用英文介绍中国的历史文化（有中文翻译）Area:3,696,100sqmi(9,572,900sqkm).Population(2004est.):1,298,848,000.Capital:Beijing.TheHan,orethnicChinese,formmorethannine-tenthsofthepopulation.Languages:dialectsofHanChinese,Mandarinbeingthemostimportant.Religions:Buddhism,Islam,Protestantism,RomanCatholicism,Daoism(alllegallysanctioned).Currency:renminbi(ofwhichtheunitistheyuan).Chinahasseveraltopographicregions.ThesouthwesternareacontainsthePlateauofTibet,whichaveragesmorethan13,000ft(4,000m)abovesealevel;itscentralarea,averagingmorethan16,000ft(5,000m)inelevation,iscalled"theRoofoftheWorld."Higheryetaretheborderranges,theKunlunMountainstothenorthandtheHimalayastothesouth.China'snorthwesternregionstretchesfromAfghanistantothenortheasternManchurianPlain.TheTienShan("CelestialMountains")separateChina'stwomajorinteriorbasins,theTarimBasin(containingtheTaklaMakanDesert)andtheJunggarBasin.TheMongolianPlateaucontainsthesouthernmostpartoftheGobiDesert.ThelowlandsoftheeasternregionincludetheSichuanBasin,whichrunsalongtheYangtzeRiver(ChangJiang).TheeasternregionisdividedintonorthernandsouthernpartsbytheYangtze.TheTarimisthemajorriverinthenorthwest.China'ssmallestwatershed,inthesouthwest,providesheadwatersfortheBrahmaputra,Salween,andIrrawaddyrivers.ItsmanyotherriversincludetheXi,Sungari(Songhua),Zhu(Pearl),andLancang,whichbecomestheMekonginSoutheastAsia.ThediscoveryofPekingmanin1927(seeZhoukoudian)datestheadventofearlyhominidstothePaleolithicPeriod.ChinesecivilizationprobablyspreadfromtheHuangHe(YellowRiver)valley,whereitexistedс3000BC.ThefirstdynastyforwhichthereisdefinitehistoricalmaterialistheShang(с17thcenturyBC),whichhadawritingsystemandacalendar.TheZhou,asubjectstateoftheShang,overthrewitsShangrulersinthe11thcenturyandruleduntilthe3rdcenturyBC.DaoismandConfucianismwerefoundedinthisera.Atimeofconflict,calledtheWarringStatesperiod,lastedfromthe5thcenturyuntil221BC.SubsequentlytheQin(Ch'in)dynasty(fromwhosenameChinaisderived)wasestablished,afteritsrulershadconqueredrivalstatesandcreatedaunifiedempire.TheHandynastywasestablishedin206BCandruleduntilAD220.Atimeofturbulencefollowed,andChinesereunificationwasnotachieveduntiltheSuidynastywasestablishedin581.AfterthefoundingoftheSongdynastyin960,thecapitalwasmovedtothesouthbecauseofnortherninvasions.In1279thisdynastywasoverthrownandMongol(Yuan)dominationbegan.DuringthistimeMarcoPolovisitedKublaiKhan.TheMingdynastyfollowedtheperiodofMongolruleandlastedfrom1368to1644,cultivatingantiforeignfeelingstothepointthatChinacloseditselfofffromtherestoftheworld.PeoplesfromManchuriaoverranChinain1644andestablishedtheQing(Manchu)dynasty.Ever-increasingincursionsbyWesternandJapaneseinterestsledinthe19thcenturytotheOpiumWars,theTaipingRebellion,andtheSino-JapaneseWar,allofwhichweakenedtheManchu.Thedynastyfellin1911,andarepublicwasproclaimedin1912bySunYat-sen.Thepowerstrugglesofwarlordsweakenedtherepublic.UnderChiangKai-shek,somenationalunificationwasachievedinthe1920s,butChiangsoonbrokewiththecommunists,whothenformedtheirownarmies.JapaninvadednorthernChinain1937;itsoccupationlasteduntil1945(seeManchukuo).ThecommunistsgainedsupportaftertheLongMarch(1934?C35),inwhichMaoZedongemergedastheirleader.UponJapan'ssurrenderattheendofWorldWarII,afiercecivilwarbegan;in1949theNationalistsfledtoTaiwan,andthecommunistsproclaimedthePeople'sRepublicofChina.T...