The Story of China

The Story of China By: Sarah Choi 5C Lands • • • • China is the 3rd largest country in the world. China has the largest population in the world. China is bordered by deserts and high mountains. Mountain, hills, and highlands cover about 66percent of China. • The highest mountains in the world are in China. Water • China has about 50,000 rivers. • The Yangzi river is the 3rd longest river in the world and the first in China. • The 2nd longest river in China is the Huang He. • The Yangzi, or Chang jiang, river flows through the central China. Climate • The Eastern China has a humid subtropical climate, the Northern China is very dry, and the Southern China has a cool, dry and highland climate. • Monsoons affect the climate of China. • Typhoons bring winds and heavy rains to China that make major damage. • Climates affect on everything in natural vegetation and life in China. Vegetation • Plants in China are strong that they can bare with different temperature. • Small plants and shrubs grow rapidly in deserts of China, after summer rains. • Many deciduous trees change with weathers. • Fast growing vegetation like bamboos are abundant in southern china in wet seasons. Natural Resources • China has large supply of natural resources. • Chinese have mined copper, tin, and iron for more than 2,000 years. • China’s lakes and rivers are important because freshwater fish are caught. • Only 10% of China land can be farmed • China cuts terraces in steep hills to get more yards of soil and crops. Historic Tradition • Confucius ideas has influenced Chinese cultures and traditions for many centuries. • Many traditions were passed through other near by countries. • Chinese were proud of themselves because they invented paper, gunpowder, silk weaving, magnetic compass, printing press, clock work, spinning wheel, and water wheel. • The communist won the civil war and China became a communist country. People and Culture • There are 55 different minority groups of Chinese other than the Hans. • Many ethnic groups had their own cultures. • Most people lived by farming in family groups. • After Communism, they created communes where people had to live and work together. • Communists tried to shorten China’s population. • They improved the job (position) of women. Transforming Itself Mao Zedong • Mae Zedong made huge, radical changes in China. • He made a policy the “Great Leap Forward” which the communist rushed to increase factories and farm but turned out to a great leap backward. • He created another policy called Cultural Revolution, which was to create a new society without turning to the past. • After the Red Guard threatened Mao’s government, they were imprisoned and he ended Cultural Revolution at 1969 which left thousands of citizens dead. Transforming Itself • After Mao Zedong died in 1976, more moderate leaders allowed limited system of free enterprise. • Later, China adopted free enterprise fully to improve economy. • Now, China is one of the world major economic force. • However, rural areas have not developed as fast as urban areas. Thanks to… • • • • • • • • • Asia and the Pacific (textbook) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius http://caddyedge.com/wp-content/photos/orig_china_flag.gif http://www.warriortours.com/images/map/chinamap.gif http://www.enchantedlearning.com/asia/china/map.GIF http://www.solarhaven.org/MONSOON.jpg http://sushinow.com/pics/guidepics/Rice-Paddy2.jpg http://energytechstocks.com.previewmysite.com/wp/wpcontent/uploads/2007/10/coal-train330.jpg http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~vsdb/confucius.jpg http://www.librarything.com/authorpics/maozedong4211.jpg http://www.mapsofworld.com/taiwan/maps/taiwan-map.jpg http://onthaitime.com/images/bamboo-forest.jpg http://w4.siemens.de/megacities/shanghai/img/pool/shanghai_panorama.jpg • • • • •