Basic Facts China is located in Asia. It is the 4 th largest country in the world, after Russia,...
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Transcript of Basic Facts China is located in Asia. It is the 4 th largest country in the world, after Russia,...
CHINA
Basic Facts
• China is located in Asia. It is the 4th largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, and the United States.
• Population: 1.3 billion people• This number is about 4 times the number of people in
the United States, which is about 300 million• China’s population makes up about 1/5 of the worlds’
population, which is about 6.9 billion people
• Capital city: Beijing
• Currency: Renminbi (RMB)/yuan, jiao, fen
Flag of China
Language
• Official Language: Mandarin Chinese
• However, there are many other spoken Chinese dialects• For example: Cantonese, Shanghainese, Xiang, Min
• While the spoken language may vary throughout the country, the written language is the same.
• The written Chinese language is made up of more than 80,000 characters or symbols. There is no alphabet.• To read a newspaper, you need to know about 3000 to
4000 characters• By the start of high school, children know about 6,000
characters
• The earliest Chinese characters were pictures
• Over many, many years, the pictures evolved into the characters that make up the modern language
• Each character has a meaning, and can also be put together with other characters to make more words
Housing/Transportation
Chinese people live in lots of different types of homes
• Cities: modern apartment buildings and high
rises; small private homes
• Rural areas: Farmhouses made of brick or stone
• Mountains: Houses made of bamboo, stone;
Cave dwellings
• Water: Sampans (houseboats)
Chinese travel from place to place by bus, bicycles, cars, trains and boats
Shanghai
Beijing – China’s capital city
Hong Kong - one of China’s most modern and bustling cities
Food in China
• Rice is a staple that is served with almost every meal.
• Popular dishes: dumplings, congee, noodles, stir-fried meat and vegetable dishes
• In some parts of China, spicy food is very common• For example, in the provinces of Sichuan and Hunan,
red chilli peppers are often used in cooking
• Special cookware: the wok, bamboo steamer
• Chinese meals usually have many dishes served together at the table, not just one main course.
• Soups and tea are usually served with meals, more than cold drinks like juice and milk.
• Chopsticks are the main form of eating utensil.
Famous Landmarks
Mt. Everest
• Tallest mountain in the world
• Stands at 29,028 ft. tall, or about 5.5 miles above sea level
• Part of the Himalaya Mountains, which borders China, near Tibet
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China Facts
• Longest man-made structure in the world.
• Built to protect Chinese people from enemy nations
• Built over the course of many, many years, beginning more than 2000 years ago and continuing until 1644.
• The Wall is not all one piece. Sections were built and rebuilt at different times.
• Length: approximately 5, 500 miles long!
The Forbidden CityBeijing, China
• Built in 1404 and completed in 1420
• Home to 24 emperors and their families, servants, and government officials
• Has 980 buildings and 9,999 rooms
• Made of beautifully painted wood, ornate gold and bronze decorations, and special carvings and sculptures
Wildlife in China
Golden Monkey
Tibetan Antelope
Siberian Tiger
Giant Panda
Red-crowned Crane
Chinese Inventions
• Paper
• Compass
• Gunpowder
• Printing - earliest form was woodblock printing
• Porcelain – a very fine, delicate clay ceramic
• Kites
• Silk Fabric
• Ice Cream – earliest form was a milk mixture and rice packed into snow. This “ice cream” was later taken to Europe by a named Marco Polo.
Chinese Celebrations
Chinese New Year
• Also known as Spring Festival
• In January or February of each year(depends on the Chinese lunar calendar,
which is based on the moon’s cycles).
• The biggest celebration among Chinese
• A 3-day holiday in China
• This year, Chinese New Year happens to be today- Jan 23rd !
• Lots of Festivities and Traditions
• Lion dances
• Colorful costumes and parades
• Firecrackers and red lanterns
• Special foods and arts/crafts
• Red envelopes – given to wish Happy New Year and good luck
Dragon Boat Festival
• Celebrated during May
• Dragon boat races
• Tradition to eat “zongzi”,
a leaf-wrapped sticky rice dumpling
Mid-Autumn Festival
• Occurs in the middle of August.
• Celebrates“the harvest”, when vegetables and fruits
ripen
• Also celebrates family unity
• Tradition to eat special pastries
called “moon cakes”