Where in the World? You are on a wall. A wall may sound like a simple structure, but the one you are standing on is one of the largest engineering and building projects ever carried out by mankind. It starts to rain, so you put up your umbrella and wipe off your glasses. You look at the piece of paper that has directions printed on it. After checking the direction with a compass, you set off. You may not know it, but you are in the country where umbrellas, eyeglasses, paper, printing, and compasses were invented.

Where on Earth are you? Can you find your place? China

Welcome to CHINA

The Great Wall of China is truly one of the world’s greatest engineering and building projects ever carried out. Started in the third century B.C. when the Chinese emperor joined a series of walls build by previous warring states, The Great Will is about 2, 414 km long. The walls were used to keep out invaders and to launch attacks. Prisoners and criminals were used to link the walls, as well as ordinary men and women. Often, they were hungry and cold. When the workers died, their bodies were sometimes thrown into the structure and covered by bricks. The wall has been rebuilt several times.

There are four inventions from China that are often referred to as “The Four Great Inventions of Ancient China”. Paper, printing, and the compass make the list. Paper money, kites, the mechanical clock, gunpowder, and the washboard are also Chinese inventions. Which one of these inventions makes the “Four Greatest” list? Gunpowder. It was accidentally discovered when alchemists were trying to make immortally pills.

China is known for its Great Wall, but there is something else that stands as a magnificent achievement of ancient China. It was constructed with forced labour, including females workers, and it took 1,779 years to build. What is it? It’s the Great Canal, which was started in 486 B.C. and finished A.D. 1293. it is 1,794 km long. It begins in Beijing and ends in Hangzhou, linking the Hai, Yellow, Yangze, and Qiantang Rivers. Today, China is constructing what will be the world’s largest dam.

China is the most populous country in the world and there are hundreds of dialects. Yet the first emperor did something back in 221 B.C. that made it possible for everyone to understand each other. What did he do? He standardized written characters. This written link from the past to the present is unique in the world.

FAST FACTS - CHINA Capital: Beijing National flag: Red flag with five stars. Animal: The giant panda is considered a Chinese national treasure. Just over 1,000 survive in the wild, most of them to be found in Sichuan Province. Bird: More bird species live in China than any other place in the world. Shaanxi Province's red ibis is also a national treasure. Only some 1,500 of this highly endangered bird species exist. Other cranes found in China include the Siberian white, common, black-necked, sarus, hooded, white-naped, and demoiselle. Tree: The oldest tree in the world is China's gingko, which first appeared during the Jurassic Age some 160 million years ago. Climate: Extremely diverse; tropical in the south to subarctic in the north. Geography: Mountains, high plateaus, and deserts in the west; plains, deltas, and hills in the east. The highest mountain in China is the highest mountain in the world: Mount Qomolangma. The mountain towers above all others at 29,035 feet or 8,848 m.

Where in the World? It’s your turn: Complete your “Where in the World?” page. 1 – fill in the country and continent. 2 – write a paragraph about China with at least 5 interesting details (important details). 3 – colour in China on the world map.