| Today, China's major religions are Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, and Christianity. Since the Communist Revolution, most people have become Atheists. It is still the dominant philosophy today, though religious beliefs are experiencing a revival.
China 's Communist Party (CCP), which came to power in 1949, established the People’s Republic of China. Today China is moving toward creating a socialist market economy, while retaining its monopoly on power and maintaining strict control over the population. The CCP dominates policy making and policy execution through its members in the government. The most powerful state department is the State Council, which is headed by the premier. In recent years, state-owned enterprises have gained considerable autonomy and some have been privatized, while a new sector of private and collective enterprises has developed largely independent of direct state control.
Nationality:
Noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Chinese
Population:
1,298,847,624 (July 2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.57% (2004 est.)
Ethnic groups:
Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Religions:
Daoism, Buddhism, Islam 1%-2%, Christianity 3%-4%
Note: Officially Atheist (2002 est.)
Languages:
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages of ethnic groups |
