Captured Moments of China's Past and Present in Pictures

The People's Republic of China is enormous, diverse and rapidly changing. The most populous country truly lives up to its Mandarin name, Zh?ngguó, which literally means Middle Kingdom, thereby implying China as the center of the world.

The Chinese economy, being the largest in the world, are growing at an unprecedented rate and is seeing no signs of slowing down. The economy grew at a red-hot rate of 10 percent a year over the past decade, making the country as a whole much more affluent.

China is currently undergoing significant political and global changes. Leaders of the past have made China what it is today. Under the authority of Xi Jinping, the man who's destined to guide China in the coming decade, there's hardly any doubt the nation will emerge as a major super power in the near future.

Have a look at China's then and now here in pictures: