Front

Back

Front: Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), revolutionary leader and President of China 1912-1913

Sun Yat-sen, trained as a physician, is known as the "father of modern China". He led the revolution that eventually overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911. He was the first provisional president when the Republic of China was founded in 1912. He later co-founded the Kuomintang, the Nationalist Party, where he served as its first leader. In 1924 he adopted the "Three Principles of the People" (nationalism, democracy and social reform). He also established the Whampoa Military Academy with Chiang Kai-Shek as Commandant. He died of cancer in 1925.

Back: Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanking

Front

Back

Front: Huang-ti (2698 BC-2599 BC), a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero

Huang-ti, the Yellow Emperor, is said to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese. He has been credited with the invention of the principles of Traditional Chinese medicine, the invention of the compass, and the invention of the earliest form of the Chinese calendar. The actual existence of the Yellow Emperor, however, is questionable. The period of his reign precedes written Chinese history by more than a thousand years. Thus, the tales of his exploits might easily be embellished.

Back: 100 Yuan

Front

Back

Front: Yueh Fei (1103-1141), a famous general and national hero

Yueh Fei led numerous successful defenses of the Southern Song Dynasty against invasions of the nomadic Juchen from the north.

Back: Pagoda

Front

Back

Front: Yueh Fei (1103-1141), a famous general and national hero

Back: 5 Yuan

Front

Back

Front: Kuan Yu (162-219), famous general

Kuan Yu was a military general under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the Kingdom of Shu, of which Liu Bei was the first emperor.

Back: 10 Yuan

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.