China

China, officially known as the People's Republic of China (PRC) is the most populous country in the world. Governed by the Communist Party of China, the state includes 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing), and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Taiwan's political status remains disputed. Chinese magical practitioners do not discuss Chinese politics openly.

Language

Chinese magical society uses Standard Chinese as lingua franca and official national language. Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese are both in use in the writing system interchangeably. Hong Kong in addition speaks Cantonese alongside Standard Chinese. Macau uses Standard Chinese and Portuguese.

Most magical practitioners are well-versed in English, but the majority of Chinese magic is by default practised in Mandarin Chinese.

Magical Culture

The following information is not official Harry Potter canon. This article contains entirely original ideas, and provides a more specific look at magical culture in China within the universe of AO.

Society

Unlike many of their Western counterparts, magical society in China is semi-integrated with non-magic society. By government decree it is illegal to announce once's magical status publicly or openly perform magic, but as Chinese folk belief and magic are intertwined and there is no clear boundary between the two, it is difficult to enforce.

Most Chinese magic goes by the term 'pseudoscience' in non-magical matters.

In magical China it is offensive to use the words 'wizard', 'witch', 'sorcerer/ess' or 'warlock' to refer to magical practitioners, although when overseas they let it slide because it's easier for their Western counterparts to do so. They do not use wands, instead utilising foci of other varieties or wandless magic.

Government

There is no Chinese Ministry of Magic; instead there is a separate branch of the government that deals specifically with supernatural and magical matters. Both branches cooperate in times of need and usually avoid conflict.

Education

Magical practitioners born in China who choose to study magic attend one of two major Chinese magical schools: Dragon's Gate Academy of the Wudang Mountains or Xinjiang Institute of Learning. An institute of further learning exists in Taiwan, the Kunlun Sages' Institute.

Quidditch

In 2010, the Chinese National Quidditch team participated in the 2010 Quidditch World Cup. They competed against Moldova in the finals for three days, with Moldova finally winning 750 to 640. The match is widely held to have produced some of the finest Quidditch seen in the 21st century.

Creatures

Creatures native to China and regions under its administration that the Western world knows about are the Chinese Fireball and the Yeti.

At Absit Omen

Adrianna Xin transferred to and worked in China's Auror counterpart for almost twenty years before transferring back to England. As part of her acclimatisation to China, she had to take a crash course in Chinese magic and use it, as part of the job requirements.

As seen in Migration, Chinese magical society is not against using Muggle technology to travel, although they may add additional enhancements to make their journeys smoother.

Characters Born in China

• Shaozu Gan, Hong Kong (NPC, more commonly known as Gan Shaozu)