Asia, China

Country (long form)           People's Republic of China

Capital                                 Beijing

 

Total Area                          9,596,960.00 sq km (slightly smaller than the US)

 

Population Estimated          1,273,111,290 (July 2001 est.)

 

Population in 2050               1,470,468,924

 

Languages   Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages

 

Literacy                                  81.5% total, 89.9% male, 72.7% female (1995 est.)

Religions       Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 2%-3%, Christian 1%(est. note: officially atheist

Life Expectancy                    69.81 male, 73.59 female (2001 est.)

Government Type                 Communist state

Currency                               1 yuan = 10 jiao

GDP (per capita)                  $3,600 (2000 est.)

Largest Cities: (by population) Shanghai, Zhumadian, Beijing, Nanchong, Tai'an, Yueyang, Kaifeng, Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu

 

National Day: October 1

Industry: iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum,   cement, chemical, fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles, consumer electronics, telecommunications

Agriculture   rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish

Arable Land                    10%

Natural Resources     coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin,tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)

 

The People's Republic of China is the world's fourth largest country (by total area), and one of only five remaining Communist states in the world.

  As with the ancient Roman and Egyptian empires prior, China led most of the world in the arts and sciences for hundreds of years.

 
Pre-history begins with civilizations that originated in numerous regions along the Yellow River and Yangtze River valleys over a million years ago.

  By 2100 BC the Xia Dynasty had formed, becoming China's first dynasty - according to ancient historical records. Little is known about the Xias apart from their eventual downfall in 1600 BC, as a consequence of the Battle of Mingtiao.

Following the Xias, the Shang Dynasty rose to power, and were ultimately overrun by the Zhou Dynasty in 1066 BC.

Emerging from the Yellow River valley, the Zhous were the longest-lasting

dynasty in China, and established their ruling under a semi-feudal system.

The use of iron and the evolution of written script into its modern

form were both introduced during the Zhou Dynasty.

Significant and influential intellectual movements

emerged during

this time as well, including Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism and Mohism,

 and the Hundred Schools of Thought of Chinese philosophy flourished.

                          
Around the second millennium BC, the Zhou Dynasty began to decline as

a result of the collapse of the central power, and completely dissolved

                                                              by 256 BC.

 

Imperial China surfaced with the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC, and the construction of the Great Wall of China began - which was later enhanced by the Ming Dynasty. With the Qins, the concept of a more centralized government and a currency system were developed.

 

After the Qins, smaller dynasties quickly rose to power and collapsed only decades later for the next several centuries. At the emergence of the Song, Liao and Jin dynasties 960 through 1234 AD China saw an age of economic prosperity.

However, following a particularly bloody war, in which roughly half of the Chinese inhabitants lost their lives, mongol leader Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan) established the Yuan Dynasty in 1271.

                                              
The Yuan Dynasty became the first to govern the entirety of China with Beijing as the capital, and science, religion and the Silk Road trade network were heavily promoted under the ruling of Kublai.

 

Less than a hundred years after its rise to power, the Yuan dynasty was overthrown by the Ming Dynasty.

 
Under their guidance, China experienced yet another golden age as urbanization increased to accommodate the growing population, and foreign trade grew considerably.

In 1556, during the Jiajing Emperor's reign of the Ming Dynasty, one of the world's deadliest earthquakes of all time occurred in Shaanxi, destroying 520 miles (840 km) of land and towns within 97 counties, and killing 60% of the population.

China's last dynasty was the Qing Dynasty, founded by Manchus, who allied with the Ming's after Beijing was seized by the short-lived Shun Dynasty during the 17th century.

At its peak, the Qing Dynasty controlled over one-third of the world's population, and had

the largest economy in the world; arguably it was one of the largest empires that ever existed in history.

 
Unfortunately, throughout the 19th century, China experienced debilitating civil unrest, significant food shortages, military defeats, and foreign occupation that spilled over into the 20th century.

 
The Republic of China was established on January 1, 1912, subsequently terminating the Qing Dynasty, and a few years later, with help from Soviet Russia, the republic entered into an alliance with the newly formed Communist Party of China.

With the end of World War II, the upstart Communists under the leadership of MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life, and cost the lives of tens of millions of people.
After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision-making.

Those efforts were successful as GDP output quadrupled by the year 2000. Today, political controls still remain tight, but more and more economic controls continue to be relaxed. China's economy is booming and its influence is growing worldwide.

As of 2012, China is the second largest economy in the world, after the United States, and is the largest exporter (2nd largest importer) of goods worldwide.

Tourism, always popular in China, is a growth industry, as the country presents (quite possibly) the most fascinating destination on the planet.

