China is seen variously as an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia,a nation and/or a multinational entity.
With nearly 4,000 years of continuous history,China is one of the world's oldest civilizations.Prior to the 19th century,it possessed one of the most advanced societies and economies in the world; but through successive dynasties it then missed the Industrial Revolution and began to decline.In the 19th and 20th century,imperialism,internal weakness and civil wars damaged the country and its economy,and led to the overthrow of imperial rule.
In the 1950s,change to economic policies in Taiwan transformed the island into a technology-oriented industrialized developed economy after a period of high growth rates and rapid industrialization.In mainland China,in the 1970s,reforms known as the Four Modernizations improved agriculture,industry,technology and defense,raising living standards and making the PRC one of the great powers.By 2011 challenges included the growing divide between rich and poor,environmental degradation,and rampant corruption.
Historically,the cultural sphere of China has extended across East Asia as a whole,with Chinese religion,customs,and writing systems being adopted to varying degrees by neighbors such as Japan,Korea and Vietnam.Through its history,China was the source of many major inventions.It has also one of the world's oldest written language systems.The first evidence of human presence in the region was found at the Zhoukoudian cave.It is one of the earliest known specimens of Homo erectus,now commonly known as the Peking Man,estimated to have lived from 300,000 to 780,000 years ago.