Transcript Document 7110656

A to Z
of CHINA
An alphabet journey through
China in words and pictures
Kate Russell
www.sln.org.uk/geography
Where is China?
Maps
A to Z of China contents
B is for Beijing
C is for
A is for Art and
Craft
Cars
D is for Dams and E is for Empire
Dragons
and Emperors
F is for Forbidden G is for Great
City and farming
Wall and Gorges
H is for Hutongs
I is for Industry
J is for Jade
K is for Kung Fu
L is for Language
M is for Markets
N
O is for 2008
P
is for PRC,
population, pagodas
and pandas
Q
R is for rice and
T is for Tai Chi
is for Wuhan
U is for Umbrellas V is for vegetables W
and water melon
X
Y is for Yangtze
and Lotus
and tea
is for X’ian
and Maglev
is for Qing
dynasty
river
is for Nanjing
and New Year
recycling
Z
is for Zai jian
Olympic Games
S is for Shanghai
and silk
Acknowledgments
Where is China?
China is the third largest country in the world (can you name
the first and second?) This map is from World Atlas and shows
where China is in Asia and in the world. Other maps and aerial
photos can be seen on Google Maps, Maps of China and China
Page
A is for Art and Craft
The Chinese are very artistic
and creative people. As well as
some beautiful paintings, the
many traditional crafts include
calligraphy, pottery, silk
embroidery, lacquer ware and
jewellery making. Art and
crafts are sold in the many
markets. The plate shown
here is very large and the four
pictures are ink and pen
drawings showing the Four
Seasons.
B is for Beijing
B is also for bamboo
and bicycles which are
both used a lot in
China!
Beijing is the capital
city of China. It is a
large and very busy
city with lots of people
(about 12 million), cars
and bicycles. In 2008
Beijing will host the
Olympic games. This is
inside The Forbidden
City. Beijing used to be
known as Peking.
C is for cars
There are lots of cars and other
traffic in China. Many of the
roads are very congested. Cars
are now made in China, such as
the Rover.
C is also for chopsticks which
the Chinese use to eat most of
their meals with, and for chillies
which are used a lot in their
cooking.
C is also for the large Chinese
cities such as Chengdu and
Chongqing.
D is for dam and dragons!
The Three Gorges Dam is a
huge dam being built on the
River Yangtze at Sandouping.
When finished it will be the
world’s largest dam. It will
reduce flooding, provide water
for the large cities, generate
electricity (HEP), and make
navigation easier for ships on
the river. The Chinese are very
superstitious and the dragon is
thought to be a friendly creature
which protects people. Many buildings
are decorated with dragons.
E is for empire and emperors
China was an empire ruled by
Emperors for about 4000 years.
The emperors were members of
Dynasties, like families, such as
the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644).
The emperors lived in the
Forbidden City in Beijing, shown in
the top photo. The last emperor
of China was Puyi (Qing Dynasty),
who was forced to resign in 1912
when modern China was formed.
The bottom photo shows the Dragon’s
throne, which the emperor reigned from.
F is for Forbidden City,
farming and factories
The Forbidden City in Beijing is
also known as the Imperial
Palace. This is where the
Emperors lived. There are 8700
rooms there. Ordinary people
were not allowed to go there!
There are many farms and
farmers in China, growing fruit,
rice, vegetables and raising
animals. Many farms are on steep
terraced hillsides.
Many things are made in factories
in China. Can you find something at
home which was made in China?
G is for Great Wall and
Three Gorges
The Great Wall of China is over
4000 miles (6700km) long, crosses
from east to west of China. It is
2500 years old in places and was built
to protect the northern borders of
the Chinese dynasties. This part of
the wall is at Mutianyu.
The Three Gorges is an area of
spectacular scenery on the Yangtze
river; the river flows in a series of
three deep valleys, called Qutang, Wu
and Xiling. When the Three Gorges
Dam is complete, the water level will
be much higher in the valleys.
H is for hutongs
The hutongs are a series of
small, narrow streets full of
houses, shops, small
businesses and some open
spaces. These are the
traditional living and working
places of many people in
Beijing; because the houses
are small people spend a lot
of their time working and
playing out of doors. There
are not many hutong left now
and most people live in flats.
I is for Industry
“Made in China” is increasingly
found on labels of many things
we use around the home – have
a look tonight! China has
become a very important
country for making things.
There are factories all round
China; this is just a small
electroplating one. Goods are
sent all round the world, often
in huge containers on ships
such as these (seen through
quite heavy rain!)
J is for Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone,
often green in colour. As a rock
jade is found in many parts of
China and is traditionally used
for making decorative objects,
jewellery. These pictures show
the Jade Dragon Snow
Mountain, near Lijiang, is a very
popular tourist destination,
It is one of the most southerly
glaciers in the northern
hemisphere and has 13 peaks.
K is for Kung Fu
Kung Fu is a type of Chinese
martial art. Ancient Chinese martial
arts were all about self defence,
hunting and military training. They
have also had a big impact on films,
poetry and books.
L is for language and lotus
Most Chinese people speak
Mandarin Chinese, although there
are many dialects. In Hong Kong
and Guangzhou Cantonese is
spoken. Mandarin a language of
symbols and images. Pinyin is a
westernised written form of
Mandarin.
