Origin of Festivals
- Has a very long histroy.
- When people had a bountiful harvest,they gathered and celebrated their good fortune with gala performannces. When disasters struck, they offered sacrifices to the gods and their ancestors,hoping for a blessing.
- The change of the seasons, flowers in spring,and the bright moon in autumn could all arouse their longing for a more beautiful life.
- Thus, creative activities were held to signify these events, Gradually these activities developed into festivals .
Spring Festivals
- Evolved from an activity known as the Winter Sacrifice.
- As the cold winter began to recede and the warm spring was about to begin,the people of an entire clan gathered together.
- They brought out their bounty from hunting,fishing and the field.They thanked the gods for the blessings of nature, including the mountains, rivers, the sun,moon and stars,They thanked their ancestors,Then they shared and enjoyed the sumptuous bounty of the land, sea, air and fields as they ate, danced and sang heartily.
- Based on the lunar calendar,the Spring Festival marks the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
- In Chinese, we also say Guo Nian, meaning keeping off the monster of Nian.
- The popular legend about the origin of Nian
- Nian was afraid of three things:the red color,a bright flame,and a loud noise.
- Painted their door red,burned a fire in front of their door-ways,stayed up all night beating on things to make a loud noise.
- This is how the Chinese people began to set off firecrackers for the Spring Festival.
Food of Spring Festival
- Dumplings:reunion
- Noodles:longevity
- New year cakes and Tongyuan
a New Year visit
Recreational activities
- Dragon Dance and Lion Dance
- Walking on stilts
Nowadays something have been changed
- Using telephone to convey greetings
- Travelling during the new year holidays
- Firecrackers are banned in some big cities
-It seems that all our traditions are facing new challenges. Maybe when the children of the next generation grow up, they can only learn about Chinese traditions from books.
Yuanxiao Festival
On the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month people began preparing for the Spring Festival about 20 days befor. However, after the Yuanxiao Festival, everything returns to normal.
Yuan means first,while xiao means night. Yuanxiao is the first time when we see the full moon in the new year. It is traditionally a time for family reunion. The most prominent activity of the Yuanxiao Festival is the displaying of all types of beautiful lanterns. So the occasion is also called the Lantern Festival.
Origin of the Lantern Festival (religious worship)
Taiyi, the God of Heaven in ancient times. God of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict drought,storms, pestilence upon human beings.Beginning with Qinshihuang, the first emperor to unite the country, all subsequent emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people. Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC,he proclaimed it one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night.
Another legend associates the Lantern Festival with Taoism. Tianguan is the Taoist god responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is said that Tianguan likes all types of entertainment. So followers prepare various kinds of activities during which they pray for good fortune.
Another important part of the Lantern Festival,or Yuanxiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. We call these balls Yuanxiao.
Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself.
Qingming Festivals
- Qingming,meaning clear and bright, is the day for mourning the dead .
- It falls in early April every year.
- It corresponds with the onset of warmer weather, the start of spring plowing, and of family outings.
•The Qingming (Pure Brightness) Festival is one of the 24 seasonal division points in China, falling on April 4-6 each year. After the festival, the temperature will rise up and rainfall increases. It is the high time for spring plowing and sowing. But the Qingming Festival is not only a seasonal point to guide farm work, it is more a festival of commemoration.
•Qingming is not just a day of remembrance, it is also a day to celebrate the coming of spring, often by going out for a picnic. With the coming of spring, nature wakes up, dressing the world in green. All is new, clean and fresh.
•Qing ming has also been a favorite subject for painting
Springtime, especially in North China, is the windy season, just right for flying kites. It is not surprising that kite flying is very popular during the Qingming season.
The biggest kite could be a hundred meters long, made of A hundred sections to form a dragon or even a centipede. The annual Weifang Kite Festival held every April in East China's Shandong Province has become a major event, attracting thousands of tourists and kite flying competitors all over the world.
•The Qingming Festival sees a combination of sadness and happiness.
•This is the most important day of sacrifice. Both the Han and minority ethnic groups at this time offer sacrifices to their ancestors and sweep the tombs of the diseased. Also, they will not cook on this day and only cold food is served.
•On each Qingming Festival, all cemeteries are crowded with people who came to sweep tombs and offer sacrifices. Traffic on the way to the cemeteries becomes extremely jammed. The customs have been greatly simplified today. After slightly sweeping the tombs, people offer food, flowers and favorites of the dead, then burn incense and paper money and bow before the memorial tablet.
•In contrast to the sadness of the tomb sweepers, people also enjoy hope of Spring on this day. The Qingming Festival is a time when the sun shines brightly, the trees and grass become green and nature is again lively.
•Since ancient times, people have followed the custom of Spring outings. At this time tourists are everywhere.
•The Qingming Festival is also a time to plant trees, for the survival rate of saplings is high and trees grow fast later. In the past, the Qingming Festival was called "Arbor Day". But since 1979, "Arbor Day" was settled as March 12 according to the Gregorian calendar.
Duanwu Festivals
- The Duanwu Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
- For thousands of years, Duanwu has been marked by eating Zongzi and racing dragon boats.
•The taste of Zongzi, a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves to give it a special flavor, varies greatly across China.
•Zongzi is often made of rice mixed with dates in Northern China, because dates are abundant in the area. Eastern China’s Jiaxing County is famous for its pork-stuffed Zongzi. In the southern province of Guangdong, people stuff Zongzi with pork, ham, chestnuts and other ingredients, making them very rich in flavor. In Sichuan province, Zongzi is usually served with a sugar dressing.
•Most people still maintain the tradition of eating Zongzi on the day of the Duanwu Festival. But the special delicacy has become so popular that you can now buy it all the year round.
- Dragon boat racing is quite a spectacle, with drums beating, colorful flags waving, and thousands of people cheering on both sides of the river.
- Nowadays, it has become a popular sporting activity in Southern China. International dragon boat races are held in Guangzhou and Hong Kong every year.
Double-Seventh Day
- The Double-Seventh Day refers to the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar.
- The day is not as well-known as many other Chinese festivals. But almost everyone in China, young and old, is very familiar with the story behind this festival.
•A long long time ago, there was a poor cowherd, Niulang. He fell in love with Zhinu, “the Girl Weaver". Virtuous and kind, she was the most beautiful being in the whole universe. Unfortunately, the King and Queen of Heaven were furious finding out that their granddaughter had gone to the world of Man and taken a husband. Thus, the couple was separated by a wide swollen river in the sky and can only meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
•This sad love story has passed down from generation to generation. It is well known that very few magpies are seen on the Double－Seventh Day. This is because most of them fly to the Milky Way, where they form a bridge so that the two lovers might come together. The next day, it is seen that many magpies are bald； this is because Niulang and Zhinu walked and stood too long on the heads of their loyal feathered friends.
- The Double-Seventh Day is not a pulic holiday in China. However, it is still a day to celebrate the annual meeting of the loving couple, the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver. Not surprisingly, many People consider the Double-seventh Day the Chinese Valentine's Day.
Mid-Autumn Festival
- Chinese ancestors believed that the seventh, eighth, and ninth lunar months belong to autumn. So the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.
- Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back more than 2,000 years. Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year. They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the evening of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon. Every year the emperor would offer a sacrifice to the moon.
- In mid-autumn, farmers have just finished gathering their crops and bringing in fruits from the orchards. They are overwhelmed with joy when they have a harvest and at the same time, they feel quite relaxed after a year of hard work.
- So the 15th Day of the eighth lunar month has gradually evolved as a widely celebrated festival for ordinary people.
- Night falls. The land is bathed in silver moonlight. Families set up tables in their courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and sharing offerings to the moon.
Legends about the moon
- A long, long time ago, ten suns in the sky
- The King of Heaven sent Hou Yi down to the earth to help.
- When Hou Yi arrived, he took out his red bow and white arrows and shot down nine suns one after another. The weather immediately turned cooler. Heavy rains filled the rivers with fresh water and the grass and trees turned green. Life had been restored and humanity was saved.
- One day, a charming young woman, Chang'e makes her way home from a stream, holding a bamboo container
- A young man comes forward, asking for a drink. When she sees the red bow and white arrows hanging from his belt, Chang'e tealizes that he is their savior, Hou Yi.
- Inviting him to drink, Chang'e and gives a beautiful flower to him as a token of respect. Hou Yi, in turn, selects a beautiful silver fox fur as his gift for her.
- This meeting kindles the spark of their love. And soon after that, they get married.
- In order to enjoy his happy life with Chang'e forever, Hou Yi decides to go to the Kunlun Mountains for elixir
- Out of respect for the good deeds the has done, the Western Queen Mother rewards Hou Yi with elixir, and tells him:If you and your wife share the elixir, you will both enjoy eternal life. But if only one of you takes it,that one will ascend to Heaven and become immortal.
- Hou Yi and his wife decide to drink the elixir together on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is full and bright.
- A wicked and merciless man killde Houyi and forced Chang'e to give him the elixir, Without hesitating, Chang'e picks up the elixir and drinks it all and ascended to the which is nearest to the earth.
Moon-cake
- People in different parts of China have different ways to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. But one traditional custom has definitely remained and is shared by all the Chinese. This is eating the mooncake.
- In the 14th century, Chinese peasants could no longer bear the cruel rule of the Mongolians. They secretly planned an uprising on the night of the Mid -Autumn Festival. The peasant leaders took advantage of the custom of sending moon-cakes as festive presents. They left messages on paper about the plan and placed the messages under the moon-cakes. So all the peasants were informed about the uprising and finally, they won the battle.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Chinese Food
The Introduction of Chinese cuisine
- China covers a large territory and has many nationalities, hence a variety of Chinese food with different but fantastic and mouthwatering flavor.
- Since China's local dishes have their own typical characteristics, generally, Chinese food can be roughly divided into eight regional cuisines, which has been widely accepted around.
- Certainly, there are many other local cuisines that are famous, such as Beijing Cuisine and Shanghai Cuisine.
1- Shandong Cuisine
- Consisting of Jinan cuisine and Jiaodong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, clear, pure and not greasy, is characterized by its emphasis on aroma, freshness, crispness and tenderness.
- Shallot and garlic are usually used as seasonings so Shangdong dishes tastes pungent usually.
- Soups are given much emphasis in Shangdong dishes. Thin soup features clear and fresh while creamy soup looks thick and tastes strong.
- Jinan cuisine is adept at deep-frying, grilling, frying and stir-frying while Jiaodong division is famous for cooking seafood with fresh and light taste.
- Shandong is the birthplace of many famous ancient scholars such as Confucious and Mencius.
- Much of Shandong cuisine's history is as old as Confucious himself, making it the oldest existing major cuisine in China.
- But don't expect to gain more wisdom from a fortune at a Shandong restaurant in the West since fortune s aren't even indigenous to China.
- Shandong is a large peninsula surrounded by the sea to the East and the Yellow River meandering through the center.
- Seafood is a major component of Shandong cuisine. Shandong's most famous dish is the Sweat and Sour Carp. A truly authentic Sweet and Sour Carp must come from the Yellow River. But with the current amount of pollution in the Yellow River, you would be better off if the carp was from elsewhere.
- Shandong dishes are mainly quick-fried, roasted, stir-fried or deep-fried. The dishes are mainly clear, fresh and fatty
- Qingdao Beer
- Major characteristics of Shandong Cuisine:
1) Prepared with a wide variety of materials. Jiaodong dishes are mainly made of aquatic products .
2) A pure, strong and mellow taste, rather than a mixed taste. Chefs are good at using onions and seasonings.
3) Shandong Cuisine is known for its excellent seafood dishes and delicious soup.
4) Chefs excel at preparing clear, smell, crisp, tender and delicious dishes by frying, stirring and steaming.
- Famous dishes: Stir Fried Prawns, Fried Sea Cucumbers with Onions, Sweet and Sour Carp, Large Jiaodong Chicken Wings, Taishan Fish with Red Scales, etc.
2- Sichuan Cuisine
- Sichuan Cuisineis one of the most famous Chinese cuisines in the world.
- Spicy and pungent flavor, Sichuan cuisine, prolific of tastes, emphasizes on the use of chili. Pepper and prickly ash also never fail to accompany, producing typical exciting tastes.
- Besides, garlic, ginger and fermented soybean are also used in the cooking process. Wild vegetables and animals are usually chosen as ingredients, while frying, frying without oil, pickling and braising are applied as basic cooking techniques.
- It cannot be said that one who does not experience Sichuan food ever reaches China.
- If you eat Sichuan cuisine and find it too bland, then you are probably not eating authentic Sichuan cuisine.
- Chili peppers and prickly ash are used in many dishes, giving it a distinctively spicy taste, called ma(slight numb sensation) in Chinese.
- Sichuan hot pots are perhaps the most famous hotpots in the world, most notably the Yuan Yang (mandarin duck) Hotpot half spicy and half clear.
The main- characteristics of Sichuan Cuisine:
1) Prepared with a wide variety of ingredients.
