Bank of China Limited (simplified Chinese: 中国银行; traditional Chinese: 中國銀行; pinyin: Zhōngguó Yínháng; often abbreviated as 中銀 (in Hong Kong) or 中行 (in mainland)) is one of the 5 biggest state-owned commercial banks in China.It was founded in 1912 by the Republican government to replace the Imperial Bank of China. It is the oldest bank in mainland China still in existence.