China is the perfect venue for the Olympic Football Tournament, considering the country's historic devotion to football.

It was recently argued that a form of football, or "cuju", as it was named originated in the Shandong Province of Linzi during the West Han Dynasty. A primitive version of football existed in China centuries before it was modified and given rules by English scholars to become association football, as it is known today, in the mid-18th century.

But the game's inventors and pioneers found themselves pupils to the modern game when it was introduced back to their territory around 1900. The national football association was not founded until 1924 and seven years later the CFA became affiliated to FIFA.

China has always been fully aware of how much it has lagged behind from the front-runners. But the game's birth nation wasted no time in recalling those golden early days or bemoaning the application of a new set of rules. Yet they have consistently made huge efforts to develop the game on home soil and were able to gain back some of the ground lost when the country was transformed under an open policy in 1978.

The first major breakthrough came when China hosted the inaugural FIFA U-17 World Championship in 1985 and the locals made the most of the occasion by reaching the last eight in the competition. But that achievement was overshadowed by the startling rise of the women's team, who marked their place among the world's elite two decades ago.

The team defeated Japan in the 1986 AFC Women's Championship final, then cemented their status as a dominant power by successfully defending the title for a record six times in succession. The team, affectionately named the Steel Roses, won the silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games final, losing to the United States. The same rivals cruelly denied them again three years later in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup USA 2003 when a Brandy Chastain spot kick handed the hosts victory in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Into the new millennium, and China's progress continued. The women, apart from a disappointing campaign in USA 2003 and a shock 8-0 defeat to Germany in the 2004 Athens Olympics, continued to progress and finished runners-up in the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women Championship in Thailand. Meanwhile reaching the FIFA World Cup™ finals in 2002 Korea/Japan for the first time was a landmark moment for the men's senior side.

Country Facts
The People's Republic of China has a population of over 1.3 billion - the most populated nation in the world.

Capital city Beijing is the country's cultural, political and educational centre.

One of the world's four oldest civilized nations alongside Greece, Egypt and India, China's first recognized dynasty dates back to 2,200 years B.C.

The nation has 56 ethnic groups with Han the largest, forming the majority of the country's population.

Mandarin, or Pu Tong Hua, the official dialect of Chinese language, is the most common spoken language.

A simplified form of Chinese is used in mainland China while traditional Chinese is still used by people in Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Macau and by a number of nationals overseas.

Traditionally Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are the three principal religions in the country with Muslim and Christianity also prevalent.

Location
China is located in the east part of Asia, stretching 5,000 kilometers from east at Heilongjiang River to the west at Pamir Mountains in Central Asia and 4,000 kilometers from north at Heilongjiang Province to south at Hainan Island, then another 1.450 kilometers' south by sea to Zengmu Shoal.

It shares borders with Mongolia and Russia in the north, with Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan in the west, with India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar in the south and Korea DPR in the east.

Geography
In geographic terms, China is the world's third largest country with a surface of 9,596,960 km2. In Tibet, the Qingzang plateau, is situated 4,000 meters above sea level and is thus named, "the roof to the world". The country's two longest rivers, the Changjiang (also known as the Yangtze river) and the Huang He, run through the centre of the topography, before reaching the sea in the east.

While most of China enjoys a moderate temperature throughout the year, complex climatic patterns can range from cold-temperate in the north to tropical in the south. Precipitation varies regionally; temperatures range from minus 30°C in north in January to 28°C in south in July. Summer months are characterized by wet monsoons while dry monsoons occur during the winter.

Host Cities
Beijing, Qinhuangdao, Shenyang, Tianjin and Shanghai.