The incredibly rich cultural heritage of China has fascinated the world for centuries. |
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It is the fourth largest country in the world in terms of land area with Beijing as its capital city. It is divided into 23 sheng or provinces, 5 autonomous zizhiqu or regions and 4 shi or municipalities. The Chinese terrain is mostly mountainous. There are vast deserts like the Gobi in the West while fertile deltas and plains lie mainly in the east. The largest river is the Yangtze Kiang.
Having the largest population in the world, China has several ethnic nationalities - the Han being the largest group followed by Zhuang , Uygur , Mongols , Manchu , Tibetans and others. The official language is Mandarin Chinese , dialects like Cantonese and Hakka are also popular in some regions. Though China is officially atheist, there are Buddhists, Taoists and a small minority of Christians and Muslims.
The Chinese flag denotes its Communist heritage. It is a vibrant red representing the revolution, with a large yellow star on the top left denoting the Communist Common Program and four smaller stars in an arc representing the workers , peasants , the bourgeoisie and the patriotic capitalists . The National Anthem is the 'Yiyonggjun Jinxingqu' or the March of the Volunteers , and was adopted in 1949 when the Communist Government came into power. The song expresses the Chinese people's desire to dedicate themselves to their country and for national liberation. The anthem is more popularly known as 'Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo Guoge' or the Song of the People's Republic of China .
Modern China has one of the fastest economic growths in the world. With its emphasis on economic and industrial growth, an era of cosmopolitan and liberal communism is coming in. However, the state mechanism still retains tight control over the flow of information, fundamental rights and the movement of people.
Located in Eastern Asia, between North Korea and Vietnam, China is bound by the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea.
Physical Map of China
China has a varied terrain and comprises of vast deserts, towering mountains, high plateaus, and broad plains. In fact, the land is shaped in the form of three steps- first step being the high mountains, plateaus, and great basins in the west which gradually descends to a central band of lower mountains, hills, and plateaus. The second step then further descends onto the last step made up of lowlands, plains, and foothills near the eastern coast. The northwest and north central parts of China has deserts and steppes. The major rivers of China, which includes the three longest ones-the Yangtze, Huang He, and Xi Jiang-flow generally west to east and drain into the Pacific Ocean.
The flag of China is red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner.
Flora And Fauna of China
Owing to wide ranges of climate and topography, China has been bestowed with rich plant species. The tropical dense rain forests in South China consist of broadleaf evergreens, some more than 50 m (160 ft) tall, intermixed with palms. Plants like oak, ginkgo, bamboo, pine, azalea, camellia, laurel, and magnolia are found in subtropical East Central China. These forests usually have dense undergrowth of smaller shrubs and bamboos. The higher elevations are mainly determined by conifers and mountain grasses.
Small carnivores are numerous throughout the country. These include foxes, wolves, raccoon dogs, and civets. The country is also home to several species of large carnivores, including bears, tigers, and leopards, but they are few in numbers and confined to remote areas. Leopards are found in Northeast China, snow leopards in Tibet, and clouded leopards in the extreme south. The many species of birds include pheasants, peacocks, parrots, herons, and cranes. Besides this, some species that have become extinct elsewhere still survive in China. Among them are great paddlefishes of the Yangtze River, species of alligator and salamander, giant pandas (found only in southwestern China), and Chinese water deer (found only in China and Korea).
Climate of China
The climate of China is extremely diverse in nature. While the south experiences tropical type of climate, the south is subjected to sub-arctic type of climate.
People of China
Around 92 percent of the population in China is made up of ethnic Han Chinese. They are basically the descendants of people who had settled in the plains and plateaus of northern and central China more than 5,000 years ago, and the people in southern China who were absorbed by the northerners more than 2,000 years ago and who had gradually adopted a shared culture with them. The remaining 8 percent consists of minority nationalities, such as Tibetans and Mongols. Most of the minority nationalities are concentrated in the sparsely settled areas of western and southwestern China.
China takes great pride in their cultural and artistic endeavours, which can be traced back to more than 3,000 years. They consider their unbroken tradition of art as one of the central achievements of Chinese culture, and art of various kinds has always been held in high regard. The main source of achievement has been the country's written language, which has been the tool that has generated these achievements in cultural and artistic spheres. In earliest times, the most important art forms were jade carving and the casting of bronze vessels, often made for burial in royal tombs. The earliest Chinese musical instruments also included bronze bells dating from the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties. Music always played a central role in China and the ability to play and appreciate music was a central aspect of high social status.
Economy of China
China is considered a significant economic power and the economic sector has seen considerable growth in the past few decades. In the 1950s, a majority of economic activity was brought under state control, which then determined production, pricing, and distribution of goods and services. Then in 1979, China began implementing economic reforms to expand and modernize its . These reforms, however, lessened the government's control of the economy, allowing some aspects of a market economy and encouraging foreign investment. Nevertheless, the state-owned sector still remains the backbone of China's economy.
These reforms resulted in the economy growing by 10.2 percent in the 1980s and by 10 percent annually in the period of 1990-2001. This was among the highest growth rates in the world.
In 2001, China's gross domestic product (GDP) was $1,159 billion. Industrial activity (manufacturing, mining, and construction) contributes the largest percentage of the country's GDP, amounting to 51 percent in 2001. Transportation, commerce, and services together accounted for 34 percent. And agriculture, together with forestry and fishing, contributed 15 percent.
