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Capital: Beijing

Population: 1,306,313,812 (July 2005 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

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

Currency: yuan (CNY), also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB)

Timezone: GMT+8

China is a vast country, with a wide variety of landscapes and climates. Located in East Asia, it has borders with many other countries including Russia, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It also borders the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea and South China Sea. China's landscape includes mountain ranges and high plateaus in the west, deserts and deltas inland, and hills and flatlands in the east. Only a third of the country is suitable for farming. China is home to around 20 percent of the world's population, including many different ethnic groups. It is organized into twenty-two provinces, five Autonomous Regions, two Special Administrative Regions and four Municipalities. The economy has grown dramatically over the past 20 years, and living standards have improved significantly for many Chinese people. However, the country is still subject to very tight political controls.

Since China opened its doors to Westerners, increasing numbers of businesses and expatriate workers have entered the country. Most expatriate workers are either posted to China by their existing employers or go there to teach English. The vast majority are on short-term or temporary contracts and stay only for a year or two. Corporate executives tend to be based mainly in the cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. However, expatriates live in many different parts of China, particularly those teaching English who may be based in rural areas.

China's culture is very different to that in the West, particularly the restriction of personal freedoms and the concept of the group being more important than the individual which governs many aspects of life. Every foreigner will have a 'Waiban' or a representative of the Foreign Affairs Office allocated to oversee their stay in China, help provide whatever they need, and ensure they stay out of trouble. It is quite normal in China for foreign government officials, journalists and some business people to be put under surveillance by the security services, to have their telephones and emails monitored, and their personal possessions searched.