2) Presenting various shapes and tastes, and famous for spicy food, fish-flavored shredded pork and food with odd taste.
3) Boasting numerous cooking techniques, such as stir frying, frying, stir-frying before stewing, and braising.
Famous dishes: Stir-fried Diced Chicken with Chilli and Peanuts, Stir-fried Bean Curd in Hot Sauce, Fish-flavored Shredded Pork, Rice Crusts and Sliced Pork, Stir-fried Sliced Beef, etc.
3- Guangdong Cuisine
- Cantonese food originates from Guangdong, the southernmost province in China.
- The majority of overseas Chinese people are from Guangdong (Canton) so Cantonese is perhaps the most widely available Chinese regional cuisine outside of China.
- Cantonese are known to have an adventurous palate, able to eat many different kinds of meats and vegetables.
- In fact, people in Northern China often say that Cantonese people will eat anything that flies except airplanes, anything that moves on the ground except trains, and anything that moves in the water except boats.
- Cantonese food is easily one of the most diverse and richest cuisines in China. Many vegetables originate from other parts of the world. It doesn't use much spice, bringing out the natural flavor of the vegetables and meats.
- Tasting clear, light, crisp and fresh, Guangdong cuisine, familiar to Westerners, usually chooses raptors and beasts to produce originative dishes.
- Its basic cooking techniques include roasting, stir-frying, sauteing, deep-frying, braising, stewing and steaming. Among them steaming and stir-frying are more commonly applied to preserve the natural flavor. Guangdong chefs also pay much attention to the artistic presentation of dishes.
Famous dishes: Fried Bean Curd and Fresh Shrimps, Baiyun Pig‘s Trotters, Roast Piglet with Crisp Skin, Dongjiang Salted Chicken, Refreshing Beef Balls, Taiye Chicken, Fried Jelly Fish, etc.
4- Fujian Cuisine
- Consisting of Fuzhou Cuisine, Quanzhou Cuisine and Xiamen Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine is distinguished for its choice seafood, beautiful color and magic taste of sweet, sour, salty and savory.
- The most distinct features are their "pickled taste".
Fujian Cuisine have the following characteristics:
1) Chefs are skilled in the use of a kitchen knife, full of interest.
2) The Fujian people are peculiar about soup, which is full of changes.
3) A wide variety of seasonings are used, with unique characteristics.
4) Dishes are meticulously prepared, refined and graceful.
5) Fujian Cuisine is characterized by clear, refreshing, delicious and light tastes, slightly sweet and sour.
Typical famous dishes: Monk Jumps over Wall, sea clams in Chicken Soup, Litchi Pulp, Fragrant Sliced Snails ,Fried Oyster, Lightly Fried Dumpling, Clam Cakes, Thousand Layer Cake, Meat Balls, Taiji Smashed Taro.
5- Jiangsu Cuisine
- Jiangsu Cuisine, also called Huaiyang Cuisine, is popular in the lower reach of the Yangtze River.
- Aquatics as the main ingredients, it stresses the freshness of materials. Its carving techniques are delicate, of which the melon carving technique is especially well known.
- Cooking techniques consist of stewing, braising, roasting, simmering, etc. The flavor of Huaiyang Cuisine is light, fresh and sweet and with delicate elegance.
- Jiangsu cuisine is well known for its careful selection of ingredients, its meticulous preparation methodology, and its not-too-spicy, not-too-bland taste.
- Since the seasons vary in climate considerably in Jiangsu, the cuisine also varies throughout the year. If the flavor is strong, it isn't too heavy; if light, not too bland.
The main characteristics of Jiangsu cuisine:
1)Distinguished for exquisite ingredients, freshness and aliveness.
2)High cutting techniques.
3)Have a good command of duration and degree of heating.
4)Good at keeping the original taste one particular taste for one dish. All dishes have light, mellow and refreshing tastes. Yangzhou Cuisine is light and elegant; Suzhou Cuisine is slightly sweet; and Wuxi Cuisine is fairly sweet.
5)Pay great attention to soup, which is strong but not greasy, and delicious.
•Famous dishes: Butterfish in Creamy Juice, Steamed Large Meatballs, Fragrant and Soft Silverfish, Crystal Pig‘s Trotters, Well-known snacks include Dumplings with Juicy Crab Meat Filling, Noodles in Clear Soup, Jadeite Steamed Dumplings with the Dough Gathered at the Top, etc.
6- Zhejiang Cuisine
- Of a large number local cuisine styles, Zhejiang Cuisine occupies an important position and mainly consists of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing and Wenzhou cuisine styles, each having its own local characteristics.
- Hangzhou Cuisine, the representative of Zhejiang Cuisine, is delicious, light, crisp, elegant and highly finished. Ningbo local dishes are delicious, tender, soft and refreshing.
Shaoxing Cuisine, includes various kinds of local dishes, which are soft and aromatic with original soup light oil, and a heavy taste. Chefs are forbidden to use peppers. Wenzhou Cuisine, also I,nown as On Cuisine, is known for delicious seafood and light and delicious dishes.
Famous dishes: West Lake Sour Fish, Dongpo Pork, Longjing Shrimp Meat, Jiaohua Young Chickens, Steam Rice Flower and Pork Wrapped by Lotus Leaves, Braised Bamboo Shoots.
7- Hunan Cuisine
Hunan Cuisine has three characteristics:
1) Skilful use of a kitchen knife, a delicious taste and a beautiful shape.
2) Known for sour and spicy dishes by adding various kinds of seasonings.
3) Adopting a wide variety of techniques.
Famous dishes: Spicy Young Chicken, Fried Fish Slices, Steamed Soft-Shell Turtle, Steamed Cured Meat, Huofang Whitebait, Dongting Fat Fish Maw, Jishou Sour Meat, Oily and Spicy Tender Bamboo Shoots, and Chinese Chestnuts and Hearts of Cabbages.
8- Anhui Cuisine
- Anhui Cuisine has the following four characteristics:
1) Using a wide variety of ingredients.
2) Adopting unique techniques.
3) Paying great attention to nutritious food.
4) Offering various kinds of dishes, some of which are full of local flavor.
Famous dishes: Milky Fat Fish King, Stewed Mati Soft-shelled Turtle in Clear Soup, Guest Welcoming Pine, Crucian Carp in Earthen Pot, Fuliji Chicken, Red Bayberry and Glutinous Rice Balls, etc. Local snacks include Butterfly Noodles, White Gourd Dumplings, Frozen Rice Sugar, Tunxi Liquor-saturated Crabs, etc.
- China covers a large territory and has many nationalities, hence a variety of Chinese food with different but fantastic and mouthwatering flavor.
- Since China's local dishes have their own typical characteristics, generally, Chinese food can be roughly divided into eight regional cuisines, which has been widely accepted around.
- Certainly, there are many other local cuisines that are famous, such as Beijing Cuisine and Shanghai Cuisine.
1- Shandong Cuisine
- Consisting of Jinan cuisine and Jiaodong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, clear, pure and not greasy, is characterized by its emphasis on aroma, freshness, crispness and tenderness.
- Shallot and garlic are usually used as seasonings so Shangdong dishes tastes pungent usually.
- Soups are given much emphasis in Shangdong dishes. Thin soup features clear and fresh while creamy soup looks thick and tastes strong.
- Jinan cuisine is adept at deep-frying, grilling, frying and stir-frying while Jiaodong division is famous for cooking seafood with fresh and light taste.
- Shandong is the birthplace of many famous ancient scholars such as Confucious and Mencius.
- Much of Shandong cuisine's history is as old as Confucious himself, making it the oldest existing major cuisine in China.
- But don't expect to gain more wisdom from a fortune at a Shandong restaurant in the West since fortune s aren't even indigenous to China.
- Shandong is a large peninsula surrounded by the sea to the East and the Yellow River meandering through the center.
- Seafood is a major component of Shandong cuisine. Shandong's most famous dish is the Sweat and Sour Carp. A truly authentic Sweet and Sour Carp must come from the Yellow River. But with the current amount of pollution in the Yellow River, you would be better off if the carp was from elsewhere.
- Shandong dishes are mainly quick-fried, roasted, stir-fried or deep-fried. The dishes are mainly clear, fresh and fatty
- Qingdao Beer
- Major characteristics of Shandong Cuisine:
1) Prepared with a wide variety of materials. Jiaodong dishes are mainly made of aquatic products .
2) A pure, strong and mellow taste, rather than a mixed taste. Chefs are good at using onions and seasonings.
3) Shandong Cuisine is known for its excellent seafood dishes and delicious soup.
4) Chefs excel at preparing clear, smell, crisp, tender and delicious dishes by frying, stirring and steaming.
- Famous dishes: Stir Fried Prawns, Fried Sea Cucumbers with Onions, Sweet and Sour Carp, Large Jiaodong Chicken Wings, Taishan Fish with Red Scales, etc.
2- Sichuan Cuisine
- Sichuan Cuisineis one of the most famous Chinese cuisines in the world.
- Spicy and pungent flavor, Sichuan cuisine, prolific of tastes, emphasizes on the use of chili. Pepper and prickly ash also never fail to accompany, producing typical exciting tastes.
- Besides, garlic, ginger and fermented soybean are also used in the cooking process. Wild vegetables and animals are usually chosen as ingredients, while frying, frying without oil, pickling and braising are applied as basic cooking techniques.
- It cannot be said that one who does not experience Sichuan food ever reaches China.
- If you eat Sichuan cuisine and find it too bland, then you are probably not eating authentic Sichuan cuisine.
- Chili peppers and prickly ash are used in many dishes, giving it a distinctively spicy taste, called ma(slight numb sensation) in Chinese.
- Sichuan hot pots are perhaps the most famous hotpots in the world, most notably the Yuan Yang (mandarin duck) Hotpot half spicy and half clear.
The main- characteristics of Sichuan Cuisine:
1) Prepared with a wide variety of ingredients.
2) Presenting various shapes and tastes, and famous for spicy food, fish-flavored shredded pork and food with odd taste.
3) Boasting numerous cooking techniques, such as stir frying, frying, stir-frying before stewing, and braising.
Famous dishes: Stir-fried Diced Chicken with Chilli and Peanuts, Stir-fried Bean Curd in Hot Sauce, Fish-flavored Shredded Pork, Rice Crusts and Sliced Pork, Stir-fried Sliced Beef, etc.
3- Guangdong Cuisine
- Cantonese food originates from Guangdong, the southernmost province in China.
- The majority of overseas Chinese people are from Guangdong (Canton) so Cantonese is perhaps the most widely available Chinese regional cuisine outside of China.
- Cantonese are known to have an adventurous palate, able to eat many different kinds of meats and vegetables.
- In fact, people in Northern China often say that Cantonese people will eat anything that flies except airplanes, anything that moves on the ground except trains, and anything that moves in the water except boats.
- Cantonese food is easily one of the most diverse and richest cuisines in China. Many vegetables originate from other parts of the world. It doesn't use much spice, bringing out the natural flavor of the vegetables and meats.
- Tasting clear, light, crisp and fresh, Guangdong cuisine, familiar to Westerners, usually chooses raptors and beasts to produce originative dishes.
- Its basic cooking techniques include roasting, stir-frying, sauteing, deep-frying, braising, stewing and steaming. Among them steaming and stir-frying are more commonly applied to preserve the natural flavor. Guangdong chefs also pay much attention to the artistic presentation of dishes.
Famous dishes: Fried Bean Curd and Fresh Shrimps, Baiyun Pig‘s Trotters, Roast Piglet with Crisp Skin, Dongjiang Salted Chicken, Refreshing Beef Balls, Taiye Chicken, Fried Jelly Fish, etc.
4- Fujian Cuisine
- Consisting of Fuzhou Cuisine, Quanzhou Cuisine and Xiamen Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine is distinguished for its choice seafood, beautiful color and magic taste of sweet, sour, salty and savory.
- The most distinct features are their "pickled taste".
Fujian Cuisine have the following characteristics:
1) Chefs are skilled in the use of a kitchen knife, full of interest.
2) The Fujian people are peculiar about soup, which is full of changes.
3) A wide variety of seasonings are used, with unique characteristics.
4) Dishes are meticulously prepared, refined and graceful.
5) Fujian Cuisine is characterized by clear, refreshing, delicious and light tastes, slightly sweet and sour.
Typical famous dishes: Monk Jumps over Wall, sea clams in Chicken Soup, Litchi Pulp, Fragrant Sliced Snails ,Fried Oyster, Lightly Fried Dumpling, Clam Cakes, Thousand Layer Cake, Meat Balls, Taiji Smashed Taro.
5- Jiangsu Cuisine
- Jiangsu Cuisine, also called Huaiyang Cuisine, is popular in the lower reach of the Yangtze River.
- Aquatics as the main ingredients, it stresses the freshness of materials. Its carving techniques are delicate, of which the melon carving technique is especially well known.
