China - An Introduction

1. China - An Introduction Perth High School Confucius Classroom Introductory Presentation 1

2. China - Asian Superpower

3. China - An Introduction • An ancient AND modern civilisation • A rich and complex history • Superb cultural legacy • The most populous nation on Earth • Many nationalities • Socialist government • Very diverse landscapes • Plants and Animals

4. China - History • Origins of Chinese Kingdom lost in mythology • First Emperor in • Many Imperial Dynasties: Xin, Han, Ming, Tang, Manchu • The Great Wall(s!) • Many religions and philosophers e.g. Confucius • Republic founded in • Socialist republic from 1949

5. China - Culture • Religions - Buddhism, Taoism, Islam • Art - painting, fabrics, sculpture, furniture, etc. • Architecture • Philosophy - Confucian thought, etc. • Music - Beijing Opera • Kites - Wei Fang kitemaking tradition

6. Who Are the Chinese? • The most populous nation on earth • Population = 1.3 billion • 20% of world population • Population was only 0.5 billion in 1950 • One child per family policy since 1979 • Most Populated Province - Henan (92.56 million, almost twice the UK)

7. China - Many Nations • 55 different nationalities • Predominantly Han Chinese (olive green colour) • Only 2.5 million Tibetans (golden colour) • Mongolians (lilac colour) • Other minorities are small

8. China - Landscape • Western third mostly mountains, snow and desert - very sparsely populated • Northern edge borders the Gobi Desert • South-western part tropical - dense forest/jungle • Remaining central and eastern zones are very diverse - river valleys, plains, mountains, loess plateau

9. China - Government • China is governed by the Communist Party of China • President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao are the leaders of China • The Politburo (led by the 2 named above) currently has 25 members • There are 22 provincial governments, as well as 4 major cities, 5 autonomous regions and 2 special administrative regions

10. China - Flora and Fauna • China is probably most famous for its Giant Pandas • They are the subject of an intensive breeding programme to prevent extinction • Many of the garden plants in Scottish gardens are native to China and were brought back by British 19th and 20th century plant collectors • Edinburgh Zoo has recently had red pandas and is currently bidding for some giant pandas • Despite population pressure, China has a very rich range of animals, plants and insects (-->)

11. Including 12-inch centipedes!!