CHINA China’s Incredible Journey! Jamie!

Table of Contents Page Page China’s Land. 1 China’s Climate. 2 China’s Water. 3 China’s Transformation. 4 China’s Vegetation. 5 China’s Natural Resources. 6 China’s People. 7 China’s Historic Traditions. 8 China’s Culture. 9 Sites I borrowed! 10

China’s Land China is a vast, and ancient country. It’s area is 3,705,386 sq. miles. China is the 3 rd biggest country next to Russia and Canada. The North China separates with Huang He (Yellow River), Central China Chang (Yangtze) River, and South China, Plateau of Yunnan. There is a 12,000ft high Tibetan Plateau bounded in the North by the Kunlun mountain system. The Gobi Desert is also part of the land in Mongolia.(1)

The Map of China

China’s Climate Variety of China’s climate : Extensive and Complex North China has a short summer, a lot of sunshine, but the winter is long and cold. South China has a high temperature, and a lot of raining. The summer is a season of typhoons between July and September. Central China has four seasons. But, the Yangtze River Valley has long and humid summers with high temperatures.Tibet is one of the harshest places for humans to live in. It is cool in summer, but freezing cold in winter.(4)

China’s Water The China’s water has dangerous levels of pollution. 60~80% of water in China is wasted through evaporation. Diversion schemes for crops and dams for flood control. 69% of the water is used for freshwater; 21% is used for industry; and the last 10% is used in daily living.(3) (14)

China’s Transformation In the early 1900s, many people from other countries were living in China. A small number of rich and powerful people owned all the land. Dr. Sun Yatsen wanted to help the poor people. In 1911, they forced the emperor, Pu Yi, to give up the throne. China then became a democratic republic. Unfortunately, he failed to unite the poor people. In 1921, the Chinese Communist Party was created, led by Mao Zedong. For 30 years, they fought against each other. Finally in 1949, Mao Zedong’s team won! So, china has been a Communist country. Then in 1976, Dung Xiaoping came to power, and started to begin a new system of starting a country. As part of the new system, China began to develop and started going towards the modern nation. Now they prepare to get ready for the Beijing Olympics occurring on 2008.(6) (13)

China’s Vegetation The Southeast is China’s most agricultural region. The crops grow all year around. In a single year a farmer can produce two crops of rice. Farming is difficult to work with in China. Much of the farming is done without the use of modern machinery. The farmers work hard and put in long days.(6) Half of the working people in China are farmers. The plains of the Northern China are covered with fertile topsoil. The land yields good crops of wheat, beans, potatoes, cabbages, and corns. Besides these crops, China is the world’s largest producer of cotton. (15)

China’s Natural Resources Coal, iron, ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, and hydropower potential(world largest) are the most important natural resources of China.(2)

The other national groups of China make up 8%. The non-Han nationalities are considered minority groups. Each group has a unique culture. China is divided into 21 provinces and 5 autonomous. An autonomous regions are controlled by the Chinese government. They are allowed to follow some of their traditional ways. The 5 autonomous regions are Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Guangxi.(8) China’s People There are over one billion people living in China today. China is a mixture of dozens of national groups whose beliefs and customs vary. One of China’s challenges is to unite all its people, even though they may live far apart and speak many different languages. There are 56 national groups in China. The majority of the population is Han Chinese.(92%) They are bound together by a culture that is over 2000years old. Over 100years, they migrated all over China. (9)

China’s Historic Traditions The extended family has been a traditional part of Chinese society for many years. It includes family members such as aunt, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. In the past, Chinese homes were crowded because several generations lived together under one roof. Older people have an important place in the Chinese society. They are respected for their knowledge and experience. Chinese people feel it is their duty to care for their elderly parents. The Buddhism is the main religion of China. In clusters of caves in Northern China, thousands of images of Buddha have been carved into the cave walls. Also, great sculptures were created to express religious devotions.(7,8) (10)

China’s Culture In China, many festivals are connected with national celebration. The most important celebration is the Chinese New Year. Chinese people use the lunar calendar to count the passing of years. This ancient calendar is based on the cycles of the moon. A month starts when the new moon appears in the sky. Secondly, the Harvest Moon festival. Food is important to everyone, so celebrating the harvest is one of the most important holiday. The Chinese celebrate this special time of Thanksgiving with the Harvest Moon festival.(7) (11) (12)

Sites I borrowed! First Atlas(Book) China the Land China the Culture China the People eown/china_-_fan_tai_chi.jpg _1.jpg dance.jpg jpg