 
From the Forbidden City (China's imperial palace during the Ming Dynasty) in Beijing, to the Great Wall spanning east to west along the country's historical northern borders, and moving on towards the southwestern corner of the country where the highest mountain ranges in the world are located, China is loaded with a generous amount of tourist hotspots to explore.

Animals:

Chinese dragon

Giant Panda

Birds:

Red-crowned Crane

Golden Pheasant

  

       Coat of Arms:

 

·       Coat of Arms: China's national emblem is composed of the entrance gate to the Forbidden City in Beijing, with five stars above it representing the Communist Party of China and the four social classes.

Sheaves of wheat and rice form the edges (symbolizing the agricultural revolution), and a cog wheel (representing industrial workers) makes up the base.

·       Flag of China

The flag of China was officially adopted on October 1, 1949.

The red of the Chinese flag symbolizes the communist revolution, and it's also the traditional color of the people. The large gold star represents communism, while the four smaller stars represent the social classes of the people. In addition, the five stars together reflect the importance placed on the number five in Chinese thought and history.

·       Fruit: Kiwi

·       Tree: Ginkgo

The Chinese love to play games, especially the men. This group is enjoying a game of Xiangqi Chess. It is one of the most popular board games in the country, and besides China, it is also a popular pastime in Vietnam.

·       Coastline: 9,009 miles (14,500 km)

·       Land Area:
(land) 3,600,945 sq miles (9,326,410 sq km)
(water) 104,460 sq miles (270,550 sq km)
(TOTAL) 3,705,405 sq miles (9,596,960 sq km)

·       Land Area: (all countries)

·       Land Divisions: 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and 4 municipalities in China:

Provinces include Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Zhejiang. Note that China views the island of Taiwan as its 23rd province.

Autonomous regions include: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet).

Municipalities include: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and Tianjin.

Special regions: Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions of China.

·       Horizontal Width: 2,193.42 miles (3,529.96 km) from Kashi east to Tianjin

·       Vertical Length: 1,262.54 miles (2,031.87 km) from Macau north to Baotou

·       Bordering Countries: (14) Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Vietnam

·       Geographic Center: About 228.37 miles (367.52 km) southwest of Lanzhou

·       Highest Point: Mt. Everest 29,025 ft. (8.850 m)

·       Lowest Point: Turpan Pendi -505 ft. (-154 m)

 

 In the vast western reaches of China - mountains, high plateaus and deserts dominate the landscape, while in the central and east areas, the land slopes into broad plains and deltas.

  

Mountains

The Himalayas, the world's most elevated mountain range, form its southwestern borders with India, Nepal and Bhutan, and contain the highest peaks in the world. All the mountains in China are young, that means that have prominent peaks and they are very tall

Located within the Himalayas is China's highest point, the famed Mt. Everest, which is also the tallest mountain in the world, and whose summit reaches 29,025 ft. (8.850 m).

Numerous rivers arise in the Himalayas, including the Indus and Brahmaputra rivers.

In the far northeast, high mountains ring China's border with the Russian Federation.



Everest

Desert
The Gobi Desert runs west to east along the border with Mongolia. Here the topography varies from sand desert, into the low mountain foothills and plateaus that stretch into Mongolia.

Prolonged drought in the area result in debilitating dust storms, and have caused China to lose a million acres a year to desertification.

China's lowest point, and the third lowest point on the Earth's surface, is the arid Turpan Depression located in the far western part of the country.

Rivers

 

From the higher elevations in the west literally thousands of rivers drain the country; the most significant include the Yangtze (third longest river on the planet), and the Heilong (Amur), Mekong, Pearl and Yellow. They are very long, irregular because there is a dry season in every part in China and they carry a lot of water because rain a lot and they have a big drainage basin



COLD DESERT CLIMATE

It is in the desert of Gobi, one of the biggest deserts in the world. It is between China and Mongolia and it has an extreme desertic climate where the temperatures can change from 40ºC to -45ºC

Temperatures

There is a big difference between night and day like 40 or 50 degrees normally. In the cold deserts winters are about 60ºC colder than summers. There are cold winters (-30ºC) and hot summers (40ºC).

Precipitations

They are very scarce but slightly more in summer. Less than 250mm per year.

Landscape

Rivers

they are very rare, they are called wadis (is the course of the river, but withot water almost all the year) And in winter the rivers form slowmoving glaciers

lifeforms

Plantlife

Very scarce, only some cactus or small plants like grass or bushes. The plants have usually spikes to protect from animals, because they have inside a lot of water. Here, exist the oasis where there are enough water to some plants. The trees are very pointed becuase in winter snows.

