China The Place of your Dreams…

1. China The Place of your Dreams…

2. A bit about China Population: On March 30th 2011 the population of China was 1,357,686,403. China has the largest population in theworldbut one of smallest the growth rates. The growth rate is only 0.494% andranks 153rd isthe world however that still means that about 16 million people are born each year! Languages: There are more than 200 languages used in china but the official language is Mandarin. It is written the same as Cantonese which is the second main language. Cantonese is spoken mainly in the south and mandarin in the north. Many dialects come from the same written language so Chinesepeople often communicate with by passing notes. Chinese has been around for 6,000 years.

3. More about China Main Cities: Beijing is the capital city of China. Other main cities are Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou. Shenzhen is a city of nearly 10 million people but it was created only 40 years ago. Most of the growth has occurred since the early 1990s. • Location: • China is slightly smaller than the US and the North East of China resembles a dragons head. East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea and South China Sea are along the coastline of China. The Countries that surround China are; Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kirgizstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Vietnam.

4. Even more about China • Economy: China’s economy is the third largest in the world, after the U.S. and Japan, and as the second largest trading nation, its influence on the world economy continues to grow. Zodiac Signs: On the Chinese Calender there are the animals that represent the year. Every year has ananimal. There are 12 zodiacanimal signs the Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig.One of the many legends says that Lord Buddha askedall theanimals in the kingdom to come before him as he must depart from the earth. Only twelve came to bidhim off so as a reward he named a year after them in the order that they arrived. Chinese believe that you are similar to the animal in which you are born under. They also have a saying: ‘This is the animal that hides in your heart’.

5. Chinese History China is a country that like most other great civilizations of the world, can trace it’s culture back to an array of small tribes that have been expanded to create a great country. China was first populated in about 50,000 BC and the majority of people that came were from Central Asia or India. These were calledthe Stone Age People, and lived in caves with dogs and wore only fur and leather.The food was hunted and gathered. In about 4000 BC they started to farm rice, and kept sheep and chicken. Later in 3000 BC pottery was being used and houses had been developed. Soon after the Central Asian people taught them how to use horses to pull wheeled chariots.

6. Chinese Food Overall Chinese food is probably the food that is the most devoted to comfort and tradition. While many people in the world haven’t tasted certain cultures, food there aren’t many people in the world who haven’t yet discovered the wonders of Chinese Cuisine. K.C. Chang wrote in Food Chinese Culture “few other cultures are as food-oriented as the Chinese”. The delicious range of cuisine can represent China’s long and fascinating history. Generally , rice is the major food source for farming areas in Southern China. Most commonly eaten as steamed rice, rice is also used to produce beers, wines and vinegars. In Northern China people usually farm wheat. They make noodles, bread, dumplings, and steamed buns.

7. Chinese Culture Customs and Traditions: The Chinese cultural groups are identified by their diverse traditions, customs in marriage, childbirth, funerals, festivals, food, housing, costumes, housing guests and recreational activities. In 1949, there were many customs and traditions that the Chinese practised, since then they have been further developed. For example the Ongkor Festival, the Mongolian traditional festival, the Nadam Fair, the Corban of the Huis and Uygurs, and the Water-Sprinkling Festival of the Dais. These festivals are held on which Chinese people hold cultural activities, exchange goods and discuss farming techniques.

8. Chinese Festivals Festivals: The Chinese people celebrate an endless series of festivals throughout the year. The majority of these festivals are important dates on the lunar calendar. Out of all the festivals that are mainly celebrated ,Chinese New Year is without a doubt the most colourful, elaborate and important. It is a time when everyone congratulates their friends and family on living through another year. The week before Chinese New Year, Chinese make all their food for the week of Chinese New Year, so that if they would use a knife during the week they believe they may of cut their good luck. They also completely sweep the house the week before; as they believe that if they sweep during the week of Chinese New Year they may sweep away their good luck. There are many other festivals that the Chinese celebrate such as the Dragon Boat Festival.

9. China’s Environment Surroundings: China is surrounded by high mountains (the Himalayas including Mount Everest), empty deserts (the Taklimakan and Gobi desert) and Tropical seas. Most people live on the fertile lands near the coast and around the great rivers such as; the Pearl River in the South, the Yangtze River in the middle and the Yellow and Songhua River in the North. Mountains: China is fortunate to have many amazing and beautiful mountains. The famous mountain ranges include the Himalayas, Kunlun, Tian, Tang Gu Draw, Qinling, Daxing'an, Taihang, and the Qilian range. Along the Chinese border you can find the Himalayas, which extend more than 2400 kilometers. It is the tallest mountain range in the world.

