Country Flag of China Map of China, Courtesy of WorldAtlas.com

Local time in Beijing:



Facts and Figures

arrow Official Name People's Democratic Republic of China

arrow Capital City Beijing

arrow 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 (See Ethnic groups entry)

arrow Official Currency yuan (CNY)

arrow Ethnic Groups Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%.

arrow Religions Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%. Note: officially atheist (2002 est.)

arrow Population 1,284,303,705 (July 2002 est.)

arrow Land Area 9,596,960 sq km

History

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries, China was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision making, and output quadrupled by 2000. Political controls remain tight even while economic controls continue to be relaxed.

UNAIDS Epidemiological
Fact Sheets

[English] [French]

Global Surveillance of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a joint effort of WHO and UNAIDS. The UNAIDS/WHO Working Group on Global HIV/AIDS and STI Surveillance, initiated in November 1996, guides respective activities. The primary objective of the working group is to strengthen national, regional and global structures and networks for improved monitoring and surveillance of HIV/AIDS and STIs. For this purpose, the working group collaborates closely with national AIDS programmes and a number of national and international experts and institutions. The goal of this collaboration is to compile the best information available and to improve the quality of data needed for informed decision-making and planning at national, regional and global levels. The Epidemiological Fact Sheets are one of the products of this close and fruitful collaboration across the globe.

Web sites

China Orchid AIDS Project
China Orchid AIDS Project (COAP) is a non-governmental social welfare organization founded in January 2003. COAP is devoted to providing assistance and advocacy for families in Henan Province who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, particularly children orphaned by AIDS. With an emphasis on the ideals of human worth and humane care, COAP aims to provide assistance to AIDS orphans and HIV/AIDS affected families. COAP has offices in both Beijing and Kaifeng, Henan. Through innovative programming and determination, COAP aims to help those affected by HIV/AIDS live healthy, productive and positive lives. COAP does this by raising the awareness of AIDS orphans both with the government and with the public, by establishing schools for AIDS orphans, and by developing networks and increasing cooperation with other non-governmental organizations.

China AIDS Survey
China AIDS Survey is an open-source, online database dedicated to the AIDS epidemic in the People’s Republic of China. The database contains several hundred summarized news reports from both Chinese press agencies and western sources, AIDS related glossaries, primary source documents (both from China and the international community), links to Chinese and international AIDS organizations and briefs characterizing the main issues surrounding AIDS in China.

CHAIN - China HIV/AIDS Information Network
The China HIV/AIDS Information Network (CHAIN) is an open and participatory organization which works on behalf of all relevant governmental and nongovernmental organizations, professionals and concerned individuals requiring access to the most current HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness information in China . Established in 2003 as an independent government organization, CHAIN is administratively attached to the Ministry of Health's (MOH) Chinese Center for Disease Control (CCDC) and physically located in the China Health Education Institute (IHE). CHAIN offers a daily news list in Chinese language.

U.S. Government Agencies

World Fact Book
The Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO).

US Department of State - Travel Advisory
Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Countries where avoidance of travel is recommended will have Travel Warnings as well as Consular Information Sheets.

U.S. Census Bureau: China (Mainland)
The data presented in each country profile were drawn from the June 2000 release of the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Database, a compilation of HIV seroprevalence information contained in journals, articles, and public presentations. The database was developed and has been maintained at the U.S. Census Bureau since 1987 with funding support from the Africa Bureau and the Office of Health, HIV-AIDS Division, U.S. Agency for International Development.

Non-Governmental Organizations

WHO Country Profile: China
Country profile on specific diseases, and selected health-related documents. Available in English, Spanish and French.

030718
China

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Map of China courtesy of WorldAtlas.Com. Always watch for outdated information. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1990, 2007. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.