- Cooking techniques consist of stewing, braising, roasting, simmering, etc. The flavor of Huaiyang Cuisine is light, fresh and sweet and with delicate elegance.
- Jiangsu cuisine is well known for its careful selection of ingredients, its meticulous preparation methodology, and its not-too-spicy, not-too-bland taste.
- Since the seasons vary in climate considerably in Jiangsu, the cuisine also varies throughout the year. If the flavor is strong, it isn't too heavy; if light, not too bland.
The main characteristics of Jiangsu cuisine:
1)Distinguished for exquisite ingredients, freshness and aliveness.
2)High cutting techniques.
3)Have a good command of duration and degree of heating.
4)Good at keeping the original taste one particular taste for one dish. All dishes have light, mellow and refreshing tastes. Yangzhou Cuisine is light and elegant; Suzhou Cuisine is slightly sweet; and Wuxi Cuisine is fairly sweet.
5)Pay great attention to soup, which is strong but not greasy, and delicious.
•Famous dishes: Butterfish in Creamy Juice, Steamed Large Meatballs, Fragrant and Soft Silverfish, Crystal Pig‘s Trotters, Well-known snacks include Dumplings with Juicy Crab Meat Filling, Noodles in Clear Soup, Jadeite Steamed Dumplings with the Dough Gathered at the Top, etc.
6- Zhejiang Cuisine
- Of a large number local cuisine styles, Zhejiang Cuisine occupies an important position and mainly consists of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing and Wenzhou cuisine styles, each having its own local characteristics.
- Hangzhou Cuisine, the representative of Zhejiang Cuisine, is delicious, light, crisp, elegant and highly finished. Ningbo local dishes are delicious, tender, soft and refreshing.
Shaoxing Cuisine, includes various kinds of local dishes, which are soft and aromatic with original soup light oil, and a heavy taste. Chefs are forbidden to use peppers. Wenzhou Cuisine, also I,nown as On Cuisine, is known for delicious seafood and light and delicious dishes.
Famous dishes: West Lake Sour Fish, Dongpo Pork, Longjing Shrimp Meat, Jiaohua Young Chickens, Steam Rice Flower and Pork Wrapped by Lotus Leaves, Braised Bamboo Shoots.
7- Hunan Cuisine
Hunan Cuisine has three characteristics:
1) Skilful use of a kitchen knife, a delicious taste and a beautiful shape.
2) Known for sour and spicy dishes by adding various kinds of seasonings.
3) Adopting a wide variety of techniques.
Famous dishes: Spicy Young Chicken, Fried Fish Slices, Steamed Soft-Shell Turtle, Steamed Cured Meat, Huofang Whitebait, Dongting Fat Fish Maw, Jishou Sour Meat, Oily and Spicy Tender Bamboo Shoots, and Chinese Chestnuts and Hearts of Cabbages.
8- Anhui Cuisine
- Anhui Cuisine has the following four characteristics:
1) Using a wide variety of ingredients.
2) Adopting unique techniques.
3) Paying great attention to nutritious food.
4) Offering various kinds of dishes, some of which are full of local flavor.
Famous dishes: Milky Fat Fish King, Stewed Mati Soft-shelled Turtle in Clear Soup, Guest Welcoming Pine, Crucian Carp in Earthen Pot, Fuliji Chicken, Red Bayberry and Glutinous Rice Balls, etc. Local snacks include Butterfly Noodles, White Gourd Dumplings, Frozen Rice Sugar, Tunxi Liquor-saturated Crabs, etc.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
CHINA World Culture and Nature Heritage
Summarization
The nummber of the signatory states has reached 145 since the Convention of the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was passed by UNESCO in Paris in Oct. 16, 1972. China became the signatory state of the Convention in 1985. The first World Cultural and Natural Heritage list was declared in 1987.
There are 582 items was announced in 22 lists from 1987 to 1998. And there are 21 items in China.
Another two items were declared to be world cultural and natural heritage in December of 1999. They are Wuyi mountains of Fujian Province and the Dazu Grottoes of Chongqing.
The Name List Of CHINA World Culture and Nature Heritage
1- The Imperial Palace in Beijing
2- Great Wall in Beijing
3- Remains of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian in Beijing
4- The Summer Palace in Beijing
5- The Temple of Heaven in Beijing
6- Chengde Mountain Resort and Surrounding Temples (Hebei Province)
7- The Ancient City of Pingyao (Shanxi)
8- The Classical Gardens of Suzhou (Jiangsu)
9- The Huangshan Mountain (Anhui)
10- Wuyi Mountains (Fujian)
11- Mount Lushan (Jiangxi)
12- Mount Taishan (Shandong)
13- Temple of Confucius,Maneionof Confucius and Confucian Woods (Shandong)
14- Ancient Building Groups on the Wudang Mountain (Hubei)
15- Wuling Yuan (Hunan)
16- Nine-Village Valley in Sichuan Province
17- Huang Long in Sichuan Province
18- Mount Emei and the Giant Leshan Buddha in Sichuan Province
19- Dazu Grottoes (Chongqing)
20- The Ancient City of Lijiang (Yunnan)
21- Potala Palace (Xizang/Tibet))
22- Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang (Shaanxi)
23- Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang (Gansu)
1. The Imperial Palace
The Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City, was the imperial palace of emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is located at the centre of beijing. There were 14 emperors in the Ming Dynasty and 10 emperors in the Qing Dynasty had been enthroned and ruled here.
The Forbidden City, rectangular in shape and 720,000 square metres in size, owns 9,999 and a half rooms, the floor space of which is about 160,000 square metres.
The palaces are surrounded by purplight-red walls 3,400 metres long and a moat 52 metres wide 4.1 metres deep.
At the middle of each four walls stands a gate tower; the Meridian Gate in the south, the Godly Prowess Gate in the north, the Donghua Gate in the east, the Xihua Gate in the west, and at each of the four comers stands a tower. The whole Forbidben City looks like a strongly fortified castle.
It is composed of two parts, the outer palace where the emperors held grand ceremonies, and discued state affairs with high-ranking officials.
The inner palace where emperors conducted routine govemment affairs and empresses, concubines, princes, princesses resided, amused themselves and worshipped gods.
There are 920,000 pieces of historical relics in the Imperal Palace. It is the largest and most complete existing ancient wooden architectural complex both in China and in the world.
2. Great Wall
Construction of the Great Wall began during the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period,Several ducal states built wall fortifications along the precipitous mountain ridges to ward off the plunder of nomadic people and the invasion of each other. In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang ordered to link the walls up after he united China.
During the following dynasties, the Great Wall was destroyed continuously by natural disasters and human beings.Amongst the remained broken pieces of walls, those constructed in Ming Dynasty are the most well-preserved and splendid ones.
The Great Wall stretches some 6,300km from Jiayuguan Pass in the west to the Yalujiang River in the east, traversing 11 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. It is the most magnificent ancient military defence work and one of the most remarkable ancient buildings in the world.
3.Remains of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian
Zhoukoudian is a village of Fangshan County, about 50km from Beijing . The nearby Dragon Bone Hill is the home of Peking Man. Pei Wenzhong, a Chinese paleontologist, excavated a complete fossil skull cap, some teeth and bones of primitive apeman in 1929.
The remains of Peking Man's daily life, hunting and the use of fire were also discovered, which testified the existance of apeman in Beijing region five hundred thousand years ago. The excavation marks its valuable position in the field of anthropology.
Up to now, the remains of Peking Man in Zhoukoudian boast the most plentiful humanfossil, the most various species of associated animal and plant fossils in the world and the most extensive research work in then has been carried out.
4.The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace, originally named as Qingyiyuan (Garden of Clear Ripples), was designed by the famous court architect Lei Jiaxi, and was bui1t between 1750 and l764. Covering about l90 hectares, the imperial garden is chiefly composed of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake.
It was burned and destroyed by the British-French a1lied army in 1860. The Empress Dowager Ci Xi had it renovated in l888 with the 5 million taels of silver that had been appropriated for building the Chinese navy, and changed its name to the present Yiheyuan, or the Garden of Harmonious Unity.
Blended harmoniously with the landscape, the halls, towers, pavilions, corridors, walkways and bridges in the gardcn display exquisite workmanship.
pThe Summer Palacc is the best preserved imperial garden in the world with rich scenes and concentrated structures.
5.The The Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420, the eighteenth year of the regin of Emperor Yongle of Ming Dynasty. It was where the emperor of Ming and Qing Dynasty worshipped the Heaven. The Temple of Heaven is divided into the inner and the outer parts .
Danbiqiao (a raised grand open-air passage) links the Altar of Prayers for Bumper Harvests of Grain in the north and the Circular Mound in the south forming an axis-line. The main buildings are near the line. Thousands of ancient Cypress trees surround the buildings solemnly.
All above are the treasure of the ancient buildings and the masterpiece of the ancient masters, being in an major position in the architectural history of China.
The main buildings in the park include the Hall of Prayers for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Circular Mound, the Hall of Abstinence, the Echo Wall and the Long Corridor. the famous spots of the park are the Chinese Rose Garden and the Double-Ring Pavilion.
6.The Chengde Mountain Resort and Surrounding Temples
Chengde Mountain Resort and Surrounding Temples are located in Chengde, Hebei province. It is the largest existing imperial garden in China. From the reign of Emperor Kangxi , all the emperors wou1d spend six months each year in the resort to take vacaticons, conduct state affairs and to receive high-ranking officials, foreign envoys and nobles of minority nationalities.
The resort consists of four parts: palace area, lake area, plain area and mountain area. The buildings stand by groups. The resort possessed the characters of Chinese finest gardens. The buildings were constructed on the slopes of mountains or beside the streams.
In order to strengthen the unification of all the nationalities, Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong ordered to build the surrounding temples, which combined the architectural beauties of Tibetan Buddhism and Han Buddhism. At present, it has become a famous scenic spot in China.
7.The Ancient City of Pingyao
The Ancient City of Pingyao locates in center Shanxi province , in the middle reaches of Fen River. It is 100 kilometers away from provincial capital Taiyuan. Pingyao Ancient City is the most complete maintained county town of Ming - Qing period. It is typical of , ancient county town for Chinese Han Nationality in the Center Plain of China.
The city walls, streets, residence homes and temples in the city are undamaged by and large and construction style are maintained. They are the cultural relics and living specimen in study on Chinese politics, economy, culture, military, architecture and art. The cultural relics are unusual and with high value.
The founding of the first money exchange shop Rishengchang in the city marks the birth of contemporary new style financial business without being noticed form it counterpart at late stage of Chinese feudal society.
8. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Suzhou is one of the famous historical and culture city in China. The construction of private gardens in Suzhou started during the 6th centry B.C. and was in vogue during the Ming Dynasty. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were more than 170 gardens in the city and its suburbs. Hence Suzhou is known as the "garden city".
The city has still a dozen gardens. The famous gardens are the Surging Waves Pavilion, Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, West Garden, Fisherman's Garden and Pleasure Garden and etc
- Private gardens
- Conceived in traditional Chinese painting of landscape and flowers and birds, inspired by the Tang and Song poetry, the gardens are vary from garden to garden
- Create an artistic effect of viewing big scenes in a small garden.
9. The Huangshan Mountain
The Huangshan Mountain in southern Anhui Province, is full of miraculous scenic spots celebrated for peaks, rocks, pines, clouds and springs. The renowned Four Wonders of the Huangshan Mountain are the spectacular peaks, odd-shaped pines, hot springs and seas of cloud. It is named the "fairyland on earth" for the diversity of sceneries in the four seasons.
The nummber of the signatory states has reached 145 since the Convention of the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was passed by UNESCO in Paris in Oct. 16, 1972. China became the signatory state of the Convention in 1985. The first World Cultural and Natural Heritage list was declared in 1987.
There are 582 items was announced in 22 lists from 1987 to 1998. And there are 21 items in China.
Another two items were declared to be world cultural and natural heritage in December of 1999. They are Wuyi mountains of Fujian Province and the Dazu Grottoes of Chongqing.
The Name List Of CHINA World Culture and Nature Heritage
1- The Imperial Palace in Beijing
2- Great Wall in Beijing
3- Remains of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian in Beijing
4- The Summer Palace in Beijing
5- The Temple of Heaven in Beijing
6- Chengde Mountain Resort and Surrounding Temples (Hebei Province)
7- The Ancient City of Pingyao (Shanxi)
8- The Classical Gardens of Suzhou (Jiangsu)
9- The Huangshan Mountain (Anhui)
10- Wuyi Mountains (Fujian)
11- Mount Lushan (Jiangxi)
12- Mount Taishan (Shandong)
13- Temple of Confucius,Maneionof Confucius and Confucian Woods (Shandong)
14- Ancient Building Groups on the Wudang Mountain (Hubei)
15- Wuling Yuan (Hunan)
16- Nine-Village Valley in Sichuan Province
17- Huang Long in Sichuan Province
18- Mount Emei and the Giant Leshan Buddha in Sichuan Province
19- Dazu Grottoes (Chongqing)
20- The Ancient City of Lijiang (Yunnan)
21- Potala Palace (Xizang/Tibet))
22- Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang (Shaanxi)
23- Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang (Gansu)
1. The Imperial Palace
The Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City, was the imperial palace of emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is located at the centre of beijing. There were 14 emperors in the Ming Dynasty and 10 emperors in the Qing Dynasty had been enthroned and ruled here.
