About China & Nations Beyond - OMF Canada - Canada

Urbanisation
- China has a population of 1.4billion and 160+ cities with a population of over one million. This inclues 10 megacities with a population of 10 million+.
- The percentage of the population living in urban areas has increased from 20% in 1980 to over 60% in 2019.
- With 2m people migrating to the cities each year the urban population in China is expected to reach one billion by 2030.

Education

Healthcare

A Diverse Region
There are as many as 292 living languages in China. While Mandarin is the official national language Mongolian, Uyghur, Tibetan, Zhuang and various other languages are also regionally recognized throughout the country.
The Zhonghua Minzu (Chinese nation) is comprised of 56 distinct ethnic groups.The Han Chinese make up more than 90% of the population. The 55 ethnic groups found in the region include Zhuang, Hui, Manchu, Yughur, Mao, Yi, Yujia, Tibetan, Mongol etc.

The Belt and Road
China’s Belt & Road Initiative is probably the largest investment project in history. China describes The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a “brand of cooperation”, characterised by peace, openness, inclusiveness and shared development. As of 2018, The BRI included agreements with 122 countries.
The Belt and Road Initiative is inspired by the ancient Silk Road trade routes. These included the “Maritime Silk Road”, which were shipping routes to Africa and Southeast Asia. They also included the overland routes, which stretched through northwest China to Central Asia, Europe and Africa.
The Silk Road regions of China and Central Asia have been highways of trade, commerce and cultural exchange since the Silk Road first began, over twenty centuries ago. As well as tea, spices and silk, Silk Road traders brought new technologies and religious faith with them. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity all entered the region along the ancient Silk Road trade routes. This region is now home to over 10 different Muslim people groups, each with their own language, culture and traditions. You can learn more about Muslims in East Asia here.
We long to see the people of the ancient Silk Road regions blessed by the abundant love of God.

Religions
- Non-religious 44.4%
- Chinese religions 28.5%
- Buddhist 12.5%
- Christian 5.3%
- Traditional ethnic religions 4.6%
- Muslim 1.9%
The dominant worldview is shaped by a blend of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. Muslim minority peoples number 20 million. It is illegal to teach religion to anyone under 18.