Facts Location: China is the largest country entirely in Asia.

Rainbow Girl Hong tsai may may en ai hai yo PHoong chai may may yee-a high-oh Chang der how na mo en ai hai yo! PChange de how na mo yee-a high-oh Ying tao shiaow koa en ai, hai yo PYing tao chiauw ko yee-a-high-oh Yir dien dien na mo en ai hai yo! PYi den den na mo yee-a-high-oh

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Facts

Capital: Beijing is the capital of China. It is a very busy and noisy city. There are lots of buses, cars, lorries, bicycles and rickshaws on the streets. People work in shops, factories and offices. Many people live in apartments.

The Flag

Facts The money used in China is called the yuan

Exercise in China Physical exercise is very important in China Sports such as table tennis, volleyball and basketball are popular. People also like T’ai Chi. The gentle movements and breathing exercises make people feel calm. Kung Fu is a popular sport that uses balancing and kicking skills. Adults and children cycle a lot in China.

In English we have only to learn 26 letters of the alphabet to be able to read and write. In China there is no such thing as an alphabet. Instead of learning letters, children learn hundreds of symbols called characters. Each character stands for a word. If you know 3,000 characters you could read a newspaper. dog pig Chinese Writing

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year began on 14 February This marked the start of the current Year of the Tiger, 4708 on the Chinese Calendar. The date of the next Chinese New Year will be 3 February 2011 when it will be the Year of the Rabbit. Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival. Chinese New Year is the main Chinese festival of the year and it is not a religious event. Traditionally celebrations last for fifteen days, ending on the date of the full moon. In China the public holiday lasts for three days and this is the biggest celebration of the year. Red is a lucky colour in China. Chinese New Year Video

The Chinese zodiac follows a twelve year cycle, each of the years being named after an animal. The Chinese believe that people born in a particular year take on the characteristics of the animal associated with that year. Chinese Zodiac

The Year of the The Rat The Pig The Ox The Tiger The Rabbit The Dragon The Snake The Horse The Monkey The Sheep The Rooster The Dog

The Chinese Dragon Dragons are of course legendary animals, but they are important to Chinese people who think of dragons as helpful, friendly creatures. They are linked to good luck, long life and wisdom. They are nothing like the fierce, fire-breathing Western dragons that carry off princesses and eat people. Chinese Dragons are associated with storm clouds and life-giving rain. They have special powers so they can fly in the air, swim in the sea and walk on land. The Dragon has features of other animals such as the horns of a stag, the scales of a fish and the footpads of a tiger. Dragon dances are performed at New Year to scare away evil spirits. During the dance the performers hold poles and raise and lower the Dragon. Sometimes one man has a 'Pearl of Wisdom' on a pole and he entices the Dragon to follow him to the beat of a drum, as if searching for wisdom and knowledge. Dragon Dance Video

The Willow Pattern Story

The Chinese first discovered PaperPottery Matches Wheelbarrows GunpowderThe Clock The CompassDominos

China is famous for Rice Noodles Silk Tangerines Chopsticks Green Tea

Rice China is the world's largest producer of rice Rice is a healthy food source. While westernized countries like Ireland, eat rice with meat and even in desserts, for the Chinese people, they prefer to eat it as we do bread. China is full of rice plantations, which are flooded to help produce this crop. The water level must be maintained at a certain level for the rice to grow.

Chopsticks Chopsticks are small tapered sticks used in pairs of equal length as the traditional eating utensils of Greater China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. They are believed to have originated in ancient China. Chopsticks are most commonly made of bamboo or plastic, but are also made of metal, bone, ivory, and various types of wood. They are used to eat food instead of a knife and fork.

Noodles A noodle is a type of food made from unleavened dough that is cooked in a boiling liquid. Noodles come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Tangerine The tangerine is an orange-coloured citrus fruit. It is a variety of the Mandarin orange. Tangerines are smaller than most oranges, and are usually much easier to peel and to split into segments. The taste is often less sour, than that of an orange.

Chinese Tea The practice of drinking tea has had a long history in China. The Chinese drink tea during many parts of the day such as during meals for good health or for simple pleasure. There are four types of tea white, green, oolong and black. Green tea is the most popular type of tea consumed in China.

Silk The Mulberry moths only live for five days. They live in China. In those five days all they do is hatch eggs. They can’t even fly or eat. The eggs hatch into silkworm caterpillars. They wrap a silk cocoon/chrysalis over it’s self. When the cocoons are ready the farmers put them into hot water to separate into threads. It takes 2,000 cocoons to make one dress. Did you know that long ago, silk making was a closely guarded secret. Anyone who gave the secret away could be killed.

The Great Wall of China 3D look at the Great Wall of China

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