The Forbidden City, rectangular in shape and 720,000 square metres in size, owns 9,999 and a half rooms, the floor space of which is about 160,000 square metres.
The palaces are surrounded by purplight-red walls 3,400 metres long and a moat 52 metres wide 4.1 metres deep.
At the middle of each four walls stands a gate tower; the Meridian Gate in the south, the Godly Prowess Gate in the north, the Donghua Gate in the east, the Xihua Gate in the west, and at each of the four comers stands a tower. The whole Forbidben City looks like a strongly fortified castle.
It is composed of two parts, the outer palace where the emperors held grand ceremonies, and discued state affairs with high-ranking officials.
The inner palace where emperors conducted routine govemment affairs and empresses, concubines, princes, princesses resided, amused themselves and worshipped gods.
There are 920,000 pieces of historical relics in the Imperal Palace. It is the largest and most complete existing ancient wooden architectural complex both in China and in the world.
2. Great Wall
Construction of the Great Wall began during the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period,Several ducal states built wall fortifications along the precipitous mountain ridges to ward off the plunder of nomadic people and the invasion of each other. In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang ordered to link the walls up after he united China.
During the following dynasties, the Great Wall was destroyed continuously by natural disasters and human beings.Amongst the remained broken pieces of walls, those constructed in Ming Dynasty are the most well-preserved and splendid ones.
The Great Wall stretches some 6,300km from Jiayuguan Pass in the west to the Yalujiang River in the east, traversing 11 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. It is the most magnificent ancient military defence work and one of the most remarkable ancient buildings in the world.
3.Remains of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian
Zhoukoudian is a village of Fangshan County, about 50km from Beijing . The nearby Dragon Bone Hill is the home of Peking Man. Pei Wenzhong, a Chinese paleontologist, excavated a complete fossil skull cap, some teeth and bones of primitive apeman in 1929.
The remains of Peking Man's daily life, hunting and the use of fire were also discovered, which testified the existance of apeman in Beijing region five hundred thousand years ago. The excavation marks its valuable position in the field of anthropology.
Up to now, the remains of Peking Man in Zhoukoudian boast the most plentiful humanfossil, the most various species of associated animal and plant fossils in the world and the most extensive research work in then has been carried out.
4.The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace, originally named as Qingyiyuan (Garden of Clear Ripples), was designed by the famous court architect Lei Jiaxi, and was bui1t between 1750 and l764. Covering about l90 hectares, the imperial garden is chiefly composed of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake.
It was burned and destroyed by the British-French a1lied army in 1860. The Empress Dowager Ci Xi had it renovated in l888 with the 5 million taels of silver that had been appropriated for building the Chinese navy, and changed its name to the present Yiheyuan, or the Garden of Harmonious Unity.
Blended harmoniously with the landscape, the halls, towers, pavilions, corridors, walkways and bridges in the gardcn display exquisite workmanship.
pThe Summer Palacc is the best preserved imperial garden in the world with rich scenes and concentrated structures.
5.The The Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420, the eighteenth year of the regin of Emperor Yongle of Ming Dynasty. It was where the emperor of Ming and Qing Dynasty worshipped the Heaven. The Temple of Heaven is divided into the inner and the outer parts .
Danbiqiao (a raised grand open-air passage) links the Altar of Prayers for Bumper Harvests of Grain in the north and the Circular Mound in the south forming an axis-line. The main buildings are near the line. Thousands of ancient Cypress trees surround the buildings solemnly.
All above are the treasure of the ancient buildings and the masterpiece of the ancient masters, being in an major position in the architectural history of China.
The main buildings in the park include the Hall of Prayers for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Circular Mound, the Hall of Abstinence, the Echo Wall and the Long Corridor. the famous spots of the park are the Chinese Rose Garden and the Double-Ring Pavilion.
6.The Chengde Mountain Resort and Surrounding Temples
Chengde Mountain Resort and Surrounding Temples are located in Chengde, Hebei province. It is the largest existing imperial garden in China. From the reign of Emperor Kangxi , all the emperors wou1d spend six months each year in the resort to take vacaticons, conduct state affairs and to receive high-ranking officials, foreign envoys and nobles of minority nationalities.
The resort consists of four parts: palace area, lake area, plain area and mountain area. The buildings stand by groups. The resort possessed the characters of Chinese finest gardens. The buildings were constructed on the slopes of mountains or beside the streams.
In order to strengthen the unification of all the nationalities, Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong ordered to build the surrounding temples, which combined the architectural beauties of Tibetan Buddhism and Han Buddhism. At present, it has become a famous scenic spot in China.
7.The Ancient City of Pingyao
The Ancient City of Pingyao locates in center Shanxi province , in the middle reaches of Fen River. It is 100 kilometers away from provincial capital Taiyuan. Pingyao Ancient City is the most complete maintained county town of Ming - Qing period. It is typical of , ancient county town for Chinese Han Nationality in the Center Plain of China.
The city walls, streets, residence homes and temples in the city are undamaged by and large and construction style are maintained. They are the cultural relics and living specimen in study on Chinese politics, economy, culture, military, architecture and art. The cultural relics are unusual and with high value.
The founding of the first money exchange shop Rishengchang in the city marks the birth of contemporary new style financial business without being noticed form it counterpart at late stage of Chinese feudal society.
8. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Suzhou is one of the famous historical and culture city in China. The construction of private gardens in Suzhou started during the 6th centry B.C. and was in vogue during the Ming Dynasty. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were more than 170 gardens in the city and its suburbs. Hence Suzhou is known as the "garden city".
The city has still a dozen gardens. The famous gardens are the Surging Waves Pavilion, Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, West Garden, Fisherman's Garden and Pleasure Garden and etc
- Private gardens
- Conceived in traditional Chinese painting of landscape and flowers and birds, inspired by the Tang and Song poetry, the gardens are vary from garden to garden
- Create an artistic effect of viewing big scenes in a small garden.
9. The Huangshan Mountain
The Huangshan Mountain in southern Anhui Province, is full of miraculous scenic spots celebrated for peaks, rocks, pines, clouds and springs. The renowned Four Wonders of the Huangshan Mountain are the spectacular peaks, odd-shaped pines, hot springs and seas of cloud. It is named the "fairyland on earth" for the diversity of sceneries in the four seasons.
10. Wuyi Mountains
- A national park of China, lies in the south of Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, with an area of 60 square kilometers.
- Wuyi sceneries can be divided into seven groups, including Jiuqu (Nine Turns) Stream, Water Curtain Cave, Wuyi Palace, etc. Jiuqu Stream runs nine kilometers around the mountain with nine turns and eighteen bends.
- A national park of China, lies in the south of Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, with an area of 60 square kilometers.
- Wuyi sceneries can be divided into seven groups, including Jiuqu (Nine Turns) Stream, Water Curtain Cave, Wuyi Palace, etc. Jiuqu Stream runs nine kilometers around the mountain with nine turns and eighteen bends.
- One taking a bamtoo raft downstream will be fascinated by the 36 rock formations and peaks along the route, each given a name of the animals it resembles.
- Ascending the summit of Dawang Peak, (Peak of the Great King) one can get a full view of the 36 lesser peaks in a posture to bow to Dawang Peak.
- Wuyi Palace built in the Tang Dynasty
- Ascending the summit of Dawang Peak, (Peak of the Great King) one can get a full view of the 36 lesser peaks in a posture to bow to Dawang Peak.
- Wuyi Palace built in the Tang Dynasty
- A place for the rulers to hold sacrificial service to honor the Lord of Wuyi.
- A place the Confucians preached Confucianism. As a result of these events, a large number of cultural and historical relics have been unearthed here.
11. Mount Lushan
- Mount Lushan is a well-known beautiful scenic area with sheer peaks and precipices, changeable clouds and fogs, silver springs and flying waterfalls, deep valleys and secluded forests.
- More than 500noted figures in Chinese history have been to the mountain. They have left behind some 4000 pieces of verses, over 400 inscriptions on the cliffs and large quantities of writings, paintings, calligraphic works.
- Mount Lushan is thus reputed as "the Kingdom of Prose and Mountain of Poetry".
- On the mountain there are Buddhist and Taoist temples, Christian and Catholic churches and Islamic moeques.
- Donglinsi (East Grove Temple) is the birthplace of Jingtu (Neat Earth) sect of Buddhism. Bailudongshuyuan (White Deer Cave Academy) was one of the four biggest academies in ancient China.
12.Mount Taishan
- Mount Taishan, is located in the middle of Shandong Province.
- It is one of the birthplaces of the ancient culture along the Yellow River, and is regarded as the first of the Five Sacred Mounts.
- Mount Taishan is celebrated for the precipitous peaks and the miraculous sceneries.
- In Chinese history, emperors of the past feudal dynasties would take journey to Mount Taishan
- It was considered the symbol of heaven, to worship and offer sacrifices to the heaven.
- Writers and artists had left numerous pieces of poems and calligraphy works when they toured Mount Taishan.
- which provide plenty of valuable evidences to make research on Chinese ancient history and calligraphy.
- Mount Taighan is not only a mountain of scenery, but also a mountain of culture.
13.Temple of Confucius ,Mansion of Confucius& Confucian Woods
- A place the Confucians preached Confucianism. As a result of these events, a large number of cultural and historical relics have been unearthed here.
11. Mount Lushan
- Mount Lushan is a well-known beautiful scenic area with sheer peaks and precipices, changeable clouds and fogs, silver springs and flying waterfalls, deep valleys and secluded forests.
- More than 500noted figures in Chinese history have been to the mountain. They have left behind some 4000 pieces of verses, over 400 inscriptions on the cliffs and large quantities of writings, paintings, calligraphic works.
- Mount Lushan is thus reputed as "the Kingdom of Prose and Mountain of Poetry".
- On the mountain there are Buddhist and Taoist temples, Christian and Catholic churches and Islamic moeques.
- Donglinsi (East Grove Temple) is the birthplace of Jingtu (Neat Earth) sect of Buddhism. Bailudongshuyuan (White Deer Cave Academy) was one of the four biggest academies in ancient China.
12.Mount Taishan
- Mount Taishan, is located in the middle of Shandong Province.
- It is one of the birthplaces of the ancient culture along the Yellow River, and is regarded as the first of the Five Sacred Mounts.
- Mount Taishan is celebrated for the precipitous peaks and the miraculous sceneries.
- In Chinese history, emperors of the past feudal dynasties would take journey to Mount Taishan
- It was considered the symbol of heaven, to worship and offer sacrifices to the heaven.
- Writers and artists had left numerous pieces of poems and calligraphy works when they toured Mount Taishan.
- which provide plenty of valuable evidences to make research on Chinese ancient history and calligraphy.
- Mount Taighan is not only a mountain of scenery, but also a mountain of culture.
13.Temple of Confucius ,Mansion of Confucius& Confucian Woods
- The Temple of Confucius and the Mansion of Confucius are located in Qufu, Shandong Province.
- Qufu is the hometown of Confucius, the great philosopher, statesman, educator and the father of Confucianism in ancient China.
- A grand building complex with 9 courtyards came into being. The total 466 halls, pavilions, chambers and rooms were separated by 3 major gateways starting from the entrance.
- It measures over 1km from north to south and occupies an area of 220000square metres.
- The Mansion of Confucius lies next to the Temple of Confucius. It was the official residence .
- After several times of enlargement and renovation, now it covers more than 160,000square metres, with 463 halls, chambers and rooms.
-The Confucian Woods, where the tomb of Confucius is located, is 1.5km north of Qufu. The cemetery is surrounded by walls and is crowded with old cypresses and pines.
- Most of Confucius' descendants were also buried here.
14.Ancient Building Groups on the Wudang Mountain
- Qufu is the hometown of Confucius, the great philosopher, statesman, educator and the father of Confucianism in ancient China.
- A grand building complex with 9 courtyards came into being. The total 466 halls, pavilions, chambers and rooms were separated by 3 major gateways starting from the entrance.
- It measures over 1km from north to south and occupies an area of 220000square metres.
- The Mansion of Confucius lies next to the Temple of Confucius. It was the official residence .
- After several times of enlargement and renovation, now it covers more than 160,000square metres, with 463 halls, chambers and rooms.
-The Confucian Woods, where the tomb of Confucius is located, is 1.5km north of Qufu. The cemetery is surrounded by walls and is crowded with old cypresses and pines.
- Most of Confucius' descendants were also buried here.