In the nearest part of the centre, no plants live.

Animallife

there isn´t so much, they are very small, with big ears to lose heat, and the endotermic animals are more rare than other zones. There are animals like fox, jerbo, royal eagle and snow leopard. Some of this animals hibernate during the winter.

CONTINENTAL CLIMATE

Temperature

 The temperatures are high in summer and cold in winter. The mean annual temperature is between 0 and 10ºC. This is because it is so far to the coast and it is in the template zone. There is like 40 or 30ºC between temperatures in summer and in winter. In summer is rounds 40ºC and in winter 10ºC below zero or more. The deeper you go, the more variation of temperature you have.

Precipitations

They are scarce, and the deeper you go, the scarcer they are, but slightly more in summer, because low pressures moves from the south to the north.

 Landscape

Rivers

They are very long because the distance from the sea, they are irregular because in summer rains more and in spring occurs the thaw and they carry a lot of water.

 Lifeforms

Plantlife

There are three different types of continental climate, so there are three different types of landscapes, they are:

In the humid continental: Is the taiga, where are small trees, very separated each other and they are conic. They have perennial leaves.

In the continental climate: Is the stept, where only grow green grass because as it is more far away from the sea, rains less.

In the dry continental: As it is the beginning of a desert there are few grass and small bushes and cactus.

Animallife:

In the taiga: There are hectotermic animals for the cold like bears. They can live here because there is space but not a lot.

In the stept: As here there is only grass, the herbivores live in herds and the carnivores live in prides. There are mammals like wolves,

In the dry continental: Similar animals than in the continental.

DRY SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE

Also called Mediterranenan Climate.

Temperature

Mild winters (10ºC to 0ºC) and hot summers (35 to 40ºC). The mean annual temperature varies between 10 and 20ºC.

Precipitation

Falls in winter, autumm and spring and summers are specially dry. It varies between 300mm and 1000mm annually.

Landscape

Rivers

They carry little water and they are irregular

Lifeforms

Plantlife

Mediterranean forest: The trees are small, very width and with rounded peaks. They have perennial leaves and there are a lot of bushes. There are plants like holm oaks, cork oaks, rosemary, lavender and pine trees.

Animallife

Medium size animals. A lot of mammals and birds and some endotermic animals which hibernate in winter. There are animals like: wolves, foxes, vultures, rabbits and highland cats.



HUMID SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE

Also called chinese climate.

Temperature

 Characterized by hot, wet summers and generally mild winters. The coldest month's mean temperature is between 0 and 5 degrees and the mean annual temperature is rounded 15 and 20 degrees centigrade. The variation between the day and night is near the 10ºC.

Precipitation

The mean annual is between 800 and 2000mm and in winter. It is affected by huracans from spring to autumn, and winters are vey dry. Rains specially in summer.

Landscape

Rivers

 They carry a lot of water, but they are irregular because exist a dry season.

Lifeforms

Plantlife

Warm climates species like laurels, bamboo and palm trees. As it doesn´t rain they haven´t got conic peaks.

Animallife

Above everything hectotermic animals like pandas and mandarin ducks.



 

HUMID TROPICAL CLIMATE 

Temperature

The mean annual temperature is over 20ºC, but usually it is warmer like 26ºC. The temperature in winter is high (23ºC) and in summer too (more than 25 or 26ºC)

Precipitation

Is abundant throughout the year except in winter which is the only dry season. The mean annual is less than 1500mm.

Landscape

Rivers

They are irregular and carry a lot of water

Lifeforms

Plantlife

There are a lot of plants, without space between each other and they are very tall, but there are less tahn in the Ecuatorial Climate.

Animallife

There are a lot of animals that live on the trees, but there is enough space to medium size animals like small elephants. There are a lot of endotermic animals.

HIGH MOUNTAIN CLIMATE

Temperature

0,6ºC less per 100m you go up.

Precipitation

Rain a lot but less when you go upper.

Landscape

Rivers

Here, the rivers born

Lifeforms

Depend of the altitude.

The great Wall

Chinese Carnival 2013

ECONOMY AND POLITICS

China is the second worldwide power, only lead by USA, beside is the biggest exporter and the second which import more. It is the country with the best percentage of annual growth with an improving of more than the 10% of his PIB, and some specialist think that it could overpass USA in 2016. In addition it sustains the biggest army in the world and it the second nation which spend more money in this. It also has nuclear weapons.

The country is leaded by a communist single-party and the headquarter is in Pekin. The country is divided in 22 provinces, 5 autonomic regions, 4 municipality controlled by the central jurisdiction: Pekin, Tianjín, Shanghái y Chongqing and 2 special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macao.

