The Government of China
Overview
- Capital: Beijing
- Administrative regions: 34 province-level divisions (23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, 2 special administrative regions)
- Government & legal system: One-party socialist republic led by the Chinese Communist Party; civil law system. (government site)
- Head of state / government: Xi Jinping, President (also General Secretary of the Communist Party) (official page)
- Official language(s): Standard Chinese (Putonghua/Mandarin); various regional and minority languages recognized locally
- National Day: October 1 (National Day, founding of the People’s Republic, 1949)
- Other official holidays: Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), Labor Day (May 1), Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day Golden Week
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (official site)
- Regional / international memberships: United Nations/ UN (permanent Security Council member), World Trade Organization/ WTO, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, Shanghai Cooperation Organization/ SCO, BRICS, G20, Asian Infrastructure Bank/ AIIB
- Visa / entry requirements: Visa or eligible-country e-visa required for most visitors.
(https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/) - Currency: Renminbi (yuan, ¥/CNY) — notes depict Mao Zedong’s portrait on the obverse of all denominations, with landscapes (e.g. Guilin scenery, Potala Palace, West Lake) on the reverse.
- Flag symbolism: Red field symbolizing revolution; one large gold star represents the Communist Party, four smaller stars represent the people united under its leadership.
Major Cities