14.Ancient Building Groups on the Wudang Mountain
- The construction of buildings on the Wudang Mountain began in the Tang Dynasty, and was enlarged in the Song and Yuan Dynasties.
- After hundreds of years' rises and falls, the area became desolated in the middle of the Qing Dynasty.
- The major buildings are the palace of Supreme Harmony, the Palace of Zixiao, the Palace of Nanyan, the Taoism Temple of Fuzhen and the Archway of Zhishixuanyue.
15. Wuling Yuan
- After hundreds of years' rises and falls, the area became desolated in the middle of the Qing Dynasty.
- The major buildings are the palace of Supreme Harmony, the Palace of Zixiao, the Palace of Nanyan, the Taoism Temple of Fuzhen and the Archway of Zhishixuanyue.
15. Wuling Yuan
- Wulingyuan scenic area is situated in Wuling District in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province.
- Three major sightseeing spots: Zhangjiajie National Park, Suoxi Valley, Mount Tianzi.
- It is celebrated for the five wonders: spectacular peaks, grotesque rocks, secluded valley, clear streams and karst caves. The abundant water resources and beautiful valley sceneries give the area the name "Eight Hundred Beutiful Streams".
16. Nine-Village Valley
- Three major sightseeing spots: Zhangjiajie National Park, Suoxi Valley, Mount Tianzi.
- It is celebrated for the five wonders: spectacular peaks, grotesque rocks, secluded valley, clear streams and karst caves. The abundant water resources and beautiful valley sceneries give the area the name "Eight Hundred Beutiful Streams".
16. Nine-Village Valley
- Nine-Village Valley, is a scenic spot located in Nanping County, Sichuan Province.
- Beautiful lakes, waterfalls, shallows, streams, snow-cupped peaks, forest, and Tibetan culture
- The blue lakes, dozens of metres deep, are as clear as crystal.
17. Huang Long
- Beautiful lakes, waterfalls, shallows, streams, snow-cupped peaks, forest, and Tibetan culture
- The blue lakes, dozens of metres deep, are as clear as crystal.
17. Huang Long
- Huang1ong is located in songpan county of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Ethnic Group Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
- The area is covered with plenty of well preserved peculiar natural sceneries. Apart from the snowcupped mountains, valleys, waterfalls, it owns grand surface karst topography.
18. Mount Emei and the Giant Leshan Buddha
- The area is covered with plenty of well preserved peculiar natural sceneries. Apart from the snowcupped mountains, valleys, waterfalls, it owns grand surface karst topography.
18. Mount Emei and the Giant Leshan Buddha
- Mount Emei locates in Emeishan City of Sichuan Province (The city's name came from Mount Emei).
- There are many kinds of geologic physiognomy, plants and animals. Mount Emei is the "Nature Geological Museum", "the Nature Arboretum" and "the Kingdom of Animals".
- Hundreds of nature scenic and many temples are dispersed over the mount. More than 5,000 kinds of plants and more than 2,300 kinds of animals are existed up to now.
- There are many kinds of geologic physiognomy, plants and animals. Mount Emei is the "Nature Geological Museum", "the Nature Arboretum" and "the Kingdom of Animals".
- Hundreds of nature scenic and many temples are dispersed over the mount. More than 5,000 kinds of plants and more than 2,300 kinds of animals are existed up to now.
- The living fossil of wood plant-Davidia involucrata and cyathea spinulosa, a rare plant on the verge of distinction, are under Grade-A protection.
- The existing temples include Baoguosi Monastery, Wanniansi Monastery, fuhusi Monastery, Xianfengsi Monastery, Qianfo Monastery, the Elephant-washing Pool and Huazang (Avatamsaka) Monastery on the Golden Sumit, etc.
- The world's biggist stone statue of seated Maitreya made in the Tang Dynasty - the Giant Leshan Buddha totals 71 metres high.
- The head measures 10 metres in diameter, the eyebrow 3.7 metres long, the eye 3.3 metres, the nose 5.6 metres, the mouth 3.3 metres and the ear 7 metres. The foot is large enough for 100 people to stand on.
19. Dazu Grottoes
- 0ver 60,000 carved stone figures relating mainly to Buddhism are spread around 76 places within Dazu County 160 kilometres to the west of Chongqing.
- The content and craftsmanship are best at Beishan and Baoding hills. The art of Dazu, which emerged in the late Tang Dynasty (6l8-907AD) and flourished in the Song Dynasty (960-1127) represents an important chapter in China's cultural and religious history.
- In the treasure of Dazu stone sculptures, the well designed groups of nineteen grand reliefs cover a wide scope of artistic themes, and most of them present Buddhist figures as human beings and depict scenes from everyday life. They are rarely seen in any other part of the world.
20. The Ancient City of Lijiang
- The existing temples include Baoguosi Monastery, Wanniansi Monastery, fuhusi Monastery, Xianfengsi Monastery, Qianfo Monastery, the Elephant-washing Pool and Huazang (Avatamsaka) Monastery on the Golden Sumit, etc.
- The world's biggist stone statue of seated Maitreya made in the Tang Dynasty - the Giant Leshan Buddha totals 71 metres high.
- The head measures 10 metres in diameter, the eyebrow 3.7 metres long, the eye 3.3 metres, the nose 5.6 metres, the mouth 3.3 metres and the ear 7 metres. The foot is large enough for 100 people to stand on.
19. Dazu Grottoes
- 0ver 60,000 carved stone figures relating mainly to Buddhism are spread around 76 places within Dazu County 160 kilometres to the west of Chongqing.
- The content and craftsmanship are best at Beishan and Baoding hills. The art of Dazu, which emerged in the late Tang Dynasty (6l8-907AD) and flourished in the Song Dynasty (960-1127) represents an important chapter in China's cultural and religious history.
- In the treasure of Dazu stone sculptures, the well designed groups of nineteen grand reliefs cover a wide scope of artistic themes, and most of them present Buddhist figures as human beings and depict scenes from everyday life. They are rarely seen in any other part of the world.
20. The Ancient City of Lijiang
- The ancient city of Lijiang is located at the foot of the snow-capped Yulong Mountains, which is in the southeastern part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau known as the "roof of the world" and the northwestern part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
- The ancient city is formed of three separate ancient towns, namely, Baisha, Shuhe, and Dayan. It is called the "soul of Lijiang" because the city itself is located where the Han, Tibetan, Nanzhao and Naxi cultures converge and has been a caretaker of civilization for over 1,000 years.
- The ancient city of Lijiang is by no means a fossil. It is alive and full of vigor with its "poetic style of living", its aesthetic norms, its simple way of life, and its classic art of city construction.
- Lijiang Prefecture is home to people of more than 2O minority ethnic groups, the bulk of whom are the Naxi. Each of these ethnic groups has a unique culture and history, which match into the beauty of the land, setting an example of a harmonious relationship between man and nature.
21.Potala Palace
- The ancient city is formed of three separate ancient towns, namely, Baisha, Shuhe, and Dayan. It is called the "soul of Lijiang" because the city itself is located where the Han, Tibetan, Nanzhao and Naxi cultures converge and has been a caretaker of civilization for over 1,000 years.
- The ancient city of Lijiang is by no means a fossil. It is alive and full of vigor with its "poetic style of living", its aesthetic norms, its simple way of life, and its classic art of city construction.
- Lijiang Prefecture is home to people of more than 2O minority ethnic groups, the bulk of whom are the Naxi. Each of these ethnic groups has a unique culture and history, which match into the beauty of the land, setting an example of a harmonious relationship between man and nature.
21.Potala Palace
- Potala Palace, situated on the Hongshan Hill in Lhasa, means "the Sacred Palace of Buddhism" in Sanskrit. It was built in the 7th century by king Songtsan Gambo for his bride, the princess Wen Cheng of Han nationality, and was enlarged and renovated by the successive Da1ais.
- The 13 story palace, 117 metres high, 360 metres east-west, with an area of 130,000 square metres was constructed completely by stone and wood.
22. Mogao Grottoesin Dunhuang
- The 13 story palace, 117 metres high, 360 metres east-west, with an area of 130,000 square metres was constructed completely by stone and wood.
22. Mogao Grottoesin Dunhuang
- Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas, is situated at the eastern foot of Mingsha Mountain, 25 km southeast of Dunhuang in Gansu Province.
- It measures 1,680 metres north-south. The grottoes created in different periods of time are clustered on the steep cliff which is 15-30 metres high.
- Began in 366 and completed in 1386, these grottoes evidenced a thousand years of history. There are 492 grottoes containing murals and painted statues, over 250 residential caves, 2,400 painted statues, 45,000-square-metre murals, and 5 caves with eaves built in the Tang and Song Dynasties.
- These are the vivid records of China's Buddhism history, art history and social life. Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang are the 1argest Buddhist grottoes with the longest history and the richest treasures both in China and in the world.
23. Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang
- It measures 1,680 metres north-south. The grottoes created in different periods of time are clustered on the steep cliff which is 15-30 metres high.
- Began in 366 and completed in 1386, these grottoes evidenced a thousand years of history. There are 492 grottoes containing murals and painted statues, over 250 residential caves, 2,400 painted statues, 45,000-square-metre murals, and 5 caves with eaves built in the Tang and Song Dynasties.
- These are the vivid records of China's Buddhism history, art history and social life. Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang are the 1argest Buddhist grottoes with the longest history and the richest treasures both in China and in the world.
23. Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang
zuo wo lao po hao bu hao 做我老婆好不好
徐誉滕 - 做我老婆好不好
xu shan yu—zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
走过多少路口听过多少叹息
zou guo duo shao lu kou ting guo duo shao tan xi
我认真着你并不知所措
wo ren zhen zhe ni bing bu zhi suo cuo
这种迷茫心情我想谁都会有
zhe zhong mi mang xin qing wo xiang shui dou hui you
幸运的是能分担你的愁
xing yun de shi neng fen dan ni de chou
能不能靠近一点能不能再近一点
neng bu neng kao jin yi dian bu neng zai jin yi dian
满足我心中小小的虚荣
man zu wo xin zhong xiao xiao de xu rong
其实你并不知道在我心中你最美
qi shi ni bing bu zhi dao zai wo xin zhong ni zui mei
就像风雨过后天边的那道彩虹
jiu xiang feng yu guo hou tian bian de na dao cai hong
如果明天的路你不知该往哪儿走
ru guo ming tian de lu ni bu zhi gai wang na er zou
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我不够宽阔的臂膀也会是你的温暖怀抱~~~
wo bu gou kuan kuo de bi bang ye hui shi ni de wen nuan huai bao
如果你疲倦了外面的风风雨雨
ru guo ni pi juan le wai mian de feng feng yu yu
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我一定会承受你偶尔的小脾气
wo yi ding hui cheng shou ni ou er de xiao pi qi
或许我还能给你一点意外
huo xu wo hai neng gei ni yi dian yi wai
一份欢笑一个简单安心的小窝
yi fen huan xiao yi ge dian dan an xin de xiao wo
陪你日出陪你日落到老
pei ni ri chi pei ni ri luo dao lao
能不能靠近一点能不能再近一点
neng bu neng kao jin yi dian bu neng zai jin yi dian
满足我心中小小的虚荣
man zu wo xin zhong xiao xiao de xu rong
其实你并不知道在我心中你最美
qi shi ni bing bu zhi dao zai wo xin zhong ni zui mei
就像风雨过后天边的那道彩虹
jiu xiang feng yu guo hou tian bian de na dao cai hong
如果明天的路你不知该往哪儿走
ru guo ming tian de lu ni bu zhi gai wang na er zou
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我不够宽阔的臂膀也会是你的温暖怀抱~~~
wo bu gou kuan kuo de bi bang ye hui shi ni de wen nuan huai bao
如果你疲倦了外面的风风雨雨
ru guo ni pi juan le wai mian de feng feng yu yu
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我一定会承受你偶尔的小脾气
wo yi ding hui cheng shou ni ou er de xiao pi qi
或许我还能给你一点意外
huo xu wo hai neng gei ni yi dian yi wai
一份欢笑一个简单安心的小窝
yi fen huan xiao yi ge dian dan an xin de xiao wo
陪你日出陪你日落到老
pei ni ri chi pei ni ri luo dao lao
如果明天的路你不知该往哪儿走
ru guo ming tian de lu ni bu zhi gai wang na er zou
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我不够宽阔的臂膀也会是你的温暖怀抱~~~
wo bu gou kuan kuo de bi bang ye hui shi ni de wen nuan huai bao
如果你疲倦了外面的风风雨雨
ru guo ni pi juan le wai mian de feng feng yu yu
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我一定会承受你偶尔的小脾气
wo yi ding hui cheng shou ni ou er de xiao pi qi
或许我还能给你一点意外
huo xu wo hai neng gei ni yi dian yi wai
一份欢笑一个简单安心的小窝
yi fen huan xiao yi ge dian dan an xin de xiao wo
陪你日出陪你日落到老
pei ni ri chi pei ni ri luo dao lao
xu shan yu—zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
走过多少路口听过多少叹息
zou guo duo shao lu kou ting guo duo shao tan xi
我认真着你并不知所措
wo ren zhen zhe ni bing bu zhi suo cuo
这种迷茫心情我想谁都会有
zhe zhong mi mang xin qing wo xiang shui dou hui you
幸运的是能分担你的愁
xing yun de shi neng fen dan ni de chou
能不能靠近一点能不能再近一点
neng bu neng kao jin yi dian bu neng zai jin yi dian
满足我心中小小的虚荣
man zu wo xin zhong xiao xiao de xu rong
其实你并不知道在我心中你最美
qi shi ni bing bu zhi dao zai wo xin zhong ni zui mei
就像风雨过后天边的那道彩虹
jiu xiang feng yu guo hou tian bian de na dao cai hong
如果明天的路你不知该往哪儿走
ru guo ming tian de lu ni bu zhi gai wang na er zou
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我不够宽阔的臂膀也会是你的温暖怀抱~~~
wo bu gou kuan kuo de bi bang ye hui shi ni de wen nuan huai bao
如果你疲倦了外面的风风雨雨
ru guo ni pi juan le wai mian de feng feng yu yu
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我一定会承受你偶尔的小脾气
wo yi ding hui cheng shou ni ou er de xiao pi qi
或许我还能给你一点意外
huo xu wo hai neng gei ni yi dian yi wai
一份欢笑一个简单安心的小窝
yi fen huan xiao yi ge dian dan an xin de xiao wo
陪你日出陪你日落到老
pei ni ri chi pei ni ri luo dao lao
能不能靠近一点能不能再近一点
neng bu neng kao jin yi dian bu neng zai jin yi dian
满足我心中小小的虚荣
man zu wo xin zhong xiao xiao de xu rong
其实你并不知道在我心中你最美
qi shi ni bing bu zhi dao zai wo xin zhong ni zui mei
就像风雨过后天边的那道彩虹
jiu xiang feng yu guo hou tian bian de na dao cai hong
如果明天的路你不知该往哪儿走
ru guo ming tian de lu ni bu zhi gai wang na er zou
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我不够宽阔的臂膀也会是你的温暖怀抱~~~
wo bu gou kuan kuo de bi bang ye hui shi ni de wen nuan huai bao
如果你疲倦了外面的风风雨雨
ru guo ni pi juan le wai mian de feng feng yu yu
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我一定会承受你偶尔的小脾气
wo yi ding hui cheng shou ni ou er de xiao pi qi
或许我还能给你一点意外
huo xu wo hai neng gei ni yi dian yi wai
一份欢笑一个简单安心的小窝
yi fen huan xiao yi ge dian dan an xin de xiao wo
陪你日出陪你日落到老
pei ni ri chi pei ni ri luo dao lao
如果明天的路你不知该往哪儿走
ru guo ming tian de lu ni bu zhi gai wang na er zou
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我不够宽阔的臂膀也会是你的温暖怀抱~~~
wo bu gou kuan kuo de bi bang ye hui shi ni de wen nuan huai bao
如果你疲倦了外面的风风雨雨
ru guo ni pi juan le wai mian de feng feng yu yu
就留在我身边做我老婆好不好
jiu liu zai wo shen bian zuo wo lao po hao bu hao
我一定会承受你偶尔的小脾气
wo yi ding hui cheng shou ni ou er de xiao pi qi
或许我还能给你一点意外
huo xu wo hai neng gei ni yi dian yi wai
一份欢笑一个简单安心的小窝
yi fen huan xiao yi ge dian dan an xin de xiao wo
陪你日出陪你日落到老
pei ni ri chi pei ni ri luo dao lao
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The basic knowledge of china
The basic knowledge of china
1.Territory
Situated in the eastern part of Asia, on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. It has a total land area of 9.6 million square kilometers, slightly smaller than that of Europe. China's surface slopes down in steps starting from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the west leading to the ocean in the east. China's coast is 32,000 kilometers long,with more than 5,400 islands scattered over its vast territorial waters. The largest of the islands is Taiwan and the next largest is Hainan,both are provinces of China. 2.Rivers
Most rivers in China flow west to east into the Pacific Ocean except a few in the Southwest that flow to the South.
The Yangtze River(Changjiang) :- The Yangtze River(Changjiang), 6,300 kilometers long,is the longest river in China,which originates from the Tanggula Mountain on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and flows to the East China Sea.It is the third longest river after the Nile and the Amazon.
First Bend of the Yangtze River Starting from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yangtze River surges southeastward until it meets the Hengduan Mountain Range. About 44 miles outside of Lijiang, unusual geological phenomena force the Yangtze to make a sudden V-shaped bend and flow to the northeast.
This extraordinary turn, nearly180-degrees, creates beautiful and marvelous views that startle the imagination. The river is wide and the water flows in a gentle, slow pace. Large willow trees grow luxuriously alongside the river,steep mountains rise up from the river to touch the clouds in the blue sky above. The whole sight is like a wonderful landscape painting that never ends. This is the First Bend of the Yangtze River - a world-famous geological phenomenon and an extraordinary panoramic scene whose vistas you will long remember with great pleasure.
The Yellow River :•The Yellow River is the cradle of Chinese Culture as well as one of the drainage areas for the Four Great Ancient Civilizations, together with drainage areas of the Euphrates and Tigris River,the Nile River,and the Ganges River. Millennia ago the Chinese civilization emerged from the central region of this basin.
The Yellow River(Huanghe),5,464 kilometers long,is the second longest river in China,which flows to the Bohai Sea।Both rivers are the birthplaces of ancient Chinese civilization with a wealth of historical sites and relics;many of them buried underground। • It flows east for 5,464 kilometers, via provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong, until it empties into the Bohai Gulf, draining a basin of 752,000 square kilometers and boasting more than 30 branches। The thick deposits of unmodified Aeolian loess carried in the middle reaches accounts for over 90% of the sediment in the main channel downstream।
•China is a country with a vast territory, complex topography and diverse climates। From the south to the north,the country is divided into tropical, subtropical, temperate and frigid climate zones. •Because of its high elevation, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is special alpine-cold zone with low temperatures all year round. China is one of the countries with the greatest diversity of wildlife and plants. There are 2,000 species of terrestrial vertebrates; among them are many rare species found only in China, including the giant panda, golden monkey, white-lipped deer, takin, Chinese alligator etc. China has 7,000 species of woody plants, of which the metasequoia, silver fir, golden larch etc. are trees only found in China.
३:-District •In terms of administration,China is divided into 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region।
4:-Capital Beijing is the capital of China। It is the political, cultural, scientific and educational center as wall as a key transportation hub of the country.
The national flag of China •The national flag of China is red in color which symbolizes revolution;the five stars on the flag symbolize the great unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China(CPC). China's national emblem
•The national emblem of China is Tian'anmen in the center illuminated by five stars and encircled by ears of grain and a cogwheel।Tian'anmen symbolizes the Chinese nation and the ears of grain and the cogwheel represent the working class and peasantry।
5.People China had a population of 1,236.26 million by the end of 1997(excluding Taiwan,Hong Kong and Macao),more than any other country in the world.Chian is a united,mnlti-ethnic country of 56 ethnic groups.Among them,the Han people account for 91.02% of the total population and the rest people are minority ethnic groups. The largest minority ethnic group is the Zhuang nationality,totaling 15.556 million people while Lhoba,the smallest,has only 2,322 people.The Han people have their own spoken and written language, known as the Chinese language,which is commonly used thoughout China.The Hui and Manchu ethnic groups also use the Han(Chinese)languages. The other 53 ethnic groups use their own spoken languages and 23 ethnic groups have their own written languages.
China’s top ten
•1. The Giant Panda :- The Giant Panda of China is one of the rarest animals in the world. Giant pandas live in remote high mountains in Sichuan,Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces and eat bamboo. They are a surviving species of the Fourth Ice Age and are known as a "living fossil". They are regarded as China's "national treasure".
2. Gingko :- The oldest tree in the world is China's gingko. It first appeared during the Jurassic Age some 160 million years ago.
3. Canyon :-The greatest canyon in the world is China's Brahmaputra Canyon, 504.6 kilometers long and 6,009 meters deep at deepest spot. Its average depth is 2,268 meters.
4. Qinghai-Tibet Plateau :- The highest plateau in the world is China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau The average height is about 4,500 meters above sea लेवल The Himalayan Mountain is located in southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
5. Chinese language :- The Chinese language is the language that has the largest number of speakers, more than 1.2 billion, throughout world.
6- Encyclopedia :- The biggest and earliest encyclopedia in the world is the Yongle Encyclopedia complied between 1403-1408 in the Ming Dynasty by more than 2,000 scholars. It consists of 22,937 volumes.
7- Tian'anmen Square in Beijing:- The largest public square in the world is Tian'anmen Square in Beijing. It covers an area of 40 hectares. 8- Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal:- The earliest and longest man-made canal in the world is the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The canal was first built in the 5th century BC and was substantially extended twice during the Sui and Yuan dynasties. The canal begins at Tongxian County in Beijing in the north and ends in Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province in the south and is 1,801 kilometers in length.
9- Imperial Palace : The biggest and most complete ancient building complex is the former Imperial Palace (also known as the Forbidden City) in Beijing। It was imperial palace of both the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was first completed in 1420 and covers an area of 720,000 square meters.
10-The Great Wall :• The longest man-made architecture in the world is the Great Wall in China। It climbs and descends on the ridges of mountains in northern China and has a total length of more than 6,700 kilometers. It was first started during the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods.
The Brief History Of China
The Brief History Of China Prehistoric and Ancient History (1।7 million years ago-476 B।C.) China's earliest primitive human discovered so far is known as "Yuanmou Man," a fossil anthropoid unearthed in Yuanmou in Yunnan Province who lived approximately 1.7 million years ago. The better-known "Peking Man," discovered in the Zhoukoudian area in the suburbs of Beijing, lived about 600,000 years ago. Peking Man was able to walk upright, make and use simple tools, and make fire. The brief history of China
1、Xia dynasty (The first dynasty of Chinese history. ) The Xia Dynasty started in 2070 B.C. The center of Xia was the western section of modern Henan Province and the southern section of modern Shanxi Province with a sphere of influence that reached the northern and southern areas of the Yellow River. It was in this period that the slave society began to appear.
2、Shang dynasty They were the most advanced bronze-working civilization in the world; Shang remains provide the earliest and most complete record of Chinese writing ,scratched out on the shoulder blades of pigs for oracular purposes. Its civilization was based on agriculture, augmented by hunting and animal husbandry. Two important events of the period were the development of a writing system, as revealed in archaic Chinese inscriptions found on tortoise shells and flat cattle bones, and the use of bronze metallurgy. •A number of ceremonial bronze vessels with inscriptions date from the Shang period; the workmanship on the bronzes attests to a high level of civilization.
3、Zhou dynasty :- Zhou were much more "Chinese" than the Shang . They used a father-to-son succession system. They weren't too keen on human sacrifice. However, they weren't as good at working bronze as the Shang. Still, it would be centuries before the West was able to cast bronze as well as the Zhou. Some, scholars believe that the Xia, the Shang, and the Zhou actually were three different cultures that emerged more or less at the same time in different areas of the Yellow River valley. And the historical record supports this view -- the Shang were conquered from outside by the Zhou, as the Xia had been conquered from the outside by the Shang.
- The Western Zhou (1046-771 B.C.) Dynasty saw further development of slave society.
- This era was followed by the Spring and Autumn (770-476 B.C.) and Warring States (475-221 B.C.) periods when silk production advanced and steel production started. - This era also produced the philosophers Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius and Mo Zi, as well as the military scientist Sun Wu, author of the Art of War.
4- Qin Dynasty In 221 B.C., Ying Zheng, ruler of the State of Qin and a man of great talent and bold vision, ended the 250-odd years of rivalry among the independent principalities during the Warring States Period, and established the first centralized, unified, multi-ethnic feudal state in Chinese history — the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.). —He called himself Qin Shi Huang or "First Emperor of Qin." He standardized the written script, weights and measures, and currencies, and established the system of prefectures and counties. The sovereigns of the next 2,000-odd years followed the feudal governmental structure established by him. —He mobilized more than 300,000 people over a period of a dozen years to build the Great Wall, which stretches for 5,000 km in northern China. —Qin Shi Huang had the work on his enormous mausoleum started early in his reign. When they were unearthed in 1974 in Xi'an, the terracotta warriors of the "underground army" of some 8,000 vivid, life-sized pottery figures, horses and chariots guarding the mausoleum at the Qin Shi Huang tomb site amazed the world.
