Welcome! Welcome! huānyíng

Significance of the Chinese Language In Race and Culture: A World View, Thomas Sowell states that since not all “the conquerors always had a more advanced culture,... [conquerors of the British] were eventually absorbed by the English [language] … as various conquerors were absorbed by the Chinese [language].” in 493, Emperor Xiaowen (r ) initiated a radical program of sinification under which “all Xianbei officials below the age of thirty [were required] to speak Chinese at court” (Ebrey 2 nd Edition, 65). The two most famous emperors in the Qing dynasty, Kangxi and Qianlong, who were non-Chinese, became experts of the language.

Defining Chinese Chinese belongs to the Sino-Tibetan Family Analytic Language vs. Synthetic Language Word Order 词序 (I love you vs. You love me) vs. Conjugation 词形变化 (go, going, went, gone); A standard language based on the Beijing dialect in Pronunciation & Vocabulary (for the most part) Grammar defined & refined by modern literary works written in Vernacular Chinese since 1919 One of the six official languages of UN—English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic

Romanization Wade-Giles--Thomas Francis Wade (1867) & Herbert Allen Giles (1912) Yale--Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Japanese (World War II) Taiwan Zhuyin--The Commission on the Unification of Pronunciation led by Woo Tsin-hang from 1912 to 1913; officially proclaimed on November 23, 1918 Pinyin (Mainland)--1958

Chinese Pinyin (1958) Adopted by the Library of Congress for its new catalogs Download a copy of Standard Pinyin at Pinyin Song at Dgs Dgs

Chinese Phonetics Five Properties 1. Chinese ‘Alphabet’ –V for ü in typing 2. Initials (Consonants) – B P M F D T N L 3. Finals (Vowels) --Simple Finals -- a o e i/y u/w ü/yaoeiuü --Compound Finals -- ai ao ou ei ia/yaaiaooueiia --Nasal Finals -- ian /yan, in/yin, iang/yangianiniang 4. Tone Marks (Four Tones on the main vowel) 5. Dividing Marks as in Xī’ān 西安, a famous historical city (instead of xian) or Hǎi’ōu 海鸥 for seagull (instead of haiou)

Make Up Your Mind! Chinese is a tonal language First tone: wēnwarm( 温 ) Second tonewénsmell( 闻 ) Third tonewěnkiss( 吻 ) Fourth tonewènask( 问 ) How to determine the meaning in Chinese? --word order (I love you vs. You love me_ --context (paper or plastic?) --tonal changes (You can embarrass yourself)

Chinese Radicals (Latin Radix for Root) 木 Tree/Wood 林 grove 森 forest

Chinese Names Last name first; first name last Surnamexìng 姓 Neeshì 氏 Given namemíng 名 Courtesy name (Styled) zì 字 Artistic name or pseudonym, hào 号 Posthumous title shìhào 谥号 Temple namemiàohào 庙号

Identify the last name Sima Qian/Sun Yat-sen or Sun Zhongshan (ca. 145 BC – 86 BC)/1866 – 1925

Tricky Names A little Cultural Knowledge Could Go a Long Way 贾经理【 ji ǎ jīngl ǐ 】 Manager or Director Jia 贾 / 假【 ji ǎ 】 fake; sham 总经理【 z ǒ ngjīngl ǐ 】 general manager 傅【 fù 】 a surname 副【 fù 】 deputy; assistant; vice- 傅总经理【 fùz ǒ ngjīngl ǐ 】

ROC vs. PRC National Party vs. Communist Party Jiang Jieshi (Jiang Kai-shek) vs. Mao Zedong The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan nowadays, developed out of the Wuchang Uprising against the Qing Dynasty on 10 October (Double Ten Day) in 1911 under the leadership of Sun Yat- sen (Sun Zhongshan, father of modern China). The People‘s Republic of China (PRC, since 1949), commonly known as China, is the most populous state in the world with over 1.3 billion people. Located in East Asia, governed by CCP for Chinese Communist Party).

中国地图【 Zhōngguódìtú 】 map of china

China and Its Neighbors

Administrative Divisions 行政区划【 xíngzhèng qūhuà 】

Political Administrative Divisions 行政区划【 xíngzhèng qūhuà 】 Direct-controlled municipality is the highest level classification for cities used by People's Republic of China (PRC, 1949, refers to the mainland China), 直辖市【 zhíxiáshì 】 directly governed city region (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing).

Provinces (22 + Taiwan pending) Alphabetically Listed 1. Anhui 安徽 ; 2. Fujian 福建 ; 3. Gansu 甘肃 ; 4. Guangdong 广东 ; 5. Guizhou 贵州 ; 6. Hainan 海南 ; 7. Hebei 河北 ; 8. Henan 河南 ; 9. Heilongjiang 黑龙江 ; 10. Hubei 湖北 ; 11. Hunan 湖南 ; 12. Jilin 吉林 ; 13. Jiangsu 江苏 ; 14. Jiangxi 江西 ; 15, Liaoning 辽宁 ; 16. Qinghai 青海 ; 17. Shandong 山东 ; 18. Shanxi 山西 ; 19. Shaanxi 陕西 ; 20. Sichuan 四川 ; 21. Yunnan 云 南 ; 22. Zhejiang 浙江 ; Taiwan 台湾 —disputed status since 1949;