10. China’s Environment Rivers:China has more than 50,000 rivers, which is more than enough. Almost all large rivers in China belong to the external river system, which directly or indirectly emptying into the seas. China's land is high in the west and low in the east, most of its rivers flow east and empty into the Pacific Ocean, including the Yangtze, Yellow, Heilong, Pearl, Liaohe and Haihe rivers, which are some of the most popular rivers in China. Environmental Problems: China has many environmental problems. The two main things that are causing all these problems are its rapid economic growth and the consumption of it 1 billion inhabitants. Some of the other problems include air pollution and water pollution. Engineering projects, factory construction and land clearing are leading to habitat loss and threatening the survival of many species including the panda.

11. The Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was man made in 200 BC along the Mongolian plains to keep the invaders out. It was listed as a World Heritage sight in 1987. From beginning to end it is nearly 9000 km long but it is not continuous. The walls are nearly 8 metres high and 5 – 10 metres wide at the base and about 3 – 4 wide at the top. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most fascinating attractions of the world. Most tourists visit the 80 km stretch of the wall just outside Beijing. Around the wall are lots of small stalls were you can buy walnut shells carved with hundreds of tiny faces and other small souvenirs.

12. The Forbidden City Lying in the center of Beijing is one of the worlds most attractive palaces- the Forbidden City. Built in the Ming Dynasty, it is now quite a large museum which attracts thousands of tourists every year. 24 of China’s rulers have lived there up until 1924 when the people of China over threw the emperor. There are 90 palaces and over 1000 buildings which have all survived many wars and the Cultural Revolution. Rectangular in shape it has a wall of about 9 meters in height with a moat stretching for almost 3.5 kilometers. With a gate on either side of the wall the 9, 999 rooms make it the largest palace complex in the world.

13. The Terracotta Warriors • The Terracotta Warriors were discovered in 1974 when some Chinese peasants discovered a pit containing thousands of pottery figures and a few bronze horses and chariots. Archaeologists moved in and dug up three HUGE pits, one of which is 3.7 kilometres long and has more than 1000 warriors, 500 horses and 89 chariots. All the warriors in the Terracotta army face east and each one has a unique face. It is thought that the emperor built the army to scare off invaders as he wanted invaders to think he had a huge army. In one section all the faces are fierce and mean looking as if to scare the enemy. The Terracotta Army was found near the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang, which took 38 years and 720 thousand builders to complete.

14. The Willow Pattern Plate Two birds flying high, A Chinese vessel sailing by. A bridge with three men, sometimes four, A willow tree hanging o’er. A Chinese temple there it stands, Built across the river sands. An apple tree with apples on, A crooked fence to end my song.

15. The Willow Pattern Plate This is a poem that describes some of the elements of the Willow Pattern Plate. Some of the other elements are; a pagoda and a pair of love birds for ever kissing. The basic story line of the plate is that there was a Mandarin’s daughter called Knoon-se who fell hopelessly in love with her hired secretary Chang, an intelligent and personable man, who was low-born. Every evening to share their love they met by the weeping willow tree, beside the river. The Mandarin finding out about his daughters relationship with a commoner banished Chang form the estate and locked Knoon-se in a pavilion overlooking the river. A crooked fence was put around the outside of the palace and against Knoon-se’s wishes he married her off. Soon after, Chang seized the opportunity to enter the palace, find Knoon-se and jump into the boat he had left nearby, pausing only to grab a bag of jewels. They sailed off to a far away land and bought a pagoda with all the jewels. Together they shared a life of joy and bliss, until murderous men, sent by the Mandarin, set alight the pagoda where Koon-se and Chang slept. The Gods took pity on the doomed lovers and granted them a life of immortality and transformed them into love-birds- forever flying in the sky.

16. Bibliography • http://bx.businessweek.com/chinas-economy/ • http://www.chinatoday.com/ • http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/geography/ • http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/ • http://www.china.org.cn/english/travel/40540.htm • http://www.shanghaifinance.com/festival/chinesefestival.php • http://english.cri.cn/1702/2005-5-5/114@161971.htm • http://english.cri.cn/1702/2004-10-25/114@161975.htm • http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/ • http://www.chinahighlights.com/xian/terracotta-army/ • http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/forbidden.htm • http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa072798.htm • http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/cuisine/ • https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

17. Bibliography • My own personal knowledge( checked on Wikipedia). • http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/magazine/issue32/iss32p5.html • http://www.liuzhou.co.uk/china/language.htm • https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html • http://geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/greatwall.htm • http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-the-great-wall-of-china.html • http://www.asianartmall.com/clay.html • First atlas • http://fire.biol.wwu.edu/trent/alles/ChinaDeserts.pdfhttp://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/china/environmental_problems_china/ • http://www.chinese.new-year.co.uk/calendar.htm • http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/cuisine/ • https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

18. China Is really the Place of your Dreams