China

No wonder Ultra Magnus couldn't open it.

China, natively known as Zhōngguó (中国), is the most populated country on Earth, occupying land to the west of Japan. Its capital is Beijing and other prominent cities include Shanghai and Hong Kong. In the early 21st century of most universes, it is formally known as the People's Republic of China.

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

After the initial Decepticon threat was repulsed, Spike Witwicky wrote in his journal that "all of the world's governments" were assisting the Autobots' attempts to return to Cybertron. This would presumably include China. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3

Japanese cartoon continuity

Car Robots cartoon

See 2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon, below.

Kiss Players

Marissa Faireborn's childhood friend Shaoshao Li was a typical example of a Chinese-American. A Chinese-American who always wears silk and a padlock around her neck.

Super-God Masterforce cartoon

Remember, kids, China is a strange place and looks funny!

Orphans Cancer and Chang were raised in mainland China and attended martial arts classes together. Cancer was doted on by their master, who taught him the ancient secret of the "Super Dragon Fist", a devastating kick attack. God Ginrai - Save Cancer!?

After BlackZarak had arrived from space to join the Decepticon forces on Earth, Overlord appeared on top of the Great Wall of China, telling world leaders they would have three hours to surrender, or else he and BlackZarak would destroy Tokyo. BlackZarak - Destroyer from Space

When Cancer, who had joined the Decepticons, learned that BlackZarak was going to attack China, he stole a helicopter and flew there to warn them, with limited success. Zarak devastated Cancer's old home city before the Autobots arrived to drive him off. God Ginrai - Save Cancer!?

Zone cartoon

An upgraded Trypticon would assault China in a search for Zodiac energy, smashing the Great Wall and breathing fire on the counterattacking military force. Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!

2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon

Well we knew some Buddhists ignored the "don't kill people" rule but damn.

China's Cave of the Dragon was the location of an O-Part, and a place where Doctor Kenneth Onishi spent a lot of time. This site, of great historical importance and full of ancient Buddhist relics that could easily be damaged, was considered an appropriate place to film a movie.

Meanwhile, Side Burn chased a red car across the entire Great Wall of China. You scary bastard. The Ultimate Robot Warrior

2005 IDW continuity

The Han Dynasty ruled over China for 400 years until 221 BC. Revolutionaries #1 timeline

In the mid-2000s, Straxus and Grindcore attacked China's Jiangxi Province, intending to strip-mine its Ultra-Energon (and the rest of Earth's Ultra-Energon) to help the Expansion. Spotlight: Doubledealer An Autobot tactical unit thwarted them, in no small part thanks to Sideswipe hitting them over and over. Straxus and Grindcore ceased to function with the failure of Nova Prime's plan, and presumably crumbled into dust. Spotlight: Sideswipe

In 2008, the Decepticons attacked China's capital of Beijing. Skywarp claimed he'd killed just under half the population—8,715,000 people—in an hour. All Hail Megatron #6

Years later, China got involved in the Transformers alliance racket and hired the Predacons to defend its borders from other Transformers and hostile nations; it was paid them with artificially-created Energon. The Predacons were dispatched when an Autobot/North Korea conflict was getting too close to the Chinese border, but the nation lost their Energon-manufacturing ability when an Autobot/American agent took out the factory at Dandong. Hawk Among the Sparrows All My Sins Remembered

When Transformers returned to Earth after a long absence, China was one of the factions that contributed to the Earth Defense Command's arsenal of countermeasures. Detonation Boulevard Onyx held the Enigma of Combination at a facility in Wanmu, China. When Transformers surfaced in Tokyo, the EDC had to call up President Xi Jinping and urge him not to outright invade Japan. Vs.

When Optimus Prime declared Earth his protectorate, the People's Liberation Army Mecha Force, led by Pilot (First Class) Zilong Qian, responded. Qian led eighteen transforming jets reverse-engineered from Cybertronian technology in an attack on a group of Transformers in Beijing, driving them off. Once Upon a Time on Earth Following the engagement, the President of the United States allowed the PLA Mecha Force to operate on U.S. soil as part of a grander alliance. New Worlds Order

Animated cartoon

According to Isaac Sumdac, the Sound Wave toys were made in China. Human Error, Part I

Live-action film series

Movies

Transformers film

Following the destruction of a SOCCENT Forward Operations Base and the subsequent hacking of the U.S. Defense Network, China was pointed to as one of the nations that might have dunnit. U.S. naval forces were increased in the Yellow Sea as a result, and Chinese naval forces responded in kind; both navies began to approach cruise missile range of each other.

Once Tom Banachek informed the Pentagon about the alien nature of the threat, U.S. forces were pulled back. Transformers

Revenge of the Fallen film

After receiving word that there might be a Decepticon hiding in Shanghai, NEST was deployed there to take them out. The Chinese Government used the cover story of a chemical spill to clear the area of all civilians so that NEST could operate in secrecy. The combined human and Autobot forces fought against Demolishor and Sideways while causing huge collateral damage to the city. Revenge of the Fallen

Age of Extinction film

The technology company Kinetic Solutions Incorporated had a factory in Guangzhou, China. When the Galvatron, Joshua Joyce's prized prototype military drone seemingly malfunctioned in a fight with Optimus Prime, Joyce ordered KSI's Transformer drones program to be moved to their China facility in order to evade detection by regular U.S. authorities. KSI also planned to detonate a seed, acquired from Transformer bounty hunter Lockdown in exchange for Prime, in an uninhabited part of the Gobi Desert in China in order to generate more transformium for creating synthetic Transformers. However, Galvatron, in fact the revenant Decepticon leader Megatron planned to steal the seed and detonate it in a populous city, beginning a new campaign to wipe out humankind and create a new Decepticon army. To stop this, Optimus Prime and the Autobots and their human allies traveled in a stolen detachable section of Lockdown's Knight Ship to rendezvous with Joyce and acquire the seed. When Galvatron subsequently activated on his own and turned KSI's drones into Decepticons, Joyce fled with Su Yueming and Darcy Tirrel to Hong Kong.

