Malcolm Burr first circumscribed the genus in 1899; the species C. mantispoides was described in 1870 by Francis Walker.

[9] Its range includes the provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang.

[7] It is found in Dabie Mountains, Hubei Province, at elevations of 400–850 metres (1,310–2,790 ft) in mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forests.

[10] This species has also been observed in the Bamianshan Nature Reserve, Hunan; this is within the Nanling Mountains and is mostly a forest of subtropical broad-leafed evergreens.

mantispoides was found in the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Khorat Plateau, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand; this is part of the central Indochina dry forests.

[4][16] The British entomologist Malcolm Burr then transferred this species to his new genus, China, which he circumscribed in 1899.

[13] Subsequent orthopterists like Cándido Bolívar Pieltain in 1930,[15] James A. G. Rehn in 1948,[17] and Marius Descamps in 1974[18] have followed in placing China in this subfamily.

[9] As of 2018[update], the Orthoptera Species File recognizes Chininae as a valid subfamily which includes China.

[8] In early October, females lay at least ten eggs 1 cm (0.39 in) deep in the soil.

The spider Oxyopes sertatus is a predator of its nymph, and various predatory ants feed upon the eggs.