National Flag, National Anthem, National Emblem and National Day

The national flag of the People’s Republic of China is the five-star red flag. Its red background stands for revolution, while the five five-pointed stars and the way they relate to one another represent the unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The stars are yellow so that they appear bright against the red field, as yellow looks more brilliant on red than white does. Each of the four smaller stars has one point directed toward the center of the large star, expressing unity around a single center, and the overall design appears neat and graceful. The national emblem features the national flag, the Tiananmen Rostrum, a gearwheel and ears of grain, which together symbolize the new-democratic revolutionary struggle that began with the May 4th Movement and the founding of the new China—a people’s democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and farmers. The national anthem is the March of the Volunteers, and October 1 is celebrated as the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.

Spoken and Written Language

China is home to 56 ethnic groups, making it a country of many ethnicities, languages, dialects and writing systems. Putonghua and the standardized Chinese characters serve as the national lingua franca. Putonghua, the standard spoken form of Chinese, takes the Beijing pronunciation as its standard tone, the northern dialects as its foundation, and exemplary works of modern vernacular literature as its grammatical norm. Modern Chinese falls into two broad categories: the standard language (Mandarin) and regional dialects. The dialects are commonly grouped into ten major varieties: the official (Mandarin) dialect, Jin, Wu, Hui, Min, Cantonese (Yue), Hakka, Gan, Xiang and Ping.

Capital

Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and one of the four municipalities directly administered by the Central Government. It serves as the nation’s political, economic, scientific and cultural hub and is also a key center for exchanges both at home and abroad. In addition, Beijing is renowned as one of China’s most famous historical and cultural cities and ancient capitals.

Population and Ethnic Groups

Throughout history, China has ranked among the most populous countries in the world, home to roughly one fifth of the global population, and its population development has long exerted a decisive influence on the world’s overall demographic pattern. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show that the national population stood at 1,408.28 million at the end of 2024. The Chinese nation boasts a long history: since ancient times, the ancestors of all ethnic groups have lived, worked and multiplied on the land of the motherland, devoting their talents to Chinese civilization and to the building of a unified multi-ethnic state. Today there are 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China. The Han nationality makes up about 92 percent of the total population, while the other 55 ethnic groups together account for the remaining 8 percent.

Climate

With its vast territory, broad span of latitudes, varying distances from the sea and diverse terrain, China enjoys a rich variety of climate types. In terms of temperature zones, the country includes tropical, subtropical, warm-temperate, mid-temperate and cold-temperate zones, as well as the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau region. Winter brings a dramatic contrast between the warm south and the frigid north: temperatures in Mohe, Heilongjiang, can drop below -30°C, while areas south of the isotherm line stay above 0°C, and Sanya in Hainan Province enjoys temperatures above 20°C. In the height of summer, the north-south difference becomes far less obvious. Apart from the high-altitude Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the Tianshan Mountains, most parts of China see temperatures of 20°C or higher, and many southern regions exceed 28°C. Turpan in Xinjiang records an average July temperature as high as 32°C, making it the hottest place in the country.

Public Holidays

Public holidays observed by all citizens include: New Year’s Day—one day off (January 1); the Spring Festival—four days off (the first, second, third and fourth days of the first lunar month); the Qingming Festival—one day off (the day of Qingming); Labor Day—two days off (May 1 and 2); the Dragon Boat Festival—one day off (the festival day); the Mid-Autumn Festival—one day off (the festival day); and the National Day—three days off (October 1, 2 and 3). Certain holidays apply only to particular groups of citizens: International Women’s Day (March 8) gives women a half-day off; Youth Day (May 4) gives young people aged 14 and above a half-day off; Children’s Day (June 1) gives children under the age of 14 one day off; and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Day (August 1) gives military personnel a half-day off. Local people’s governments in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities may set holiday dates in line with the customs of each ethnic group. A number of commemorative dates—such as the anniversary of the Great Strike of February 7, the May 30th Movement Day, the July 7 Incident Day, the September 3 Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the September 18 Incident Day, Teachers’ Day, Nurses’ Day, Journalists’ Day and Tree Planting Day—are not public holidays. When a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the day off is made up on a weekday; holidays for particular groups of citizens, however, are not made up when they coincide with weekends.