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The Chinese Cultural

The Chinese Cultural. By Everette Brown. China Wall.

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The Chinese Cultural

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  1. The Chinese Cultural By Everette Brown

  2. China Wall • The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications running in general east to west through the entire northern part of China, which is made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, built originally in part to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire or its prototypical states against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces. Several walls had already been begun to be built beginning around the 5th century BC: these, later joined together and made bigger, stronger, and unified are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall. Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained, enhanced; the majority of the existing wall was reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty.

  3. All About the Great Wall of China • The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago, by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.). In Chinese the wall is called "Wan-Li Qang-Qeng" which means 10,000-Li Long Wall (10,000 Li = about 5,000 km). After subjugating and uniting China from seven Warring States, the emperor connected and extended four old fortification walls along the north of China that originated about 700 B.C. (over 2500 years ago). Armies were stationed along the wall as a first line of defense against the invading nomadic Hsiung Nu tribes north of China (the Huns). Signal fires from the Wall provided early warning of an attack. The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks and packed-earth. It was over 5,000 km (=10,000 Li) long. Its thickness ranged from about 4.5 to 9 meters (15 to 30 feet) and was up to 7.5 meters (25 feet) tall. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall was enlarged to 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) and renovated over a 200 year period, with watch-towers and cannons added. The Great Wall can be seen from Earth orbit, but, contrary to legend, is not visible from the moon, according to astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Jim Irwin.

  4. About China About china The first Chinese dynasty that left historical records, the loosely feudal Shang (Yin), settled along the Yellow River in eastern China from the 17th to the 11th century BC. The oracle bone script of the Shang Dynasty represent the oldest forms of Chinese writing found and the direct ancestor of modern Chinese characters used throughout East Asia. The Shang were invaded from the west by the Zhou, who ruled from the 12th to the 5th century BC, until their centralized authority was slowly eroded by feudal warlords. Many independent states eventually emerged out of the weakened Zhou state, and continually waged war with each other in the Spring and Autumn Period, only occasionally deferring to the Zhou king. By the time of the Warring States Period, there were seven powerful sovereign states, each with its own king, ministry and army. Imperial China

  5. China Holidays • Chinese holidays and festivals are often inseparable—the most famous being the Chinese New Year, held annually, usually in early February. This is the holiday to end all Chinese National holidays, the festivities often lasting an entire week, revolving around the first day of the lunar calendar. If you are lucky enough to be able to visit the country at this time, it will certainly be a memorable experience - a large portion of the country take the entire week off of work, preferring to spend their time taking to the streets with costumes and fireworks, the two necessary ingredients to any successful party. • Chinese holiday festivals are held on a semi-regular basis throughout the entire year. Every page of the calendar seems to bring on another Chinese National Holiday—beginning in January with the traditional new year celebration. It's not celebrated with the same fervor as the Chinese New year, but it's still pretty good—foreshadowing to the main event in February.

  6. China Dynasty • The following is a chronology of the dynasties in Chinese history. • Chinese history is not as neat as is often described and it was rare for one dynasty to change peacefully into the next. Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they had been defeated. For example, the conventional date 1644 marks the year in which the ManchuQing dynasty armies occupied Beijing and brought Qing rule to China proper, succeeding the Ming dynasty. However, the Qing dynasty itself was established in 1636 (or even 1616, albeit under a different name), while the last Ming dynasty pretender was not deposed until 1662. This change of ruling houses was a messy and prolonged affair, and the Qing took almost twenty years to extend their control over the whole of China. It is therefore inaccurate to assume China changed suddenly and all at once in the year 1644. • In addition, China was divided for long periods of its history, with different regions being ruled by different groups. At times like these, there was not any single dynasty ruling a unified China. As a case in point, there is much dispute about times in and after the Western Zhou period

  7. Qin Shi Huangdi, First Chinese Emperor • A ruler from the western state of Qin united and subjugated the Warring States and formed China in 221 B.C. He declared himself the first emperor of China and named himself Shi Huangdi (meaning First Emperor). During the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.), the emperor connected and extended the old fortification walls along the north of China that originated about 700 B.C. (over 2500 years ago), forming the Great Wall of China to stop invading barbarians from the north. The Emperor standardized Chinese writing, bureaucracy, scholarship, law, currency, weights and measures. He expanded the Chinese empire, built a capital in Xian, a system of roads, and massive fortifications and palaces. Shi Huangdi (259-210 B.C.) was a cruel ruler who readily killed or banished those who opposed him or his ideas. He is notorious for burning virtually all the books that remained from previous regimes. He even banned scholarly discussions of the past. The Qin dynasty ended soon after his death, but a unified China remained for over 2,000 years. China's name is derived from his short but seminal dynasty, Qin (pronounced Chin). In 1974, thousands of life-sized terra cotta warriors and horses from the Emperor's extravagant tomb were unearthed in Xian.

  8. Information About China • Location: China is the largest country entirely in Asia. China is bordered by Russia, India, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau (semi-autonomous), Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Vietnam. • Capital: Beijing is the capital of China. • Size: China covers about 9,596,960 square kilometers. China is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada, and the USA). • Population: China has the largest population of any country in the world. The population of China is about 1,321,851,000 (as of July, 2007). China is divided into 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, and 4 municipalities. • Flag: China's flag is red with five golden-yellow stars. Climate: China's climate ranges from desert to tropical to subarctic. • Major Rivers: The major rivers in China are the Yangtse River, the Yellow River, and the Pearl River. • Mountain Ranges: The highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, borders China. Other major mountain ranges in China are the Ch'ang-pai Mountains, theTsinling Mountains, and the Nan range. • Highest Point: The highest point in China is Mount Everest (8,850 m tall), in the Himalayas. • Lowest Point: The lowest point in China is Turpan Pendi (the Turpan Depression), 154 meters (505 feet) below sea level. It is located in northwestern China.

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