It is a communist state which limits the free access to internet, free journalism and meeting, the right of have children, the free formation of social organizations and the diversity of religions, although it is written on the constitution, the government take reprisals to do.

But their market economy is socialist or as they call it socialist with Chinese characteristics. This economy is basically that the government owns basic industries and few more that regulated as the telecommunications but they compete with each other to offer the lower prices, and the government doesn’t prioritize Chinese companies over the private ones. So it is a capitalist economy.

It is organised by the central administration whose leaders are chosen in the national popular assembly whose participants are selected by the people and the local system administration which governs at local level.

China has a dispute for control Taiwan and another islands of the Chinese sea, but those are governed by the republic of China. It also has problems with the frontier of Butan because the frontier isn’t defined.

It takes part of ONU and it was the last leader of the NAM, organization that supports the undeveloped countries that are becoming developed.

The ten most important Chinese companies are:

Position in China	Position in the world	Company
1	7	Sinopec
2	8	State Grid
3	10	China National Petroleum
4	77	China Mobile Comunications
5	87	Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
6	116	China Construction Bank
7	118	China life insurance
8	133	China Railway Construction
9	137	China Railway Group
10	141	Agricultural Bank of China

 

Primary sector

It has importance in the Chinese economy, but not as before. The agriculture is the most important part of the primary sector representing almost the 50% of it, followed by the ranching which has approximately the

33%. Another important sector is the mining because China has reserves of titanium, molybdenum and tungsten. It is the worldwide leader in production of coal.

 

Agriculture

Only 15% of China can be cultivable and this zones are in the East of the country. China is the worldwide producer of rice and one of the most producers of wheat, corn, potatoes, sorghum, soya bean, peanuts, tea, cotton and tobacco.

These days the market oriented production is increasing, because in the last 30 years farmers where the ones who cultivate for themselves.

Farmers are continue using the same method as long time ago that consist on cultivate rice on a flooded area and plant the rice very close one plant and another and when they grow up, change them to another place to take advantage of the space. The problems of this is that they need a lot of work per square metre and the insects can destroy it easily but it make enough food for families.

The market oriented production uses machines and more technological methods to improve the quality of the product and also to cultivate massive among of plants with few people.

Ranching

In China the space dedicating to ranching is about 300 millions of hectares, which are in the western part of the country.  There are more than 400 domestic species of animals, and the most important are pigs, bovine, sheep, ducks, horses and hens or another birds.

China is the country that produces more of ranching.

Aquatic production

Aquatic products that are Chinese were usually caught in the rivers or lake but now China has focus in the aquaculture and it increase more than the 8,4% since last year

internet access in China (In spanish)



Chicken Chow Mein

 

 

TOTAL TIME: 30 min 

YIELD: 2 servings

LEVEL: Easy

Ingredients

• 5 ounces dried yellow Shi wheat flour noodles or medium egg noodles
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus more as needed
• 11 ounces skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
• Dash dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon chile sauce, optional
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons groundnut oil (peanut)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely sliced
• 5 ounces bean sprouts
• 1 large spring onion (green), sliced lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper, finely ground

Directions

Cook the noodles for 3 minutes in a pan of boiling water until al dente, or as per the package instructions. Drain, then run them under cold running water, and drain again. Drizzle with a few splashes of sesame oil, and toss through to prevent them from sticking.
Season the chicken with a splash of dark soy sauce, the five-spice powder, and chile sauce, if using. Mix well. Coat the chicken breasts lightly with the cornstarch.
Heat a wok over a high heat, add the groundnut or peanut oil, and heat until smoking. Then, add the chicken, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked through.
Add the red bell pepper, and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the bean sprouts and green onion and stir-fry for less than 1 minute. Add the cooked noodles, and season with the light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and black pepper, to taste. Stir well and serve immediately.
Cook the noodles for 3 minutes in a pan of boiling water until al dente, or as per the package instructions. Drain, then run them under cold running water, and drain again. Drizzle with a few splashes of sesame oil, and toss through to prevent them from sticking.
Season the chicken with a splash of dark soy sauce, the five-spice powder, and chile sauce, if using. Mix well. Coat the chicken breasts lightly with the cornstarch.
Heat a wok over a high heat, add the groundnut or peanut oil, and heat until smoking. Then, add the chicken, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked through.
Add the red bell pepper, and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the bean sprouts and green onion and stir-fry for less than 1 minute. Add the cooked noodles, and season with the light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and black pepper, to taste. Stir well and serve immediately.