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”