2. Basic Facts China is located in Asia. It is the 4 th largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, and the United States. Population: 1.3 billion people This number is about 4 times the number of people in the United States, which is about 300 million China’s population makes up about 1/5 of the worlds’ population, which is about 6.9 billion people Capital city: Beijing Currency: Renminbi (RMB)/yuan, jiao, fen

4. Language Official Language: Mandarin Chinese However, there are many other spoken Chinese dialects For example: Cantonese, Shanghainese, Xiang, Min While the spoken language may vary throughout the country, the written language is the same. The written Chinese language is made up of more than 80,000 characters or symbols. There is no alphabet. To read a newspaper, you need to know about 3000 to 4000 characters By the start of high school, children know about 6,000 characters

6. The earliest Chinese characters were pictures Over many, many years, the pictures evolved into the characters that make up the modern language Each character has a meaning, and can also be put together with other characters to make more words

7. Housing/Transportation Chinese people live in lots of different types of homes Cities: modern apartment buildings and high rises; small private homes Rural areas: Farmhouses made of brick or stone Mountains: Houses made of bamboo, stone; Cave dwellings Water: Sampans (houseboats) Chinese travel from place to place by bus, bicycles, cars, trains and boats

9. Shanghai Beijing – China’s capital city

10. Hong Kong - one of China’s most modern and bustling cities

11. Food in China Rice is a staple that is served with almost every meal. Popular dishes: dumplings, congee, noodles, stir-fried meat and vegetable dishes In some parts of China, spicy food is very common For example, in the provinces of Sichuan and Hunan, red chilli peppers are often used in cooking Special cookware: the wok, bamboo steamer

12. Chinese meals usually have many dishes served together at the table, not just one main course. Soups and tea are usually served with meals, more than cold drinks like juice and milk. Chopsticks are the main form of eating utensil.

13. Famous Landmarks Mt. Everest Tallest mountain in the world Stands at 29,028 ft. tall, or about 5.5 miles above sea level Part of the Himalaya Mountains, which borders China, near Tibet

15. Great Wall of China Facts Longest man-made structure in the world. Built to protect Chinese people from enemy nations Built over the course of many, many years, beginning more than 2000 years ago and continuing until 1644. The Wall is not all one piece. Sections were built and rebuilt at different times. Length: approximately 5, 500 miles long!

17. The Forbidden City Beijing, China

18. Built in 1404 and completed in 1420 Home to 24 emperors and their families, servants, and government officials Has 980 buildings and 9,999 rooms Made of beautifully painted wood, ornate gold and bronze decorations, and special carvings and sculptures

21. Chinese Inventions Paper Compass Gunpowder Printing - earliest form was woodblock printing Porcelain – a very fine, delicate clay ceramic Kites Silk Fabric Ice Cream – earliest form was a milk mixture and rice packed into snow. This “ice cream” was later taken to Europe by a named Marco Polo.

22. Chinese Celebrations Chinese New Year Also known as Spring Festival In January or February of each year (depends on the Chinese lunar calendar, which is based on the moon’s cycles). The biggest celebration among Chinese A 3-day holiday in China This year, Chinese New Year happens to be today- Jan 23 rd !

23. Lots of Festivities and Traditions Lion dances Colorful costumes and parades Firecrackers and red lanterns Special foods and arts/crafts Red envelopes – given to wish Happy New Year and good luck

24. Dragon Boat Festival Celebrated during May Dragon boat races Tradition to eat “zongzi”, a leaf-wrapped sticky rice dumpling Mid-Autumn Festival Occurs in the middle of August. Celebrates“the harvest”, when vegetables and fruits ripen Also celebrates family unity Tradition to eat special pastries called “moon cakes”