Notes

GOVERNMENT
There is a huge difference between lower and upper class, and the corruption in the government are among the main political concerns in China. In spite of this, the society is still supporting the current goverment, according to data in 2011, the majority of people in China are pleased of the style of governing. But when we go back to the past, since 1970, social and economical constraints have been more flexible, but even though there is still a limitation about political liberty. According to foreign press, there was an attack to human rights by China's Government in the past. For example, having an abortion forcibly, giving confession under the pressure and exposing to torture.

RELIGION
The liberty of religion is accepted by China's constitution. Republic of China's official religion is atheism but also there is a State Administration for Religious Affairs in order to examine the issues in the country. China has been affected by various religious movements for thousand years. Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism have the most important role on this affection. The majority of Chinese people describe themselves as non-religious or they follow Chinese folk religions, the rest of them consists of various religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and other religions for example Taoist sects.

EDUCATION
Since 1986, there has been a compulsory education and it takes 9 years. before getting into a university, students have to take a national exam, is called Gaokao. Students can also attend vocational institutions. Since 2010, %94 of Chinese people has been well-educated. According to tests by International Student Assessment Program, students from Shanghai got the best results in Maths and Science tests. In spite of those results, methods and style of education in China has been criticized and it's thought that the reason is opportunities between urban and rural areas.

LANGUAGE
In China, there are approximately 292 languages to be spoken, but the most spoken one is Sinitic languages,which belongs to Chinese-Tibetan language family. In the north of China, Altaic languages are spoken by ethnic minorities. Standard Chinese, which is based on Pekin dialects, is accepted as an official language and also it is described lingua franca among minorities which has different mother tongue. The alphabet was taken from Sinitic languages. While traditional writing system are used in some regions, the government carried out reforms to make reading the Chinese alphabet easier.

FOOD
Chinese Cuisine is one of the most rich cuisines. Even Chinese Cuisine shows differences in each region which Chinese people live. Despite of these, Chinese cuisine does not have lack of common characteristics. The food, which mainly consists of vegetables, is cooked in the pan, is called "wok" and the food is eaten with sticks, these things are among striking characteristics of Chinese cuisine. Since 13th century, Peking duck has been prepared around Pekin and it is accepted as traditional food of China. While sushi is thought as Chinese food, it actually belongs to Japan.