World Geography - Unit 9: East Asia; 28.1: China
HISTORY
The Chinese have the longest known continuous history of any culture
As early as 6,000 BC people began farming along the Chang River
During the 200’s BC China’s first emperor conquered most of eastern China
He ordered the connection of the ancient walls to protect against invaders from the north.
This dynasty was called the Qin, or the Ch’in.
The term China comes from this dynasty.
The Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) was a high period of Chinese culture.
Cities grew rapidly, and art and architecture flourished.
During the first millennium China was the most advanced country in the world.
Mongol invaders under Genghis Khan invaded China and by 1279 they ruled all of China.
The Chinese rebelled and retook control of China
After this period, China’s rulers forbade trade with the outside world.
For centuries China had contact with the outside world only through overland trade routes.
The Silk Road extended through China to Central Asia to the Black Sea.
During the 1500’s Europeans began to reach China by sea
The Chinese largely ignored these visitors.
During the 1800’s China lost several wars and was unable to keep out the Europeans, U.S., and Japan
China lost Hong Kong to the British
Taiwan was conquered by Japan
In 1912 rebels overthrew the last Chinese dynasty and formed the Republic of China
A man named Chiang Kai-shek became China’s leader under the Nationalist Party
Tried to defeat warlords that controlled part of China
Also faced opposition from Communist Party
During the 1930’s Japan took over much of northern and eastern China and set-up a puppet government
Japan committed many atrocities in China during this period.
After Japan’s defeat in WWII China fell into civil war between the Nationalists (under Chiang Kai-shek) and the
Communists led by a man named Mao Zedong.
The Communists won in 1949 and established the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
The Nationalists retreated to the island of Taiwan.
Mao tried to rapidly industrialize the Chinese economy
This plan was called the Great Leap Forward.
Mao also undertook a “Cultural Revolution” where people who he suspected of being his enemies – intellectuals,
scientists – were put to death, imprisoned, or sent to work in the countryside.
After Mao died in 1976, Deng Xiaoping came to power
He realized much of Mao’s plans had been mistakes:
Wide-spread famine and environmental disasters
China began to modernize its economy and he moved the country towards a market economy.
China has attracted much foreign investment in manufacturing and textiles.
While China has opened its economy, politically it is still very closed.
In 1989 students protested for democracy in Tiananmen Square
The government sent in troops and tanks to crush the protestors – and hundreds were killed.
CULTURE
China’s population is nearly 1.3 billion
One out of every five people in the world lives in China.
The vast majority are Han Chinese
The main dialect of Chinese is Mandarin, and about 70% of people speak it.
Buddhism and Taoism are the major religions of China
Tao (DOW) means the harmony of the universe.
Hinduism
Karma
Dharma
Buddha is a Hindu God
Desire leads to suffering
Nonviolence
Meditation
Individual
Spiritual movements
Buddhism
Karma
Dharma
Equality for all
Desire leads to suffering
Nonviolence
Meditation
No one creator
Ending suffering is supreme goal in life
Monks
Organized religion
Many Chinese also follow the wisdom of Confucius
He is called “China’s first teacher” and taught a code of ethics and behavior for an honorable life.
China has 55 minority groups, and most live along the borders and in the eastern part of the country.
These groups have their own cultures and religions
For example, Tibetans follow a type of Buddhism and the Kazakhs are Muslim.
China’s government officially discourages religious practice.
They have repressed Tibetan culture and religion to prevent any movement towards independence.
CHINA TODAY
China’s Regions
Southern China is the most productive region in China
A large percentage of the population lives there.
The Chang Delta is a very important region for growing rice
Farmers there can grow two crops of rice a year, plus one vegetable crop.
This region is also home to many large cities
Such as Shanghai, a city of 20 million.
Hong Kong is also in southern China and it is one of the world’s most crowded places – with 7
million people living in about 426 square miles.
Along the southern coast are many Special Economic Zones (SEZ)
These zones are designed to attract foreign companies because goods and money can circulate
freely there.
Northern China
This is where Chinese culture first developed. It is also a very densely populated region.
Beijing, located in the north, is China’s capital and is the second largest city
The ancient city has an outer and inner city, and within the walled Inner City is the Imperial City,
from which China’s emperors ruled.
Within the Imperial City lies the Forbidden City, where the emperors lived.
Northeastern China
This region was also known as Manchuria, and has a wealth of natural resources including coal & oil
Western China
Two large autonomous regions make up this part of China.
The area is very dry and high elevation, and people are either herders or irrigation farmers.
One of these regions is called Xizang, which is the official Chinese name for Tibet.
Tibet was once an independent kingdom, ruled by a religious leader called the Dalai
Lama.
The Chinese have occupied Tibet since 1950 and the Dalai Lama fled to India, where he
resides today.
Tibetans have been upset by the numbers of Han Chinese who have moved to the
region and are afraid of losing their culture.