Our latest Age of Empires II showcase turns from the Middle East to the Middle Kingdom, the name the Chinese gave their ancient civilization. China is called the Middle Kingdom because its rulers always assumed it was the center of the universe, and for over a thousand years, it was indeed one of the most advanced nations on the planet. During the time period encapsulated in Age of Empires II, China was a powerful nation militarily, economically, and politically. How does Ensemble Studios plan to translate this historical power into an in-game advantage? Read on and find out just how powerful the Chinese civilization will be. Unlike the old Shang of Age of Empires I, these Chinese won't fizzle towards the end of the game. Although they might not have the Imperial Age advantages of the Turks, they do remain a formidable power throughout the game.

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The Chinese retain some of the villager bonus they had in Age II but also gain an invaluable technology bonus to reflect the historical evidence that China was among the world's technology leaders for most of the millenium. Ensemble has also designed the Chinese so that both beginners and advanced players can enjoy playing this civilization.

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Sandy Peterson, designer for Age II, says:
"Beginners like the Chinese because their advantages are easy to understand and take advantage of. Even if you're not so great at zooming up through the ages, you know that with the Chinese you can make it to Feudal without breaking a sweat. And the Chinese unique unit does not take sophistication and elegance to use. Just run a heap of repeating crossbowmen to the front line and start pumping out the bolts. Advanced players like the Chinese, because if you are adept and precise at planning your civ's growth, upgrades, and age advancement, the Chinese really reward careful planning."

We've got a lot of information on Chinese history for you, but if you don't want to read it, you can skip ahead to the gameplay sections of this article. If you are interested in a little history, we've got a very abbreviated look at a thousand years of Chinese civilization.

Next: Chinese history