The Chinese are an awesome land civilization. Their archers are strong, especially with the cheap upgrades. There are many early game advantages. Food production is up and you start out with more villagers. In the sea the demolition boats have added hit points so they can suicide effectively against enemy docks. Chinese cavalry is insufficiant without the paladin, but this is made up by the camels. Build a lot of them.
The Chu Ko Nu is a deadly unit, able to fire a salvo of arrows at once. Use this unit a lot vs. slower units like the War Elephant and siege units. Be sure to protect them as they are what the enemy will try to eliminate first. This foot archer also has a very sturdy hit point number and can finish off a cavalry archer in toe to toe combat.
The Chinese tech: Rocketry, gives Chu Ko Nu and scorpions a better attack. This technology makes the scorpian a vital part in your attcks. The Chu Ko Nu is made even more valuable by increasing the damage each arrow does. After this tech, launch huge attacks with Chu Ko Nu, scorpians, camels, and trebuchets.