Zhngwn In Pinyin (using our alphabet) : In Chinese
characters:
Slide 2
Identified Chinese as a primary, administrative or native
language Countries with > 5 million speakers (recognized
language or not) Countries with > 1 million speakers (recognized
language or not) Countries with > 500 thousand speakers
(recognized language or not) Countries with > 100 thousand
speakers (recognized language or not) Major Chinese-speaking
settlements
Slide 3
People's Republic of China (commonly known as Mainland China),
Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as Taiwan), Hong Kong,
*Singapore, *Malaysia, Macau, *the Philippines, *the United States
of America, *Australia, *Indonesia, *Mauritius, *Peru, *Canada,
*and other regions with Chinese communities
Slide 4
845 million native speakers +500 million non-native speakers
1345 million (1.345 Billion) total speakers of Chinese Rank in the
world of languages: 1 Chinese, all: 1 Mandarin: 1 Wu: 12 Cantonese:
18 Min: 22 Hakka: 33 Gan: 42
Slide 5
Simplified Partial Tree of Sino-Tibetan Languages Red = Extinct
Language White = categories/un- attested proto-languages Green=
Living Languages
Slide 6
Yao Ming ? 15
Slide 7
Until the mid-20th century, most southern Chinese only spoke
their native local variety of Chinese. As Nanjing was the capital
during the early Ming Dynasty, Nanjing Mandarin became most used at
least until the later years of the Qing Dynasty. Since the 17th
century, the Qing Dynasty had set up speech academies to make
pronunciation the same as that of the capital Beijing. For the
general population, however, this did little good. The non-Mandarin
speakers in southern China also continued to use their various
languages for all areas of life. The Beijing Mandarin court
standard was used only by officials and civil servants and was
therefore fairly limited. This situation did not change until the
mid-20th century with the creation (in both the PRC and the ROC,
but not in Hong Kong) of a forced educational system committed to
teaching Standard Mandarin. As a result, Mandarin is now spoken by
virtually all young and middle-aged citizens of mainland China and
on Taiwan. Standard Cantonese, not Mandarin, was used in Hong Kong
during the time of its British colonial period (owing to its large
Cantonese native and migrant populace) and remains today its
official language of education, formal speech, and daily life, but
Mandarin is becoming increasingly influential after the 1997
handover. Classical Chinese was once the lingua franca in
neighboring East Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam
for centuries, before the rise of European influences in 19th
century.
Slide 8
Chinese characters zhuyin fuhao (Taiwan script) pinyin
Xiao'erjing (Islam in China) (Love) ? 10
The written history of China begins with the Shang Dynasty (ca.
1550 BCE ca. 1046 BCE). Turtle shells with ancient Chinese writing
from the Shang Dynasty have been carbon dated to as early as 1500
BCE. The origins of Chinese culture, literature and philosophy,
developed during the Zhou Dynasty (1045 BCE to 256 BCE) that
followed the Shang. It was the longest lasting dynasty and spans
the period in which the written script evolved from ancient oracle
script to the beginnings of modern Chinese writing. Pre-history and
the Ancient Era: ? 13
Slide 13
The Ancient Era, continued: Spring and Autumn Period (722-481
BCE) The Hundred Schools of Thought of Chinese philosophy blossomed
during this period, and such influential intellectual movements as
Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism and Mohism were founded, partly in
response to the changing political world. Warring States Period
(476-221 BCE) The final expansion in this period began during the
reign of Ying Zheng, the king of Qin. His unification of the other
six powers, and further annexations in the modern regions of
Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi in 214 BCE enabled him to
proclaim himself the First Emperor (Qin Shi Huangdi). Chinese pu
vessel with interlaced dragon design, Spring and Autumn Period. ?
13
Slide 14
Qin Dynasty, 221-206 BC China unified for first time Han
Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD 49-44 BC Julius Caesar Invention of paper
150 BC 47-30 BC Reign of Cleopatra Silk Road opened 139 BC 79 AD
Vesuvius buries Pompeii Great Wall completed 241AD 476 AD Fall of
the Roman Empire *Invention of compass 271 AD 560 AD Peak of Mayan
civilization Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD Tea cultivation, porcelain
developed Song Dynasty, 960-1279 AD Gunpowder invented 1096-1099 AD
First Crusade Genghis Khan 1206-1264 AD 1275-1292 AD Marco Polo's
journey to China Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368 AD Ming Dynasty, 1368-1544
AD 1492 AD Columbus discovers New World Qing Dynasty 1644-1911 AD
1776 AD U.S. Declaration of Independence Dynasty Name
DatesElsewhere in the World... ? 13
Slide 15
A Glimpse of Chinas Culture ? 14
Slide 16
Chinese Identity Today there are 56 distinct ethnic groups in
China. In terms of numbers, however, the pre-eminent ethnic group
is the Han Chinese. Throughout history, many groups have been
assimilated into neighboring ethnicities or disappeared without a
trace. At the same time, many within the Han identity have
maintained distinct linguistic and regional cultural traditions.
Han dynasty: stone rubbing ? 14
Slide 17
Chinese architecture Chinese architecture, examples of which
can be found from over 2,000 years ago, has long been a hallmark of
the culture. There are certain features common to Chinese
architecture, regardless of specific region or use. The most
important is its emphasis on width, as the wide halls of the
Forbidden City serve as an example. In contrast, Another important
feature is symmetry, which connotes a sense of grandeur as it
applies to everything from palaces to farmhouses. ? 14
Slide 18
The Chinese Dragon, Fu dog and incense are another three
symbols within traditional Chinese culture. ? 14
Slide 19
A koi pond is a signature Chinese scenery depicted in countless
art work. ? 14
Slide 20
Chinese cuisine The overwhelmingly large variety mainly comes
from the emperors hosting a banquet of 100 dishes each meal. Over
time, many dishes became part of the everyday-citizen culture. Some
of the highest quality restaurants with recipes close to the
dynastic periods include Fangshan restaurant in Beihai Park Beijing
and the Oriole Pavilion. Arguably all branches of Hong Kong eastern
style or even American Chinese food are in some ways rooted from
the original dynastic cuisines. ? 14
Slide 21
In Chinese names, the family name is typically placed first
(for example, the family name of "Xu Feng" is "Xu"). For
westernized names, the family name is placed last (for example, the
family name of "Maggie Cheung" is "Cheung"). Before we begin our
list, please note: ? 15
Yang Yun, left, and Dong Fangxiao won team bronze medals during
the 2000 Olympic Games. Members of Chinas 2008 Womens Gymnastic
team celebrate after winning the team gold Wednesday during Day 5
of the Beijing Olympics. ? 15
Slide 24
Chinese Words We Use in English
Slide 25
Chop chop from Cantonese chuk chuk , lit. hurry, urgent Chop
suey from Cantonese (tzapseui), lit. mixed pieces Ketchup possibly
from Cantonese or Amoy , lit. tomato sauce/juice Shar Pei from
Cantonese , lit. sand skin. Shih Tzu from Mandarin , lit. Chinese
lion dog Tofu, lit. bean curd from Chinese (Mandarin dufu). Tycoon,
lit. high official; or , lit. great nobleman Yin Yang, from
Mandarin 'Yin' meaning feminine, dark and 'Yang' meaning masculine
and bright ? 16