Part one: Culture

China

Sports

China has made a huge accomplishment in badminton, it holds 88 medals, only 2nd to the USA.

Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang playing in the 2012 London Olympics

Table tennis is another favorite competitive and recreational sport 

Zhang Jike is one of China's iconic players. Zhang is playing in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Finals

Although the China is not as strong in Basketball compared to other popular sports. It is still a very popular sport, thanks to the Chinese Basketball Association and notable players such as Yao Ming

              

Tennis may not be the most popular sport in China, but Li Na’s achievements has made her a hero in her home country, China. 

Li Na winning the 2011 French Open, which made her the first Chinese person ever to win  a grand slam title.

Music

                                         

Most traditional music is played on solo instruments or small ensemble groups. Instruments include flutes, cymbals, gongs and drums. Ethnic Han Music is a traditional style that consists of playing many different variations  of a single melodic line.Opera has been a major influence over the course of Chinese history. It is by far one of the most popular forms of music and art. The most notable of all operas is the Beijing Opera. 

Other popular forms of music consists of genres in C-pop (Candopop and Mandopop), Rock, Heavy Metal and Hip-Hop.

Hebe Tian is one of three of the group S.H.E. She is considered to be one of  the top artist  in C-pop culture.

Food

Sweet and Sour pork

Drench in a sweet and sour sauce, more commonly presented with chicken in western societies.

Ma Po Tofu , one of my personal favorites 

A famous Chuan cuisine dish, it is comprised of diced tofu, chicken, chili and peanuts.

Dumplings have been around in China for thousands of years. It is a traditional dish in China that is hugely popular especially in the northern parts. It is commonly consumed during Chinese new years.

Made up of minced vegetables, pork, beef, shrimp, fish, and etc. It can be served steamed, fried or  baked.

Major Religion

There is a great diversity of religious beliefs, the main religioins are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism.

National Holidays and Traditional Customs

Chinese new year is one of the most popular and widely celebrated holiday of China. It is notably one of the biggest festivals which is filled with food, celebration and fire works. Other Festivals include the Qingming Festival, a traditional custom involving people making offerings to their ancestral graves. Duanwu Festival which is composed of a dragon boat race and consumption of dumplins wrapped in lotus leaves called Zhongzi. The Mid-Autumn

Popular TV shows and Movies

      Popular movies include:                                          Popular TV series include:

      

      City of Life and Death                                            A Bite of China - A Documentary style
Bodyguards and Assasins                                       on the history of food and culture.
Shinjuku Incident                                                    Cliff - A Chinese spy series.
In The Mood for Love                                            Fu Chen - urban workplace series

      Some of the most notable actresses and actors 

Ziyi Zhang, born in 2/9/1979. Known by the media as being one of the four  young dan actresses.

Xun Zhou, born in 10/18/1976. Like Ziyi, she is also coined as being one of the four young dan actresses.

Jackie Chan is one of the more well known stars in the western society. He has experienced a huge success in his acting career. Most known for his comedic kung fu roles, such as the Rush Hour franchise.

Online News Sources (Links) 

        http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/

           http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/

           http://www.bjd.com.cn/

           http://www.worldjournal.com/

           http://www.china.org.cn/

     

       Online Forums for Expatriates (Links)

          http://www.alloexpat.com/china_expat_forum/

          http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=144

          http://community.travelchinaguide.com/expat/

          http://www.expatriates.com/classifieds/china/
  http://www.cqexpat.com/

          Type of Government (political leaders and political parties)

       China is a communist country, its political parties consists of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),  

       which ultimately controls eight other independent small parties. Despite being a communist country, the 

       government over the course of several decades has sought to combine communist ideology and 

       capitalism into the country's socialist market known today. 

       

Mao Zedong is known for being the leader of  the People's Republic of China. He is considered to be one of the top 100 influential figures in the 20th century. His personal view on communist ideology is responsible for the major growth of China and is noted for being a revolutionary mastermind.