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Researched by Michelle M.
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China is a country in eastern Asia. It is the third largest country in the world after Canada and Russia. It is home to one fifth of the world’s population. The capital of China is Beijing. The Chinese call their country Zhongguo which means "Middle Kingdom". Most Chinese live in the eastern third of China.
The Chinese flag was introduced in 1949. It is red with five yellow stars in the upper left corner, one big star surrounded by four smaller stars in a semicircle. Red symbolizes revolution, the big star represents the Communist Party of China, and the smaller stars represent peasants, workers, bourgeoisie, and capitalists.
The Chinese invented many things. Some Chinese inventions are: a ship’s rudder, acupuncture, the yo-yo, silk, gunpowder, spaghetti, the printing press, the kite, devices for measuring distances and signaling, the wheelbarrow, paper, fireworks, and porcelain.
In China, only the rich wore silk. The Chinese believed that the colors red and yellow symbolize beauty. Men thought tiny feet on women were a sign of beauty so between the ages of 4 and 13 girls had to have their feet bound.
By law, there can only be one child per family today. The minimum age for marriage for women is 22 and 20 for men.
Some popular Chinese foods are noodles, rice, stir fry, dim som, and seafood. Most Chinese eat five or six bowls of rice daily. The Chinese eat a lot of beans, vegetables, and grains. Green tea is China’s national drink.
At first, China did not require schooling, but in 1986 a law was made, saying children to have at least nine years of schooling. The minimum age for kindergarten is three, but most all children start at the age of five. Today, most Chinese 15 or older can read and write. Elementary courses include Chinese language, geography, history, math, music, science, painting, physical education, and political education. Middle school courses include most elementary courses plus biology, chemistry, physics, law, and foreign languages. About two-thirds of children begin middle school, but most drop out before their graduation.
In Hong Kong, people celebrate both Chinese and American holidays. Some Chinese holidays are:
- New Years Day-January 1st
- Spring Festival-date varies
- International Working Women’s Day-March 8th
- International Labor Day-May 1st
- Youth day-May 4th
- Children’s Day-June 1st
- Founding of the Communist Party of China-July 1st
- Founding of the People’s Liberation Army Day-August 1st
- National Day-October 1-2
On the Chinese New Year people give "lucky money" to newlyweds,
decorate with lots of red (a lucky color), eat dinner, and have a celebration.
China has a variable climate. In the south it is very hot and wet most
of the year. North of the Yangzi River, the summers are milder and winters
are dry and cold. The coldest place is Mount Everest. The hottest place
in China is the Turfan Depression that is 120 degrees F. at its hottest.
A large part of China is deserts and mountains. It has 15 borders. The
highest elevation in China is Mount Everest at 8,848 meters. The lowest
elevation is the Turfan Depression at 505 feet below sea level.
Some Chinese weights and measures are: a jin, which is equal to 1.1023
lbs., a mu, which is equal to 0.1644 acres, and a chi, which is equal to
1.0936 feet. Hong Kong uses the same weights and measures as the U.S.
China’s major trading partners are the United States, Germany, and Japan. Some major exports are food, tea, textiles, and clothing. Some major imports are metals, machinery, grain, cotton, and fertilizers. Some chief agricultural products are: corn, sweet potatoes, tea, cotton, eggs, tobacco, fruits, hogs, potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, rice, soybeans, and wheat. Manufacturing products include: processed foods, machinery, steel, iron ore, copper, coal, and tungsten. The chief units of money in China are yuans and fens. There are 100 fen to a yuan and 5 1/2 yuan to a U.S. dollar. In Hong Kong they use Hong Kong dollars.
The Communist Party controls China’s government. The chief of state is the president. The head of government is a premier.
Religion is discouraged by the Communist Government of China. Throughout most Chinese history Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism have been the major religions. Confucianism is based on the ideas of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher. Confucianism stresses the importance of moral standards and beliefs in a society that is well ordered where parents rule children, men rule women, and educated people rule common people. Confucianism teaches deep respect for ancestors and the past.
Taoism began during the 300’s B.C and is mostly based on a book called Tao Te Ching (The Classic of the Way and the Virtue). Taoism teaches you to withdraw from everyday life and live in harmony with nature.
Buddhism reached China from India before A.D 100. It became well established throughout China during the 300’s. Under the influence of Confucianism and Taoism, Chinese varieties of Buddhism developed. Buddhism taught strict moral standards, the idea of rebirth, and life after death. Chinese Buddhists worshiped many gods and appealed to them in troubled times.
The first known humans in China lived about 600,000 years ago. The Peking
lived about 1/2 million years ago during the Old Stone Age. They made flints
and clubs out of tree branches. They knew how to use fire, were beginning
to speak, and lived in caves. They were apelike, had a jutting jaw, a low
forehead, and a heavy eyebrow ridge. The first modern humans in China were
the Upper Cave People, who lived 50 thousand years ago. They fished, hunted,
and gathered roots and fruit. From 5000 to 4000 B.C they learned how to
farm and the Neolithic Period began. The first farming communities were
around the Great Bend of the Yellow River, where the Wei River joins it.
China’s written history goes back 3,500 years.
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