Minority Autonomous Regions (5) & Their Capitals 内蒙古自治区【 nèiněngg ǔ zìzhìqū 】 the Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia) Autonomous Region (1947), Huhhot; 新疆维吾尔自治区【 xīnjiāngwéiwú'ěrzìzhìqū 】 The Xinjiang Uygur (Uighur) autonomous region (1955), Wrumqi; 广西壮族自治区【 gu ǎ ngxīzhuàngzúzìzhìqū 】 The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region (1957), Nanning; 宁夏回族自治区【 Níngxiàhuízú zìzhìqū 】 Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (1957), Yinchuan; 西藏自治区【 xīzàngzìzhìqū 】 the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region (1965), Lhasa;

特别行政区【 tèbiéxíngzhèngqū 】 Special Administrative Region (2) One Country; Two Systems Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer. Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839–1842). Originally confined to Hong Kong Island, the colony's boundaries were extended in stages so as to include the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories by It was occupied by the Japanese during the Pacific War, after which the British resumed control until 1997, when China regained sovereignty. The Basic Law stipulates that Hong Kong shall enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign relations and military defense.

Chinese Ethnic Groups 56 Han Ethnic Group 95.3% 55 Minority Ethnic Groups 4.humanities.washington.edu/~WG/~1 88/Cultural%20Notes/ 4.humanities.washington.edu/~WG/~1 88/Cultural%20Notes/ Or on class website

China Proper Geographical Features There are four areas within China Proper: In the north is the North China Plain (flat and vulnerable, easily taken over by invaders); In the south is a region of low hills and wet valleys; In the southeast is the Sichuan Basin, ringed by mountains and accessible mainly via the gorges of the Yangzi River/Yangtze River, an ideal place for taking refuge. Chongqing is a city of fog. In the northwest is a dry plateau;

The Yangzi River/Yangtze River 长江【 Chángjiāng 】 6,418 kilometres (3,988 mi)

The Yangzi/Yangtze River about 6,380 km long The Yangzi River, meaning a long river, originated in Bayan Har Mountains, flows through Sichuan and across central China (passing 11 provinces: Qinghai, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shanghai), to reach the Pacific near modern-day Shanghai; Note the Yangzi River marks the natural divide between the south and north;

Jiangnan Region Two Crops a Year (Rice Cultivation) 江南 [jiāngnán] southern bank of the River— a region in the lower Changjiang (Yangtze) valley, including southern Jiangsu and Anhui and northern Zhejiang (much celebrated in poetry for its beauties and joys) 鱼米之乡【 yúm ǐ zhīxiāng 】 a land of fish and rice; a land of plenty; two crops a year; A natural barrier/protection

The (Unpredictable) Course of the Yellow River 5,464 kilometers (3,395 mi)

The Yellow River passes the Loess Plateau 黄土高原 huángtǔ gāoyuán The Loess Plateau is shaded.

Taming the Yellow River Gun, in ancient times, used the method of blocking the flood; Yu the Great, Gun’s son, used the method of diverting the flood; Yu passed his own house three times but did not enter for a visit since he was so busy with taming the Yellow River…

Foolish Old Man Moving the Mountains vs. Yu the Great Taming the Yellow River 愚公移山 【 yúgōngyíshān 】 the Foolish Old Man removed the mountains. to be resolute in one's endeavor, no matter what hardships one encounters Taming the Yellow River: the Way The natural way; 事半功倍 【 shìbàngōngbèi 】 get twice the result with half the effort.

Mount Tai, a Holy Mountain 泰山【 tàishān 】

Mt. Tai, a leader among five mountains Mount Tai was originally known as Daizong or Daishan. Since Qin times (221–207 BC) it has also been known as Dongyue (“Eastern Mountain”), one of the five holy mountains of China, and has usually ranked as the first among them; the other four are: Mount Heng 衡山 in Hunan province (south), Mount Hua 华 山 in Shaanxi province (west), Mount Heng 恒 山 in Shanxi province (north), and Mount Song 嵩山 in Henan province (central).

封禅 Fengshan at Mt. Tai Historically important in the cult of official state rituals, Mount Tai was the site of two of the most spectacular of all the ceremonies of the traditional Chinese empire. One of them, called feng, was held on top of Mount Tai and consisted of offerings to heaven; the other, called shan, was held on a lower hill and made offerings to earth. These ceremonies are often referred to together as fengshan (worship of heaven and earth) and were believed to ensure a dynasty's fortunes or for cultural Legitimation. Emperors and Empires have to meet certain standards for Fengshan. They were carried out at rare intervals—during the Xi (Western) Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 25) in 110, 106, 102, and 98 BC; during the Dong (Eastern) Han dynasty (AD 25–220) in AD 56; and by emperors of the Tang dynasty (618–907) in 666 and again in 725. See Shiji 28: The Treatise on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices.

天坛【 Tiāntán 】 in Beijing the Temple of Heaven The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism.

Beijing National Stadium Bird Nest 鸟巢【 ni ǎ ocháo 】 Beijing National Stadium 北京国家体育 场 ; (Běijīng Guójiā T ǐ yùch ǎ ng), also known as the National Stadium ( 国家体育场 ) or colloquially as the Bird's Nest ( 鸟巢 ), is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.

不到长城非好汉 【 bùdàochángchéngfēih ǎ ohàn 】 He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man. Since the 5th century BC, several walls have been built that were referred to as the Great Wall. One of the most famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains; the majority of the existing wall were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan 山海关 in the east to Lop Nur (Lake Lop 罗布泊 ) in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia.

Construction Principles On topography/terrain, use narrow passes to make a strategic point