The Autobots tried to pick up the seed from Joyce, but Galvatron's Decepticon shot their ship down, causing some of the Autobots and humans to fall down into Hong Kong while the others crash-landed aboard the ship in the Wulong Valley. The streets of Hong Kong subsequently became a battlefield between the Autobots, the Decepticons, and Lockdown, who had returned to Earth to recapture Optimus Prime, his bounty. With the aid of the humans, Prime finally defeated Lockdown and the corrupt CIA agent Harold Attinger and destroyed the last of the KSI Decepticon drones. The Autobots then regrouped in another part of Hong Kong with the Chinese military while Galvatron departed for parts unknown, swearing to meet Prime again. In the aftermath, Chinese jets continued to attack Lockdown's hovering ship while Optimus Prime set the Dinobots free, ordered the other Autobots to protect the Yeager family, and departed for space to safeguard the seed and find his Creators. Age of Extinction

IDW movie comics

From 1898-1901, China was in the grip of the Boxer Rebellion against colonial influences. Theodore Joseph Wells of Sector Seven was sent to China in 1900 to retrieve a scepter and use it to defeat something called "the Shangdi", only to get caught in the Rebellion: he was saved by Lou Hoover. She and her husband, future President of the United States Herbert Hoover, were making the most of being trapped in Tianjin to broadcast information on Boxer movements to American forces. Irreplaceable

Decepticon reinforcements in 2007 made a landing in China. Alliance #3 Years later, the Decepticon Demolishor was spotted in Shanghai, prompting William Lennox and Optimus Prime's NEST team to move out. Alliance #4

While on a covert NEST patrol in Dalian, China, the Autobots Longarm and Salvage broke their covers to save the workers of an oil processing plant from a fire. Just before departing after a successful rescue, the pair spotted two streaking comets in the sky overhead, which promptly revealed themselves to be the Decepticons Shockwave and Astrotrain. They killed the two Autobots and all the humans in the area to keep their presence a secret, and Shockwave then instructed Astrotrain to begin gathering building materials. Rising Storm #1

Dark of the Moon Annual

NEST detected energon readings in Beijing, suggesting the Decepticons were setting up Pillars there. Transformers Dark of the Moon Annual 2012

Transformers Metrobase

Bejing NEST Base.jpg

As early as in ancient times, Chinese astronomers observed an unusual star in the night sky. In 1970, China launched its first artificial satellite, which also transmitted signals into space in search of intelligent life. Metrobase responded to humanity. After a voyage spanning half a century, Metrobase landed in Beijing with assistance from Optimus Prime and Chinese authorities. Upon arriving on Earth, it alternated its mode to become the Beijing NEST Base, assisting humans and the Autobots in their joint fight against the Decepticons. Transformers Metrobase

Aligned continuity family

Prime cartoon

The Nemesis was spotted in the airspace of China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Sick Mind

There were several UFO sightings in China, including an unidentified object shutting down a Chinese airport, and other UFOs over Chongqing. One Shall Fall

While Megatron was uncovering the Star Saber, he had Soundwave lead the Autobots on a wild goose chase to a location in China. Legacy

Titan Prime comic

Knock Out lured Optimus Prime to Zhejiang Province and used a neuron refractor to transfer his mind into Lin-Che, a local human. The Mind Trap! The events attracted the attention of MECH, who sent Agent Novo to investigate. He hid inside the refractor as Bulkhead and Bumblebee took it back to their base. The Novo Incident

Rescue Bots cartoon

Part of the Scrubber Initiative was handled by a lab in Faxian, China by Dr. Szeto. This led to Blades, Quickshadow, High Tide, and Dani Burns being stationed there after three of the Scrubbers got loose prematurely. Upgrades

Games

Revenge of the Fallen The Game

Now that's neon.

The Constructicons battle Optimus Prime in Shanghai. Revenge of the Fallen: The Game

Shadows Rising

The Decepticons have seized control of the Shanghai headquarters of KSI. Autobot soldier Sideswipe, along with NEST agents Jake and Vanessa, leads a contingent of NEST troops to eliminate all hostiles inside the building. During the operation, Sideswipe engages in a fierce battle against the evil clone of Bumblebee, yet emerges victorious with assistance from Jake and Vanessa. From the remains of the cloned Bumblebee, Optimus Prime uncovers clues regarding the missing KSI personnel, with all evidence pointing to the Moon.Transformers: Shadows Rising

Notes

• In the real world, China has a long and storied relationship with the Transformers brand. This is due in no small part to its plentiful and inexpensive manufacturing plants, as well as the frequency with which molds will disappear from those plants only later to turn up in the form of knockoffs. In Japanese Transformers fiction, Chinese characters feature prominently (albeit subject to wildly inaccurate Japanese stereotypes of Chinese culture).
• The most significant impact China had on Transformers was spending $37m on watching the first Bay film. That made Hollywood sit up and court China for ever more money. So when you hear about China's importance for American film franchises, praise/curse Optimus.
• As part of a move to raise the profile of Transformers in China, parts of Transformers: Age of Extinction were filmed there. A reality show titled Transformers 4 Chinese Actors Talent Search Reality Show was used to select four budding actors to take roles in the film.
• They also regularly play host to Cybertron Con, and from September 2013, the Transformers China Exhibition toured the country.

External links

• China at Wikipedia