What we know about China: Bejing – 2008 Olympics Industries “Made in China” “Indo” China Communist – government Population Fortune cookies, rice, eat cats and dogs? Speak Chinese Great wall and silk road Pingpong, gymnastics, fighters Dynasties (Ming)

What do we want to know? Pandas Music Fireworks/celebrations Myths Exports Dragons Culture Language Religions Sports

CHINA

INTRODUCTION

Basics Largest population – 1.3 BILLION 20% of the world’s people 90% of people live in 1/6 of the

land. 3rd Largest in land mass

3.7 Million Sq. Miles Behind Russia, Canada

60% of all workers = farmers World’s oldest LIVING civilization

Zhonggou Ancient name for China Means “middle” & “kingdom” Still common name today Two SEPARATE GOV’Ts

Split in a 1949 after civil war between the Communists led by Mao Zedong and the Nationalists led by Chiang Kaishek

Mao and the Communists defeated the Nationalists○ The Nationalists fled to…..

Taiwan- Taiwan is known as the Republic of China today

Mao set up the…○ PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (Communist)

Includes Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau

China & Taiwan (Same Country / Two Separate Governments)

DIVERSE LAND

MOUNTAINS Tien Shan

Western China Altai

Far northern China

Himalayas Southwest China

DIVERSE LANDDESERTS

Taklimakan (Takla Makan)

GobiBoth are cold and

windy deserts

DIVERSE LANDSTEPPE Very little rain

Treeless grassland, SHORT grass

Northern China near Gobi Desert

Grazing land for sheep and ponies

Sparsely populated

DIVERSE LANDPLAINS Manchurian Plain North China Plain

Furthest east

DIVERSE LANDRIVERS Many begin in western mountains, flow eastward toward China’s east

coast. Fertile soil surrounds river and 90% of China’s population lives here.

Yangtze (Chang Jiang R) 3rd Longest in world behind

○ Nile, Amazon) 4,000 Miles Longest in Central China Also, known as the “rice bowl”

Yellow Huang He

Longest in Northern China 3,000 Miles Carries yellowish topsoil

known as loess Floods, cause great

destruction○ 1931 flood may have killed

up to four million people Nickname = “China’s Sorrow” Three Gorges Dam built on

river○ Supplies 10% of China’s

energy○ 300 million live downstream

from dam

Grand Canal Longest artificial waterway Runs 1,114 miles from

Beijing to Hangzhou.