China is a geographical region in East Asia. It is home to over a fifth of the world's population. Most of it is now known as the People's Republic of China, but the region's name refers to one of the world's longest-lived civilizations, dating back nearly 5,000 years. China's long history has been characterized by repeated overthrow and reestablishment of government and many civil wars. China was ruled as an empire until 1912, when the Republic of China, or ROC, was founded under Sun Yat-sen. China has been the world's technological leader for centuries, credited with inventing paper, rockets and other things. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, China was losing political and economic power. Japan and the Western powers were gaining influence, which eventually led to the evolution of the PRC, or People's Republic of China. China has the fastest growing economy in the world, but it is an unstable state. It has the largest urban/rural rich/poor divide, meaning farmers are poor and people who have jobs in the city are rich. China is also extremely overpopulated, so as a method of population control families are only allowed to have one child. Due to traditional honor, everyone wants male children instead of female children so that they can carry on the family name. This has led to a gender imbalance in China, so the government has set up a program to compensate families who have daughters. China has been working to reform its economy from a centrally planned economy to a market-oriented economy. A centrally planned economy is one in which decisions about production, consumption, and allocation of goods are managed by a central power. This basically means that the government has complete control over what is produced, where it goes, how it is produced, and how it is used.