11 Facts About China

1. In 2011, Shenzhen in Guangdong, China hosted the 2011 Summer Universiade.

2. Government of the People's Republic of China officially espouses state atheism, and has conducted antireligious campaigns to this end.

3. In 2013, China successfully landed the Chang'e 3 lander and Yutu rover onto the lunar surface; China plans to collect lunar soil samples by 2017.

4. In 1970, China launched its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, becoming the fifth country to do so independently.

5. Since the end of the Cultural Revolution, China has made significant investments in scientific research, with $163 billion spent on scientific research and development in 2012.

6. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China states that the "fundamental rights" of citizens include freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to a fair trial, freedom of religion, universal suffrage, and property rights.

7. In July 2018, China had cut import tariffs on approximately 1,500 consumer products so as to open up the economy of the country.

8. In 2013, China began a five-year, US$277 billion effort to reduce air pollution, particularly in the north of the country.

9. In recent decades, China has suffered from severe environmental deterioration and pollution.

10. On 1 January 1912, the Republic of China was established, and Sun Yat-sen of the Kuomintang was proclaimed provisional president.

11. Since then, China has expanded, fractured, and re-unified numerous times.