5- Han Dynasty Liu Bang established the powerful Han Dynasty in 206 B.C. During the Han Dynasty, agriculture, handicrafts and commerce flourished, and the population reached 50 million. During the most prosperous period of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wudi (140-87 B.C.) expanded from the Central Plains to the Western Regions (present-day Xinjiang and Central Asia). —Emperor Wudi dispatched Zhang Qian twice as his envoy to the Western Regions, and in the process pioneered the route known as the "Silk Road" from Chang'an (today's Xi'an, Shaanxi Province), through Xinjiang and Central Asia, and on to the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. China's silk goods were traded to the West along the Silk Road. —As contacts between the East and West increased, Buddhism spread to China in the first century. — In 105, an official named Cai Lun invented a technique for making fine paper, leading to a revolution in communications and learning.
6- Three Kingdom Period -While there was a great deal of political activity occurring during this period, most of it, consisting as it was of various wars between different kingdoms (one of the great novels of China, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is about this period), was not important to the later development of China. -Perhaps its greatest accomplishment was to reinforce in Chinese thought the importance of having "one Emperor over China, like one sun in the sky."
7- Tang Dynasty After the Han Dynasty came the Three Kingdoms Period (220-265), the Jin Dynasty (265-420), the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589) and the Sui Dynasty (581-618). Then came the Tang Dynasty, established by Li Yuan in 618 with its capital at Chang'an (Xi'an). -The Tang dynasty, with its capital at Chang’an, the most populous city in the world at the time, is regarded by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization-- equal, or even superior, to the Han period. - Its territory, acquired through the military exploits of its early rulers, was greater than that of the Han. - Agriculture, handicrafts and commerce flourished; technologies for textile manufacturing and dyeing, pottery and porcelain production, smelting and shipbuilding were further developed. - Woodblock printings of dictionaries and almanacs and Buddhist scriptures were in circulation. - The Grand Canal also helped the flow of merchandise. Chang'an became a cultural and international trade center and — along with Luoyang, Yangzhou, and Guangzhou — a major commercial center. - During the Tang Dynasty cultural relations were established with many countries, including Japan, Korea, India, Persia and Arabia. - By the 660s, China's influence had firmly taken root in the Tarim basin and Ili River valley in today's Xijiang in the West, even extending to many city-states in Central Asia.- The Tang are considered to be one of the great dynasties of Chinese history; many historians rank them right behind the Han. They extended the boundaries of China through Siberia in the North, Korea in the east, and were in what is now Vietnam in the South. - The first is the Empress Wu, the only woman ever to actually bear the title 'Emperor' .The second was the An Lushan Rebellion, which marked the beginning of the end for the Tang.
8- Song Dynasty The Song dynasty ranks up there with the Tang and the Han as one of the great dynasties. Fifty years after the official end of the Tang, an imperial army re-unified China and established the Song dynasty. A time of remarkable advances in technology, culture, and economics, the Song, despite its political failures, basically set the stage for the rest of the imperial era. China in the Song Dynasty was in the forefront of the world in astronomy, science and technology. Bi Sheng invented movable type printing in the 1040s, ushering in a major revolution in the history of printing.
9- Yuan Dynasty In 1206, Genghis Khan established the Mongolian Khanate. In 1271, Kublai, conquered the Central Plains, founded the Yuan Dynasty and made Dadu (today's Beijing) the capital. Kublai ended the centuries-long situation in which many independent regimes existed side by side by forming a united country that brought Xinjiang, Tibet and Yunnan under its sway. - During the Song-Yuan period, the "four great inventions" in science and technology of the Chinese people in ancient times — papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder — were further developed, and spread abroad. - The reluctance of the Mongols to hire educated Chinese for governmental posts resulted in a remarkable cultural flowering; for example, Beijing Opera was invented during the Yuan.
10- Ming Dynasty In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Nanjing, reigning as Emperor Taizu. When his son and successor Zhu Di (1360-1424) ascended the throne, he built and expanded the palaces, temples, city walls and moats in Beijing. In 1421, he officially moved the capital to Beijing. - During his reign, he dispatched Zheng He to lead a fleet of many ships to make seven far-ranging voyages. - Passing the Southeast Asian countries, the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Maldives Islands, Zheng He explored as far as Somalia and Kenya on the eastern coast of Africa. These were the largest-scale and longest voyages in the world before the age of Columbus. - The Ming rulers distinguished themselves by being fatter, lazier, crazier, and nastier than the average Imperial family. - After the first Ming Emperor discovered that his prime minister was plotting against him, not only was the prime minister beheaded, but his entire family and anyone even remotely connected with him. Eventually, about 40,000 (no, that is not a misprint) people were executed in connection with this case alone.
11- Qing Dynasty In 1644, the Manchus took over China and founded the Qing dynasty. The Qing weren't the worst rulers; under them the arts flowered and culture bloomed. Moreover, they attempted to copy Chinese institutions and philosophy to a much greater extent than then the Mongols of the Yuan. —The best known of the Qing Dynasty emperors, Kangxi restored the central empire's rule over Taiwan, and resisted invasions by tsarist Russia. To reinforce the administration of Tibet, he also formulated the rules and regulations on the confirmation of the Tibetan local leaders by the Central Government. He effectively administered over 11 million sq km of Chinese territory.
Modern Period During the early 19th century, the Qing Dynasty declined rapidly. Britain smuggled into China large quantities of opium, and in response the Qing government imposed a ban on the drug. In an effort to protect its opium trade, Britain launched a war against China in 1840, which led to the Qing government's signing with the British government the Treaty of Nanking, a treaty of national betrayal and humiliation. Many countries, including Britain, the United States, France, Russia and Japan forced the Qing government to sign various unequal treaties following the Opium War. China was gradually relegated to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal country.
—The Revolution of 1911 led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen was one of the greatest events in modern Chinese history, as it overthrew the 200-odd-year-old Qing Dynasty, ending over 2,000 years of feudal monarchy, and established the Republic of China.
New-Democratic Revolution The May 4th Movement of 1919 is regarded as the ideological origin of many important events in modern Chinese history. Its direct cause was the unequal treaties imposed on China after the First World War. Under the influence of Russia's October Revolution of 1917, 12 delegates, including Mao Zedong, representing Communist groups in different places throughout the nation, held the First National Congress in Shanghai in 1921 to found the Communist Party of China. —The May 4th Movement of 1919 is regarded as the ideological origin of many important events in modern Chinese history. Its direct cause was the unequal treaties imposed on China after the First World War. Out of strong patriotism, students initiated the movement, and it further developed into a national protest movement of people from all walks of life. —It also marked the introduction into China of various new ideologies, among which the spread of Marxism-Leninism was worthy of special mention. Under the influence of Russia’s October Revolution of 1917, 12 delegates, including Mao Zedong, representing communist groups in different places throughout the nation, held the First National Congress in Shanghai in 1921 to found the Communist Party of China (CPC). —The Chinese people led by the CPC underwent successively the Northern Expeditionary War (1924-27), War of Agrarian Revolution (also known as "Ten-Year Civil War," 1927-37), War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-45) and War of Liberation (1945-49). Owing to the cooperation and joint resistance of the CPC and Kuomintang, the Japanese aggressors were defeated. But shortly after the anti-Japanese war, the Kuomintang launched a civil war. After the three-year War of Liberation led by the CPC, the Kuomintang government was overthrown in 1949. —On October 1, 1949 a grand ceremony was witnessed by 300,000 people in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, and Mao Zedong, chairman of the Central People's Government, solemnly proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China. —Amazing achievements were made during the First Five-Year Plan period, from 1953 to 1957. The average annual increase rate of the national income reached over 8.9 percent. China established basic industries necessary for full industrialization hitherto non-existent domestically, producing airplanes, automobiles, heavy machinery, precision machinery, power-generating equipment, metallurgical and mining equipment, high-grade alloy steels and non-ferrous metals. —In 1979, China instituted a guiding policy of “reform and opening to the outside world” under Deng’s leadership, and the focus was shifted to modernization. Major efforts were made to reform the economic and political systems. China was step by step establishing a road with Chinese characteristics, a road that would lead to socialist modernization. Profound changes have come about in China since the country embarked on the policy of reform and opening-up. The situation in the country is the best ever, characterized by a swiftly and vigorously advancing economy and markedly improved living standard. —Chinese
Parties
Communist Party of China (CPC) 民革Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang 民盟Chinese Democratic League 民建China Democratic National Construction Association 民进China Association for Promoting Democracy 农工党Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party 致公党China Zhi Gong Dang 九三学社Jiu San Society 台盟Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League
1.Territory
Situated in the eastern part of Asia, on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. It has a total land area of 9.6 million square kilometers, slightly smaller than that of Europe. China's surface slopes down in steps starting from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the west leading to the ocean in the east. China's coast is 32,000 kilometers long,with more than 5,400 islands scattered over its vast territorial waters. The largest of the islands is Taiwan and the next largest is Hainan,both are provinces of China. 2.Rivers
Most rivers in China flow west to east into the Pacific Ocean except a few in the Southwest that flow to the South.
The Yangtze River(Changjiang) :- The Yangtze River(Changjiang), 6,300 kilometers long,is the longest river in China,which originates from the Tanggula Mountain on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and flows to the East China Sea.It is the third longest river after the Nile and the Amazon.
First Bend of the Yangtze River Starting from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yangtze River surges southeastward until it meets the Hengduan Mountain Range. About 44 miles outside of Lijiang, unusual geological phenomena force the Yangtze to make a sudden V-shaped bend and flow to the northeast.
This extraordinary turn, nearly180-degrees, creates beautiful and marvelous views that startle the imagination. The river is wide and the water flows in a gentle, slow pace. Large willow trees grow luxuriously alongside the river,steep mountains rise up from the river to touch the clouds in the blue sky above. The whole sight is like a wonderful landscape painting that never ends. This is the First Bend of the Yangtze River - a world-famous geological phenomenon and an extraordinary panoramic scene whose vistas you will long remember with great pleasure.
The Yellow River :•The Yellow River is the cradle of Chinese Culture as well as one of the drainage areas for the Four Great Ancient Civilizations, together with drainage areas of the Euphrates and Tigris River,the Nile River,and the Ganges River. Millennia ago the Chinese civilization emerged from the central region of this basin.
The Yellow River(Huanghe),5,464 kilometers long,is the second longest river in China,which flows to the Bohai Sea।Both rivers are the birthplaces of ancient Chinese civilization with a wealth of historical sites and relics;many of them buried underground। • It flows east for 5,464 kilometers, via provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong, until it empties into the Bohai Gulf, draining a basin of 752,000 square kilometers and boasting more than 30 branches। The thick deposits of unmodified Aeolian loess carried in the middle reaches accounts for over 90% of the sediment in the main channel downstream।
•China is a country with a vast territory, complex topography and diverse climates। From the south to the north,the country is divided into tropical, subtropical, temperate and frigid climate zones. •Because of its high elevation, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is special alpine-cold zone with low temperatures all year round. China is one of the countries with the greatest diversity of wildlife and plants. There are 2,000 species of terrestrial vertebrates; among them are many rare species found only in China, including the giant panda, golden monkey, white-lipped deer, takin, Chinese alligator etc. China has 7,000 species of woody plants, of which the metasequoia, silver fir, golden larch etc. are trees only found in China.
३:-District •In terms of administration,China is divided into 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region।
4:-Capital Beijing is the capital of China। It is the political, cultural, scientific and educational center as wall as a key transportation hub of the country.
The national flag of China •The national flag of China is red in color which symbolizes revolution;the five stars on the flag symbolize the great unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China(CPC). China's national emblem
•The national emblem of China is Tian'anmen in the center illuminated by five stars and encircled by ears of grain and a cogwheel।Tian'anmen symbolizes the Chinese nation and the ears of grain and the cogwheel represent the working class and peasantry।
5.People China had a population of 1,236.26 million by the end of 1997(excluding Taiwan,Hong Kong and Macao),more than any other country in the world.Chian is a united,mnlti-ethnic country of 56 ethnic groups.Among them,the Han people account for 91.02% of the total population and the rest people are minority ethnic groups. The largest minority ethnic group is the Zhuang nationality,totaling 15.556 million people while Lhoba,the smallest,has only 2,322 people.The Han people have their own spoken and written language, known as the Chinese language,which is commonly used thoughout China.The Hui and Manchu ethnic groups also use the Han(Chinese)languages. The other 53 ethnic groups use their own spoken languages and 23 ethnic groups have their own written languages.
China’s top ten
•1. The Giant Panda :- The Giant Panda of China is one of the rarest animals in the world. Giant pandas live in remote high mountains in Sichuan,Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces and eat bamboo. They are a surviving species of the Fourth Ice Age and are known as a "living fossil". They are regarded as China's "national treasure".
2. Gingko :- The oldest tree in the world is China's gingko. It first appeared during the Jurassic Age some 160 million years ago.
3. Canyon :-The greatest canyon in the world is China's Brahmaputra Canyon, 504.6 kilometers long and 6,009 meters deep at deepest spot. Its average depth is 2,268 meters.