The lotus plant is found in many
parts of China growing in water;
most parts of the lotus can be
eaten and are served in many
Chinese meals. It is a sacred plant
of Budhists
M is for markets and Maglev
The Chinese people seem to
love markets for their
shopping! These are found in
streets in most cities, towns
and even villages. Stalls sell
food, sometimes live animals,
clothes, household goods, and
nearly everything else you can
think of!
Maglev is a high speed train
(Magnetic Levitation) in
Shanghai, which connects the
centre with the airport.
Trains travel at 430 km am
hour.
N is for Nanjing and New Year
Nanjing is a large and ancient city
on the Yangtze river. The top photo
shows the ancient city walls and the
bottom shows Mingfa New River
City, a new development by the
river.
Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)
is celebrated in January or
February; in 2008 it was February
7th; 2008 is the Year of the Rat.
2009 will be Year of the Ox.
Ni hao is “hello” in Pinyin
O is for 2008 Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are held
every 4 years and in 2008
they will take place in Beijing
from 8th – 24th August. This
will be the 29th modern games.
The top photo shows the clock
to countdown to the start if
the games and the lower
photos shows building work on
the site for the Olympic
village where athletes will
stay.
P is for PRC, population,
people, pagodas and pandas
P is for Pagoda, a tired
tower which are usually
religious buildings.
P is also for Panda, a
symbol of China.
The correct name for China is
People’s Republic of China
(PRC). The population of China is
1.3 billion, which means 1,300,
000,000 people live there. This
is about one fifth of the total
population of the whole world.
Q is for Qing dynasty
The Qing Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of
China from 1644 to 1912.
Qing is also “please” in Pinyin
R is for rice and also recycling
Rice is the staple food for most
Chinese people. It is often
served at the end of the meal to
fill you up! These sacks are
outside a shop and contain
different kinds of rice. Dan
chao fan is fried rice and Bai
fan is plain rice.
In China, just like at home, people
are encouraged to recycle as much
as possible, to avoid waste and to
protect the environment. These
bins, in a park, are for organic and
inorganic litter. What would you put
in each one?
S is for Shanghai and silk
Shanghai is the largest city in
China with 18 million people. It is
on the banks of the delta of the
river Yangtze. Much of the city
is very modern. This view across
the river is towards the new
Pudong area.
Silk is used a lot in China; it is
made from the cocoons of the
mulberry silkworm. Many clothes
and accessories are made from
silk. The picture shows silk being
spun and woven.
T is for Tai Chi and tea
Tai Chi is a form of Chinese martial art which is
generally practised alone; it is also a form of
relaxation which many Chinese do before work or at
lunchtime, often in parks.
The Chinese drink a lot
of tea! It is often
served in small, pretty
china cups; it is never
served with milk!
U is for umbrellas
Everyone in China
seems to carry an
umbrella! They are
very useful in case of
a sudden downpour or
to keep the strong
sunshine off you.
They come in all
shapes, colours and
sizes and are often
made of silk.
V is for vegetables
Vegetables are used a lot in
Chinese cooking; some are ones
which are familiar with –
carrots, cabbage, onions and
mushrooms. There are others
which may be new to you water chestnuts, bamboo
shoots, bean sprouts,
sweetcorn, lotus root and
eggplant. The markets are full
of fresh food and meals are
often eaten around a large
round table with the food in
the centre.
W is for Wuhan and water
melon
Wuhan is a city on the Yangtze
with its confluence the Han
River; it has flooded often in
the past, but the Chinese are
hoping that the new dam will
stop this happening. The river
is very wide here and is used a
lot by boats and people
swimming (not to be
recommended – the water was
dirty and fast flowing!
Meals in China always end with
Water melon!
X is for X’ian and Xie xie
X’ian is the capital of Shaanxi Province where there is an
underground Army of Terracotta Warriors of the first Chinese
emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi. In 1974, peasants digging a well
uncovered these life-size horse and warrior figures. There were
approximately 7,000 figures from the tomb have been restored
by archaeologists and are exhibited in a hall built above the
excavation site
Xie xie is “thank you” in Pinyin
Y is for Yangtze river and yuan
The Yangtze, also known as
Chang Jiang, is a huge river,
about 6300 km long. It is the
longest river in Asia and the
third longest in the world (can
you find out which are the
longest rivers?) It flows
through spectacular scenery
and is well used for many
purposes.
The yuan is the Chinese unit
of currency. Notes and coins
come in different amounts.
Z is for Zai jian
Zai jian is
Goodbye in
Pinyin
Acknowledgements
This presentation is based mainly on photos taken and
information gathered in July – August 2007 while
taking part in the GA international committee’s study
tour to China, The Yangtze Odyssey. Thanks in
particular to Sarah Maude and Adam Nicholls who led
the group and to Janice Dickson of Ian Dickson Travel
Service who made the travel arrangements. Further
photos can be seen on
www.geography.org.uk/events/studytours/china2007/
Photos and text by Kate Russell; photos of Jade
Dragon Snow Mountain and Terracotta Warriors
Sarah Maude.