evidence: The People's Republic of China (PRC) officially, often called China (Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó; literally "Central State"), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country. Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third or fourth largest country by total area.[16] Governed by the Communist Party of China, the state exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. [...] - Yao, Xinzhong, and Yanxia Zhao. Chinese Religion: A Contextual Approach. Continuum, 2010. ISBN 1847064760 - Ye, Sang. China Candid: The People on the People's Republic. University of California Press, 2006. ISBN 0520245148 - Yu, Q.Y. The Implementation of China's Science and Technology Policy. Praeger, 1999. ISBN 1567203329