 2,952 votes 2018: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,970 (unanimously); WANG Qishan elected vice president with 2,969 votes |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral National People's Congress (NPC) or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (maximum of 3,000 seats; members indirectly elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses, and the People's Liberation Army; members serve 5-year terms) |
| Elections | The 14th NPC convened on 5 March 2023; the 15th NPC will convene in March 2028 |
| Election results | Percent of vote - NA; seats by party - NA; the 14th NPC consists of 2,977 delegates; 2,187 men, 790 women, percentage women 26.5% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme People's Court (consists of over 340 judges, including the chief justice and 13 grand justices organized into a civil committee and tribunals for civil, economic, administrative, complaint and appeal, and communication and transportation cases) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Chief justice appointed by the People's National Congress (NPC); limited to 2 consecutive 5-year-terms; other justices and judges nominated by the chief justice and appointed by the Standing Committee of the NPC; term of other justices and judges determined by the NPC |
| Subordinate courts | Higher People's Courts; Intermediate People's Courts; District and County People's Courts; Autonomous Region People's Courts; International Commercial Courts; Special People's Courts for military, maritime, transportation, and forestry issues |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador XIE Feng (since 30 June 2023) |
| Chancery | 3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 495-2266 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 495-2138 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco; note - the US ordered closure of the Houston consulate in late July 2020 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Nicholas BURNS (since 2 April 2022) |
| Embassy | 55 Anjialou Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100600 |
| Mailing address | 7300 Beijing Place, Washington DC 20521-7300 |
| Telephone | [86] (10) 8531-3000 |
| FAX | [86] (10) 8531-4200 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan; note - the Chinese Government ordered closure of the US consulate in Chengdu in late July 2020 |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 57 (39 cultural, 14 natural, 4 mixed) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (c); Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (c); The Great Wall (c); Summer Palace (c); Jiuzhaigou Valley (n); Potala Palace (c); Ancient Pingyao (c); Historic Macau (c); Dengfeng (c); Grand Canal (c); Mount Huangshan (m) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in China
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about China
Want to know more about China? Check all different factbooks for China below.
