Front: Mao Zedong (1893-1976), Chairman of the Communist Party of China 1945-1976

Mao was born into a relatively prosperous peasant family in the Hunan province. He co-founded the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. Mao led the Communist resistance against the Japanese in the Second Sino-Japanese War 1937-1945, and later in the Civil War against the Nationalist Party led by Chiang Kai-shek 1945-1949.

Back: Five pigeons in flight

China, located in eastern Asia, has one of the world's longest uninterrupted civilizations, dating back more than six millennia. For centuries, China was the world's most advanced civilization, and the cultural center of East Asia, with an impact lasting to the present day.

China is the source of many great inventions including Paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. China was also the first country to use paper money.

In 1911, the Nationalist Party under Dr. Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Ch'ing Dynasty and established the republic. However, the Chinese Civil War following WWII resulted in two Chinese states in 1949: People's Republic of China on the mainland, and the Republic of China in Taiwan.

For a more detailed country profile, see CIA World Factbook on China.