4. Qinghai-Tibet Plateau :- The highest plateau in the world is China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau The average height is about 4,500 meters above sea लेवल The Himalayan Mountain is located in southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
5. Chinese language :- The Chinese language is the language that has the largest number of speakers, more than 1.2 billion, throughout world.
6- Encyclopedia :- The biggest and earliest encyclopedia in the world is the Yongle Encyclopedia complied between 1403-1408 in the Ming Dynasty by more than 2,000 scholars. It consists of 22,937 volumes.
7- Tian'anmen Square in Beijing:- The largest public square in the world is Tian'anmen Square in Beijing. It covers an area of 40 hectares. 8- Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal:- The earliest and longest man-made canal in the world is the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The canal was first built in the 5th century BC and was substantially extended twice during the Sui and Yuan dynasties. The canal begins at Tongxian County in Beijing in the north and ends in Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province in the south and is 1,801 kilometers in length.
9- Imperial Palace : The biggest and most complete ancient building complex is the former Imperial Palace (also known as the Forbidden City) in Beijing। It was imperial palace of both the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was first completed in 1420 and covers an area of 720,000 square meters.
10-The Great Wall :• The longest man-made architecture in the world is the Great Wall in China। It climbs and descends on the ridges of mountains in northern China and has a total length of more than 6,700 kilometers. It was first started during the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods.
The Brief History Of China
The Brief History Of China Prehistoric and Ancient History (1।7 million years ago-476 B।C.) China's earliest primitive human discovered so far is known as "Yuanmou Man," a fossil anthropoid unearthed in Yuanmou in Yunnan Province who lived approximately 1.7 million years ago. The better-known "Peking Man," discovered in the Zhoukoudian area in the suburbs of Beijing, lived about 600,000 years ago. Peking Man was able to walk upright, make and use simple tools, and make fire. The brief history of China
1、Xia dynasty (The first dynasty of Chinese history. ) The Xia Dynasty started in 2070 B.C. The center of Xia was the western section of modern Henan Province and the southern section of modern Shanxi Province with a sphere of influence that reached the northern and southern areas of the Yellow River. It was in this period that the slave society began to appear.
2、Shang dynasty They were the most advanced bronze-working civilization in the world; Shang remains provide the earliest and most complete record of Chinese writing ,scratched out on the shoulder blades of pigs for oracular purposes. Its civilization was based on agriculture, augmented by hunting and animal husbandry. Two important events of the period were the development of a writing system, as revealed in archaic Chinese inscriptions found on tortoise shells and flat cattle bones, and the use of bronze metallurgy. •A number of ceremonial bronze vessels with inscriptions date from the Shang period; the workmanship on the bronzes attests to a high level of civilization.
3、Zhou dynasty :- Zhou were much more "Chinese" than the Shang . They used a father-to-son succession system. They weren't too keen on human sacrifice. However, they weren't as good at working bronze as the Shang. Still, it would be centuries before the West was able to cast bronze as well as the Zhou. Some, scholars believe that the Xia, the Shang, and the Zhou actually were three different cultures that emerged more or less at the same time in different areas of the Yellow River valley. And the historical record supports this view -- the Shang were conquered from outside by the Zhou, as the Xia had been conquered from the outside by the Shang.
- The Western Zhou (1046-771 B.C.) Dynasty saw further development of slave society.
- This era was followed by the Spring and Autumn (770-476 B.C.) and Warring States (475-221 B.C.) periods when silk production advanced and steel production started. - This era also produced the philosophers Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius and Mo Zi, as well as the military scientist Sun Wu, author of the Art of War.
4- Qin Dynasty In 221 B.C., Ying Zheng, ruler of the State of Qin and a man of great talent and bold vision, ended the 250-odd years of rivalry among the independent principalities during the Warring States Period, and established the first centralized, unified, multi-ethnic feudal state in Chinese history — the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.). —He called himself Qin Shi Huang or "First Emperor of Qin." He standardized the written script, weights and measures, and currencies, and established the system of prefectures and counties. The sovereigns of the next 2,000-odd years followed the feudal governmental structure established by him. —He mobilized more than 300,000 people over a period of a dozen years to build the Great Wall, which stretches for 5,000 km in northern China. —Qin Shi Huang had the work on his enormous mausoleum started early in his reign. When they were unearthed in 1974 in Xi'an, the terracotta warriors of the "underground army" of some 8,000 vivid, life-sized pottery figures, horses and chariots guarding the mausoleum at the Qin Shi Huang tomb site amazed the world.
5- Han Dynasty Liu Bang established the powerful Han Dynasty in 206 B.C. During the Han Dynasty, agriculture, handicrafts and commerce flourished, and the population reached 50 million. During the most prosperous period of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wudi (140-87 B.C.) expanded from the Central Plains to the Western Regions (present-day Xinjiang and Central Asia). —Emperor Wudi dispatched Zhang Qian twice as his envoy to the Western Regions, and in the process pioneered the route known as the "Silk Road" from Chang'an (today's Xi'an, Shaanxi Province), through Xinjiang and Central Asia, and on to the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. China's silk goods were traded to the West along the Silk Road. —As contacts between the East and West increased, Buddhism spread to China in the first century. — In 105, an official named Cai Lun invented a technique for making fine paper, leading to a revolution in communications and learning.
6- Three Kingdom Period -While there was a great deal of political activity occurring during this period, most of it, consisting as it was of various wars between different kingdoms (one of the great novels of China, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is about this period), was not important to the later development of China. -Perhaps its greatest accomplishment was to reinforce in Chinese thought the importance of having "one Emperor over China, like one sun in the sky."
7- Tang Dynasty After the Han Dynasty came the Three Kingdoms Period (220-265), the Jin Dynasty (265-420), the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589) and the Sui Dynasty (581-618). Then came the Tang Dynasty, established by Li Yuan in 618 with its capital at Chang'an (Xi'an). -The Tang dynasty, with its capital at Chang’an, the most populous city in the world at the time, is regarded by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization-- equal, or even superior, to the Han period. - Its territory, acquired through the military exploits of its early rulers, was greater than that of the Han. - Agriculture, handicrafts and commerce flourished; technologies for textile manufacturing and dyeing, pottery and porcelain production, smelting and shipbuilding were further developed. - Woodblock printings of dictionaries and almanacs and Buddhist scriptures were in circulation. - The Grand Canal also helped the flow of merchandise. Chang'an became a cultural and international trade center and — along with Luoyang, Yangzhou, and Guangzhou — a major commercial center. - During the Tang Dynasty cultural relations were established with many countries, including Japan, Korea, India, Persia and Arabia. - By the 660s, China's influence had firmly taken root in the Tarim basin and Ili River valley in today's Xijiang in the West, even extending to many city-states in Central Asia.- The Tang are considered to be one of the great dynasties of Chinese history; many historians rank them right behind the Han. They extended the boundaries of China through Siberia in the North, Korea in the east, and were in what is now Vietnam in the South. - The first is the Empress Wu, the only woman ever to actually bear the title 'Emperor' .The second was the An Lushan Rebellion, which marked the beginning of the end for the Tang.
8- Song Dynasty The Song dynasty ranks up there with the Tang and the Han as one of the great dynasties. Fifty years after the official end of the Tang, an imperial army re-unified China and established the Song dynasty. A time of remarkable advances in technology, culture, and economics, the Song, despite its political failures, basically set the stage for the rest of the imperial era. China in the Song Dynasty was in the forefront of the world in astronomy, science and technology. Bi Sheng invented movable type printing in the 1040s, ushering in a major revolution in the history of printing.
9- Yuan Dynasty In 1206, Genghis Khan established the Mongolian Khanate. In 1271, Kublai, conquered the Central Plains, founded the Yuan Dynasty and made Dadu (today's Beijing) the capital. Kublai ended the centuries-long situation in which many independent regimes existed side by side by forming a united country that brought Xinjiang, Tibet and Yunnan under its sway. - During the Song-Yuan period, the "four great inventions" in science and technology of the Chinese people in ancient times — papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder — were further developed, and spread abroad. - The reluctance of the Mongols to hire educated Chinese for governmental posts resulted in a remarkable cultural flowering; for example, Beijing Opera was invented during the Yuan.
10- Ming Dynasty In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Nanjing, reigning as Emperor Taizu. When his son and successor Zhu Di (1360-1424) ascended the throne, he built and expanded the palaces, temples, city walls and moats in Beijing. In 1421, he officially moved the capital to Beijing. - During his reign, he dispatched Zheng He to lead a fleet of many ships to make seven far-ranging voyages. - Passing the Southeast Asian countries, the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Maldives Islands, Zheng He explored as far as Somalia and Kenya on the eastern coast of Africa. These were the largest-scale and longest voyages in the world before the age of Columbus. - The Ming rulers distinguished themselves by being fatter, lazier, crazier, and nastier than the average Imperial family. - After the first Ming Emperor discovered that his prime minister was plotting against him, not only was the prime minister beheaded, but his entire family and anyone even remotely connected with him. Eventually, about 40,000 (no, that is not a misprint) people were executed in connection with this case alone.
11- Qing Dynasty In 1644, the Manchus took over China and founded the Qing dynasty. The Qing weren't the worst rulers; under them the arts flowered and culture bloomed. Moreover, they attempted to copy Chinese institutions and philosophy to a much greater extent than then the Mongols of the Yuan. —The best known of the Qing Dynasty emperors, Kangxi restored the central empire's rule over Taiwan, and resisted invasions by tsarist Russia. To reinforce the administration of Tibet, he also formulated the rules and regulations on the confirmation of the Tibetan local leaders by the Central Government. He effectively administered over 11 million sq km of Chinese territory.
Modern Period During the early 19th century, the Qing Dynasty declined rapidly. Britain smuggled into China large quantities of opium, and in response the Qing government imposed a ban on the drug. In an effort to protect its opium trade, Britain launched a war against China in 1840, which led to the Qing government's signing with the British government the Treaty of Nanking, a treaty of national betrayal and humiliation. Many countries, including Britain, the United States, France, Russia and Japan forced the Qing government to sign various unequal treaties following the Opium War. China was gradually relegated to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal country.
—The Revolution of 1911 led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen was one of the greatest events in modern Chinese history, as it overthrew the 200-odd-year-old Qing Dynasty, ending over 2,000 years of feudal monarchy, and established the Republic of China.
New-Democratic Revolution The May 4th Movement of 1919 is regarded as the ideological origin of many important events in modern Chinese history. Its direct cause was the unequal treaties imposed on China after the First World War. Under the influence of Russia's October Revolution of 1917, 12 delegates, including Mao Zedong, representing Communist groups in different places throughout the nation, held the First National Congress in Shanghai in 1921 to found the Communist Party of China. —The May 4th Movement of 1919 is regarded as the ideological origin of many important events in modern Chinese history. Its direct cause was the unequal treaties imposed on China after the First World War. Out of strong patriotism, students initiated the movement, and it further developed into a national protest movement of people from all walks of life. —It also marked the introduction into China of various new ideologies, among which the spread of Marxism-Leninism was worthy of special mention. Under the influence of Russia’s October Revolution of 1917, 12 delegates, including Mao Zedong, representing communist groups in different places throughout the nation, held the First National Congress in Shanghai in 1921 to found the Communist Party of China (CPC). —The Chinese people led by the CPC underwent successively the Northern Expeditionary War (1924-27), War of Agrarian Revolution (also known as "Ten-Year Civil War," 1927-37), War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-45) and War of Liberation (1945-49). Owing to the cooperation and joint resistance of the CPC and Kuomintang, the Japanese aggressors were defeated. But shortly after the anti-Japanese war, the Kuomintang launched a civil war. After the three-year War of Liberation led by the CPC, the Kuomintang government was overthrown in 1949. —On October 1, 1949 a grand ceremony was witnessed by 300,000 people in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, and Mao Zedong, chairman of the Central People's Government, solemnly proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China. —Amazing achievements were made during the First Five-Year Plan period, from 1953 to 1957. The average annual increase rate of the national income reached over 8.9 percent. China established basic industries necessary for full industrialization hitherto non-existent domestically, producing airplanes, automobiles, heavy machinery, precision machinery, power-generating equipment, metallurgical and mining equipment, high-grade alloy steels and non-ferrous metals. —In 1979, China instituted a guiding policy of “reform and opening to the outside world” under Deng’s leadership, and the focus was shifted to modernization. Major efforts were made to reform the economic and political systems. China was step by step establishing a road with Chinese characteristics, a road that would lead to socialist modernization. Profound changes have come about in China since the country embarked on the policy of reform and opening-up. The situation in the country is the best ever, characterized by a swiftly and vigorously advancing economy and markedly improved living standard. —Chinese
Parties
Communist Party of China (CPC) 民革Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang 民盟Chinese Democratic League 民建China Democratic National Construction Association 民进China Association for Promoting Democracy 农工党Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party 致公党China Zhi Gong Dang 九三学社Jiu San Society 台盟Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League
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